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Oil spill
Aquatics
BP faces $18 billion in fines after ruling
Region III swimmers chase Kodiak
Nation/A-5
Sports/B-1
CLARION
Showers 56/48 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, September 5-6 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 290
Question Who is your preferred candidate for governor? n Sean Parnell (Republican) n Byron Mallott (Democrat) n Bill Walker (Non-affiliated) n J.R. Myers (Alaska Constitution) n Carolyn F. Clift (Libertarian)
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Kenai buys five parcels in Old Town Tenants will be given at least 90 days to move By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
The City of Kenai has acquired five parcels of foreclosed properties on Peninsula Avenue with the intent of using the lots as a staging area for the bluff erosion project. The Kenai City Council Wednesday passed the ordinance after paying the balance of the unpaid property taxes to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Four of the lots have residences on the property, one of which is
condemned and considered unlivable, said Kenai City Manager Rick Koch. The last owner of the properties, David Rohner had listed the parcels under First Baptist Church. Rohner had been involved in a couple lawsuits with the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the City of Kenai over unpaid property taxes. According to Alaska court records, the City of Kenai and the Kenai Peninsula Borough both won lawsuits against Rohner that totaled $70,000 of outstanding
To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com. Results and selected comments will be posted each Tuesday in the Clarion, and a new question will be asked. Suggested questions may be submitted online or e-mailed to news@peninsulaclarion.com.
property taxes. Koch said their lawsuit with the owner had to do with code enforcement. The city plans to notify the residents of the ownership change Friday and would assist the three tenants in finding another home. In the meantime the tenants no longer need to pay rent to their previous landlord or to the city, Koch said. Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Plans for that transition are not A row of properties along Peninsula Avenue Thursday in finalized yet, but Koch said Kenai, The city recently bought properties near a crumbling they would give at least 90 days bluff along the Kenai River where erosion mitigation efforts See BLUFF, page A-10 are underway.
Binkley repairs to limit Post Office access
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Maryland looks into Alaska candidate’s tax break ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Officials say they will look into a tax break for Maryland residents received by Alaska’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate. Alaska Public Radio Network reports that Dan Sullivan owns a home in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and the Alaska Democratic Party chairman asked Maryland officials to look into Sullivan’s eligibility for the tax break. It requires owners to say the home is their principal residence. Chairman Mike Wenstrup questioned if Sullivan could receive the exemption while voting in Alaska. Robert E. Young, director of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, says he didn’t get the letter yet but has a legal obligation to investigate the claim. The Sullivan campaign declined to comment to the network, but his website says he considered his time outside Alaska a temporary duty assignment.
Inside ‘We shall not be moved.’ ... See page A-6
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-5 World..................... A-7 Sports.....................B-1 Classifieds............ C-3 Comics..................C-10 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Peekaboo
A bull caribou browses and watches the road after crossing Lawton Drive Thursday in Kenai, Alaska. One other, younger caribou browsed nearby as the two moved toward the golf course.
In the enduring saga of the Binkley Street improvements, the next phase of road construction will limit access to the Soldotna US Post Office. A temporary route is being constructed on Park Avenue between Fireweed Avenue and Binkley Street for all traffic directed to the post office, said project manager Lee Frey. Work will be concentrated to the area between Corral Avenue and See REPAIRS, page A-10
Boat launch free for citizens Risk Assessment post-dipnet, Kenai decides reaching final stages City could lose $6,000 a year in fee revenue By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
It may have taken seven years, but Kenai City Council member Mike Boyle’s persistence in providing free boat launch use at the city dock has paid off. The Kenai City Council enacted a resolution to remove the $25 fee for public use of the city boat launch before and after the dipnet season. The resolution also included free parking for users, excluded during the July 10-31 personal use fishery. The fee for commercial users still applies. Boyle said the resolution is a compromise from a previous ordinance he sponsored that requested the city provide residents of Kenai with free services of the boat launch and parking. He said because Kenai residents pay taxes to the city he felt they already pay for the right to use those services. He compared the intent of the resolution Nikiski residents having free use of the community pool. “This has been an interest of people long before I was on the council for residents to get free access,” Boyle said. “The
compromise allows free launch for residents outside of dipnet and is now open to everybody. I accomplished what I set out to achieve.” In 2007, Boyle first attempted to provide free use of the city dock to Kenai residents but two former city attorneys Krista Stearns and Cary Graves
questioned the legality of offering free service to some while charging others. Kenai City Attorney Scott Bloom said the use of a dedicated dipnet revenue fund for the city dock would make it more difficult to support free use of boat launch for Kenai See DOCK, page A-10
Other city business The council passed three ordinances and two other resolutions Wednesday. Among those, was an ordinance waiving lease provisions for a lot of airport property to Legacy Electric owner Derek Leichliter, who applied to lease the property for a term of 55 years and construct two T-hangers on the lot. Koch said prior to development, existing silt and organic waste material will need to be excavated and replaced with suitable material to build on. The council also unanimously passed a resolution and approved a joint resolution with other Kenai Peninsula borough municipalities to request the Alaska Board of Fisheries hold the 2017 Upper Cook Inlet finfish meeting on the Kenai Peninsula. During their closing comments, every council member recognized the beautiful blossoming wildflowers on Lawton Drive and gave compliments to the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department and Beautification Committee for their work. Koch said with so many people stopping to take pictures in the field the city may be a victim of their own success with trampled flowers. He said building a trail through the field would be a suitable solution for next year. Kenai Central High School senior Allie Ostrander was selected to be a student representative on the city council and her first meeting will be Sept. 17. C
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By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
After three years of development, analysis and research, a document that aims to provide options to reduce the risk of marine oil spills in the Cook Inlet is nearing completion. The Cook Inlet Risk Assessment Advisory Panel met Thursday at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska in Kenai to develop its the risk reduction options for the project. Tim Robertson, of Nuka Research and Planning Group, LLC. and facilitator for the risk assessment project, gave a public overview of the project in the morning before the panel went into a closed session. The project focuses on large vessels and doesn’t include military or research vessels or non-marine oil work. Robertson discussed the two phases of the project. The first is understanding the environment, hazards, vessel traffic, types of potential accidents and consequences. The second phase is identifying potential risk reduction options, some of which were
outlined by the federal government others came from the panel and public comment. The team sorted the options into three categories — immediate implementation, additional analysis required and non-applicable. During the closed session the group planned to discuss risk reduction and prevention options under consideration, which includes a cross-inlet pipeline, a harbor safety committee, emergency towing, expanded training and improved winter ice guidelines among other options. The options being considered fall under six categories starting with decreasing the basic causes of potential incidents to reducing the impact of a spill occurs. The panel approved immediate implementation of a harbor safety committee. It is in the formation process with an inaugural meeting scheduled for November, Robertson said. “Essentially moving maritime safety forward in Cook Inlet requires some kind of ongoing process, some ongoing body to look at that and that’s what harbor safety committees are,” he said. While many harbor safety See CIRA, page A-10