Rehearsals Begin for Easter Sunrise Service Choir
Rehearsals will begin this coming Saturday for the “massed” choir for the annual Easter Sunrise Service, to be held at 7 AM on Easter, April 4th, at the Sealife Center. I have chosen two great songs and have recorded the individual parts and the piano part at www.sewardumc.com and have posted the rehearsal schedule. Go to “community links” and you will find it in “massed choir news”. The first rehearsal will be Saturday March 20th at 3 PM at the United Methodist Church, and you can obtain the music then, or call Sue McClure at 224-6784 and I will get copies to you. I anticipate this to be even more fun than previous Easter or Christmas choirs!
3-2-10 Borough Assembly Report
Borough Assembly Report 3-2-10
From Sue McClure
I’m back from yet another very short assembly meeting!! The day began early, with a 3- hour presentation at the Central Peninsula Hospital by a consultant discussing the need for change within our hospital system on the Peninsula. During the afternoon committee meetings we heard a presentation by the Road Service Area, on procedures for determining priorities of capital improvement projects.
At the regular meeting, we passed on the consent agenda Ordinance 2010-11, sponsored by myself, which extends the sunset date of Ordinance 2009-09 (the ordinance which created the flood hazard district within the Seward-Bear Creek Flood Service Area) until May 4, 2010. This is to allow for a final meeting of the Flood Plain Task Force, and input from the Flood Board and the public. Also passed on the consent agenda was Resolution 2010-16, sponsored by the Mayor and myself, which authorizes $84,590 of unexpended funds from the Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area to be used with a $60,000 grant to upgrade inadequate culverts under Salmon Creek Road. We also passed on the consent agenda Resolution 2010-017, sponsored by Mr. Superman and the Mayor, which authorizes the purchase and delivery of three used flatbed railroad cars from the Alaska Railroad Corporation to be used as bridges over creeks to provide access to the Gray Cliff and Moose Point subdivisions, north of Captain Cook. The amount per car is not to exceed $4000. Mr. Superman plans to form a working group to continue this project planning.
Moved through to public hearing on 4/6/10 was Ordinance 2010-13, which would amend the 2005 Kenai Peninsula Borough Comprehensive Plan by adopting the Cooper Landing Walkable Community Project into Chapter 4. The Mayor and myself sponsor this ordinance.
Also on the agenda for the April 6th meeting, which is our next regular meeting:
Ordinance 2010-10, enacting a Code of Ethics, sponsored by Mr. Sprague, and Ordinance 2010-12, amending KPB Chapter 21.18, repealing and reenacting certain floodplain provisions and clarifying application of the ordinance on sloped riverbanks, sponsored by the Mayor. We will also have a public hearing on Ordinance 2010-14, which repeals KPB 21.18.070 and enacts KPB 21.18.071, providing for staff-level permits for certain activities within the anadromous stream habitat protection district.
The final meeting of the Flood Plain Task Force will be held at Seward’s council chambers on Wednesday March 10th at 6 PM. This meeting is open to the public for comment, and the intent is to summarize the results of actions of this group, to make recommendations on the sunset of Ordinance 2009-09, and to dissolve the group.
I can be reached at 224-6784 or at suemccl@gmail.com. The entire meeting agenda can be viewed at www.borough.kenai.ak.us.
2-16-10 Borough Assembly Report
Borough Assembly Report from the 2-16-10 Meeting
From Sue McClure
It was a long and busy day Tuesday, beginning with a joint budget work session with the School District. This is the first of two joint work sessions, in preparation for the upcoming budget discussions.
During the afternoon’s committee meetings, we heard reports on the Borough’s investment portfolio, from John Mohorcich on the work on KPB 21.18, a report from the KPB assessor on security measures in their department, and a report on the recent Alaska Municipal League trip to Juneau.
At the meeting, we were presented with the quarterly report from the KPB School District. Superintendent Atwater stated that the Cooper Landing School has been changed to K-12, and will remain open if there are 10 or more students attending in April.
In the Mayor’s report there was an update on the Hope land sale. Currently the Land Management division is soliciting qualified appraisers for another independent appraisal, as a response to voiced concerns over the previous appraisal. After these results are in, they anticipate a land sale to be packaged for next fall.
The ordinances up for public hearing included:
Ordinance 2009-19-26 which accepted and appropriated a $250,000 grant from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct a Cook Inlet
marine vessel traffic risk assessment study was passed 5-3.
Ordinance 2009-19-27, appropriating $345,747.50 for Seward and $2,897.50 for Homer in Cruise Ship Passenger taxes was unanimously approved.
Ordinance 2010-01, as finally amended, conveyed 10 acres of land in Soldotna to the City of Soldotna for $2, for their cemetery. This will be built and maintained at City expense, but will be available to all Borough residents. This was passed by a 6-2 vote.
Ordinance 2010-07, which would amend KPB 4.30.060 to prohibit a person from serving simultaneously as a member of a City Council within the Borough and on the Borough Assembly, was postponed until the 4/6/10 meeting.
In new business, Resolution 2010-013, sponsored by Mr. Haggerty, supporting the formation of a statewide invasive species advisory council was approved on the consent agenda.
Ordinance 2010-11, sponsored by myself, extending for 6 weeks the sunset date of Ordinance 2009-09, to allow time for the Flood Plain Task Force to meet and for input on 2009-09, was set for hearing on 3/2/10.
The entire agenda, and soon the minutes, will be available on the Borough’s website: www.borough.kenai.ak.us. You can contact me at 224-6784 or at suemccl@gmail.com.
Once again, thank you for allowing me to represent the Eastern Peninsula!!
2-02-10 Borough Assembly Report
Borough Assembly Meeting Report from 2-02-10
Sue McClure
I’m back from another meeting in Soldotna. On the way I spoke with folks in Cooper Landing and was able give them the good news that the State will keep their school open this coming year, and that the KPB School Board as decided to reconfigure it to a K-12 arrangement.
I was appointed and confirmed by the Assembly as Chair of the Flood Plain Task Force, with the task of arranging and chairing a final, summary, meeting of the group in March. Mr. Pierce will serve as vice-chair.
We received the 2009 population figures for the Kenai Peninsula Borough from the State, showing 53,578 residents.
We had the first of two public hearings on Ordinance 2010-01, conveying 10 acres of borough land to the City of Soldotna, to be designed, built, and maintained by Soldotna as a City of Soldotna cemetery, available to all Borough residents. After some discussion, the price is still at $55,000 for the land. The second and final public hearing will be on 2/16/10.
We unanimously passed Ordinance 2010-06, amending KPB 5.28 to require sole source purchases costing more than $20,000 to first be approved by the assembly by resolution.
We confirmed Michael Cooney to fill Seat F on the KPB Moose Pass Advisory Planning Commission.
Upcoming items up for final public hearing at our next meeting on 2/16/10:
Ordinance 2009-19-27 which would appropriate cruise ship passenger tax money from FY 2009 to the City of Seward ($345,747.50) and the City of Homer ($2,897.50).
Ordinance 2009-52, allowing service area board members to be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Assembly when vacancies occur between elections.
Ordinance 2010-01, conveying the 10 acres of borough land to the City of Soldotna for their cemetery.
Ordinance 2010-07 which would amend KPB 4.30.060 to prohibit a person from serving simultaneously as a member of the Borough Assembly and a member of a City Council within the borough.
To view the rest of the agenda, go to www.borough.kenai.ak.us. As always, I can be reached at 224-6784, emailed at suemccl@gmail.com,
1-19-10 Borough Assembly Report
1-19-10 Borough Assembly Report from Sue McClure
The meeting was over by 8:30 PM , in case you tuned in after that and thought it wasn’t being broadcast!! We had no public hearing items, so dealt with committee reports and the like. We heard the quarterly report from the Central Peninsula Hospital, and a very nice presentation by a Nikiski high school student on the need for bus stop street lights in that community (which she will present in Juneau!)
We passed, via the consent agenda, a variety of items including a resolution allocating 2 million dollars in of Recovery Zone bond money to the City of Kenai for their library expansion project. This is a loan for which the federal government pays 45% of the interest.
We set for public hearing on 2/16/10 Ordinance 2009-19-27 which appropriates the Borough’s portion of the FY 2009 cruise ship head tax proceeds and allocates them to Seward ($345,747.50) and Homer ($2,897.50) which is proportional to the number of passengers in each port. Also up for public hearing on 2/16/10 is Ordinance 2010-07 which would amend KPB 4.30.060 to prohibit a person from serving simultaneously as a member of the Borough Assembly and a member of a City Council within the Borough. This would take effect after the current member in such a position is out of the position. Ordinance 2009-52 is still up for hearing on 2/16, which would allow board members to be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Assembly for vacancies outside of an election cycle. If our local service area boards have not sent in their approval or disapproval of this to the borough clerk, they should soon!
Items up for public hearing on 2/2/10 (our next meeting) include Ordinance 2010-01 which would authorize conveyance of 10 acres of borough land to the City of Soldotna for a city cemetery.
As always, the minutes of this meeting and the agenda for the following will be available at the Borough’s website: www.borough.kenai.ak.us. I am reachable at 224-6784 or at suemccl@gmail.com. I have been appreciating the questions and comments that have been coming in!!!
Report from Borough Assembly
1-5-10 meeting
From Sue McClure
I’m back from a long and interesting day/night at the Borough Assembly. Among the highlights, include:
A resolution commending the contributions and life of Tito Kagimoto of Hope, sponsored by the Mayor and myself, issued on his passing.
A report by Mayor Carey on the formation of a task force for the North Road Winter Road Access—referring to the area north of Captain Cook State Park, which is of interest to various folks in our district. The Mayor has formed a task force, headed by Tim O’Brian, whose primary focus is to get a winter access road to the area, with discussions regarding obtaining railroad cars to use for crossing the remaining two creeks in the area.
The formation of a Working Group to review the Kenai River Habitat Protection Ordinance (21.18) which includes residents, borough staff, planning commissioners, and from the Assembly Bill Smith and myself.
Ordinance 2101-002 was approved by a 6-3 vote (the No votes were Smith, Haggerty and myself). This rescinded Resolution 2009-085, which, when passed last September, made the KP Borough a signatory to the Alaska Coastal Communities Global Climate Change Compact.
Ordinance 2009-50 was unanimously defeated. It would have required retail and wholesale sellers of liquid petroleum products to file an annual report on volumes sold in 2009.
Ordinance 2009-52, amending Title 16 Service Areas to allow for board members to be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Assembly when mid-term vacancies occur was postponed until the 2/16 meeting. Part of the reason was for the Assembly to receive the information on votes on this issue from the various service area boards. All boards in my area should forward that information to the Borough Clerk!!
We approved Resolution 2010-005 which will request NOAA to hold a public hearing in the Borough and also to extend the public comment period for the proposed formation of the Cook Inlet beluga whale critical habitat area.
Other issues were addressed, and all meeting information should be available at the borough website: www.borough,kenai.ak.us
You can reach me at 224-6784, or at suemccl@gmail.com for more information on any or all of the actions at this meeting. I plan to issue an update prior to the 1/19 meeting alerting you of any issues of importance to our “side” of the borough!!
Borough Assembly Report
From Sue McClure
I’m back from the 11-10 Assembly meeting. Among items of local interest:
We heard the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Quarterly report, presented by the School Board President and the Superintendent. Enrollment is only 25 students less than last year, which is less of a decline than in previous years. It should be noted that one of the 4 schools indicated to have the most enrollment decline is Seward High. Their plan is to roll forward the existing levels of service to next year. An informational meeting on the next budget is scheduled for January 7th, at 5:30, at Seward High.
It was decided that Capital Improvement Project requests must be submitted on the correct Borough forms, not to exceed the two-page limit. Those who submitted requests that did not comply will be asked to re-submit.
The contract for Operations & Maintenance of the Seward Transfer Facility was awarded to APESA, LLC or Alaska Waste.
Ordinance 2009-19-14 was passed, which accepts and appropriates $1,660,375 from Alaska DNR, Division of Forestry, for the hazardous fuels mitigation program (related to beetle kill.)
Ordinance 2009-50 was introduced and scheduled for a 12/1/09 hearing. This would require retail sellers of liquid petroleum products to file monthly reports to the Borough stating quantities of such products sold. The purpose is data gathering for use in possible taxation modifications.
Ordinance 2009-52 was introduced and scheduled for a 1/5/10 hearing. This would allow appointment of service area board members by the Borough Mayor and confirmation by the Borough Assembly when mid-election cycle vacancies occur.
The entire agenda and minutes can be read at www.borough.kenai.ak.us. I’m here to represent you!!
First rehearsal for December 6th Christmas service
Singers–a reminder–the first rehearsal for the Massed Choir for the December 6th Seward community Christmas service will be held this Saturday, November 14th, at 2 PM at the United Methodist Church. The recorded parts and rehearsal schedule are available at www.sewardumc.com or you can call Sue McClure at 224-6784 with questions, or just come to the rehearsal Saturday!!!
Borough Assembly Report from Sue McClure
I’m back from the 11-10 Assembly meeting. Among items of local interest:
We heard the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Quarterly report, presented by the School Board President and the Superintendent. Enrollment is only 25 students less than last year, which is less of a decline than in previous years. It should be noted that one of the 4 schools indicated to have the most enrollment decline is Seward High. Their plan is to roll forward the existing levels of service to next year. An informational meeting on the next budget is scheduled for January 7th, at 5:30, at Seward High.
It was decided that Capital Improvement Project requests must be submitted on the correct Borough forms, not to exceed the two-page limit. Those who submitted requests that did not comply will be asked to re-submit.
The contract for Operations & Maintenance of the Seward Transfer Facility was awarded to APESA, LLC or Alaska Waste.
Ordinance 2009-19-14 was passed, which accepts and appropriates $1,660,375 from Alaska DNR, Division of Forestry, for the hazardous fuels mitigation program (related to beetle kill.)
Ordinance 2009-50 was introduced and scheduled for a 12/1/09 hearing. This would require retail sellers of liquid petroleum products to file monthly reports to the Borough stating quantities of such products sold. The purpose is data gathering for use in possible taxation modifications.
Ordinance 2009-52 was introduced and scheduled for a 1/5/10 hearing. This would allow appointment of service area board members by the Borough Mayor and confirmation by the Borough Assembly when mid-election cycle vacancies occur.
The entire agenda and minutes can be viewed at www.borough.kenai.ak.us. I’m here to represent you!!
Massed Choir for Dec. 6th Community Christmas Service
Once again I am putting together a massed choir for the December 6th evening Ecumenical Service, to be held this year at the Nazarene Church. I have scheduled 5 rehearsals, we have two great anthems to sing, and I have recorded the parts. The first rehearsal is Saturday November 14, 2 PM at the United Methodist Church. You can get the music then, or call me, Sue McClure, at 224-6784 and I will arrange to get it to you. The recorded parts are available at www.sewardumc.com (look under “community links” for massed choir updates. Happy singing!!!
Borough Assembly 10-27-09 Report from Sue McClure
I am back from my first meeting as your Assembly representative, and am happy to report that it was great! I feel quite “at home” there, and contrary to some predictions, the learning curve is not all that steep.
As promised, I am reporting back on items of local interest:
We elected Pete Sprague of Soldotna as President of the Borough Assembly, and Hal Smalley of Kenai as Vice-President.
We heard presentations from the Central Peninsula General Hospital, and from their Healthy Lifestyles coordinator.
We approved the appropriation of 8 million dollars in funds from the Alaska DOT and Public Facilities for borough road projects.
We adopted Resolution 2009-104 which sets up an alternate allocation method for the FY10 shared fisheries business tax program. (the borough’s share is about $8000, which will be divided 50% equally and 50% on a per capita basis, with Seward as one of the municipalities receiving a share.)
We adopted Resolution 2009-107 which accepts $8650 from the State’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, to be used for communication equipment for the Bear Creek Fire Service Area.
We accepted and appropriated $993,996.85 from the State for General Government Community Revenue Sharing to be used for borough-wide public safety projects.
The entire meeting summary is available at the Borough website: www.borough.kenai.ak.us
I also want to encourage residents of Cooper Landing, Hope and Moose Pass to come to the community meetings this Saturday (Halloween) to establish legislative priorities. Borough Mayor Carey, myself, and other staff members will be there:
Cooper Landing 10:30 AM at the school
Hope 1:30 PM at the social hall
Moose Pass 3:30 PM at the community center
Once again I am proud and excited to be your representative, and you can call me at 224-6784 with input or questions.
Thanks!!
Sue McClure
Thank You from Sue McClure!!
As I am now officially “seated” as your new Borough Assembly representative for the East Peninsula, I want to thank all of you who worked so hard during the campaign. I promise to do my best to represent all of the area (Seward, Moose Pass, Cooper Landing, Hope, and all the people in between).
I plan to be as available as possible to all of you. My phone number is 224-6784. I’ll give out my personal email on request. I can also receive messages at the Borough office in Seward, 224-2001. Plus if you see me walking, just stop and talk!!
There are multiple ways to access information about the Borough Assembly agendas: In Seward they are posted at the Post Office and packets are available at the Library and at the Borough office at SeaView Plaza. Online, the Borough’s website is www. borough.kenai.ak.us I also plan to post a brief summary of the agenda items before each Assembly meeting here on SCN, to be followed by a summary of the action on those items after I return. You’ll see me at the City Council meetings reporting also.
Once again, thanks for your support, and I am here to represent you!
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