The mural panels painted during the paint weekend got their last top coating this Saturday.  The ‘Top Coat Gang’ has now placed a top coating three different times to get all of the panels ready for their install.  Nichole Feemster would like to thank all the volunteers that have come out to help with the mural that she has spent months working on.

Watch for the mural to start it’s install phase on the South side of the Library Museum building this next week.  The museum exhibit opening will be coming in May and the mural will be in place!

Photos are taken in the Hertz of Seward garage, where the ‘Top Coat Gang’ has been hard at work…can you recognize anyone?

The ‘Top Coat Gang’
Photo by: M Tougas

“Missed a spot here!”
Photo by: M Tougas

Carefully following a line
Photo by: M Tougas

Monday, April 22, 2013 is Earth Day!

Join us for a seminar by our very own Conservation Department staff members.

Monday, April 22, 2013

12-1pm (Brown Bag Lunch)

Alaska SeaLife Center, Bear Mountain Conference Room

Learn about our brand new citizen science websites and June’s GYRE project:

We’ve just launched two new citizen science websites:  Alaska Corps of Coastal Observers(AkCCO) and BioMap Alaska.  They’re aimed at helping Alaska gather data about coastal processes and animal sightings in all corners of the state.  Learn about how we’re involving citizens and what we hope the collected data can do for coastal communities and the environment.

The 4-years-in-the-making GYRE project involves a team of world-renowned artists and scientists traveling out of Seward on the R/V Norseman.  They’ll be collecting, studying, and making art from marine debris found on remote Alaskan beaches.  Hear more about the exciting group of individuals and organizations involved and the message this project will convey to the world.

For further information on GYRE: http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/galleries/gyre/

Please join us!  Free seminar, all welcome.

Hello readers, contributors, and advertisers of the Seward City News.  Sarah and I have received many warm wishes regarding the purchase of the Seward City News, and we thank all that sent them.  I had planned an introduction and a general ‘Hello’ after the dust settles, but I see there are already at least two questions posted on the SCN sale article below, and I expect there will be more questions if we keep the users wondering.  So even though the dust has not cleared, I will offer up what I can at this point in time.

First an introduction and background check for those of you that may not know us already. I have lived in Seward since the summer of 2000.  I previously lived in Hawaii for ten years and grew up in Huntington Beach, CA.  Sarah and I met during her first summer here in 2002.  She was born and raised in New Ulm, MN.  We married in Seward in 2005 and now have two young sons ages 6 and 4.  I am a long-time captain of the fleet at Kenai Fjords Tours, although unfortunately I will not be working there this summer.  I have a year round job at AVTEC in the Information Technology Department, where I am a card carrying techie of all sorts.  You may see me hanging around City Hall sometimes as I am a member of the Port and Commerce Advisory Committee (PACAB), and am also a Chamber member.  Sarah has worked for a handful of Seward businesses including Kenai Fjords Tours and Shoreside Petroleum  in customer service and bookkeeping roles. Sarah’s primary job now is raising our boys.  She is also active in many of the sports leagues in town.

We love Seward for many reasons, and at the top of the list are the great people.  We realized this is a great place to raise our kids and bought our first home here.

Given our background, we believe we are a good fit for running the Seward City News.  Sarah will be working with advertisers and I will maintain the web site among other technical details.  I know we will be sharing the roles with each other along the way.

Right now we are in the middle of transferring business accounts and unpacking all of the goodies that Paul boxed up for us before his departure.  We have a lot on our plate at the moment, but I believe by the end of the weekend, MOST of the dust will have settled.

As for any changes: I do have some ideas kicking around, but for now it will be very much business as usual here.  I don’t foresee any major changes in the first few months ahead.  To answer Ms. Bardarson’s question, there are no plans to change how articles are submitted. But on that note I would like to remind everyone about our comment policy.

Heidi Zemach will continue to be on board with SCN. We would like to add more reporting staff in the future.

We thank Paul Tougas for what he has created and look forward to providing this great service for our community.

Thank you all for visiting and supporting the Seward City News.  We believe Seward has some great and interesting times ahead.  We plan to make Seward City News the best source to keep everyone informed as it happens.

Sincerely,

Steve and Sarah Fink

Steve Fink and Paul Tougas at the sale of SewardCityNews.com

The business, Seward City News has been bought by long time local Sewardite Steve Fink and his family.  It has been a great honor to watch over our endeavor here but as I move on I know that Steve will continue fostering free and open communication about the things we care about in this community.  I wish him good fortune on his new endeavor.

Paul Tougas

Founder/Former Owner

SewardCityNews.com

Sirens will be going off TODAY, Tuesday, April 16, 2013 for maintenance – testing only!

Ongoing siren work in the Seward area through today will require brief 10 second activations of the test chimes, no voice. No actual alert warning sound will be made.

Johanna Kinney, CMC

City Clerk, City of Seward

Enroll your child for Kindergarten!

Wednesday, April 24^th

Two sessions offered this year ~

either 5:30 – 6:30 or 6:30 – 7:30

 What to bring:

• your 5 year-old (must be 5 by September 1^st to enroll in kindergarten;  optional to bring him/her)
• shot records
• birth certificate
• any questions you have.

Mrs. Lunardi, Miss Haugh and Mrs. Barnwell look forward to meeting all of you on Wednesday, April 24th!

*** IMPORTANT – If you are unable to attend, PLEASE CALL Seward Elementary School at 224-3356 so we can include your child in our enrollment count.

The Seward Brewing Company is hosting the Ducks Unlimited Bar Night on Friday, April 19^th, from 7 – 10 pm to help raise money for wetlands conservations.  There will be gun raffles, live music, games of skill and luck, and a silent auction.  At the end of the evening, they will be a special raffle for an AR-15.  The event is open to the public and there is no admission fee.  You do not have to be a member of DU to partake in the festivities…so come on down and join in the fun while raising money for a good cause.  Full beer and food menu will be available at the brewery that evening from 4 pm to 10 pm.

When Monday, April 22, 2013, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Where Hotel Seward
Cost $45

Note
Hillary Bean, 491-1061
Pre-registration is required during winter months. Please contact the instructor between the hours of 9am-5pm M-F to renew your card or for schedule information and updates.

There will be a Spring Open House for Alaska Efficient Energy Solutions on Thursday, April 11th, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  This will be held at the Seward Aircraft Storage hangar at the Seward Airport.

Come check out this brand new hangar and it’s energy efficient design.

The Seward Schools Site-Based Council has its monthly meeting tonight at 6:30 pm, in the Seward Elementary library. You are welcome to attend.

Nichole Feemster thanks the wonderful community folks that signed up and stopped in to help with the panels this last weekend.  18 panels, size 4×8, were given their first, second and sometimes third coats of paint during the paint weekend at the cruise ship terminal.  Thank you to the Alaska Railroad and the City of Seward for the space to set up and paint, and the Library Museum volunteers for helping to move, set up and help with the weekend details.  Nichole was on site each day to oversee the painting and directing the helping hands.  She would like to thank the volunteer painters, some came more than one day, and a *special Thank You to Mary Daniels for soups and baked goods, Yum!

The panels are getting the artists final touch and will then have a top coating applied before they are ready to go up on the white walls of the South side of the Library Museum building.  Our helping hands:

An Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluating alternatives for the feasibility of an interagency multi-modal trail along the Herman Leirer Road is now available for public comment.  A multi-use trail (bicycle, pedestrian and ski) is being considered along the Herman Leirer Road, starting from the Seward Highway and ending at the Exit Glacier Nature Center in Kenai Fjords National Park. The approximately 8.2 mile trail would pass through public lands and right-of-ways managed by the State of Alaska, United States Forest Service, and National Park Service.  No private lands would be involved, but in some areas private lands would be adjacent to the trail corridor. This environmental assessment analyzes the impacts of different trail routing concept alternatives.

The purpose of the project is to increase the recreational opportunities and public safety along Herman Leirer Road.  Project goals are to provide increased safety and a more enjoyable recreational experience for both trail users and road users by separating conflicting uses. Project alternatives would create a non-motorized, multi-modal trail along the Herman Leirer Road corridor for use either in short sections or in its entire length.

It is important to note that at this time there is not a funded project to construct any of the proposed alternatives. This EA will serve as a common vision for state, federal, and local agencies as well as organizations to pursue funding for such a project by any number of sources.  Funding the entire trail through a single funded project may not be possible and each agency may need to seek funding for their respective segments over a period of several years.  The goal of this multi-modal trail which traverses across a variety of public lands and right-of-ways is to offer an outstanding visitor experience while protecting the resources over which each agency has responsibility. 

The environmental assessment analyzes a range of one no action alternative and three action alternatives for consideration:

Alternative A – No Action – No designated trail for non-motorized use

No designated trail exists and non-motorized travelers use the paved road or road edge for bicycling, skiing, mushing, and pedestrian travel.

Alternative B – Meandering Separated Trail (Preferred Alternative)
A non-motorized trail would be designed and constructed for use by pedestrians, mountain bikes (bicycles), skiers and mushers. A 10 to 12 foot wide soft surface pathway that meanders farther from the road would be constructed with a number of new trail bridges separated from the road.

Alternative C – Minimum Separation Roadside Trail
A 12 foot wide soft pathway would be added to the north side of Herman Leirer Road (using existing trails when feasible), separated from the road by a 5 foot vegetated buffer.  Connections to existing trails would be improved.

Alternative D – No Separation Road Edge Trail and Upgrades to Existing Trails
For most of the length of the corridor, the existing road (currently with 12 foot wide driving lanes and 4 foot paved shoulders) would be reconfigured and restriped to 10 foot driving lanes and 6 foot paved shoulders marked as bicycle lanes. Existing hiking trails would be upgraded to soft surface trails suitable for pedestrians, hikers, off-road cyclists and non-motorized winter uses.

The National Park Service has published a draft EA entitled ” Herman Leirer Multi-Modal Trail Feasibility Study Environmental Assessment.”  It is available at http://parkplanning.nps.gov.  The EA was completed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.9).

Comments on the EA may be submitted through Friday, June 7, 2013, preferably via the website, http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Comments may also be faxed to (907) 422-0571, or mailed to:

Superintendent
Kenai Fjords National Park
ATTN: Herman Leirer Trail EA
P.O. Box 1727
Seward, AK 99664

Since its latest fundraising bash last November, Young Life Seward is making its presence known in more ways than one.  The trained leaders of Young Life work to bring youth of all walks of life together for wacky activities, friendship and to meet Christ in a fun and safe way. Leaders care to love them unconditionally regardless of their initial choices about faith.

Young Life Seward is equipped with a paid staff member, trained youth leaders, and is now holding monthly gatherings for High School age students.  They look to build up youth participation at their planned events and encourage interested students entering 10th grade or older to a camp experience in Oregon.  Camp dates are June 22nd to the 28th which YL is raising scholarship funds for.  Currently Dana Ivy serves as staff coordinator, is in charge of organizing events, recruiting and training youth leaders and helps to organize fundraisers

The latest fundraiser of flocking flamingos has served up some winter fun as they prove to be a colorful addition to the snowy backdrop of Seward.  Youth are pranking their neighbors around town by secretly placing plastic pink flamingos in their yards and entryways.  Victims pay to have them removed, then exercise an option of having another yard of their liking be flocked.  This activity will be continuing into June and Youth are welcome to join the fun.

More YL highlights and upcoming events are as follows;

Supervising open gym at the High School during lunch Hour on Tues and Thursdays

Yard Sale April 12th & 13th from 5-9pm Seward City Church building on Nash Road

Next Group Gathering and wacky activity night –

Summer Camp in Oregon 6/22-28th

Fall Fundraising Banquet 10/27th

If you have any questions about upcoming events or care to get involved, please call Dana Ivy @ 305-0387 or e-mail younglifesewardak48@gmail.com.   Otherwise stay tuned to YL activities through the Seward YoungLife facebook page. There is a place for everyone and YL would love to plug you in.

Come help paint the Library Museum mural panels April 5, 6 & 7.  Meet Nichole Feemster, the local artist, and help with the completion of the mural panels that will be placed on the South side of the Library Museum.

All supplies are provided, just wear comfortable clothes that can handle a little paint and comfy shoes.  Adults and teens welcome.  We are offering community service time to all Seward High students that sign up and complete a time slot.  Painting will take place at the cruise ship terminal.  Thank you to the Alaska Railroad and the City of Seward for their help with the location to do this community event!

Sign up in person at the Library Museum or call 907-224-3646 and give your name, email and a phone contact.

Friday, April 5 ~  5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, April 6 ~ 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.***

Sunday,  April 7 ~ 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.***

***Need folks for these slots!!

 The Library Museum Volunteers

Alaskans once again set new records in sharing their Permanent Fund Dividends (PFDs) with nonprofit causes across the state.  According to data provided by the Alaska Department of Revenue Permanent Fund Dividend Division, 26,093 Alaskans pledged $2,445,450 to Alaska nonprofit organizations. Total contributions grew 10 percent over last year with almost 3,000 more Alaskans donating through Pick.Click.Give. than in 2012.

Overall, 4.7 percent of Alaskans who filed online for their PFD made a charitable donation using Pick.Click.Give.

Leading causes again include providing food and shelter to Alaskans in need, supporting local public broadcasting, helping families affected by domestic violence and rescuing abused or unwanted animals. Bean’s Café tops the list in fundraising for the second year in a row with pledges totaling $119,750.  Rounding out the five highest earning organizations are KSKA with $112,150, Food Bank of Alaska with $72,425, Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis (AWAIC) with $66,125, and Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue with $61,850 pledged.

“Alaskans deserve a huge thank you for showing such generosity,” said Pick.Click.Give. Program Manager Heather Beaty. “This could have been a difficult year for Alaska’s nonprofits because the PFD was on the small side last year. It is heartwarming to see so many Alaskans make generous contributions to the causes we care about when we didn’t have a huge dividend. Even in tough times, Alaskans can be counted on to help their neighbors.”

Many nonprofits stepped up their outreach efforts this year for a shot at winning cash prizes in a new contest offered by the Pick.Click.Give. sponsors. This year, Blood N Fire, Radio Free Palmer, and Kenai Watershed Forum will each be awarded $5,000 for showing the most growth over their 2012 pledge totals.  The Alaska Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will receive a $2,500 award for being the top earning organization that was not on the 2012 Pick.Click.Give. list.

Alaskans who used Pick.Click.Give. this year chose from 471 nonprofits in 48 Alaska communities. Lists of how much each organization received in pledges can be viewed sorted alphabetically, by zip code, or by amount pledged.

In 2012, 23,000 Alaskans raised $2.2 million for nonprofits, community foundations, and the University of Alaska campuses through Pick.Click.Give.  In 2011, 19,000 Alaskans raised $1.5 million, and in 2010, 9,500 Alaskans donated a total of $927,000. In 2009, the program’s first year, 5,500 people gave $545,000.

The Pick.Click.Give. statewide outreach campaign is made possible through financial support from the Alaska Children’s Trust, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Atwood Foundation, BP Alaska, ConocoPhillips Alaska, ExxonMobil, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Northrim Bank, Providence Health + Services, Wells Fargo, Flint Hills Resources, Carlile Transportation, Doyon Ltd., Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and Rasmuson Foundation. Also providing generous amounts of in-kind support are the Alaska Public Radio Network, MSI Communications, The Alaska Club, Alaska Aces and Nerland Agency. Pick.Click.Give. is coordinated through a partnership including the Permanent Fund Dividend Division of the Alaska Department of Revenue, Rasmuson Foundation, The Foraker Group, United Way of Anchorage and The Alaska Community Foundation.

This week only, the scheduling for high school classes will be revised. (See the chart below)  Students are asked to be on time for testing.  This is mandatory attendance for all 9th and 10th grade students for the Standards Base Assessment (SBA) and the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE).  Upper class students, grades 11 & 12, will follow the afternoon schedule.  For more information call the Seward high school office at 907-224-3351.

Seward High blog site: http://sewardhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/

The deadline to apply for this year’s Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend is approaching!  March 31, 2013 is the last day you can submit an application.

Hard copies are available at the Seward Legislative Information Office, location and contact information is listed below.

You can also submit your application online at the following address:  http://www.pfd.state.ak.us/

Seward LIO Contact Information: PO Box 1769 – 302 Railway Ave. Ste. 107 Seward, AK 99664

907-224-5066/phone 907-224-5067/fax

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for the area of Western 
Prince William Sound including the cities of Whittier, Seward, Girdwood, Moose Pass 
and a Special Weather Statement for South Central Alaska:

Please use caution in the Seward area and when traveling to and from Anchorage and 
check the Alaska 511 the road conditions website at http://511.alaska.gov/

Johanna Kinney, CMC

City Clerk, City of Seward