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CLARION P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 34
Holiday dinner on Hilcorp again By Kat Sorensen Peninsula Clarion
Hilcorp is once again sponsoring the annual Kenai Senior Thanksgiving Dinner for seniors 60 and older. The Kenai Senior Center hosts a Thanksgiving dinner each year that is open to seniors from across the peninsula. Hilcorp has donated $3,500 to the city of Kenai to purchase food, supplies and other necessities to help host the event. The dinner is a tradition that started in 1976 when the Homemakers Club provided and served the first meal to seniors, according to city documents. “From there it grew and has been passed on through Unocal Oil, Agrium and Marathon Oil,” according to a memo from Kathy Romain, senior center director. “Since 2012, Hilcorp has continued that tradition by providing the funding and the volunteers.” The $3,500 is divided between food and centerpieces. The food costs are estimated at $3,320 and the centerpieces at $180. The dinner will be held on Nov. 26 at 11:30 a.m. at the Kenai Senior Center at 361 Senior Court, Kenai. “This Thanksgiving dinner is just so widely accepted and actually anticipated by the community,” said Councilmember Jim Glendening at Wednesday night’s Kenai City Council meeting. “The idea that Hillcorp would once again donate funds to guarantee its success is greatly appreciated by the folks at the senior center.”
In the news
State seeks help in defending dues stance JUNEAU — Attorney General Kevin Clarkson’s office is seeking to hire outside attorneys to help defend his decision that changes are needed in the way Alaska collects union dues. See news, Page A16
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BLM to hold annual sale of oil lands More than 3.9 million acres on North Slope to be sold for development Dec. 11. By Peter Segall Juneau Empire
The Bureau of Land Management announced Tuesday that 3.98 million acres of land on Alaska’s North Slope will be sold for oil and gas development Dec. 11. BLM will offer 350 tracts to be sold via sealed competitive bid;
the bid opening will be streamed live at the Bureau’s website at 10 a.m. that day. “This is one of several actions we are taking to further expand energy development in Alaska,” BLM Alaska State Director Chad Padgett said in a release. “With advancements in drilling technology, it was prudent to develop a new plan that provides for greater economic development of our resources while still providing protections for important resources, such as subsistence uses.”
The tracts are located south of Utqiagvik and the Beaufort Sea and part of what is called the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA). According to BLM, bids for the previous 14 lease sales generated more than $283 million, with half going to the State of Alaska. Half the proceeds going to the state is a provision of the 1981 Interior Appropriations Act, according to Lesli Ellis-Wouters, communications director for BLM in Alaska. That act also says that half of all receipts from “sales, rentals,
bonuses, and royalties on leases,” shall be paid to the state. BLM’s announcement said the sale was “in keeping with the Trump Administration’s goal of promoting America’s energy independence and bolstering Alaska’s economy.” On Facebook Thursday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy praised the sale, saying he was glad to see the administration opening more land for responsible oil and gas production. See sale, Page A15
‘Blueprint’ plan gets assembly’s approval By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
Brian Mazurek / Peninsula Clarion
Peninsula Art Guild Vice President Marion Nelson (left) and artist Rachel Grossl examine a portion of the “Gather” mural at the Kenai Fine Art Center on Saturday.
‘A Creative Challenge’ Artists gather for a collaborative mural project By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
For the November and December exhibit at the Kenai Fine Art Center, local artists came together for a unique mural project — one that wraps around the entire gallery. “Gather: A Creative Challenge” is the name of the mural, currently on display at the Fine Art Center’s
gallery in Old Town Kenai. Eleven peninsula artists collaborated on the project, and each were given two or three spaces on the wall to use and only five days to paint. The paintings are on a temporary Tyvek canvas, rather than the actual walls of the building, so that the artists can take their work home when the exhibit is over. The subject matter and techniques that can be seen are as
varied as the artists themselves: on one side is a large portrait of a gorilla, while on the other there is a view of the Vancouver skyline. In between there are flowers, an underwater scene, and various abstract designs, and many of the segments blend into each other as they wrap around the room. Jason Ramirez was busy See create, Page A3
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly passed their 2019 Comprehensive Plan at their Tuesday meeting. The plan — required by statute —is prepared by the borough’s planning commission and submitted to the assembly as a proposal for the “systematic and organized development of the borough.” It includes several long-term goals for the borough that cover many facets of borough development, including the local economy, maintaining and sustaining natural resources and growing community connections. “A comprehensive plan is a policy document created by a community, with a combination of big vision goals and practical short-term strategies,” the 2019 Comprehensive Plan says. The plan lists a handful of core values, like economic opportunity, freedom with few restraints, rural small-town lifestyles, abundant natural resources, beautiful scenery and wildlife and strong community connections. The plan portrays a vision of the Kenai Peninsula, outlining goals for the future, including expanding and diversifying economic opportunities, See plan, Page A8
Fair Share campaign opens Homer office to collect signatures By Michael Armstrong Homer News
A week after the Homer office of Alaska’s Fair Share campaign opened, volunteers have gathered close to 600 signatures of the 692 needed to put House District 31 in the tally of qualifying districts necessary to put the oil and gas tax reform
initiative on the ballot. Under Alaska’s citizen initiative law, in 30 out 40 districts, sponsors must collect 7% of the last statewide vote in each district and 10% statewide, or 28,502 signatures total. The oil and gas tax reform effort has an office in Homer at 3756 Lake Street, Cabin No. 2. Office hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.
Monday-Saturday. A family-friendly open house is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. Fair Share sponsor Jane Angvik delivered signature booklets last month. Angvik, an Anchorage Democrat and former Anchorage Assembly member, sponsored the initiative with Anchorage attorney Robin Brena, an independent and
a lawyer and expert in oil and gas tax law, and Merrick Pierce, a Fairbanks Republican. Former Rep. Paul Seaton is one of the local volunteers and a petition book distributor. “This isn’t a partisan issue,” Brena said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “… It’s an Alaskan issue. … See office, Page A2
Among the ‘best of the best’ Soldotna High singer to perform in national choir ensemble. By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
A Soldotna High student will join “the best of the best” in a national choir event this week. Rowan Vasquez, a senior at Soldotna High School, was chosen among students from across the country to sing in the ensemble choir at the National Association for Music Education 2019 All-National Honor Ensembles. “I feel super blessed,” Vasquez said.
“I didn’t think I was going to get into it. I prayed a lot.” Vasquez left Wednesday — along with 556 students from 48 other states — for Orlando, Florida, where the national event takes place Nov. 7-10. Vasquez’s music career began her freshman year at Soldotna High, where she joined the school’s band. Since then, she has been a member of the school’s choir, honor choir and swing choir. She’s also performed in the leading roles of her school’s annual musicals. Vasquez said she’s grateful for music programs offered in the state and locally See singer, Page A15
Victoria Petersen / Peninsula Clarion
Rowan Vasquez, a senior at Soldotna High School, is pictured Tuesday in Soldotna. Vasquez will be representing the Kenai Peninsula when she attends the National Association for Music Education 2019 All-National Honor Ensemble in Florida this week.