City Calendar
SEWARD CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
September 13, 2010
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Seward City Council will conduct a public hearing on the following items of business at its regular meeting of September 13, 2010.
Resolution 2010-078, Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into An Amendment To The Lease Agreement 75-055 With The United States Of America For Lot 2, Block 6, Marina Subdivision, Seward Small Boat Harbor, For The Purpose Of Extending The Term Of The Lease To September 30, 2011
Essential terms and conditions of leases and all other pertinent copies of public hearing documents are available for review at the city clerk office.
The public hearing will commence at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as business permits, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 410 Adams Street, Seward. All interested persons are invited to attend the meeting and participate in the discussion; or, written comments may be sent to the City of Seward, c/o City Clerk, P.O. Box 167, Seward, AK 99664, or e-mailed to clerk@cityofseward.net.
SEWARD PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Seward Schools Update
Open House
Open House for all Seward Schools is Thursday, September 2nd!
Elementary 5:30-6:30 with chili feed sponsored by the PTSA
Middle School 6:30-7:00
High School 7:00-7:30
Volunteer requirements at all KPBSD schools
After initiating a pilot program at four schools during the 2008-2009 school year, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District launched a districtwide yearly volunteer screening program last fall to ensure all students will be as safe as possible. Anyone interested in being a school volunteer needs to complete an online form and agree to a background check; only criminal activity will be checked. Volunteers aged 17 or younger will need parent authorization to allow the required background check. All information will be kept confidential and information can only be accessed by a few members of the Human Resources department. To complete the screening process, visit the District’s web page at www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us and click on Employment, then click on Volunteer, then on Volunteer All Vacancies, and find the location where you wish to volunteer. Click the Apply button that corresponds to that location, then follow the instructions. Please contact the Human Resources department at 907-714-8888 if you have questions.
SUBSTITUTES NEEDED!Seward Schools are seeking substitute teachers and also part time substitutes to work in their kitchens, offices or as custodians. For more Information you can log onto the KPBSD website at http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/Default.aspx and fill out an application. Should you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact Kelsey Ciufo at (907) 714-8888 or by email at kciufo@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
The following dates have been scheduled for sub teacher orientations:
-September 21, Tuesday
-September 28, Tuesday
-October 8, Friday
-November 4, Thursday
All orientations will be in the Borough Assembly Chambers in Soldotna from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There is a $25. fee for the class. We have a class size limit, so prior payment is required to reserve a seat for the training date you wish to attend. The fee includes the cost of the substitute teacher handbook. Lunch will be provided.
The sub secretary and sub aide and tutor training dates have not been set yet. If you are interested, please call (907) 714-888 so you can be added to the list of folks to call when dates are arranged.
Sub custodian and sub food service trainings are scheduled when we have a few people interested.
Bear Glacier Lagoon
The Latest from Niebrugge Images Photo Blog
Bear Glacier Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
Can you see the kayaker? I paddled around this massive iceberg to include Janine on the far side of the old tunnel to put the scale in perspective. She was well back from the arch and the iceberg, so that exaggerates the appearance of scale a bit, but it wasn’t safe getting any closer – but still, this thing was huge!
This amazing place is less then 15 miles from Seward – I have been trying to get in there for years and was finally able to this week, and all I could keep thinking was wow! The icebergs are mammoth. Hundreds of feet long, and maybe 50 feet tall – maybe more. Truthfully, those are just wild guesses because I have no sense of scale out there. The place is amazing! The place is also crazy dangerous. Icebergs would roll or break without warning – we watched 6 seals get thrown unexpectedly into the lagoon when a berg they were resting on rolled. The 34 degree water coupled with the fact we were the only two people in the whole area just adds to the risk.
Gosh, I had more bear and puffin photos from Lake Clark National Park I was going to post, then we went to Denali, I still have a number of wolf photos from there I wanted to share, but now I have had a couple of great days in Kenai Fjords to share! It has been nice to have a really productive couple of weeks since I really didn’t get too much photography done in the first half of the summer – I did get a ton of office work done, but being in the field is way funner!
PUBLIC INVITED!!
Who knew when the idea of hosting a small Labor Day event for Iditarod pioneers Jujiro Wada and Alfred Lowell, it would coincide with a 100-year Anniversary Commemoration of the Iditarod Trail that would be simulcast across Alaska, Japan and Yukon Territory?
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to attend the 100th Anniversary Commemoration event sponsored by the local Iditarod Trailblazers, University of Alaska, City of Seward, City of Nome, Alaska Sealife Center, and Seward Chamber of Commerce. This event begins with introductions at the Alaska Sealife Center at 12:00 pm and ends with a Seward pavilion community Potlatch picnic about 2:00 pm. (Hotdogs and hamburgers provided; please bring side dishes to share.) Dancers, color guards, Japanese drummers, broadcast viewing, torch run by 4 guests, narratives and the story of the Iditarod Historic Trail. Come be a part of this historic, international event!
WE NEED YOUR PHOTOS!
The Seward/Bear Creek Flood Service Area is putting together a photo history of flooding in the Seward area to be part of a public education presentation and also part of a permanent display outside our office. We need these pictures by September 10, 2010. Anyone having photos of a flood event in Seward from 1986, 1995, 2002 and 2006, please share with the flood board. We would especially appreciate pictures of flooding older than 1986 if you have them. Pictures can be sent electronically to our office, sbcfsa@arctic.net, or can be brought by the office at the Seaview Plaza Building and we will scan them into the computer. If you have photos but don’t have the time to get down to our office, give us a call at 907-224-3340 and we can come to you. If you send pictures electronically, please don’t condense the photo file as we want to print out pictures as large as possible.
Contact:
Christina Stauffer
Seward/Bear Creek Flood Service Area
PO Box 1554
Seward, AK 99664
907-224-3340
SEWARD/BEAR CREEK FLOOD SERVICE BOARD MEETING
The Seward/Bear Creek Flood Service Area will hold its next regular board meeting on Monday, August 30, 2010 at the Seaview Plaza Building, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Annex Office, Suite 122 at 7:00PM. As always, the public is invited to attend. Agenda’s are available at the SBCFSA Office at 302 Railway, Suite 123 between 9AM and 3PM Monday thru Thursday or on the SBCFSA Website at www.sewardbearcreekfloodservicearea.org The SBCFSA Office will be closed Monday, September 6, 2010 for Labor Day and there will be no board meeting on that date.
Submitted by Christina Stauffer, Administrative Assistant
Seward/Bear Creek Flood Service Area
PO Box 1554
Seward, Alaska 99664
907-224-3340
City Calendar
Seward City Council Regular Meeting
Action Agenda
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
The following resolution was approved:
Resolution 2010-077, Authorizing The City Manager To Accept A 2009 Assistance To Firefighters Grant In The Amount Of $69,909 And Contribute The Required Grant Match Of $3,679 For The Purchase Of New Mobile And Portable Radios, Flow Testing Equipment For Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus And Training, And Appropriating Funds.
The August 9, 2010 special and regular meeting minutes were approved.
Council will interview Deputy City Clerk Johanna Dollerhide for the City Clerk position, and discussed the Mayor going on a trade mission to Seoul Korea in October 2010 with a congressional delegation.
SEWARD PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Seward Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the following matters on September 7, 2010.
Resolution 2010-10, Granting A Conditional Use Permit To Paul Tougas, dba Seward Information Center To Construct And Operate Kenai Fjords Recreational Vehicle (RV) Park And Winter Storage, On Lots 1, 4, And 5 Block 7, Oceanview Subdivision, Located At 1115 Fourth Avenue, Within The Auto Commercial Zoning District
Resolution 2010-11, Recommending Amending Seward City Code Title 15 Section 15.10.140 Definitions To Allow Accessory Buildings On Adjacent Lots Of The Principal Building Or Use Served
Resolution 2010-12, Recommending City Council Amend Various Portions Of Title 15.20 Signs Of The Seward City Code
Resolution 2010-13, Recommending Adding Section 15.10.245 Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) To The Seward City Code Establishing A Process And Standards For The Siting, Construction, And Operation Of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) As Permitted Secondary Uses And Amending Seward City Code Title 15, Land Uses Allowed Table 15.10.225 To Allow WECS In The RR, R1, R2, R3, UR, OR, AC, HC, CB, I, RM, INS And P Zoning Districts
Essential terms and conditions of leases and other pertinent copies are available for review at the city clerk office.
The hearing will commence at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as business permits, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 410 Adams Street, Seward. All interested persons are invited to attend. For more information, contact the Seward Planning and Zoning Commission, c/o City Planner, PO Box 167, Seward, AK 99664, or e-mail dglenz@cityofseward.net.
Seward Planning & Zoning Commission
Notice of Vacancies
The City Council is seeking applications from city residents for the Seward Planning and Zoning Commission. Application forms are available in the Office of the City Clerk.
There are two vacancies on the Planning & Zoning Commission. Any questions, please call the City Clerk at 224-4046.
Council Ad Hoc Land Committee Meeting
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 8:00 am
City Council Chambers
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council Ad Hoc Land Committee will meet for a Regular Meeting on Tuesday, August 31, 2010, beginning at 8:00am, for the purpose of:
Discussing City Land Disposal Properties and Procedures, possibilities and options for utility expansion and identifying City owned property for disposal.
The meeting will be conducted in City Council Chambers, City Hall, 410 Adams Street, Seward. All interested persons are invited to attend.
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Seward City Council has given tentative approval to conduct live fire training evolutions during the 2010 Fire Conference (September 27th – October 2nd 2010) on the structure located at 235 Sixth Avenue. The training evolutions must meet Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation requirements for a burn permit and the requirements from the Alaska Fire Standards Council.
School Lunches
Statistics show that one out of every three children is overweight or obese in this country. The Kenai Peninsula Borough is not exempt from this trend, and we, as a family, community, district, state, and nation need to do all we can to halt this trend and raise our children to be healthy, happy kids who can run and play comfortably, and grow into healthy adults.
With three children in three schools of the Kenai Peninsula School District, I am aware of the school lunch menu and the foods sold a la carte during the school lunch periods in our schools. I am appalled by the a la carte foods sold, and although the School District is well aware that the majority of these foods do not comply with their own nutrition standards (AR 5141.6), the District continues to sell them. The people who can make a change and get these foods removed from the schools are our Principals. Several Principals in the Homer area schools have pulled these foods our schools lunch periods already, and the others need to hear from you as parents.
I encourage you to visit your children’s school lunchroom and see what is being sold. Talk with your Principal and ask them to remove foods that are not promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. We, as adults, are responsible for the nutritional education and health of our children. Our schools need to take responsibility as well, doing everything possible to educate children on nutrition and ensure that our schools are not contributing to the negative health of the students they serve.
Karin Sonnen
Homer, Alaska
Seward Silver Salmon Derby Update
Thursday, August 19th
Seward, Alaska, August 19th, 2010 Harold Foley of Anchorage holds the lead with an 18.89 pound Coho caught at North Hive while fishing aboard the Susan F. Sunny weather for two days running here in Seward, what a treat! Liza Kercher, a youth from Wasilla has captured the 4th place spot with a 16.20 silver caught at Iron Doors aboard the Sea Trek.
Derby lasts until noon on Sunday!
You can find the latest derby results at www.seward.com
For more information, contact the Seward Chamber of Commerce at 907-224-8051; PO Box 749, Seward, Alaska, 99664
City Calendar
Seward City Council Regular Meeting Agenda
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 7:00 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. U.S. Senator Ted Stevens Memoriam
2. Senior Leaders Conference Proclamation
B. City Manager’s Report
C. Mayor Report
D. Other Reports and Presentations
1. Presentation by Sales Representative Sheila Berru re: Novinium Injections, product to inject into underground power lines.
7. Public Hearings – None
8. Unfinished Business – None
9. New Business
A. Resolutions
*1. Resolution 2010-077, Authorizing The City Manager To Accept A 2009 Assistance To Firefighters Grant In The Amount Of $69,909 And Contribute The Required Grant Match Of $3,679 For The Purchase Of New Mobile And Portable Radios, Flow Testing Equipment For Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus And Training, And Appropriating Funds.
Regular Bear
We live on the corner of Phoenix and Bear. Every single night, a black bear gets into our dumpster. Sometimes, we have sighted it during the day too.
Neighbors are regularly seeing a sow and 2 cubs in our area, too.
I have attached a video of the bear taken night before last getting out of the dumpster.
Why doesn’t Seward City require dumpsters that are bear proof? This is ridiculous and dangerous!!
Concerned
Bits of History – Three Trees
This “Bits” video introduces us to three trees of historical significance right here in Seward. Have you seen them? If so, did you know they had a story?
Cop Talk
Question: What is the deal with the “Open Container” law? Can a passenger drink beer in a moving vehicle. We think they should be able to.
Answer: AS 28.35.029, No, a person may not operate a vehicle when there is an open container of an alcoholic beverage in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Open means the seal has been broken. Though it may seem like it would be ok for the passenger to drink, you must realize how easy it would be for a driver to drink and if stopped, hand the container to the passenger, making it almost impossible to enforce. The law provides several exceptions like carrying alcohol in the trunk, or in a hatchback when the open container is enclosed in another container and placed behind the last seat. Go online to see the complete statute and exceptions.
Citations for this offense will cost $210.00 and 2 license points.
Questions, comments, tip suggestions;
coptalk@cityofseward.net
New Name, Same Results for the 12th Annual Wildlife Rescue Run/Walk.
Although Rubye now goes by her new married name, the Foldagers continue to own the title in the 5K Wildlife Rescue Run, winning six of the last eight races. This year Rubye Elhard took the title back from sister, Denali, but not without some stiff competition from Nychele Fischetti and Shoshana Keegan. Rubye finished the race in 18:02.
In the men’s race, Erik Johnson of Seward edged out Casey Ross of New York, by 20 seconds. Erik finished in 16:31 and was just happy to be able to participate this year. Last year, he had to work at the last minute and couldn’t make it to the start on time. Among the junior runners, the Szweda Mittelstadt brothers continued to impress onlookers. Eight year old Sebastian and 13 year old Gillean gave a taste of what is to come from them as Alaska runners.
A total of 120 walkers and runners enjoyed a refreshing dose of sunshine as they gathered together to raise money for the rescue and rehabilitation of Alaska’s marine mammals. It was another great turnout by locals and visitors alike, with everyone enjoying the dramatic waterfront view of Seward and a glimpse of some marine life.
The Alaska SeaLife Center would like to thank the many volunteers and supporters who helped make this event possible. We also appreciate the sponsors who fully fund the cost of the race: Alaska Serigraphics, BP, Dr. Michael Moriarty, J & R Fisheries, PetroMarine, Providence Seward Medical Center, Seward Parks & Recreation Department, and TelAlaska. We would also like to thank the following companies for their donations: Safeway, Three Bears, NANA Corporation, Moose’s Tooth, and The Wildlife Trading Company. Thanks also to Maggie Wilkins for all of her expertise. She is Seward’s true gem and does so much for our community.
Grant Writing Class
On Sept. 13-17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., AVTEC will host a five day Grant Writing class in partnership with the Alaska Funding Exchange. This class is for beginning and intermediate professionals with nonprofit, tribal or government agencies. It will be held at AVTEC Connected Education building, 703 2nd Avenue in classroom 1. The cost for the class is $999.00 per person. Please phone AVTEC Admissions at 224-3322 for information.
Seward Silver Salmon Derby Begins Saturday, August 14th
The excitement is building with just 2 days to go until the 55th Seward Silver Salmon Derby begins bright and early at 6:00 am Saturday morning!
The Tagged fish prizes this year are worth $50,000, $10,000, $5,000, as well as some $100s!
The 55th Annual Seward Silver Salmon Derby is proudly brought to you by The Seward Chamber Of Commerce and Kenai Fjords Tours and will continue through noon on August 22nd. Derby Tickets are $50 and daily tickets are $10. Top three prizes are $10,000 for heaviest fish, $5,000 for second and $2000 for third. Daily cash prizes for heaviest fish as well as “mystery fish” ~ random weight, and the ever popular drawing for $1,000 are all included in the prize line-up for 2010
For more information, contact the Seward Chamber of Commerce at 907-224-8051; PO Box 749, Seward, Alaska, 99664; www.seward.com
Ted Stevens
Former Alaska Senator Ted-Stevens weighing salmon at the Seward Silver Salmon Derby, Seward, Alaska.
This photo dates back to 1998 – a couple years before I became a professional photographer. I walked down to check out the Silver Salmon Derby action with my camera and flash, and was surprised to see Senator Ted Stevens weighing salmon as a volunteer. It wasn’t a figurehead kind of role for show, he was actually handling the salmon just like myself and all the other people who would volunteer there during the week – no media, photographers or film crews in sight.
I thought it was pretty cool to see one of the most powerful people in the United States volunteering at our little town’s salmon derby – I had to get a photo. When he saw me positioning myself for the photo, he turned and pretended to throw a salmon at me – that is the photo above. He stopped at the last second holding on to the fish – gave me a quick smile, then proceeded to go about his business.
When I read about his passing yesterday I thought about this moment – dusted off and scanned the old slide and decided I would post it here. Rest in peace Senator Stevens.
Stevens’ Leaves Huge Legacy in Seward
By Heidi Zemach
Many in Seward responded with shock and sadness over learning of the death of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, who died in a plane crash Monday night north of Bristol Bay. Stevens was 86. He left a huge legacy here in Seward, as well as in the State of Alaska and the U.S. where he served for four decades years.
“It really hurts because he was a good personal friend, a good friend of Seward. We’d known him for years,” said Seward Mayor Willard Dunham. “Seward was one of his favorite places, and of his first wife Ann. Ted was a great person. It’s impossible to count all the special things he did for us. We have indeed lost a very dear friend.
Stevens was Seward’s city attorney before moving to Fairbanks early in his career, Dunham said. Later, hee directed billions of dollars in earmarks to Seward and to Alaska, bringing in more federal dollars than any other lawmaker from 2000 to 2008. He was probably the strongest advocate for Alaska had ever had in regards to the Alaska military and rewriting national fisheries legislation, Dunham said. Topping all was the creation of the Manguson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
But one of Dunham’s fondest memories of Stevens was turning the fist shovel of dirt together for the Alaska Sea Life Center building, which Stevens supported at its very inception, and continued to support for years by bringing in federal funding for its ongoing research efforts.
“It’s very sad news today, it really devastates everyone who knew the senator and the great work that he did for the state. He was a remarkable champion for Alaska’s oceans,” said Alaska Sea Life Center CEO Dr. Ian Dutton. “I think it’s fair to say that like many institutions in Alaska, if it wasn’t for his efforts I doubt that the center would exist today. He was one of those once-in-a-generation leaders who made an incredible difference.”
“It’s really a sad day, a sad day for Alaska, for this nation,” said Stevens’ longtime friend and colleague Daryl Schaefermeyer, who worked on Stevens staff in Washington DC from 1973 -79, and has known him for virtually his entire Senate career.
Most people don’t realize Stevens’ hand in statehood. He was a soliciter in the Interior Department when statehood was being worked on. He handled all that, and virtually every other aspect of Alaska’s development, Schaefermeyer said. Stevens also was instrumental in achieving the land settlement act of 1971, and thereafter the TransAlaska Pipeline. Schaefermeyer remembers listening in as Stevens phoned then Vice President Spiro Agnew and insisted that he make the tie-breaking vote that brought the pipeline to being. “It was a very direct conversation with the vice president of the United States. It was only by Stevens’ insistance that the vice president agreed to it. I was right there in his office when that call took place, and I was in the Senate gallery for the vote.”
Stevens could work with Democrats across the aisle, was good friends with Senator Robert Byrd, of West Virginia, and employed Democrat Max Gruenberg on his own staff. His greatest dissappointments were that he never got appointed Senate Majority Leader, and that he never got to open ANWR to oil development, according to Schaefermeyer. Stevens always told you if he disagreed with you, but if he made a promise, he always stood by his word, Schaefermeyer said. “They don’t make em like that any more.”
Stevens, 4 others die in plane crash
Alaska Dispatch | Aug 10, 2010
Five of nine people aboard a GCI plane that crashed near Dillingham are reported dead, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. A spokesman for former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens said Tuesday morning that Stevens was on board the plane and is among the dead.
“I can confirm to you that the senator died in the crash,” said Mitch Rose, former chief of staff to Stevens.
Five die in crash; Stevens was on board; Nat. Guard on scene
From Alaska Dispatch | Aug 10, 2010
Five of nine people aboard a GCI plane that crashed near Dillingham are reported dead, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Friends of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, say he was aboard the plane, but there has been no official confirmation.
Also aboard the plane was former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe, according to media reports.
Another plane spotted the wreckage 17 miles north of Dillingham at around 7 p.m. Monday, according to the Alaska Air National Guard. Rescuers were expected to reach the wreckage at midnight, but a handful of good Samaritans were on the scene earlier in the evening, Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said Monday night.
The downed plane — a 1957 DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter — is registered to General Communications Inc., according to a friend of one of the people believed to have been on the plane. The Anchorage-based telecom company operates a lodge near Dillingham. In summer, GCI employees, clients and guests routinely fly to the lodge on GCI’s plane.
A friend of Stevens’ confirmed to Alaska Dispatch that he was on the plane. But who died and who survived is unknown as of 8:50 a.m. Tuesday.
The Air National Guard landed a helicopter at the crash scene at about 7:30 a.m., according to a Guard press release, and medical workers are currently treating victims at the scene. A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 is providing overhead support and will be available to fly victims in need of serious medical care from Dillingham to Anchorage.
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