Beautification Commission Approves Matching Grants for Magpies LLC and Radio Shack on May 18, 2026
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Beautification Commission Regular Meeting – May 18, 2026
The Valdez Beautification Commission met on May 18, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting lasted approximately 35 minutes, adjourning at 5:35 PM. Commissioners discussed and unanimously approved two matching grant recommendations to the City Council for the 2026 Beautification Matching Grant program. The commission also deliberated on future beautification projects, including wood carvings, murals, decorative lighting, and the need for a departmental liaison to advance their initiatives.
Discussion Items
- Approval of Recommendation for Magpies LLC Matching Grant ($25,000 per agenda): The commission considered a grant for landscaping around cabins on a corner lot at Hazel and Civic Center Hill. The applicant, Maggie, joined remotely. Questions focused on the extent of foliage relative to state right-of-ways and snow removal. The actual landscaping bid was $48,000, leading to discussion that the grant should be half ($12,500), but the agenda listed a $25,000 recommendation. The commission ultimately voted unanimously to approve the recommendation to the City Council for the amount stated on the agenda ($25,000), despite the discrepancy noted during discussion. The project includes geo-cells to prevent gravel washout and is contingent on structural work underway.
- Approval of Recommendation for Radio Shack Matching Grant ($25,000 per agenda): Commissioners discussed the requested amount of $12,500 (as stated in the application), despite the agenda listing $25,000. The motion specifically approved $12,500. Comments were positive about new siding improving the corner appearance, though some wished the siding covered all sides. The grant was approved unanimously.
- Commission Business from the Floor: Future projects were discussed: a potential wood carving trail (reviving an idea from years ago), a mural competition or portable mural program, larger snowflake decorations, and concerns about banners purchased by another department without commission input. Commissioners expressed frustration about the lack of a dedicated department liaison and agreed to update their project priority list, seek pricing, and work through the budget cycle. They also discussed contacting Nate about a wetlands/wildlife project and exploring a work session to solidify plans.
Key Outcomes
- Motion 1: Unanimously approved (all in favor, none opposed) the recommendation to the City Council to fund Magpies LLC for the 2026 Beautification Matching Grant in the amount of $25,000 (agenda amount), with the understanding that the actual grant disbursement would be half of the $48,000 landscaping cost. (Note: The agenda and transcript conflict on the exact amount; the agenda lists $25,000, while discussion suggested $12,500.)
- Motion 2: Unanimously approved the recommendation to the City Council to fund Radio Shack for the 2026 Beautification Matching Grant in the amount of $12,500 (as stated in the application and motion), despite the agenda listing $25,000. (Discrepancy noted.)
- Next Steps: Commissioners will email Nate to inquire about a previously discussed wetlands project, update and prioritize their beautification list, and consider holding a work session to develop concrete plans for future initiatives. They also plan to seek a departmental liaison to improve communication and advance projects.
Meeting Transcript
Turn on your red light. Okay. And is there second possible? Okay. TC Green has seconded, and I think weaver has moved to approve the matching grant for Magpie's LLC discussion. So in our packet, it shows where the buildings are. I just want to know how far the gardens are supposed to extend because of the state and city right-aways for snow removal, because how the boundaries are now are great, but I just there was no like clear. Yes, that I I agree that the um clarity of where the landscaping was gonna go was not I didn't get a great a great vision for it other than around the building um the back and when I read it um said that the landscaping um will be in the back of the cabin as well for city areas and I assume that's will be face to what's possible for the right of and does the right way do you know this about the um non-permanent things like planting stuff I know speaking about that uh I know on our side is uh and um I don't know a lot about the side were you concerned about the buildings or just the presentation yeah because it looks like the buildings are fine we already has the structure here right I don't think that's beneficial but I don't think I was just a part of foliage for the space okay um I don't know Maggie if you're on um do you have do you have sound or I should say do you have a I believe you can hear me your uh feed is not very clear on my end so I'm not sure what the full questions are me do you want to repeat that we're just wondering um about how far back the foliage from the cabins go towards the hazelit side just due to the state right away being in that area so if you were to walk to the property now those fences are on that easement line of um I think 20 from the center I don't know my exact numbers right now so it will go between that fence line in the back corner of the cabin and I'm looking at my as bill um site plan from the water right now and it appears there's probably like four or five feet in at least the center two cabins um that one the very first cabin one who's in the corner of Hazlet and Civic Center Hill has the city's been tending to my property anyways so it's right there in that lawn area and then same thing with the corner cabin on Hazel and Galena. There's plenty of room before you hit the utility lines right there. So it looks like on the side there's a couple feet but on the full back side there's five feet as far as what Sammy's intentions were um it was just going to be large enough for a small table for two or four people and foliage around it okay thank you Maggie any other commissioner questions for Maggie what we have to do uh so my question was is 25,000 requests correct the the request is um the total is 25 so it'd be the grant would be two of okay and that's in that last um or it's in her application in applications is 25 oh right that is correct um it is a corner lot so she could she could ask for the total code and that's um as long as it doesn't exceed 50 percent of the actual cost um actually maggie well we have you are you done intentions were um uh it was just gonna be large enough for a small table for two or four people and foliage around it okay thank you maggie any other commissioner questions for maggie what we have to uh so my question was is 2500 requests correct the the request is um the total is 25 so it'd be the grant would be 125 okay and that's in that last um or it's in her application in applications is 25 oh right that is correct um it is a corner lot so she could she could ask for the total 12 code and that's um as long as it doesn't exceed 50 percent of the actual cost um actually maggie well we have you are you done no go ahead no you go ahead it was oh no 66 yeah okay no um I have to double check something paperwork before I ask you this Maggie thank you for being on so we can get to the bottom of questions quickly um I'm remembering that Sammy's bid was 25000 is that right no 46 that is not 36 okay 48 48 or something okay so um the actual the actual uh grant would be half of of 48 whatever the landscaping is um so uh we probably will just uh modify that um right maybe yeah it would be just you know a couple thousand dollars difference and so the gravel that she suggested in the detail for her bid as well as the retaining materials that would be needed to do it correctly are not part of landscaping uh oh oh well typically we don't do groundwork uh like gravel or um pavement but I believe we did grant something for um watch dot we didn't did she did we pull that I don't think we did yeah I think we didn't if it was it was just ground but I don't think so no it was definitely not pavement we don't do pavement um there's no pavement in this uh geo cells would be what would be used to make sure that the gravel didn't wash away every flood season I think if it's part of her um structural landscaping it probably would fit just fine okay mix that mix that for first comment Maggie um and that answered actually another question I had so I don't have any more questions anyone else I just wanted to say it looks really cool yeah it'd be nice to yeah that happened if it has happens it won't be super cool I have what I did have one other question and that was just about timing and and logistics um so you have two projects going on the landscaping and then the structures themselves um do you and do you expect to just you know move on them separately and get them both done this year or are you do you have do they rely on each other they absolutely rely on each other first one is the structures and those are underway right now we'll know within 30 days a little bit more affirmative on it as soon as those are moving the landscaping we'll be shortly behind it. Nice okay are there any other questions any other comment if not um we will take the vote all in favor aye aye any opposed seeing none that is approved unanimously thanks for being online Maggie thank you yeah absolutely sorry I couldn't be there in person but we've got a lot going on thank you all thank you all right so number two um approval of the Radio Shack matching grant this one is definitely 125 um it's the matching grant for this one is 125 is what they requested so the motion would be to approve the grant and the the amount of 12500 I make a motion Magdalena moves any seconds to approve the Radio Shack grant matching grant for our application for 12,500 any comments um I like the siding I wish it was on all the sides yeah because it's on the front yeah that was but there yeah maybe they'll do it in phases or they'll like it so much um I think this is you know Any comments. I wish it was on all the sides. Yeah, because it's on the front. Yeah. That was one. But there are projects. Yeah. Maybe they'll do it in phases or they'll like it so much. Um I think this is you know, one of those situations where we we approve beautification even though it's maintenance, it also just brightens up that corner. And it's new material, so it'll have a new look to it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Any other comments or discussion? All in favor? And none opposed. So it also passes unanimously. Um that ends our actual meeting business. Um is there any commission discussion not related to agenda items. JD Kurt brought something up here, but they work for the forest for the fact that she said like years and years ago there was some talk about it. I said, I don't know that could be something to do with wildlife, you know, I don't know because that's wildlife area. So there's probably it's not really a beautiful, probably have all kinds of it's on our list. So anyway, she brought that up and and she said she would do some research as and present it. Okay. But um that's what we did. Yeah. I think there's a very good chance we could get something going um between us, the city. Nate has expressed um actually he mentioned a couple of years ago that there was this was before things kind of fell apart, but um there was money available for that sort of a project because we were talking about it has been on our list as an idea for a long time. It is a great idea. So long. I think it's the old one because it's the old one. Yeah, all right, yeah. I'm sure there would be a bunch of studies that would have to be done and yeah. The main thing is it's um wetlands. Yeah, so you have to go with that. And then it's spawning on the other side and kind of right there too. But it's not something that can't be overcome.
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