KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH NEWS
Permit Day!
Community Development Press Release Today, Wednesday is Agency Permit Day at Seaview Plaza! Come down to Seaview Plaza from 10am-5pm to ask all of your agency permit questions about Kenai Peninsula Borough Floodplain Permits, Army Corp of Engineers, Fish and Game, US Fish and Wildlife and City of Seward (Community Development, Public Works and Building Permits). This is a chance in a lifetime to ask all of your permitting questions to all of the permitting agencies live and in person! [...]
Neashore Monitoring Gauges Health of Marine...
Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center United States Geological Survey biologist Kim Kloecker is known to spend hours on her hands and knees, digging in the mud and rocks along the coastline of Kenai Fjords National Park. She's in search of an important link in the food chain - mussels. Kloecker recently joined forces with six other crewmembers to complete the fifth year of sampling by the Southwest Alaska Network Nearshore Monitoring Program. The crew spent 11 days collecting data [...]
Little League End of the Season Picnic and Games -...
The summer has only started, and yet the Seward Little League season is already winding down and it is time for our end of the season picnic and celebration Saturday July 9th This year our League had more than 80 players in three divisions. We had weekly games and even were able to take a trip over to Kenai for a clinic with the Peninsula Oilers and a game versus the Soldotna Little League Majors team.  It’s official - LITTLE [...]
Multi Agency Weed Pull Day is a Huge Success
On Wednesday, June 29 park staff at Kenai Fjords National Park co-hosted the 8th annual weed pull along the Exit Glacier Road.  There were over 40 folks who assisted from partners such as the Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA), USFS Chugach National Forest, Southeast Alaska Guidance Association, Student Conservation Association, Youth Conservation Corps, and sailors from the USS Lake Erie.  The American Legion Post 5 in Seward was kind enough to provide lunches for the USS Lake Erie...
KPB Blames National Weather Service For Tsunami...
By Heidi Zemach for SCN At 7:15 p.m tonight, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred on the Alutian Chain. A Tsunami Warning was subsequently issued for Unimak Pass to Amchitka Pass.  Here's what Eric Mohrmann, the Director of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Emergency Management Department said happened next:  After hearing of the earthquake, Mohrman came into the office and monitored what was going on, as the emergency sirens had not gone off. The All-Hazard Alert Broadcast Siren System is...
TSUNAMI WARNING CANCELED
Seward Police and Fire Department would like everyone to know that the Tsunami Warning has been canceled for Seward and the surrounding areas.  As of 9 p.m. Thursday, they were out around town, and as far as the Bear Creek area, telling people that it had been canceled. The Kenai Peninsula Borough called all households and said that the Tsunami Warning issued earlier via the All Hazard Alert Broadcast System was incorrect. “There is no Tsunami! There is no Tsunami,” the [...]
Russian River Area Closed Due To Bear and Cubs
The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has temporarily closed all public entry in the forested area on the north side of the Kenai River near the Kenai-Russian River Ferry because of heightened bear activity in the area. The closed area encompasses approximately 29 acres near the Russian River Ferry. It will remain in effect until July 21, unless rescinded earlier, or extended for cause. Meanwhile, access to fishing and fishing along the banks of the Kenai River remains open. The closure is en [...]
Begich's Mobile Office Coming
Mobile Office Visiting the Kenai Peninsula Meet with Staff from the Offices of Sens. Begich & Murkowski in Whittier, Cooper Landing, Seward, Ninilchik & Homer Friends, As the weather warms up and Alaskans find their annual summer routines I’ve instructed my staff to “hit the road” and visit the Kenai Peninsula to listen to your thoughts and concerns. Along with representatives from Sen. Murkowski’s office, my staff will be traveling the Kenai to gather your...
Our School Board Rep Hohl's Post
June 10, 2011 By Lynn Hohl The Kenai Peninsula School District Board of Education met Monday June 6th in the Borough Assembly Chambers in Soldotna. Following is my personal report, that of a single school board member representing the Eastern Peninsula, not an official report of the board. COMMITTEE WORK Kenai Peninsula Borough Reapportionment Committee - State law requires boroughs to reapportion assemblies every ten years based on the census if representation is no longer equitable....
Mayor Carey Won't Run
Kenai Peninsula Mayor Dave Carey announced this afternoon that he will not run for re-election in the upcoming elections. In a radio statement this morning Carey said: “Finishing my term during the next four months will be greatly more productive and focused as a result of this decision. After 58 years of selfishness and self-centeredness, it my hope to become a better servant to others. David R. Carey, Mayor, Kenai Peninsula Borough.  
Kenai Fjords National Park May 2011 Weather...
May proved to be the seventh consecutive month to bring below-average precipitation to Seward. A low pressure system brought strong winds and big seas in mid-May prompting small craft advisories in the coastal waters of Kenai Fjords.  While the system did not seem that dramatic, several local weather stations experienced technical difficulties as this weather system moved through; the McArthur Pass weather station remains offline, the Harding Icefield weather station stopped transmitting May 20...
Marine Life Public Art at ASLC
By Heidi Zemach for SCN Two new sculptures by Alaskan artists decorate the lawn in front of the Alaska SeaLife Building. They were unveiled yesterday, June 8, World Oceans Day. The artists were selected a year ago by a jury of local artists, as a way to enhance the Seward waterfront.  Salmon, by Brad Hughes, of Homer, features a variety of Alaska wild salmon carved into the side of a rock. It weighs 12,500 pounds and is hollow on the [...]
KPB Assembly report
With a full agenda and much public testimony, the May 17 Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting went to the statutory limit of midnight without finishing, and so we will continue this agenda at the next meeting on June 7.
2011 Reapportionment Committee
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Reapportionment Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday, May 19.
Soldotna woman moons neighbor
On April 28, at approximately 6:42 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report of disturbance that occurred between neighbors on N. Kobuk Street in Soldotna.
Fire danger high on Kenai Peninsula
The Alaska Division of Forestry recently categorized the Kenai Peninsula Borough area as a very high fire danger risk due to forecasts of dry and windy conditions.
Seward track team golden at Boroughs
Seward's Brett Chase and Austin Gillespie each won three titles at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Track and Field Championships over the weekend.

Another Barnwell skis her way into top 10
Another Seward standout named Barnwell tasted success at the Region III cross-country skiing championships.Except this time it was Mackenzie Barnwell.With older sister and accomplished skier Allison Barnwell on a student exchange in Portugal, the younger Barnwell seized the opportunity to make a name for herself.She was the only Seward skier to earn a top-10 finish en route to placing 19th overall in the two-day championships at Skyview High, putting her on track for a solid result at the ASAA state championships this week in Fairbanks.Barnwell was the biggest bright spot for the Seahawks. She was 10th in Friday’s 5-kilometer classical race in 18 minutes, 33 seconds. Overall, she finished with a 10-K combined time of 40:32. Soldotna’s Kailey Mucha won the girls title in 35:03.Seward captain Meghan O’Leary was 32nd in 43:05, followed by teammates Samantha Feemster 35th in 43:48 and Amanda Olsen 56th in 54:06. The team finished 11th.The Seward boys fared a little better, placing eighth and beating fellow small schools Susitna Valley, Grace Christian and Valdez.Captain Mike Zweifel bagged the top result, crossing the line with a combined two-day time of 48:31 to place 33rd overall. Andrew Ferkinoff was 36th in 48:44, Joe Nyholm 46th in 51:30, Gabe Esposito 56th in 58:35 and James Logan 62nd in 1:28:39.Lars Arneson of the Cook Inlet Academy won the boys crown in 40:34.The ASAA state championships begin Thursday with individual classical races (7.5-K for boys, 5-K for girls). The meet continues Friday with individual skate races (10-K for boys, 7.5-K for girls) and wraps up Saturday with 4x3-K relays for boys and girls.Van Williams can be reached at 907-348-2452 or 800-770-9830, ext. 452.
Arbor Day Celebration
The Boys & Girls Club held an Arbor Day Celebration at Seward Elementary School. They unveiled a new mural the children had made, designed and realized by Justine Pezuchal. They performed songs about trees, and school officials and Mayor Willard Dunham dug a hole on the school lawn where a tree will be planted in [...]
A splash of thanks
The Seward Tsunami Swim Club hosted the Candy Cane Splash, our first swim meet in Seward in more than 10 years on Dec. 13. Various swim clubs from Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula participated, and the event was considered to be very successful—good competition and good fun.We received financial help from 16 local businesses. The generosity of our local sponsors was overwhelming. To each one represented by the following businesses, on behalf of the Seward Tsunami swimmers, our sincere...
New joint sales tax return forms and training
The Kenai Peninsula Borough will hold public training on the new Joint Sales Tax Return Form in the Soldotna, Seward and Homer areas.A sign-up sheet will be available, and after a brief presentation representatives of the sales tax and audit department will be available to work one-on-one with individuals seeking tax help.The dates and locations are as follows: Seward: 7-9 p.m. Feb. 18 and 10 a.m.-noon Feb. 19, Seward Community Library, 238 Fifth Ave. Soldotna: 2-4 p.m. Feb. 24 and 7-9 p.m....
Tax-Aide site saves time and money
Residents befuddled by tax return options can find free help at two Tax-Aide sites around town.Volunteers with IRS training will be on hand to calm nerves and prepare basic tax returns for most low- and middle-income taxpayers from Feb. 9-April 15. Emphasis will be on senior citizens and disabled taxpayers. According to Nancy Osborne, local Tax-Aide coordinator, Seward area residents saved $25,000 in tax preparation fees by having their returns prepared by Tax-Aide volunteers.In 2007, Tax-Aide...
Pay boost may follow vice-mayor's higher profile
Vice-mayor Willard Dunham may soon be in for a pay raise.Council member Marianna Keil introduced a resolution at the Jan. 12 Seward City Council meeting to temporarily increase Dunham’s stipend.According to non-code Ordinance 2009-001, the vice-mayor would assume additional mayor responsibilities during the upcoming year due to current medical and other issues impacting the mayor’s availability. Mayor Clark Corbridge co-sponsored the ordinance.“Vice-mayor Dunham has gone above...
Lottery includes bonanza for ticket vendors
What organizers billed as the state’s first $500,000 lottery didn’t just benefit the lucky winner. Groups and individuals around the state made money by selling the tickets. Sellers also had a chance to win $20,000 if they sold the winning ticket, which was announced last Friday. Nobody won the $20,000 prize. Lottery organizer Abe Spicola sold the winning ticket out of his business, Lucky Times Pull Tab in Anchorage. As the event organizer, he won’t collect the vendor’s...
Beals finishes third in Clam Shell sled dog race
Seward musher Travis Beals recently placed third at the Clam Shell 36 race on Jan. 3 in Kasilof.Beals, 17, covered the first leg of the two-day, 80-mile race in just over three hours.He ran with eight dogs.“Everybody (his dogs) looked good on the first day,” he said. The second day, however, one of his dogs, a 60-pounder named Zeus, had to be picked up.“His attitude was off,” he said. “He just wasn’t having fun and you have to make it fun for...
Foundation well on its way to $50,000 goal
The Seward Community Foundation is $10,000 richer, thanks to a contribution approved by the Seward City Council at the Dec. 8 budget meeting. Fifty percent of the funding will be endowed; the remainder will be made available for granting to local nonprofits later this year.The foundation promotes philanthropy through the support and growth of permanent endowment, according to its new mission statement. It also assists local needs and works to enhance Seward area quality of life.The 11-member...
Donation gives Sea View a $7,500 holiday boost
The Sea View Community Center is $7,500 richer, thanks to a holiday contribution by Frank Dahl, owner of the Pit Bar in downtown Seward.The funds will be used to help needy families through the center’s quality of life department.Dahl, who owns the Ale House plus Blues Central up in Anchorage, feels it’s his duty to help support the community.“We’re very fortunate that our businesses are profitable and successful and we are able to live a good life, which is why we feel...
Seventh-grader knows her way around the world
Rachel Tougas, a seventh-grader at Seward Middle School, won the school-level competition of the national geography bee on Dec. 16, along with an opportunity to compete for a $25,000 college scholarship. The school-level bee, at which students answered oral questions on geography, was the first round in the 21st annual National Geographic Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society.Rachel knew the answers to such questions as: “Which U.S. state bordered on the east by the Connecticut...
Legion's 'Old Bar' opens with a new floor
American Legion members and guest can cozy up at 7 p.m. Saturday for Christmas Cabaret at the legion’s Post 5.Local musician and recording artist Steve Lemme will be backed by Arlene Carpenter on piano. Jo Ellen Abbott, also of Seward, will provide additional guitar and vocals. Port City Players cast members will be on hand to perform holiday mini-sketches.“The Cabaret will give those attending a chance to see the recently remodeled ‘Old Bar,’ where much of...
Christmas Open House at Museum
The Resurrection Bay Historical Society will hold its annual Christmas open house from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Seward Museum, Third Avenue and Jefferson Street. With Christmas decorations throughout the museum, the traditional model train running around the Christmas tree, refreshments, numerous door prizes, friendly conversation and the ever-popular “Count the Teddy Bears Contest,” the open house provides fun for the whole family.There will be a program of traditional...
Like it was Yesterday
It’s Dec. 5, 1974, and there’s a lot of happening.Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s home run record. Anne Sexton commits suicide.Serial killer Ted Bundy is on the loose.A skeleton from the hominid species is discovered and named Lucy.Stephen King publishes his first novel, “Carrie.”Impeachment hearings are opened against President Richard Nixon; he later resigns.Things in Seward, however, were a little less bleak. In fact, the town was almost giddy after the appointment...
Seward historic landmark listed as endangered...
The Alaska Association for Historic Preservation recently included the Jesse Lee Home as one of the state’s Most Endangered Historic Properties for 2008.The home is in the midst of a $13 million renovation.The list is intended to bring public awareness to Alaska’s threatened historic properties. Heightened awareness can lead to increased support for conservation of endangered properties, which offer tourism, economic development and cultural heritage to Alaska.Other properties on the...
Seems like yesterday
It was 1989, and the country was reeling from the San Francisco earthquake that killed 67 people and injured over 3,000.Alaska reeled from the after shocks the 11 millions gallons of crude oil Exxon Valdez dumped in Prince William Sound.Bette Davis died.The Berlin Wall came down.And the top record was “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerin.In Seward, a lot was happening, at least according to the Nov. 22, 1989 Log.The 1986 rape and kidnapping conviction of Chris N. Nelson was...
Vaccination practice arms for future
Ninety-four volunteers from the community were on hand to ensure that the 350 participants made it through the various vaccine stations. The exercise was intended to test first-responders’ ability to handle a large influx of people, such as you’d find during a health emergency or natural disaster. “Unfortunately, the system was never really taxed,” said event organizer Eddie Athey, Seward’s deputy fire chief. “We had hoped to see this many people per hour....
A shot in the arm for emergency preparation
What is all this talk about a mass dispensing exercise and why is it important to you? First let’s talk about what it is not. This is not about the Seward Fire Department, nor is it exclusive to the City of Seward. This exercise is all about you. That’s right: You, the Seward area residents. This exercise will demonstrate how we (the emergency responders in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula) can better prepare you and our responders for an emergency or disaster. The purpose of this...
Parents recognized for playground
Parents Advocating Recreational Kids Stuff (PARKS) received the Golden Apple Award on Oct. 20 from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District board. KPBSD bestows Golden Apple Awards to district employees, volunteers and community organizations that go to extra lengths to support and advance education.The award reads: PARKS believes that every child deserves a playground that engages muscles and minds, and that every child deserves to live in a community that will build one for them. PARKS made...
Rep. Seaton presents flag to Seward
With the approach of the 50th anniversary of this great state, it is a time for celebrations and speeches, gifts and commemorations.It was in this spirit of unity that state Rep. Paul Seaton arrived at the Seward Community Library on Oct. 19 to present to the citizens of Seward a beautifully framed, 49-star flag in honor of Irwin L. Metcalf, Seward’s delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention.The 49-star flag has a history of its own, as one of thousands originally purchased by J.C....
Fire Department gets grant
The Bear Creek fire service has received a Public Safety Interoperable Communications grant in the amount of $233,110 from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.The grant focuses on three areas: development of a communications plan and standard operating procedures for interagency communication on the Eastern Kenai Peninsula; implementation of the National Incident Management Systems; and inter-operational communication equipment including portable radios, mobile...
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is time for...
Providence Seward Medical Center proudly recognizes October as “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” Early detection and education is our best defense against breast cancer. Our goal is to work with our patients and physicians to help detect this disease in its earliest stages. Digital mammography, the newest technology, is recommended for women age 50 and under with fibrocystic dense breasts. With advancement in technologies and if we all work together, we can fight breast cancer.Here...
Voters add new face, alter budget
Jean Bardarson, Marianna Keil and Willard Dunham snagged Seward City Council seats in Tuesday’s municipal elections.Bardarson led the charge, with Keil close behind, followed by Dunham. John French, the fourth candidate, lost by a margin of approximately 50 votes.In other results, Proposition 1 was shot down by just over 15 percent. The proposition would have exempted municipal officials from the requirements of the state financial disclosure laws while establishing new forms and...
Musical kids club starts meeting at Seward...
God’s Heroes and Daughters of the King club started last week in the Seward Elementary School music room.According to Ada Sparks of Marathon Ministries, the clubs offer a fun and engaging atmosphere for children to learn how to apply the principles from Bible stories to their own lives.God’s Heroes, led by Dustin Boeshart and Ada and Daniel Sparks, is for boys ages 8-10 and focuses on learning about how God’s power can help build them into strong leaders. God’s Heroes...
Simulation to test Seward readiness for flu...
Whether it’s a pandemic flu or a flood disaster, preparedness requires practice. The City of Seward is planning a pandemic flu vaccination exercise that will include community members. How fast can we dispense vaccines, food, or medication? The goal is 500 people per hour. Anchorage did it. Valdez did it. Kodiak did it. Can Seward?Get information about disaster preparedness and receive a free flu shot while supplies last. If a flu strain develops into a pandemic, a large percentage...

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