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A-10 Peninsula Clarion, Wednesday, March 26, 2014
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annual reports by Dec. 15 each year. The board is to meet at a date and time set by the Revenue commissioner or the commissioner’s designee, at least once in a calendar year. Michael Pawlowski, a deputy Revenue commissioner, said he believed that language surrounding meeting at least once a year was standard and could not imagine just one meeting. “We would never get the consensus recommendations for action that we would need to build for success going forward,” he said. He said the state will be guided by the group. The state has signed an agreement with officials from the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., TransCanada Corp., and BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil Corp., spelling out broad terms for advancing the project. The agreement includes a provision stating that subject to consultation by the state and local governments, payments in lieu of property tax would be paid by the companies on each component of the project. Impact payments paid by the companies to help offset increased service and other costs borne by the state and local governments during construction also would
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be subject to consultation. If enabling legislation, deemed acceptable to all the parties, passes the Legislature — a bill passed the Senate last week and is being considered by the House — project-enabling contracts would be negotiated and brought back to lawmakers for consideration. The board’s duties and responsibilities would include recommendations surrounding property taxes and ways to mitigate the financial impacts to communities affected by the project. Denali Borough Mayor Clay Walker said he supported the effort. He said he would have liked to have seen one more item under duties and responsibilities: an opportunity to weigh in on location of off-take points for gas for in-state use. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre called establishment of the board a positive step but said a lot of details still had to be resolved. “It gives us some opportunity but certainly it’s not as much maybe as we had hoped,” he said. “But recognizing that the governor and the administration was not going to invite us to participate in those negotiations, this at least gives us a chance to have some input if they discuss with us things that are being considered. We’ll see.” composed of questions developed 12 years ago directed at understanding where LeeShore fits in with the community, Smith said. According to the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Justice Center, the 2013 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, released on Oct. 10, 2013 in Kenai found “52 percent of adult women in the Kenai Peninsula Borough have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime.” The community survey can be taken at the LeeShore Center, and is open to everyone.
safety checks to those in need, she said. Smith said the most recent survey found people were generally unaware of LeeShore’s Youth outreach programs. Last year LeeShore presented information at 155 schools across the Peninsula reaching 3,000 students, she said. “Violence prevention for youth is critical to stop the cycle,” Smith said. It is understood nationwide that domestic abuse is a learned behavior, she said. Making sure parents also know these Reach Kelly Sullivan at kelfacts is equally important, ly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion. she said. com. The survey is still mainly
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“There’s a lot of ability to use it for other things and have community use it for learn to swim and those sorts of things,” he said. “And it’s just a valuable resource, in my opinion, as a public service thing for the whole community and the whole area — not just the City of Soldotna.” Community members are also showing their support to keep the facility open by signing a petition at Sweeney’s Clothing in Soldotna. Owner Mike Sweeney presented the board with more than 200 signatures at its March 3 meeting. He said the petition, which has been available at his store for more than a month, has more than 500 signatures total. “There’s a lot of people that are concerned and don’t want to see this pool end,” Sweeney said. “There’s a good chance that it might be saved, but we don’t know what direction they’re going to go.” Superintendent Dr. Steve Atwater said that the community
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enough credits to graduate from high school but failed the high school qualifying examination receive a letter of achievement. The bill went through several versions. A deadline of June 30, 2017, for former students to request a high school diploma was removed from the bill. Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage offered that amendment and said not all former high school students may receive notice of a deadline. High school seniors are under current law and will have to pass the test, Education Commissioner Mike Hanley said. The test is offered in October and April. But if the bill becomes law before the graduation date of high school classes, seniors will be eligible to receive diplomas without passing the exit exam.
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has shown a lot of support for keeping the pool open. However, he said the pool’s primary function is to serve students, not the community. He said user fees only cover costs for the lifeguard and chemicals. Heating the pool is a big expense. “It’s not a matter of increasing the user fee by a dollar to make ends meet,” he said. “… It’s hard for the public to understand that because they feel that, if they spent five bucks to swim there, that should cover it, but really it doesn’t.” Atwater said administration has also approached Central Peninsula Hospital about contributing to keeping the pool open. Hospital CEO Rick Davis did not immediately return phone calls from the Clarion about where CPH is in its consideration of putting up money for the facility. Atwater said the district didn’t ask for a specific amount from either agency, but if one of both of them commit to providing some funding it could lead to changes in how the pool is operated. “It could well lead to designated time being reserved for a
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Kim McMilin coaxes Andrew Thompson, 5, into putting his face into the water and blowing bubbles Feb. 5, 2013 at the Skyview High School pool in Soldotna. The school district is considering ways to fund pool operations.
specific group,” Atwater said. “I know the hospital is interested in physical therapy use. And it maybe that there’s a dedicated time for physical therapy at the pool as a result of the financial support.” Atwater said the district needs to know each agency’s decision by next week to better determine what the viable options are for the pool as April 14 — when the board must pass a budget — closes in.
Around Alaska Senate panel advances bill on ferry workers’ pay JUNEAU — As the state continues to negotiate contracts with unions for ferry system workers, a Senate committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would lower pay for the system’s Alaska-based employees by eliminating cost-of-living differentials. A provision that dates back decades allows differentials to be paid to employees living in Alaska, as opposed to those living out of state, with the minimum salary based on Seattle’s cost of living. The Alaska Marine Highway System spans more than 3,500 miles, from Bellingham, Wash., to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and employs workers who live outside Alaska. Information provided with the bill shows the differential is about $450 to $665 per pay period for two of the unions and roughly $4 to $5 an hour for another union. Union leaders say getting rid of the differential will hurt recruitment. Some ferry system workers who testified to the Finance Committee talked about the long work hours
“We’re in a period of reducing expenditures,” he said. “We’re cutting things so it’s hard to say, ‘Well, just cut two teachers and keep the Skyview pool open instead.’ That’s what makes it so hard, especially when we have a pool two miles away at (Soldotna High School).” Kaylee Osowski can be reached at kaylee.osowski@ peninsulaclarion.com.
and the high cost of living in rural communities. Sen. Fred Dyson, R-Eagle River, the sponsor of the bill, has said the differential results in significant costs to the state. Senate Bill 182 would not allow collective bargaining agreements to adjust the salary paid to an employee living in Alaska based on a difference between the cost of living in Alaska and outside the state. If approved, the bill would remove the cost-ofliving adjustment for anyone hired after July 1. Employees already receiving the benefit before July 1 will continue to be paid the differential. Nicki Neal, director of the Division of Personnel and Labor Relations, told the Finance Committee on Monday that the differential language in law is outdated and limits what can be bargained. Critics say the state should not get involved in union bargaining issues. The state remains in negotiations with three unions representing Alaska Marine Highway System workers. State law calls for terms of tentative agreements to be submitted to the Legislature by the 60th day of session. The 60th day happened last week. — The Associated Press C
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