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Ferry system to stop winter service to Kodiak Island KODIAK — An Alaska ferry system has released a new schedule that stops service to and from Kodiak Island in the winter, officials said. The Alaska Marine Highway System announced the schedule Thursday, but it does not list ferry operations between Jan. 11 to April 24, The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Thursday. Each year, transportation stops for a period of time for vessel examination and mechanical maintenance. But this year the ferries are in overhaul simultaneously because of a $43 million reduction in the marine highway budget, officials said. An amendment to put $5 million back into the marine highway budget was passed by the Legislature, but it was vetoed by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. “It’s crippling to rural Alaska,” said Republican Rep. Louise Stutes, who introduced the amendment. “I don’t know if (the governor) even considers rural Alaska part of Alaska with some of the effects his cuts have made in relation to rural Alaska.” During the routine maintenance period, fish industries used Alaska Airlines combination planes that carry freight and passengers until they were discontinued in 2016, officials said. Since, the ferry system replaced the use of these flights to deliver fresh catch to other parts of the state. Extending the closure period could hinder business, owners said. The ferry was an affordable way to grocery shop and visit the hospital on the state’s mainland, residents said. Now officials are encouraging them to use planes and boats they consider to be unreliable and dangerous in winter conditions. In addition to the schedule gap, the transportation department announced they are expected to begin a new pricing system that would increase ferry ticket fares during high-demanded times, officials said. That means reservation fees are expected to increase as departure days approach and as special events and holidays near. “This is an attempt to increase revenue and become a more self-sustaining system,” said Meadow Bailey, Department of Transportation communications director. — Associated Press
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Sunday, September 8, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 278
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Construction crews make up for lost time By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
Recent closures on the Sterling Highway due to fire activity have left road crews scrambling to finish a major construction project before winter. This summer, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Granite Construction have been working to improve road conditions on the Sterling Highway from Mile 58 to Mile 79, between Sterling and Cooper Landing. The Swan Lake Fire — which has been burning in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge between Sterling and Cooper Landing since June 5 — crossed the highway on Aug. 18 and prompted public safety officials to halt construction and close the road to traffic. Throughout the week of Aug. 18, the road was closed intermittently as
Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion
Construction equipment can be seen on the Sterling Highway on Saturday.
fire crews worked to mitigate fire danger and heavy smoke conditions severely limited visibility at times. Eventually, traffic resumed on the highway with pilot cars guiding motorists, and by the morning of Sept. 3
construction crews were back to work. DOT Project Engineer Shaun Combs said on Thursday that fire activity did delay progress on the project, but the estimated completion date — June 15 of next
year — remains the same. The work wasn’t completely halted, and crews were able to make some progress on installing new signage and wildlife fencing from Mile 72 to Mile 79 when fire activity permitted.
Now that construction crews are back on the road, Combs said the main goal is to finish paving the top and bottom layers of asphalt before winter. Progress will be entirely dependent on weather conditions for the month of September, and Combs said that the current drought conditions could give crews the extra few weeks needed to make up for lost time. “We essentially lost two weeks of prime paving weather,” Combs said. “So now we’re focused on putting the final icing on the cake, with the goal of having the traveling public on that top asphalt surface by winter.” After the fire moved through the area, trees along the roadway had their root systems burnt out and were left susceptible to falling over See crews, Page A3
School board to mull educators’ contract proposal By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Megan Pacer/Homer News
A harbor seal swims into the waters of Kachemak Bay after being released back into the wild by the Alaska SeaLife Center on Thursday at Bishop’s Beach in Homer. The center released two harbor seals Thursday after rehabilitating them through the Wildlife Response Program. The seals were found neglected on Homer area beaches along Kachemak Bay this May.
Harbor seals released in Kachemak Bay By Megan Pacer Homer News
Two young harbor seals are back where they belong after being rehabilitated through the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program and released into Kachemak Bay. Dozens of people gathered at Bishop’s Beach on Thursday to watch as the two seals
— Ugashik “Uggy” and Charley Fritz — were released into the waters of Kachemak Bay in Homer by SeaLife Center staff and volunteers. Uggy was found neglected by her mother on May 29 on a beach near McNeil Canyon and Fritz was found neglected by his mother on a beach near Homer on May 12, according to an information sheet provided by the SeaLife
Center. At that time, both were estimated to be only a week to two weeks old, said Jane Belovarac, curator for the Wildlife Response Program. Fritz and Uggy were able to be released because they had graduated that program. In order to be released back into the wild, animals must pass all final health checks, not be on any medications,
and be able to show that they can hunt, Belovarac said. “Seals are under NOAA and the National Mariner Fisheries Service,” she said. “And so they have certain protocols and milestones that we need to hit in order for the animal to be released.” One of those milestones is that the seals must be a See seals, Page A3
Drought conditions Troopers release stay, despite rain enforcement data By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Despite some rainfall, the Kenai Peninsula is still experiencing a drought. Drought conditions remain the same as last week, with an extreme drought in the northwestern portion of the Kenai Peninsula and a severe drought in the rest of the peninsula, according to the updated Sept. 5 U.S. Drought Monitor map. “The precipitation was not enough to warrant any improvements, but was enough to stave off further deterioration,” the U.S. Drought Monitor’s summary said.
The U.S. Drought Monitor — produced in partnership with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — measures droughts using five levels, level zero being abnormally dry conditions with no drought, and the fourth level being an exceptional drought. In its summary, the U.S. Drought Monitor said August was the driest and warmest ever recorded in Anchorage. Kenai had an abnormally See drought, Page A3
By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
The Alaska Department of Public Safety has released statistics from their latest high-visibility enforcement campaign, which started on Aug. 14 and ended on Labor Day. The annual anti-DUI campaign resulted in 62 DUI arrests and 1,186 citations issued, according to a Sept. 5 press release from DPS. From Aug. 14 to Sept. 2, Alaska State Troopers and Wildlife Troopers reported the following contacts: 61 misdemeanor DUI arrests and 1 felony DUI arrest;
32 motorists charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license; 40 Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately (REDDI) reports made with 15 drivers contacted and ultimately determined to not be DUI; 79 damage-only crashes, 18 injury crashes, and 2 fatal collisions were investigated by troopers. Of the 1186 citations issued, 606 were issued for speeding and 65 issued for seat belt or other occupant restraint violations. The anti-DUI campaign is part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement effort.
The school district and two employee associations met all day Thursday, in hopes of coming closer to a contract, but no agreement was made. The two employee associations, Kenai Peninsula Education Association and Kenai Peninsula Education Support Association, did offer a new contract proposal to the district, which will be considered by the school board Monday. “We spoke a lot about specific budget line items, and the associations put an offer across the table that the district is considering,” President of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association David Brighton said. Pegge Erkeneff, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s communications liaison, said the district’s cost analysis of the association’s offer shows the salary and health insurance cost to the district would deplete the unassigned general fund balance (savings) of $3.9 million, and require additional funds beyond that. “A fair and reasonable cost to the employees also require a fair and reasonable cost (to) the district,” Erkeneff said. Erkeneff said the groups agreed to meet again Wednesday. The time and place for the meeting is still undetermined, she said. Brighton said the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education will have a chance to authorize the contract at its board meeting Monday in Homer. For over a year and a half, contract negotiations between the borough school district and the associations have snagged on the rising cost of health care. “As both sides recognize, the outstanding issue is the formula to apportion the See contract, Page A3