02/26/2013 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

               HB 109-NAMING MICHAEL WILEY BRIDGE                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:05:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P. WILSON announced that the first order of business would                                                                
be HOUSE BILL NO. 109, "An Act naming bridge number 670, over                                                                   
the Kasilof  River on the Sterling  Highway, the Michael  G. Wiley                                                              
Bridge."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:05:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PAUL  SEATON, Alaska State Legislature,  testifying                                                              
as sponsor,  stated that  HB 109  would name  a bridge number  670                                                              
that  crosses the  Kasilof River  in  honor of  Michael G.  Wiley.                                                              
Mr. Michael G. Wiley  was a long-time member of  the community who                                                              
served  in many  capacities.   He  was a  Kenai-Peninsula  Borough                                                              
(KPB)  assembly  member  and  a  member  of  the  Kenai  Board  of                                                              
Equalization.   He served  on the  school board,  on the  Board of                                                              
Directors  for the  Homer Electric  Association, Inc.  (HEA).   He                                                              
also  worked as  a teacher  with Tustumena  Elementary School  and                                                              
Nanwalek  Elementary  School.   He  was an  active  member of  the                                                              
Kenai  Peninsula Garden  Club  and donated  food  annually to  the                                                              
food  bank,  as well  as  being  an  active  member of  the  Kenai                                                              
Historical Society.   Many people recognized his  untimely passing                                                              
this  last year  and  would like  to honor  him  as an  upstanding                                                              
member  of the  community.   He  suggested  other  members of  the                                                              
community could  testify on  this since he  has only  just touched                                                              
on Mr.  Wiley's accomplishments.   He related  Mr. Wiley  was very                                                              
active in alternative  energy and promoted energy  security on the                                                              
Kenai Peninsula.   He asked members  for their support for  HB 109                                                              
to honor Mr. Michael G. Wiley.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P.  WILSON answered that Mr.  Wiley sounds like he  was very                                                              
active in his community.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:08:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BRENT  JOHNSON  stated he  met  Mike Wiley  in  1968.   He  became                                                              
acquainted  with  Mike  Wiley  from  his  work  with  the  Kasilof                                                              
Historical  Association (KHA).   Mike Wiley  faithfully worked  to                                                              
restore  cabins and  even  cut trees  from  his  own property  and                                                              
worked  with  crews to  help  restore  cabins  for  the KHA.    As                                                              
president  of the Cook  Inlet Aquaculture  Association (CIAA),  he                                                              
related that he  also served with Mike.  Additionally,  Mike Wiley                                                              
subsequently  became a board  member of  the CIAA  in 2004  and in                                                              
2007  served  as   vice  president  as  well  as   in  many  other                                                              
capacities  for  that  organization.    He  related  that  he  has                                                              
researched and  written a biography  on Mr. Mike Wiley  and during                                                              
this  process discovered  that  wherever Mike  Wiley  went he  was                                                              
well liked and  the children he taught also enjoyed  learning from                                                              
him.   Mike Wiley served  as a volunteer  for the Moose  Pass fire                                                              
department and  drove a school bus  in Seward.  Wherever  he lived                                                              
Mike Wiley  rolled up his sleeves,  got involved, and  was willing                                                              
to work for his community, he said.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:11:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN asked  whether  the bridge  sign should  read                                                              
Mike or Michael.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. JOHNSON deferred to the family to decide.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
HOLLY  NAGASAKO,  speaking  as Mr.  Wiley's  daughter,  said  that                                                              
Michael G.  Wiley would be  preferable for  the bridge sign.   She                                                              
said the  expression "home is where  the heart is" was  evident in                                                              
her dad's life.   She said from the day he came  to Alaska in 1966                                                              
until  he died,  Alaska  was his  home and  Alaska  was where  his                                                              
heart  was.  He  made a  commitment to  make a  difference in  the                                                              
state and he was  able to do so.  As an educator,  he gave his all                                                              
to the  communities where he  taught.  When  he lived in  the Bush                                                              
his home was often considered the community center.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS.  NAGASAKO said  her  father provided  encouragement,  support,                                                              
and opportunities  to many  children and  their families  wherever                                                              
he  taught.     He  worked  continuously  as  a   member  of  many                                                              
nonprofits  and private  sector initiatives  to make  the state  a                                                              
better  place.    He held  several  elective  offices  and  worked                                                              
tirelessly  to  represent  his  constituents.     He  believed  in                                                              
citizen  participation and  encouraged  many  residents to  become                                                              
involved.   He made decisions  based on  facts and sought  out the                                                              
best  practices,  whether  he  was   creating  lifelong  learners,                                                              
fishing,  working  on the  Alaska  pipeline,  preserving  historic                                                              
sites and  buildings, or  looking at  alternative energy  sources.                                                              
He  worked not  only to  meet the  objectives and  goals of  those                                                              
endeavors, but  he also  advocated for the  less privileged.   She                                                              
said this  is a  great honor for  her family  to have this  [bill]                                                              
considered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:13:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROBERT CORREIA stated  he has been a resident of  Kasilof for over                                                              
50 years.   He has known many  old timers, but this effort  to put                                                              
Michael  G.  Wiley's name  on  the  Kasilof  Bridge is  all  about                                                              
public service.   He  acknowledged that many  reasons exist  for a                                                              
community to recognize  someone to honor them on the  one and only                                                              
bridge,  but this person  [Michael  G. Wiley]  is someone who  was                                                              
dedicated  to  this  community  and   may  be  remembered  forever                                                              
because of  his service.  He  said that great Alaskans  often give                                                              
a lot  to  their community,  but no  gift is  greater than  public                                                              
service.  Mike  Wiley's list of public service  spanned over forty                                                              
years, ranging from  teacher to school board, borough  assembly to                                                              
HEA board,  from serving the  CIAA to Kenai Peninsula  Fishermen's                                                              
Fund, and  from serving on  the Kasilof Historical  Association to                                                              
the gardening  club, and the list  goes on, he said.   In addition                                                              
to  Mike's own  commitment to  volunteerism, he  was a  persistent                                                              
and tireless  recruiter of others.   He encouraged many  people to                                                              
serve  and make  a difference  and numerous  people currently  are                                                              
involved  because of  Mr. Wiley.   Please help  us recognize  this                                                              
extraordinary  Alaskan.   He urged  members to  please support  HB
.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:15:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAUL  SHADURA,  Member, Kenai  Peninsula  Fisherman's  Association                                                              
(KPFA), stated  that he is speaking  today on behalf of  the KPFA,                                                              
which  represents many  of the  735 Cook  Inlet Setnet  fishermen.                                                              
He said Mr. Mike  Wiley was a member for 26 years.   He was a past                                                              
president of  KPFA in 2005-2006.   He related that Mike  Wiley was                                                              
a setnet fisherman  in the Cook Inlet  area for 42 years.   He was                                                              
a  tireless   volunteer   for  the  community   as  a   commercial                                                              
fisherman,  educator, utility  director,  Kenai Peninsula  Borough                                                              
(KPB)  assemblyman,   and  as  member  of  the   Kenai  Historical                                                              
Society, the  CIAA, and  other endeavors.   He attested  that Mike                                                              
was always  there for those  who were less  fortunate or  who just                                                              
needed  a hand  up  in  life.   This  organization  - the  KPFA  -                                                              
believes no  higher honor can be  given to a person  who dedicated                                                              
his  life to  community service  than community  recognition.   He                                                              
asked  the  committee to  please  support  HB  109 to  rename  the                                                              
bridge over the Kasilof River after Michael G. Wiley.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:17:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  THOMAS,   Member,  Board   of  Directors,  Homer   Electric                                                              
Association,  Inc. (HEA), stated  that he  served with  Michael G.                                                              
Wiley,  who demonstrated  his vast  experience in  education as  a                                                              
teacher, in Alaska's  waters as a fisherman, and  in the community                                                              
as a  volunteer, friend, helper,  father, and grandfather.   Using                                                              
sincerity  and  good humor,  he  became  a consistent  and  fierce                                                              
advocate  for fish,  the downtrodden,  renewable  energy, and  the                                                              
use of  good grammar in  all of the  HEA's documents.   He offered                                                              
his support  for HB  109, to  rename the  bridge after Michael  G.                                                              
Wiley.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:18:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P.  WILSON, after  first determining no  one else  wished to                                                              
testify, closed public testimony on HB 109.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:18:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P.  WILSON asked whether the  community would place  its own                                                              
sign or if the fiscal note will be necessary.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON said he  has not  been informed  and DOT&PF                                                              
plans to place the  sign.  Thus he hasn't attempted  to remove the                                                              
fiscal note;  however, community members  may decide to  donate an                                                              
artistic sign.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P.  WILSON suggested the committee  may zero out  the fiscal                                                              
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:19:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON  moved to report  HB 109 out  of committee                                                              
with  individual  recommendations   and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                              
note, which  was zeroed  out.   There being  no objection,  HB 109                                                              
was reported from the House Transportation Standing Committee.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR P.  WILSON confirmed the committee  did zero out  the fiscal                                                              
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:20:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 1:20 p.m. to 1:23 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
[Chair P. Wilson turned the gavel over to Vice Chair Isaacson.]