Senate committee's budget shuts out pipeline training center
Published Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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Stumble It!JUNEAU — Under the latest plan for state spending on construction projects, the Ester Community Association would get $50,000 to build a library and the Denali Borough would get $450,000 for a loader to use at its landfill. The Alaska Works Partnership, which is developing a pipeline training center in Fairbanks, would get nothing.
The Senate Finance Committee adopted a new version of the capital budget on Monday that brings total spending to $1.78 billion and includes $556 million in state general funds. Including Gov. Sarah Palin’s original proposal, it’s the fourth official version of the bill on the Senate side.
The new version boosts funding for K-12 education, deposits some of the expected surplus from this year into various funds, and adds back some items Palin requested and the committee stripped out.
It adds money for some Fairbanks area projects sought by local officials and lawmakers, but leaves money out for others.
“There were some important projects that I thought should have been given more consideration,” said Sen. Joe Thomas, a Democrat from Fairbanks and member of the committee.
Thomas said he would have liked to see money for the pipeline training center and a storage facility requested by the Department of Fish and Game, as well as more money for transportation projects and maintenance and repairs on University of Alaska facilities.
He added that he thought the budget bill would change after it passed from the Senate to the House.
“They’re going to obviously want to put some money into it,” he said.
The pipeline training center received $2.7 million in funding last year, and Palin included $6 million for it in her budget this year, half in federal funds and half in state funds.
Palin also included $19.6 million for “renewal and renovation” at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley Campus. The new version of the budget includes only $3.1 million.
Under the new version, some state agencies would get money Palin requested for deferred maintenance in the Fairbanks area, while others would not. Funds would go to the departments of health and public safety, but not to the departments of corrections, military and veterans affairs, and natural resources.
The committee is scheduled to consider amendments to the bill today. The bill is SB 221.
Fairbanks area projects that were added in the new version include:
• $450,000 for a loader in the Denali Borough
• $125,861 for building improvements at the Ralph Perdue Center
• $95,000 for a distance learning program at Hutchison High School
• $50,000 for a loader in Anderson
• $50,000 for a library in Ester
• $42,500 for the Midnight Sun Boy Scouts
• $40,000 for the Farthest North Girl Scouts
Projects not in the budget include:
• $6 million for the pipeline training center in Fairbanks
• $2 million for enclosed secure storage at Fish and Game’s regional office
• $500,000 for a new roof at the Fairbanks Readiness Center
• $395,000 for the Fairbanks fire training center burn building
• $47,410 for a pole barn and playground at the Salcha fair
Community Discussion
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I hope that Palin is ready to start vetoing! Wake up people, $2 million dollars for a storage building is out of control. Why do they need $395,000 for maintenance on a concrete fire training structure? What is the Fairbanks Readiness Center? Never heard of it, but it must be important if the roof costs a half million dollars.
Fairbanksgas, check the list again. The storage building and the like are on the list that didn't make the cut.
Did anyone catch whether the proposed $500,000 for ADF&G seasonal housing at Emmonak got chopped?
I cannot believe this one, whatever happened to ATCO units.
Fer cryin' out loud, that used to be considered going into the "field."
Perhaps FairbanksGas should actually get informed before spouting off. However, we all realize spewing misinformation to enforce your point is much easier. The City just went out to bid on a storage building...2 million as approved by resolution (on their website). Concrete builidings do need maintenance and inspections, especially after they are burned in repeatedly. I agree there are wasteful projects out there,you just chose poor examples.
NO PIPELINE TRAINING CENTER IN FAIRBANKS? That ought to be a clue that:
1.) The Alaska Gas Pipe line is nothing more than another smoking mirror, or,
2.) TransCanada, Conoco or any other would be pipeline construction company are all planning on importing skilled workers from outside and don't need ALASKAN workers, and,
3.) This Administration and Legislature has determined that it is in the best public interest of Alaska to export the payroll checks of the majority of the gas line construction workers, straight out of Alaska on the first available plane.
THIS STATE HAS SOME SERIOUS POLITRICKAL CORRUPTION!
If a storage building costs $2 million dollars then the corruption goes much, much deeper that I can fathom. If they need $2 million dollars worth of storage it is time to have an auction and get rid of the surplus. If they still need storage they could find some connex's for a few thousand dollars. This leaves $1,990,000.00 leftover.
I'd have to agree that $2 million for storage seems pretty excessive. Especially when you look at only $50 K for a library!
And now, just to rabble rouse...
Why did the boy scouts get more than the girls scouts? Is that sexism?
[In my opinion, the boy scouts shouldn't receive any government funding until they drop the ridiculous insistence on religious beliefs from their Oath and elsewhere... Separation of church and state people!]
.. no one disagrees about the Boy Scouts? Good. I'm glad you brought that up. I had glossed over it when I read the article.
I think the Girl Scouts have a similar oath or pledge, so they probably shouldn't be up for funding either. (Although they tell you its okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word you like. I think I'd choose the Flying Spaghetti Monster and see how far that gets me.)
RAmen, sister!
Ramen? As in the noodle?
Apparently, you are not a true Pastafarian...
RAmen, as in -
"May you be touched by his noodly appendage, RAmen."
Yes, I've only just recently been converted. My eyes have just been opened to the wonders of the FSM. Who are you to say who or what a true Pastafarian is, anyway? ;)
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