About 70 people make their way to the Palmer Senior Center on Chugach Avenue every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday around 11:30 in the morning. They move through tables stocked with meat, produce, and deli items donated through Carrs Supermarket and St. John’s Lutheran Church. Some come to pick up food, others come for the company.
About 15% of these folks are members of the Senior Center. The rest may not know everything the Palmer Senior Center offers.
That’s the problem Fred Traber is here to fix — for the third time.
Traber is in his mid-70s. He’s a former Alyeska Pipeline worker and a retired City of Anchorage official. He was first called in as Interim CEO of the Center in 2017, then again from 2023 to 2025. In February of 2026, the Center Board of Directors asked if he would come back as CEO. This time for good. He said yes.
Phil Munger isn’t just fighting for the Senior Center. He lives there.
Munger was a music instructor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He applied for one of the Center’s 55 housing units for anyone 55 or older after retiring. He was accepted, moved to Palmer, and found himself on the board of directors.
Munger made a promise at the graveside of fellow board member Russ Ingram last summer. He swore he’d stay on the board until the Center reputation was repaired.
The vice president of the board stepped down in January. Board president Elda McCraw asked Munger to take the position. Munger said yes. Running the board elections in June comes with the job.
It may be the most important election in recent times. Three seats are open. It would be the first full board in years if the seats are filled. Munger said that a solid board is essential to getting the Center back on track.
The Center almost closed. Losses hit $1,000 a day when the congregate lunch program was running according to Traber. The professional kitchen and walk-in freezer cost $2,000 a month to maintain.
The math just didn’t work. Deficit budgets stretched back to 2018. The board shrank. The lunches ended in early 2023. The board president died mid-crisis.
Traber said the Center is moving forward. It now owns all its properties. The total value is $12 million. The budget is balanced for the first time in almost a decade.
Inside the Center, seniors can find tai chi classes, painting classes, free AARP tax prep, seminars on avoiding scams, exercise classes, and more. The Matanuska Telephone Association funded a computer room that is free to use.
Munger wants to add music offerings. He says community performers and events would bring more people through the door.
Meanwhile, a working group is advising the board on how to bring back the congregate lunches. Traber said every option is on the table for a program that is reliable and sustainable.
Traber says society invests in daycare for children and educating young people.
“That same care needs to be exercised for our seniors,” he said. “Getting older doesn’t mean you don’t belong to the community anymore. These are our former teachers, business owners. They deserve the respect.”
The Palmer Senior Center board elections are next Tuesday, June 10. Voting is underway for members. They can pick up absentee ballots at the Center or cast their vote in person at the annual membership meeting next Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Palmer Senior Center.
Annual membership fees are $24. Applications are available at matsuseniors.com or at the Center.
The hardest years are behind the Center. The people who vote on June 10 get to help create what comes next.
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That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tuesday June 2, 2026.
Image from matsuseniors.com