C
M
Y
K
A-10 Peninsula Clarion, Thursday, September 4, 2014
. . . Funds Continued from page A-1
ing and trying for additional state money. Johnson said about a year ago a fire occurred near where the apparatus would be kept and had the service area had it then, the aerial quint fire apparatus would have been “extremely useful” in fighting the fire. Through the state’s Community Revenue Sharing Program, the assembly accepted $545,400 for communities outside of city limits. Assembly President Hal Smalley said while the state has allocated money through this program for years, state-level revenue sharing is “under fire.” “The regular revenue sharing that the municipal governments get — boroughs and cities — was reduced by $8 million this year,” he said. … “So this revenue sharing figure probably will be a target looked at in the future.” Assembly member Mako Haggerty said while it may have appeared the body moved through the 14 ordinances up for public hearing in record time — the entire meeting lasted slightly more than two hours — he said many people and service areas worked hard to get the grants allocated in some of those ordinances. “(The assembly) just put the stamp on it tonight,” he said. “It may look like we didn’t give it a lot of thought, but this has been in the process for a long time.”
state to the Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area for mitigation projects. It also accepted $38,778.85 from the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for costs from the October 2013 Kalifornsky Beach Road area flood. The borough’s Local Emergency Planning Committee was approved for $22,983 from the state’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for services, supplies and equipment. The assembly accepted $190,000 from the state for pool tile and drain replacement for the North Peninsula Recreation Service Area in Nikiski. Along with OK’ing $250,000 from the state for the Kachemak Emergency Service Area, the assembly also appropriated $50,000 from the service area’s capital project fund and approved a loan in the amount of $275,000 from the borough’s general fund for an aerial quint fire apparatus, which is capable of performing multiple firefighting tasks. The loan is to be paid back in no longer than seven years with an annual interest rate of 4.25 percent. The service area, Johnson Kaylee Osowski can be said, felt like it needed the reached at kaylee.osowski@ equipment now instead of wait- peninsulaclarion.com.
. . . Senate Continued from page A-1
with Kohring about the move. Kohring had switched his party affiliation from Republican to the Alaskan Independence Party in early June. He said people who supported him knew his principles were closely aligned with the GOP’s. Gail Fenumiai, director of the Division of Elections, confirmed Wednesday that Kohring had requested his name be withdrawn from the ballot. She said no replacement candidate was offered by Tuesday’s deadline. The chairwoman of the Alaskan Independence Party said
she had just returned from a trip and could not immediately comment. Begich has said repeatedly he expects the race to be extremely tight. Sullivan has demonstrated a fundraising prowess on par with Begich since entering the race last October. Voters who don’t identify with a specific party make up the largest voting bloc in Alaska, and Begich and Sullivan are making a play for them. Republicans hold a huge edge over the other parties. About 16,000 voters are registered with the Alaskan Independence Party, about twice the number of registered libertarians. There were about 133,000 registered Republicans as of early August, according to the Division of Elections.
Business news Chambers set schedules n The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce meets at noon on Tuesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. A forum with candidates for Soldotna City Council and mayor is scheduled RSVP to 262-9814 n The Kenai Chamber of Commerce meets Wednesday at noon at the Kenai Visitors Center. A forum with candidates for Kenai City Council is scheduled. RSVP to 283-1991.
Agricultural equipment for rent
. . . Mayor Continued from page A-1
encourage new businesses and will be a “senior rights mayor.” Martin, along with ranching, has worked in education and the oil and gas and commercial fishing industries. He is an active volunteer with 4-H, the Alaska State Board of Agriculture, the Alaska Creamery Board, the Kenai Peninsula State Fair Board and others organizations. He said he doesn’t need the mayor’s salary, so if elected, he will hire two assistants to work on firebreaks and promote agriculture in the borough. When discussing local issues, the topics focused on the borough’s budget and economic growth. Martin said he is torn on the issue of non-departmental funding because his business, Diamond M Ranch, benefits from the partially borough-funded Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council to market his business, but it also uses his tax dollars. Bearup said he wants departments and non-departmentals to present budgets that show where money has been and will be spent as well as business plans for the organizations. Navarre said he supports funding non-departmentals, and while the organizations
. . . Refuge Continued from page A-1
The windows are essential not only for visitors and staff in the extreme low temperatures that can be experienced on the Kenai Peninsula during the winter, but for the construction itself, Eskelin said. “Because this building is being built to LEED Silver standards, great care has been given to the materials used,” Eskelin said. “They include a green roof planted with native grasses, bioswale to manage parking lot rain runoff, and American-made masonry wood-fired heater.” Right now paint is on the walls, and the divider separating the theater and the visitors’ area is built, Eskelin said. Once
have been topics of discussion during budget sessions, the assembly has supported the funding on final budget passages. “(Non-departmentals) are all important and the funds that we put into them, the borough and its residents do get a return on that investment,” Navarre said. To encourage economic development in the borough, creating a strong workforce is important along with a stable tax base and responsible land management, Navarre said. Martin said education is the key to economic development with future jobs coming from high-quality vocational education. Bearup said the government should attract new businesses and enhance already established businesses by buying locally to enhance the economy. The candidates were asked their positions on the three measures on the state’s general election ballot. Measure No. 2 asks voters whether marijuana should be legalized. “Well, I’ve never tried marijuana,” Martin said. “And they say it’s a good pain killer and increases your appetite, so maybe that’s in my future, but probably not.” He said he doesn’t think outlawing marijuana is working well and said it’s a matter of making people responsible for their behavior.
Bearup said he doesn’t support the legalization of recreational marijuana, but is interested in learning more about the benefits of medical marijuana. While he hasn’t read the proposition, Navarre said he is inclined to vote against marijuana legalization. “I do think that we need to take a look at incarceration under the marijuana laws because I think that we have far too many people in prison as a result of that,” he said. On Ballot Measure No. 3, which proposes to increase the minimum wage, Navarre is in favor because employees should be paid living wages. Raising the minimum wage will have positive effects on people’s lives, he said. Martin said there should not be a “ceiling or a floor” on wages. “I wish that employers would pay people for … the service or the work they put out,” he said. “The harder you work the more you make.” Bearup is against raising the minimum wage because, he said, it will lead to inflation. In restaurants, he said, waitresses typically get tips, which provide “a good income” for them. “My position is a free enterprise system,” he said. “If you go out and you treat your employees well, you pay them well because you don’t have to give them the minimum wage. You can give them more than
the interior is finished, the graphics, which are currently under review, and displays created by Minnesota-based Split Rock Studios, which makes interpretive exhibits, will be installed in the 1,800-square-foot exhibit hall space. The enlarged exhibit space will illustrate information “from ice field to ocean,” Eskelin said. “It is a breath of the diversity of the refuge’s ecosystems.” The new 80-person capacity multi-purpose educational room will allow existing programs, such as the Junior Rangers Program, to grow, Eskelin said. The room will be able to facilitate larger group activities and extended labs, extending education that wasn’t previously possible at the current facility, she said. While there will be some overlap during renovation on
the current center and construction on the new center, most programs, indoor and outdoor, will not be affected or paused, Eskelin said. In a previous Clarion article Loranger said the current center is 34 years old, and will be turned into offices for refuge employees. Items from the existing exhibits will be taken down and moved into the new building, Eskelin said. The date is still uncertain, but there will be a point when the daily wildlife movies will not be shown for a short period of time, she said. Eskelin said she will release an opening date as soon as they have the information.
Thursday, Sept. 11 — 10:30 a.m., Interviewing Skills Workshop; 3:30 p.m. Vocational Rehabilitation Orientation. Friday, Sept. 12 — No workshops offered. All workshop are free of charge to the public. Those interested in attending any workshops offered at the Peninsula Job Center can call 335-3010 or visit the job center located in Kenai at 11312 Kenai Spur Hwy., Suite No. 2. Business hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding state and federal holidays. You can also reserve space by clicking on the “Schedule Workshops” option located on the main screen in your ALEXsys account www.jobs.alaska.gov.
What’s new in your business?
The Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District has a wide Have you opened a new business, moved to a new location, variety of agricultural equipment for rent, including manual hired a new person or promoted an employee? and mechanized tools for soil preparation (Meri Crusher), The community wants to know, and so do we. tillage, re-seeding, planting, pesticide and fertilizer applicaSend us your information at news@peninsulaclarion.com, fax tion and bale wrapping. For information, see the “Equipment it to 907-283-3299, or drop it by the Clarion at 150 Trading Bay Rental” page at www.kenaisoilandwater.org or call 283-8732 in Kenai. Questions? Call 907-335-1251. ext. 5.
Edwards represents Soldotna at national Mary Kay seminar
Business announcements may be submitted to news@peninsulaclarion.com.
Kristi Edwards of Soldotna joined more than 30,000 Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants at the company’s annual seminar from July 16-Aug. 2 in Dallas. May Kay Inc.’s annual seminar brings together independent consultants from across the country and around the world to celebrate their business achievements and provide education, recognition and motivation for the year ahead. Edwards began her Mary Kay business in 1996. At the seminar, she was recognized for Princess Court of Sales and All Star consistency club. “It was amazing to be at an event with so many positive women. Not many companies promote priorities of faith first, family second, career third,” Edwards said. “It was fun receiving the prizes that I earned. I’m excited to build my team and help other women in the process.”
Job Center hosts recruitment fair Representatives from Alyeska Resort will be at the Peninsula Job Center on September 10 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to meet with job seekers about their current openings. Employee housing is available on a first come, first served basis. Recruiters are asking that job seekers be prepared to meet and interview for their openings by applying online at alyeskaresort. com/info/jobs.aspx. Please bring your resume to the recruitment fair. If you need assistance with applying online and creating a resume, please visit the job center located in Kenai at 11312 Kenai Spur Hwy., Suite #2. Business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. excluding state and federal holidays.
Job Center hosts training The following job skills workshops will be offered at the Peninsula Job Center the week of Sept. 8: Monday, Sept. 8 — 9:30 a.m., ALEXsys Job Leads; 10:30 a.m., Intro to ALEXsys and the Job Center; 2:30 p.m. Resume Writing Workshop. Tuesday, Sept. 9 — 11:30 a.m. CareerReady 101 Lab. Wednesday, Sept. 10 — 9 a.m., WorkKeys® Testing. C
M
Y
K
Kelly Sullivan can be reached at kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com.
what they would get as a minimum wage.” Measure No. 4 asks voters if they would approve an initiative to protect Bristol Bay salmon and waters flowing into the Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve. This would be done by requiring the Legislature to approve proposed large-scale metallic sulfide mines in the reserve by passing a law that finds the mine doesn’t endanger the fishery. Bearup said he didn’t know enough about that issue, but he wants to protect the habitat as much as possible and work with the fisheries and find the best solution for everyone involved. While he said he is not against fisheries protection, Navarre said he will likely vote against the measure, but he has yet to read the initiative. “We have a regulatory structure and a permitting process in the state of Alaska that I think works pretty well,” he said. “I think it’s dangerous precedent to be setting our standards and our policies in this fashion on development issues.” Martin said he is opposed No. 4 and that mining can be done safely. He said other mining projects are in the works that “might be a whole lot worse than Bristol Bay.” Kaylee Osowski can be reached at kaylee.osowski@ peninsulaclarion.com.
Man who supplied fatal drug to teen changes plea ANCHORAGE (AP) — A man who admitted injecting a 14-year-old Alaska girl with heroin has pleaded guilty to distribution of the drug. Sean Michael Warner, 29, signed a plea agreement last week, and the document was accepted Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason. She set sentencing for Feb. 11. Warner admitted providing the drug that killed Jena Dolstad on Dec. 29, 2011. The maximum sentence for drug distribution is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
C
M
Y
K