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P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 101
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
School board faces deficit in 2016
Question Should portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil exploration? n No, the refuge should be protected as wilderness. n Yes, exploration should be allowed to proceed right away. n Exploration shouldn’t be banned forever, but now is not the right time.
Budgeting process for next year underway
To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com.
In the news Walker to invite Jewell to visit ANWR
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JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Bill Walker says he will invite President Obama and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Walker’s announcement Tuesday came two days after Obama said he plans to recommend that Congress designate most of the refuge as wilderness, including its potentially oil-rich coastal plain Alaska political leaders have vowed to fight the proposal, which the Republicancontrolled Congress will decide. During a news conference, Walker also said he would send Jewell an invoice for Alaska’s education and health care costs. He said it would show there is an impact to actions taken by the federal government. Alaska, which relies heavily on oil revenues to fund state government, faces multibillion-dollar budget deficits amid an oil-price crash. Walker said Jewell is expected to be in Alaska next month.
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
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Index Opinion.................. A-4 Court reports......... A-5 Nation.................... A-6 World..................... A-8 Sports...................A-10 Food...................... B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
See PARKS, page A-12
See BUDGET, page A-12
Two volunteers demonstrate proper technique for an Eskimo Stick Pull during the Native Youth Olympics on Saturday at Kenai Middle School in Kenai. The regional event drew teams from Anchorage, Seward, Kenai, Chickaloon and Tebughna. Teams competed for medals over the weekend of events showcasing the athleticism of Alaska’s indigenous cultures.
Soldotna Parks and Rec evolves Department adapts to meet needs, interests in city By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
To remain an attractive location for locals and tourists alike, the city of Soldotna must continue adapting and improving its parks and recreational areas. That was the message from Andrew Carmichael, Soldotna Parks and Recreation Director, at the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce luncheon held Tuesday at Froso’s in Soldotna. “People come, people go, (the population) gets older, (the population) gets younger,” Carmichael said. “The emphasis on Parks and Recreation is everchanging. That’s our job — to
‘The emphasis on Parks and Recreation is ever-changing. That’s our job — to change.’ — Andrew Carmichael, Soldotna Parks and Recreation director change.” During his speech, Carmichael highlighted many of the Soldotna’s recent changes and improvements of its recreational areas and services. Carmichael also outlined future plans that could benefit the city. The changes and improvements included the city’s completion of park projects, the
construction of fish cleaning stations near the Kenai River and the addition of electronic pay stations at Soldotna campgrounds. One of the less publicized changes was at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. Carmichael said that the facility wasn’t as efficient as it could be and demand for facility time
Kasilof resident seeks to recall assembly member By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
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was high. “We didn’t have enough days in the month or days in the season to accommodate everybody,” Carmichael said. Carmichael said that to improve the facility, a floor system for the rink was needed to cover the ice in order to have other events at the center. After researching, Carmichael said that an insulated cover for the ice would cost between $115,000 and $150,000. “After falling out of the chair at that price, we talked to the staff and the staff said ‘We can do this. What are they built of?’” Carmichael said. Carmichael said Parks and
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s fiscal year 2016 budget deficit is projected to be $3.9 million at best and $8.7 million at its worst. Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones presented the 20152016 Preliminary Budget to the School Board of Education at the Jan. 12 meeting. If the school district maintains the same level of services next year as the current year, it would be facing a $6.5 million deficit, he said. The school board requested this specific calculation at the start of fiscal year 2016 budget discussions in December, Jones said. The deficit announced in the fiscal year 2015 preliminary budget had included $1.3 million in salary cuts that ultimately decreased last year’s shortfall, he said. Funding set aside in the fund balance for self-insurance health care will provide some support, Jones said. Using the remaining $2.6 million of $5.9 set aside three years ago for health care costs will reduce the deficit to $3.9 million, he said. A declining fund balance and slim state budget are of concern for the school district
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
A Kasilof resident has filed a petition with the Kenai Peninsula Borough to ask for the recall of assembly member Kelly Wolf on the grounds of incompetence. Chase Duncan, 25, completed phase one of the petition process Monday when he submitted a 200-word petition along with 10 required signa-
tures to the borough clerk’s office. In the petition, Duncan wrote, “Kelly Wolf has demonstrated extreme and egregious incompetence in his elected position.” Duncan, a Kenai Peninsula College student and U.S. Navy veteran, said he was inspired to do something after he attended the Jan. 20 assembly meeting, the first such meeting he has attended. Duncan was one nearly 30 people who testified in op-
position to Wolf’s proposed ordinance to ban marijuana cultivation in the rural areas of the borough. “This is not a petition for marijuana or marijuana laws,” Duncan said. “Its about fair and competent representation. That being said, his proposed ordinance influenced my direction.” In his petition, Duncan wrote Alaska doesn’t possess its own definition of incompetence so
he cited Cornell University Law School’s legal definition as “a general lack of ability or qualification to do something.” He said the voters have a right to challenge the competency of elected officials when the situation is appropriate. Wolf, 52, was elected to represent District 1-Kalifornsky in 2012. He is a retired construction contractor and 1979 graduate of Kenai Central High School. He served in the state
Legislature as a representative from 2003 to 2006 and is a program coordinator for the Youth Restoration Corps. Duncan said he decided to go through with the recall petition to make a point about who elected officials work for. Borough Clerk Johni Blankenship said Duncan’s petition would be reviewed by the legal department to certify whether the grounds for recall are sufSee RECALL, page A-12
State official shares ideas for marijuana regulations By MOLLY DISCHNER Associated Press
JUNEAU — The head of the board currently in charge of writing regulations for the legalized use of recreational pot in Alaska said Tuesday that rules on edibles, advertising and extraction methods should be part of the conversation. Alcoholic Beverage Control board executive director Cindy Franklin presented ideas for new regulations during a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing, primarily centered
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around public safety concerns and keeping marijuana away from minors. Voters in November approved an issue under which recreational marijuana becomes legal Feb. 24. The state then has nine months to write regulations. Sen. Lesil McGuire, RAnchorage, and chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Com-
mittee, has said she plans to introduce a bill creating a marijuana board to develop regulations. Franklin suggested regulating how potent edibles could be and disallowing “adulterated edibles,” which are prepackaged foods that are unwrapped, sprayed with marijuana and resold. When popular junk food is used for those, they can be particularly appealing to youths, she said. Franklin also said a public education campaign is vital. Representatives from several state departments and the C
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Alaska Mental Health Trust also participated in the hearing. Alaska State Troopers Maj. Dennis Casanovas testified that his agency is looking for clarity on the definition of marijuana, as the initiative offered a broader definition than other state laws. However, with less than a month until adults can possess and transport up to an ounce of marijuana, Casanovas said troopers are also preparing for enforcement. The agency has ordered more than 400 batteryoperated scales. Troopers and
village public safety officers will use those to accurately weigh marijuana and marijuana concentrates when encountered, Casanovas said. Assistant Attorney General Kaci Schroeder told legislators they will have to make a decision about whether hashish and hash oil would be treated the same as other forms of marijuana, as the initiative calls for, or separately, as they are currently. Schroeder said hash oil is made differently than other marijuana concentrates and has See REGS, page A-12