Our community and many organizations have suffered a great loss as our good friend, board member, and community supporter, Shirley Wilmoth, has passed away. Shirley has been a steadfast member of the Cooper Landing Chamber board as our Treasurer for many years. We will miss her vivaciousness, dedication and most importantly her friendship.
Our summer is winding down and there are a few yellow leaves starting to appear. The board will meet starting in September. We have reached out to our members many times asking for support of the Chamber by not only paying your dues but serving on our board. Now it is imperative that we have someone step up to help on the board. Please consider serving on the board for the Chamber and contact one of us for more information.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you,
Cheryle James President
Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce PO Box 809
Cooper Landing, Alaska 99572 info@cooperlandingchamber.com
James Wildman’s 907-290-1213
Wilmoth Our Place 907-598-1270
Rose Hetrick Inn at Tern Lake 907-288-3667 Director Jason Lesmeister 907- 351-3036
In Loving Memory of Shirley Wilmoth
April 29, 1948 - August 20, 2024
Shirley was a loving and caring person who made sure everyone was taken care of and included. She dedicated many hours to making a difference in other’s lives. Shirley was a hard worker who strived to welcome people to the community and volunteered for numerous organizations that contributed to making Coooper Landing a place worth coming to. Her smile and optimistic spirit will be missed.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath way.”
Photo by: Best Route Productions
Cooper Landing Trails
• CLT officers, David and Janette, continue to meet with Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) to develop action plans for how and when to apply to grants, how to better engage our partners, and how to get our message across best to possible funding sources. We have one year of their time and talents as a result of the award of a grant from them. The RTCA staff members made a site visit and now feel they betterunderstand our Walkable Community project and its specifics.
• Work on the new Cooper Landing Trails website continues. You may still access our current website at walkcooperlanding.org for News updates and other information.
• The KPB Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant work continues. We still await our next involvement in that grant.
• We have had the good fortune to meet with the SC Regional Director for DOT and bring him up to date on our Town Road project funding efforts and other needs for active transportation in our community.
• For other details please see the notes of meetings posted on our website “News” page. https://www.walkcooperlanding.org/news
• If you’re interested in volunteering with CLT contact us. See information below.
Contact Us:
walkcooperlanding@gmail.com walkcooperlanding.org PO Box 863 Cooper Landing, AK 99572
Photo by: Best Route Productions
Cooper Landing Library News
Your library card provides you access to your account through our online catalog, to manage reserves, renewals, checkout history, and more. Your library card also provides you access to the Alaska Digital Library. If you would like help navigating any of these features, please email us at cooperlandinglibrary@gmail.com
Book Club
The following book club meetings will be via zoom. Please email cooperlandinglibrary@gmail.com for the link.
• September 17 – 1984 by George Orwell
• October 15 – Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
• November 19 – A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
• January 21 – Quiet by Susan Cain
• February 18 – The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore
• March 18 – James by Percival Everett
• April 15 – Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora
• May 13 – Horse by Geraldine Brooks
New Library Hours
Monday 1-3 pm
Tuesday 1-3 pm and 5-7pm
Wednesday 1-3 pm
Thursday 1-3 pm
Friday 1-3 pm
Saturday 11 am-2 pm
Devastating News
Annually, Cooper Landing Community Library applies for and receives the Public Library Assistance Grant from the State of Alaska to help pay for books and media, utilities, necessary supplies, and other operating expenses. This grant is usually awarded in the amount of $6,000 - $7,000 each year to eligible public libraries, under AK Statute 14.56.300. The amount of the grant has remained stable for 40+ years, and our library counts on it to fund almost half of our annual budget.
On Friday, August 16, six weeks into the fiscal year, Dr. Amy Phillips-Chan, the Director of Alaska Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LAM), gave notice that the assistance grant had been reduced from $7.000 to $1,829 per library, a nearly 75% cut. In recent years, the total amount LAM budgeted for this important grant was over $500,000. This year the amount budgeted by LAM was $150,000. This cut came with no explanation nor forewarning.
For over 41 years, our volunteer librarians have done a heroic job combining local, state, and volunteer support to provide our community with vital library services. We estimate that book and movie checkouts from our library save community members about $30,000 a year, though the nonmonetary value the library provides as an equal and welcoming gathering space for all, is priceless.
Our total annual budget is about $14,000, half of which we fundraise within the community. With the recent state grant reduction, our annual budget is now underfunded by $5,171. Although we are actively looking for other grants and sources of revenue, we need more help from you than we have asked for in a long time. Thank you so much to those who have already contributed. If you have not yet donated, we need your help now!
Please contact eed.library.grants@alaska.gov with your comments and concerns about how this will affect our library. In addition, an email to the Governor and your state legislators might be helpful, to let them know about this situation and the value our library adds to the community. Some legislators, especially those in urban areas, may not realize how heavily Alaska’s rural libraries depend on the Public Library Assistance grant to keep their doors open.
Checks can be mailed to Cooper Landing Community Library, PO Box 517, Cooper Landing, AK 99572. You can also donate directly at the library or online through our website, cooperlandinglibrary. com, by clicking the donate button at the bottom of the page.
We look forward to seeing you in the library soon!
Virginia Morgan Volunteer Director
T h e B u i l d e r s a n d t h e B u t c h e r s
T h e J a n g l e B e e s
H o p e S o c i a l C l u b
B l a c k w a t e r R a i l r o a d
i c k
d o o r O R
Cooper Landing Community Club
The Cooper Landing Community Club has had a bit of a “breather” since the softball tournament, but just like the leaves are changing now on the trees, there are changes now on the CLCC Board!
Josi Lewis and Alex Browning have been valuable members of the Board, and we appreciate the time, effort, and expertise they brought to the group. Still, for various reasons, they each needed to step down from the secretary and vice president positions, respectively. We will miss them both immensely. We know some of you would like to get involved; the one thing we all share on the Board is the desire to do the best for our growing, evolving community. There are 4 Board seat terms up in November so there is lots of opportunity to become part of the plan! Look for application details in the Crier and on the Cooper Landing Facebook Announcements page.
We had a fantastic “yard sale” in August, bringing in over $700! Chugach Electric Assn. Chugach Electric Assn. purchased the Alaska Horseman Ranch, and instead of disposing all of the contents of the buildings, they hauled everything over to the Community Club for a big sale, generously donating the proceeds to CLCC! We are deeply grateful to Chugach for their support and for fostering a sense of community in our town!
Speaking of Chugach, Mr. Sean Honeman of CEA has informed us that they are fully aware of the remaining work with the trees.
They hope to complete the task by the end of September, ensuring our community’s safety and beauty.
The Board met recently and is actively working on updating the bylaws, a range of short-term and longterm projects, and preparing for our September 19th meeting. We’re also gearing up for the CAP (Community Assistance Program) Grant submissions, which present exciting opportunities for our community’s growth and development...
...We want to give Roger Elkins a ‘shout out’ for his dedication to the recycling effort he oversees. Thank you! Roger has requested that somebody step forward as a trainee to help and eventually take over. This would be an awesome way to be of service! Let anybody on the Board or Roger know if you are interested.
Be sure to check out the Soup Supper next Sunday, the 8th, at the Community Hall! It’s a delicious fundraiser for CLES, and there’s also a Fly Fishing event that weekend. See you at the next Community Club Meeting, Sept. 19th!
Do you have business or organization updates you would like to share with the community? All Chamber Members are invited to submit updates and information to the monthly newsletter. Contact us for more information.
