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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 50, Issue 53
Thursday, December 5, 2019 • Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
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Gravel pit ordinance fails, will be reconsidered By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly did not pass code changes affecting gravel pit operators at its Tuesday meeting, but the ordinance is being reconsidered at the January assembly meeting. Changes to material site code, including permits, applications, conditions and procedures, were introduced in an ordinance at the
In the news
Troopers report back on traffic enforcement State and Wildlife Troopers issued more than 200 traffic citations across Alaska during the week of Thanksgiving, according to a Dec. 4 press release from the Department of Public Safety. Troopers conducted a high-visibility enforcement campaign from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 in an attempt to crack down on speeding, drunk driving and other traffic violations. According to the release: ■■ 232 citations were issued. ■■ 10 misdemeanor DUI arrests were made. ■■ 8 motorists were charged with driving on a suspended or revoked license. ■■ 27 Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately (REDDI) reports were made. Of those contacted, five were found not to be driving under the influence. ■■ Troopers investigated 39 damage-only collisions, nine injury crashes and no fatal collisions. ■■ 53 citations were issued for speeding and 60 citations were issued for seat belt or other occupant restraint violations.
Woman found in burned SUV ID’d A N C H O R AG E — Anchorage police have released the name of a woman found dead last month inside a burned sport utility vehicle near Cheney Lake Park. Police say the woman has been conclusively identified as 54-year-old Elsie Jackson. Patrol officers and firefighters at 12:45 a.m. Nov. 22 responded to calls of a vehicle fire at east 22nd Avenue and More Street. They found a burning SUV See news, Page A2
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Nov. 5 borough assembly meeting. The ordinance highlights a number of changes, including more detailed definitions throughout the material site code, increasing groundwater testing, increasing the buffer from water bodies to 200 feet, decreasing the number of hours operators can process and crush rocks, new sound level conditions and a new white noise alarm requirement, among others. Several of the proposed code
changes were first explored in the borough’s Material Site Workgroup, established in 2018 to engage in collaborative discussion involving the public and industry to make recommendations regarding the material site code, according to the ordinance. The work group explored recommendations for nearly two years, and discussions were long and emotional, assembly member and former work group member
Brent Johnson said at Tuesday’s meeting. At Tuesday’s public hearing on the ordinance, gravel pit owners and homeowners who neighbor existing pits both spoke in opposition to the ordinance. Robert Peterkin of Kenai said he owns a couple of gravel pits and is opposed to the recommendations outlined in the ordinance. Peterkin says he believes the code is picking on one industry.
“I believe it’s not fair,” Peterkin said. Peterkin said gravel pit owners in the borough are banding together. “We are organizing and we’re probably going to sue the borough, just saying,” Peterkin said. “Pit owners are organizing. We’ve all paid our dues have over a hundredsomething members.” Joseph Ross of Nikiski has been See pit, Page A3
Project Homeless Connect ramps up By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
The peninsula’s ninth annual Project Homeless Connect is right around the corner. At Wednesday’s luncheon for the Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce, the event’s publicity chair, Jodi Stuart, gave a presentation on the results from last year as well as what to expect this time around. “As we think about the holidays and spending time with family, also think about those who don’t have anything,” Stuart said on Wednesday. “That’s what this time is supposed to be about, helping our fellow neighbor.” Project Homeless Connect is a one-day event that brings a variety of services related to homelessness to one central location so that those peninsula residents who are experiencing homelessness can access them quickly and easily. The event originated in San Francisco in 2004 and has since spread to cities throughout the country and around the state, including Anchorage, Soldotna and Juneau. The first Project Homeless Connect in Soldotna was in 2012, and this year Stuart said that Homer will be hosting an event as well. Stuart said that part of the goal of Project Homeless Connect is to create more community partnerships and increase prioritization of resources for homelessness services by shedding light on just how prevalent the issue is in the community. In other communities around the country, Stuart said, Project Homeless
Erin Thompson / Peninsula Clarion
Volunteers staff the kitchen and buffet line for Project Homeless Connect at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Jan. 24, 2018. The annual event gathers service providers, nonprofits and volunteers to support members of the homeless community and those in need.
Connect is often funded and run by the local government entity. “But guess what? Our borough is not that kind of borough, so we don’t get that,” Stuart said. “We have to think outside the box.” The event in Soldotna is put on by volunteers representing local businesses, nonprofits and government agencies, Stuart said. In the
past, volunteers have provided services including housing vouchers, massage therapy, hair cuts and veterinary care to the event. At the 2019 Project Homeless Connect, for example, the Kenai Lions Club provided prescription glasses to those that needed them. The day also serves as an opportunity to gather data that is used
by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to keep track of local trends regarding homelessness. Participants are asked to fill out a survey that collects demographic information and other data regarding how long they’ve been homeless, how many individuals are in their See connect, Page A2
1,000 still U.S. Congress independent candidate Galvin stops in Homer without By Megan Pacer Homer News
After making a respectable run to unseat Alaska’s sole U.S. Representative, Don Young, in 2018, Anchorage’s Alyse Galvin is back at it for the 2020 election. Galvin, who won the Democratic primary in 2018 before losing to Young in the general election running as an Independent, is already making the rounds visiting Alaska communities during her most recent campaign to represent the state in Washington, D.C. Galvin was allowed to run in the Democratic primary after a Supreme Court decision. She then earned almost 47% of the vote in the general. Young has filled Alaska’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1973 and is the longest-serving Republican House member. Galvin met with a handful of interested Homer area residents on Sunday afternoon at K-Bay Caffe. Before she spoke about the campaign, she went around the room and asked attendees what had brought them there, or what their main concerns were. Overwhelmingly, the answer was climate change and a concern that not enough is being done at the federal level to address it.
Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News
Alyse Galvin, who is running for the Alaska seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, listens to a community member speak during a meet and greet Sunday. Dec. 1 at K-Bay Caffe in Homer.
“We’re right on the edge, if not over the edge,” as one meet and greet attendee put it. Others in attendance said they are concerned about the state of education, and still others cited heath care as a major issue of importance to them. Galvin is once again running as an Independent. She’s also said she’s not accepting funding or campaign
contributions from Political Action Committees that are corporately sponsored. Speaking about what motivated her to run for Congress the first time around, Galvin explained her start with public service and her work with Great Alaska Schools, a pro-public education coalition group for which she was an advocate. It was while advocating for education in Washington, D.C., that Galvin said she realized things weren’t going to get accomplished without some deeper, systemic changes from within. “I think most people want to know, how is thing going to change me and my pocketbook, or what’s happening in my home at my kitchen table,” Galvin said of Alaska voters. “It really isn’t too far different than others in other communities in Alaska. People want to take care of their own. They want to make sure that they’re in a job where they can come home and spend time with their family or their elders, and know that they’re taken care of. It’s the basics.” Galvin said one thing that’s missing in Alaska is wage growth in jobs. She also pointed to the fact that a good portion of Alaska jobs are held by people who do not live here. “So it’s time to make sure that we See galvin, Page A14
power after heavy snow By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
After heavy snow fell on the peninsula for over two days, about a thousand residents — mostly in Nikiski — are still without power, some for more than 48 hours. Homer Electric has pulled in additional crews and support to bring power back to affected members. There are approximately 1,000 members without power, as of Wednesday, Bruce Shelley, director of member relations with Homer Electric, said. On Tuesday, there were about 3,100 members without power. As of Wednesday afternoon, 65 active outage cases affecting 1,255 meters were being worked by Homer Electric’s Operations Dispatch Center. More than 90% of these cases are in Nikiski. “It’s very devastating,” Shelley said. “Trees are so heavy-laden because of the snow.” Shelley said their focus is in Nikiski, where they are still receiving See outages, Page A3