Applications to be a city council candidate are now available at the city clerk’s office. They can only be turned in between the dates of August 1 through 15, with the deadline being 5:00 pm on August 15.

Come get started on them!! Candidates night is already set for Monday, September 17 at 7:00 pm. The city election is Tuesday, October 2, 2007. –Jean

Friday, July 27, 2007
Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report
Sunrise 5:25 am, sunset 10:41 pm, length of day 17 hours, 15 minutes; tomorrow will be 4 minutes and 40 seconds shorter.
Weather: Mid 50s, overcast skies continue with scattered showers and peek-a-boo sunshine. Summer is rushing along; fireweed is in bloom, most about half way up the stalk. Cottonwood and willow seeds fly like snow. But according to Ned Rozell in the ADN July 22nd Alaska Science column, August 13th is the statistical warmest day for Seward. It’s not over yet!

This morning, 5 minutes either side of 5 am, I heard the earnest loud, high, two-pitched “kree” of many MARBLED MURRELETS commuting from their forest home to the ocean diner. It continues to amaze me that these fat little alcids risk predation by owls, not only living in the forest, but vocalizing noisily on their long commute, up to Mile 12 and possibly farther. If you happen to be awake about a half hour before dawn, listen carefully, and you too can marvel at the magic of murrelets.

Thursday evening, frantic alarm calls rang out overhead from about 25 swallows mobbing a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK as it made two tours through my neighborhood.
A VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW is still feeding its young in the nest box, but most are out, swooping down the streets nabbing mosquitoes and other insects on the wing. It won’t be long before they and the TREE SWALLOWS migrate.

Many other parent birds are seen with their bills loaded with goodies for their newly fledged young, who are almost as large as the adults. It is still a critical time for the songbirds; those that survived cat predation while in the nest are now at risk as student flyers. Please keep your cat indoors or build a nice “exclosure” so kitty can be outside without killing songbirds.

Haven’t seen a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD for about a week, but they were enjoying the lilac flowers. It’s time they fly south. Keep a close watch on any hummers you see from now on; they could be Anna’s or other unusual hummers.

The ARCTIC TERNS have finished their nesting duties and have probably moved a bit off shore prior to their long journey to the other end of the world. Start looking for migrating shorebirds to arrive from their tundra summer homes.

Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Sporadic Bird Report reporter
Seward, Alaska

Applications to be a city council candidate are now available at the city clerk’s office in City Hall. They can only be turned in between the dates of Aug. 1 - Aug. 15, with the deadline being 5 p.m. on Aug. 15.

Candidates’ night is set for Monday, September 17 at 7 p.m.

The city election is Tuesday, October 2.

Hello hello,

I’m just trying to spread the word about some music in Seward on Sunday, August 5.

I’ll be coming to resurrect art to play acoustic music, a mixture of original songs and songs from other songwriters past and present. I’ll be joined by Leighton Nunez on mandolin as well as a fiery young Fairbanks songstress CARESSA will also play.

thanks,
Willis

Seward City Council Regular Meeting Action Agenda

Monday, July 23, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

The Following Ordinance Requiring A Public Hearing Was Enacted:

Ordinance 2007-004, Amending The Land Use Plan And Rezoning Of Lots 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, CP1, CP2, CG1, CG2, BC1, BC2, BD1, And BD2, Forest Acres, Afognak Addition; And Lots AZ, AY, BA, AX, CH, CI, CJ, CO, And CN Forest Acres Subdivision From Institutional (INS) To Rural Residential (RR) (24 Parcels); Tract A Forest Acres, Afognak Addition And Lots CM, CL, CK, AW, And AV From Institutional (INS) To Resource Management (RM) (6 Parcels).

The Following Resolutions Were Approved:

Resolution 2007-069, Accepting The 2007 Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant (VFA) And Authorizing The 10% Matching Funds From The Volunteer Budget 101-1221-5460.

Resolution 2007-070, Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A Cooperative Fire Management Agreement Between The Forest Service, United States Department Of Agriculture And The City Of Seward.

Read More>

The City of Seward Public Works Department has obtained the appropriate permits and will be conducting open excavation to include a partial road closure to replace 2 sections of culverts on Lowell Pt. Road south of Resurrection Bay Seafooods.

The Public Works Department will be working on July 26^th from about 7am to 3pm.

Baring any unforeseen circumstances, the Public Works Department plans to close one lane of traffic at a time to complete their work. They do not anticipate any major traffic delays, but would like to notify the general public. Police and Fire have been notified.

Christy Terry

Engineering Executive Assistant

City of Seward

PO Box 167

Seward, Alaska 99664

907-224-4049

fax 907-224-4085

Bear Creek Fire Department’s 30 year celebration and Open House!

Saturday July 28th, 2007

12 Noon -4pm

Volunteer Firefighters will demonstrate automobile extrications and firefighting systems.

Free Smoke/Carbon Monoxide detectors (while supplies last)
Door prizes, face painting, hot dogs and more fun for the kids, including the drop off for the coloring contest.

Be there and join the fun. Help us celebrate 30 years of service to the Bear Creek Community. Call 224-3345 for more information.

This letter was sent to the Seward City Council and the City Clerk.

For more information on this project, please contact Crissy at
PO Box 918
Phone: 491-0794

Sewardplayground@gmail.com

- - - -

Hi, Jean -

My husband and I wanted to drop you and City Council a short note adding our support for the community playground proposed by the PARKS (Parents Advocating Recreational Kids Stuff) group. This playground is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together as a whole and create something great for our city and our kids.

The fund raising to build this community asset will be done by the PARKS group with little, on the grand scale of things, being asked of the city. In the end, the city will own a wonderful asset inspired, imagined and designed by the children of the community.

The country’s first permanent playground was built in New York City’s “Seward Park” in 1903. We are fortunate to have the existing playgrounds we do here in Seward. They are terrific areas for parents to meet and socialize while kids have a safe place to explore, learn and play. However, the city’s playgrounds are aging and are all designed for kids ages 5-12.

Having two boys of our own under five, we would love to be a part of a project that helps create a play area for kids of a younger age. This new community playground will have a separate area designed specifically for kids under five. It will also incorporate many Americans with Disabilities Act elements in the design allowing children of all abilities to use the space together.

This project is more than just a place for kids to play. It promotes exercise and social development among children. It is also a way to help build our community. Volunteers from all walks of life and from various community organizations will be collaborating and donating their time to dream, envision, build, landscape and decoratively paint this project.

We’d like to encourage you to read the essay found at the link below about the building of the community playground in Haines, Alaska and the affect it had on their community. This essay appeared in the Anchorage Daily News. Haines Community Playground

This project holds great potential for our city. Other Alaskan communities (Girdwood, Talkeetna, Haines, Juneau, Wasilla) have found these playgrounds worthy of investment. We hope you will, too.

You’re invited to the Welcome Party for the Obihiro, Japan exchange students and the two adults Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. upstairs in the Legend’s Building.  This is a potluck event so bring a dish to share and come welcome them to our community!

The 3^rd work session was held last night and it appeared two preferred routes are now being considered.

Although the KPB will NOT give us access from Sea Lion, they will work with us and give us this route for an emergency route. That leaves the main access to be decided. Council thought the purple route of Phoenix was the least desirable because of the high density of residential homes and children.

So at Monday’s meeting, I believe they will be deciding on two routes.

1) The green Hemlock extension punched through to Dimond as appears on the attached map. This is a direct route, it opens up development for further residential properties in that area, it will address and clean up the bad intersection at Hemlock and Dimond, and LTCF money can be used to accomplish this.

2) The Oak street extension. This is NOT on the map, but run a line straight up the map from the LTCF, following the green and yellow lines up through Oak street, then turn Right on Ash and around Dimond out to the highway. Oak and Ash would have to possibly be widened and paved.

Although, any route can still be selected at Monday’s meeting, these are the two that appeared the most likely choices. Hope this helps. –Jean

File attached:  ltc-route-options.pdf

Seward Student to Study Plight of Chesapeake Bay with
World Renowned Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle

To Work Alongside National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Students,
Educators

Will Investigate Efforts to Restore Chesapeake Bay and other Estuaries

Research To Be Followed by Students and Teachers Across the World
As Part of The JASON Project’s Aquatic Ecology Science Curriculum

Seward, Alaska – Conducting field research with world-renowned scientists is
not the average summer vacation for most high school students. But for Austin
Gillespie, a rising ninth-grader at Seward High School, it will part of an

 Read More>

Monday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m.

1. Call To Order

2. Pledge Of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. Citizens’ Comments On Any Subject Except Those Items Scheduled For Public Hearing.

5. Approval Of Agenda And Consent Agenda

6. Special Orders, Presentations And Reports

A. Proclamations and Awards

1. National Coast Guard Day Proclamation and Local Commendation.

2. 100 Years of Chugach National Forest Proclamation & Presentation.

B. City Manager’s Report

C. Borough Assembly Report

D. Chamber of Commerce Report

E. Seward Planning and Zoning Commission Report

F. Other Reports, Announcements, and Presentations

1. Introduction Of The Exchange Students From Obihiro Japan And The Adult Exchange Program Participants.

2. Presentation by John French on the Oil Discharge and Prevention and Contingency Plan for PWS. Read More>

By Bev Dunham

How better to start off a big project than with a party? This party is going to be a big one, to rival the Centennial party that drew nearly 2000 townspeople and the one two years later sponsored by the Port City Players. It was also a success.

This party is the fundraising kick-off for the new library/museum complex. Both the library and museum have run out of space and it was deemed appropriate to combine the two facilities into one building. The complex meets the final goal of Centennial: a “project for us,” the people of Seward.

In 2003 the City of Seward passed a resolution funding the design concept. The 39,618 square foot complex will be ADA accessible and answer present needs with space for growth. It will offer a variety of community gathering spaces: providing meeting and education rooms, art display areas and flexible performance space.

The city has purchased six lots adjacent to the current library building. The Seward Community Library Association, Resurrection Bay Historical Society and the city have collaborated to form the steering committee; created a Library Museum Foundation; are working with the Foraker Pre-Development Fund; contracted with private consultants to plan the fundraising campaign; and are actively seeking community input. The latter will include a phone survey that will be undertaken soon.

The kick-off party will be New Year’s Eve from 7:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at the Alaska Railroad cruise ship facility. Admission prices will be nominal and “family friendly.” There will be at least one live band with music from the Big Band era to today. There will be entertainment for youngsters; a sectioned off “beer garden”; favors, door prizes and refreshments. Mark you calendars for an evening of fun.

Seward Little League got off to a slow start this year but start we did. Volunteers are the heart of most non-profits and it’s the same with Seward Little League. Your involvement helps this organization run smoothly and efficiently. What it comes down to is providing a positive environment for our children to learn athletic skills, team work, good sportsmanship and get physical. This organization wouldn’t survive without you and almost didn’t this year. Even if you can’t be involved in an official titled position, sign up as a volunteer to assist with registration, picture day, snack shack, etc. Our season is winding down and we would like to thank the many volunteers that make this league possible. There are too many to name so you know who you are. The Little League picnic will be held on Monday, September 3, at Seward Elementary School. More information will be distributed later. Players and families, coaches, volunteers, and anyone else interested in participating in Little League next year are invited to attend this fun, casual event. Awards will be distributed and Board elections will be held so attendance is encouraged. Questions can be directed to Maya Moriarty at 362-1977 or Lynn Hohl at 224-7300.

Twelve teams from Anchorage, Homer, and Seward participated in this annual event that brings hundreds of visitors to Seward. The two Seward teams are sponsored by Kenai Fjord Tours and Chinooks Restaurant. Although both teams had good games on Saturday, neither made it to the finals on Sunday. The winning teams from Anchorage were Office Lounge – 1^st Place and Sooner or Later – 2^nd Place. Tournament proceeds help support local organizations that promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles in our youth. This year’s recipients include the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Seward High School Softball Team. We would like to thank our sponsors and volunteers who help make this tournament possible: Kenai Fjord Tours, Dr. Michael P. Moriarty, Hertz Car Rental Seward, Waste Management, Resurrection Rental, SPRD Grounds Crew, Seward Softball Men’s Team, Seward H.S. Softball Team, Seward Softball Association, Anchorage Umpires, and most of all to Norm Regis and Don Vaskey – Tournament Directors.

Another Handicapped Parking Question:

Question: Is there a penalty when I park in a space reserved for persons with disabilities using my grandmother’s special permit or license plate, run into the store myself to pick up her prescription or the post office to get her mail and save my grandmother from the long walk and wait at the counter?

Answer: Yes, AS 28.35.235 says that the person to whom the permit or license plate is issued, must be the person who actually exits or enters the vehicle when parked in designated handicapped parking.

First Offense: Bail - $250      Points- 0

Second or more offenses: Bail - $500     Points - 0

Highly reputed student exchange organization seeks warm & loving host families to open their hearts and homes to our wonderful foreign exchange students.

These students are 15-18 yrs of age, thoroughly screened and eagerly looking forward to hear all about their American host family. They will attend your local high school. Families may select student(s) of their own choice. Make a friendship of a lifetime, make a dream come true and contact Martha Flemming at (907)-224-3860, or write an email to helga@asse.com

THANK you much!

ASSE International

Live Music @ Miller’s Landing

Featuring:

Trouble Calls

Potluck Dinner on the Oceanfront.

Bonfire and more. Don’t Miss It.

Bring a Dish or $5 to enjoy the potluck.

Starts about 8 p.m., July 21. For more info call 224-5739

  The Island will be showing at the Seward Community Library Thursday, July 26 at 7 p.m.