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Freedom
Baseball
Final pushes made before Scottish vote
Orioles, Nationals clinch Divisions
World/A-9
Sports/A-10
CLARION
Rain 57/47 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, September 17 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 300
In the news Port of Anchorage shifts focus
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Port of Anchorage is turning its focus from expansion to modernization and efforts to improve existing infrastructure. Lower sections of the hollow steel posts beneath the wharf are covered in corrosion caused by bacteria, silt and salty water. Steel sleeves used to cover cracks and holes have begun corroding as well. Port Engineer Todd Cowles called this a temporary fix. “You can spend 15 years fixing 100 piles a year only to have the ones you started with starting to fail. These are not 75-year solutions. These are 10- to 15-year solutions,” he said. So the municipality of Anchorage and the engineering company CH2M Hill are designing possible long-term solutions, with the basic idea to use steel piles filled with reinforced concrete. If the steel corrodes in 20 years, the concrete remains. Port managers also want to replace aging equipment and make the port better able to withstand earthquakes. And they want to redo two older terminals. They do not plan to add new berths. The project is a shift from the failed expansion that began in 2006 and resulted in more than $300 million in costs, unused materials and lawsuits. Each year, 4 million tons of goods pass through the port, a major gateway to Alaska, along with much of the cement and jet fuel used in the state.
How about them apples? Nikiski orchard hosts rare taste testing, feeds largest group yet By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Beside the high tunnels’ at O’Brien Garden and Trees, a line of locals wound around the corner of the southern-most structure, patiently waiting to purchase some of the orchard’s local produce. Fresh onions, and jars of strawberryrhubarb jam and pickled garlic lined two tables. However, of 150 people that showed up Sunday afternoon, most came for the apples. One-by-one they carefully blind taste tested and rated 15 apples at a booth set up against the orchard’s gate for the first apple tasting the O’Briens have hosted
in several years. Once finished assessors were allowed to ask for the names of their favorite apples to purchase, orchard manager Michelle LaVigueur said. The table held two pie apples, which are tart, and 13 dessert apples, which are on the sweet side, she said. The apples were unlabeled so that people would not have a biased perspective since two of the flavors, Ambrosia and Gravenstine, were varieties that could be store bought. But, all of were grown in her father, Mike O’Brien’s, two 24-by-48 foot high tunnels in Nikiski. “Many people have different palates,” LaViguer said. “I prefer a sweet-
tarter apples. There were two in particular people asked about during the tasting, but going through score cards those two weren’t the highest ones.” LaVigueur said Sunday saw the largest group that has ever attended an apple tasting. Families and groups of friends came in droves through out the two-hour event to examine Mike O’Briens high tunnel operation, sample b u c k e t , loaded with gleaming local produce and self-pick gooseberries and black currents meticulously sown black currants and a shallow, blue bowl holding two strawberries. into rows through out the property. “We probably don’t need to weigh Standing in front of orchard, employee Katrina Nelson and local this one,” Pam Crawford said laughing. Pam Craw ford held an opaque white See APPLES, page A-14
Soldotna man dies after ATV accident By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Question Do you think this winter will be: n Milder than last winter; n More severe than last winter; or n About the same as last winter? 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.
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Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion
A taste of hockey
Lexis McCoomsey snuck off of her mother, Kayleena McCoomsey’s lap and proceeded to lick the plastic barrier at the Soldotna Sports Complex on Friday, during the Brown Bears game against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs.
Assembly members address dollars and sense of ballot props By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Local elected officials offered clarity on some of the community questions on ballot propositions Tuesday at the Kenai and Soldotna Chamber’s joint luncheon. Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly member Brent Johnson, who introduced a resolution to pose an advisory vote about animal control to non-city residents, spoke about Proposition A. Assembly member Bill Smith addressed Proposition B, which asks for an advisory vote on whether the borough should hold elections by mail. The process when an animal abuse or neglect complaint is made will remain the same with citizens calling the Alaska State Troopers. But, Johnson said, the troopers have a “gap” right now because the agency doesn’t have a mechanism for caring for rescued animals. If the assembly implements animal control powers, the troopers would then contact the organization the borough has contracted with to take on responsibility for the rescued pets. If the assembly decided to establish animal control, it
Photo by Kaylee Osowski/Peninsula Clarion
Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly member Bill Smith (left) discusses the borough ballot proposition, which asks voters if the borough should hold elections by mail on Tuesday at the Kenai and Soldotna Chambers joint luncheon. Assembly member Brent Johnson (right) spoke to luncheon attendees about a proposition asking voters if the borough should exercise and fund limited animal control powers. The propositions will be on the Oct. 7 ballot.
would not include a dogcatcher; it would only be for animal rescue and care, Johnson said. Proposition A also asks voters in a second question if the borough should impose a mill rate of 0.02 mills on properties outside of cities to pay for domestic animal rescue and care. “I want this to have a funding mechanism because we
cannot continue to go to the budget without coming up with funding mechanisms,” Johnson said. The proposed tax would generate about $95,000 according to the proposition. Johnson said if the contracted agency doesn’t use all the money collected by the tax or the tax brings in more funds than expected, the money C
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left over would accumulate. “I think the borough assembly, though, is going to have authority over this (accumulated) money, and we’re certainly going to have authority over how this ordinance gets written up,” Johnson said. If the voters are for limited animal control but against the tax, Johnson said he would not support it if it’s not funded. “It is not designed to solve the problem,” Johnson said. “It is designed to address the problem and to do something.” Smith introduced an ordinance to the assembly to hold borough elections by mail. The assembly postponed the ordinance and passed a resolution to ask voters for their view on the issue. He said there is no guarantee that if voters approve of by-mail elections that the assembly will pass it. However, if the voters are against voting by mail, it is “pretty much assured” the assembly will not enact it. “It’s not going to hurt, I think, to try something different,” Smith said. “If it doesn’t work out, we can always go back to the old precinct system.” While going to vote-by-mail See PROPS, page A-14
A Soldotna man died in an all-terrain vehicle accident near Ninilchik Monday night. Donald Burns Jr., 63, was found dead pinned underneath a Yamaha ATV around 9 p.m. on the Caribou Hills trail system, approximately six miles down Waterhole Trail, according to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch. Troopers received the report from other trail users who found Burns deceased. Burns was riding alone and was not wearing a helmet, said trooper spokesperson Megan Peters. Burns was trying to avoid some deep mud in the center of the trail by high-marking a muddy hill. Burns fell off the ATV and it slid on top of him, according to the report. “It was a very muddy trail,” Peters said. “It appears the See ATV, page A-14
Man flees Troopers, wrecks cycle, gets arrested By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
A Soldotna man is facing six misdemeanor charges after Alaska State Troopers allege he fled from a disturbance on a motorcycle and crashed down the road on Sept. 7. Troopers responded to a disturbance on Lake Road in Soldotna at about 11:30 p.m. and could hear an argument inside a residence, according to a troopers dispatch. Bryan Elliott, 44, was leaving the home when troopers arrived and attempted to leave the scene on a motorcycle, but wrecked a short distance down the road. Further investigation revealed Elliott was under the influence of alcohol, in possession of two loaded firearms while intoxicated, in possession of marijuana and without a valid motorcycle operator’s license. Elliott also broke a TV inside See WRECK, page A-14