Alaska "istorloal Library
Box 2051
Juneau,
Vol. 5, No. 44
Your Community Newspaper
April 14, 1955
JOHNSON, ANDERSON
SWEEP ELECTION
Henning Johnson and Margaret Ander
son received the greatest number of
votes in Tuesday’s election and will
serve as directors of the Kenai Public
Utility District for the next three
years. A total of 316 ballots were
cast making it the largest election for
directors ever held.
A breakdown of the votes reoeived by
the candidates is as follows: Henning
Johnson, 175; Margaret Anderson, 170;
Harry Oregoire, 107; Ora Jones, 102,
and Ben Bellamy 72.
In the contest only Johnson and Ah
derson made a public bid for the of
fices. Both of the candidates availed
themselves of the free air time offered
all of the candidates over the Homer
News Radio Station. Johnson also stat
ed his views in a paid advertisement in
last week’s Homer News.
The election results were brought to
the people of the area over the facil
ities of the station throughout elec
tion evening.
It is assumed that the board will
meet in special session on Monday even
ing to elect new officers* Meeting
time is 8 p.m. at the fi^hall.
HEA MEETING
The Homer Electric Association
board of directors Tuesday night ap
proved the articles of incorporation of
the Central Alaska Power Association.
The other members of the new corpora
tion are the Chugach Electric Assn.,
the Matanuska Valley Electric Assn.,
and the Kenai Co-op No. 17.
The directors discussed at some
length the possible purchase of another
600 KW generator. A new Enterprise
generator would cost #137,000, instal
led. However it was stated that the
Chugach Assn. Has an excess 600 KW gen
erator that is in excellent condition
that they will sell for $40r000. This
figure does not include transportation
and installation costs.
The directors also set a policy for
trailer courts. They decided to make
trailer court operators responsible for
all electric bills due. The operator
will be sent separate statements for
each meter in the court and he will
have the responsibility of distributing
and collecting for them* There will be
a #7.50 deposit for eaoh meter in the
court.
Jiggs Tice, HEA manager, announced
that bids for transporting oil to both
the Homer and Soldotna plants of the
association will be opened April 22.
All interested parties are urged to
submit bids before that date to the HEA
office.
CSG TO MEET
The Citizen*a Study Group will meet
Friday night at the schoolhouse at 8
o*clock.
On the tentative agenda are diseus
sions on the small boat basin fund,
Clean Up Day, school distriot informa
tion and the election of officers.
■CONTRACTOR IN
Gilbert Roberts, Hood River, Oregon
contractor who has the contract to
build the Homer hospital-health center,
visited the community briefly this week
He stated that he hopes to get the pro
ject started about May 15* His equip
ment will arrive in Homer about May
10, aboard an Alaska Steamship Company
freighter* If everything goes well the
Job should be completed in about 10
weeks, Roberts said*
The Oregon contractor said that the
local job will be his second in Alaska.
The first was at Sand Foint in the 3hu
magin Islands* At that time he said
that he had heard that the Homer job
was coming up and that Homer was in the
"banana belt" of Alaska*
"I like bananas," he said, "so I bid
low on the job and got it*"
^ihile here Roberts talked with local
construction men and looked over the
hospital site* He expects to return in
May with his family to spend a short
time in the community*
Roberts said that his foreman and a
finish carpenter would probably be the
only ones that he will send to the job
from the states* the remainder of the
crew will be hired locally*
WEATHER ,
High Low
April 7 37 25
April 8 29 20
April 9 38 16
April 10 37 25
April 11 34 26
April 12 37 27
April 13 40 20
MANAGER RESIGNS
Hugh Watson, dock manager, handed in
his resignation to the directors of the
PUD Monday night* In his letter of
resignation the manager thanked the
present and past hoard members for the
support they had given him* , He said
that he had tried to operate the dock
for the benefit of most of the people
and tbs beat Interest of the dpok, but
that in the best interest of the dock,
the board and himself, he felt.that he
should resign* He asked that the res
ignation be effective May 1 so that he
would have a better chance for seasonal
work and that it would make everything
close with the end of the month* How
ever, he said that he would be willing
to stay for the 30 days or until May 11
as per his agreement with the board*
The board tabled his resignation*
In a discussion of the dock accounts
receivable, Watson told the directors
that the two accounts listed, the Alas
ka Fresh cannery and the. Berman Packing
Company of Ninilchik, had been taken
out of his hands* He said that he ap
proached Alaska Fresh and was told that
they had made arrangements with the
board concerning the wharfage as they
were installing a winoh on the dock*
He said that he had sent a statement to
the Be man Packing Company after they
had received a shipment of empty cans
over the dock in July* Later, he said
that he talked to a brother of Russ
(Cont. on Page 4, Col* 1)
A telegram from Irving Reed* terri
torial highway engineer, officially
disclosed this week that Homer is in
line to get a $200,000 small heat har
bor* Half of the amount needed for the
harbor was made available by the recent
session of the Territorial legislature
and half of the amount will come from
APT/ funds.
In his telegram to the PUD, Reed
stressed that he felt that it would be
a mistake for the local fishermen’s
association to spend the money that
has been raised locally for a small
boat basin. He suggested that the mon
ey be kept to be used in buying acces
sories for the harbor.
Seed’s telegram confirmed statements
made here last week by Harold Pomeroy
of Bear Ceve. Pomeroy told the fisher
men that construction will start next
spring on a $200,000 harbor here in
Homer, but he asked that official word
be received from Reed’s office before
the release of the information.
In talking with the local fishermen,
Pomeroy suggested that the money rais
ed locally' bight be spent in part in
paying transportation costs of surplus
property to Homer. Much property is
available, he said, that could be used
in fitting out a boat harbor.
Bill Eklof, president of the Cook
Inlet Fishertnen’s Assn, urged that all
local people who donated to the fund
attend the CSC meeting Friday night to
discuss the future of the $4000 now in
the‘Bank of Homer. He said that he did
not feel that it was up to the fisher
men how the jnoney should be spent in
the light of the new developments. The
people who gave the money, he said,
should have the say in how the money is
to be spent. The entire matter will be
covered Friday night at the CSC meeting
Reed said in his telegram that Haines
Skagway and possibly Douglas would also
get boat harbors*
The funds for the boat harbors were
made possible by the passage of House
Bill 41 in the recent legislature. The
legislature appropriated $300,000 to
cover the projects.
During his visit to Homer last week,
Harold Pomeroy described HB 41 aa a
very good piece of legislation written
for the people of Alaska.
CHAMBER NOTES
Vice President Howard Myhill presid
ed at the Chamber of Commerce meeting
Monday noon in the absence of President
Nelson Moyer who is attending the All
Alaska Chamber of Comnerce meeting in
Juneau*
Homer, it was noted, will have four
displays at the Juneau meeting* They
will include pictures of the area, coal
from the beach, a Kwik-Log display and
some Alaska ^ild Berry Products to be
served at a Chamber banquet#
Ora Jones, Homer fire chief, stated
that the department had received an
auxiliary motor and pump unit from the
Civil Defense# The Chrysler motor pow
ered unit will pump 125 gallons of wat
er per minute with a 300-foot head, he
said# The cost of transportation of
the pump was paid for by the department
with Floyd Hatfield bringing it down
from Anchorage, the fire chief said#
(Cont# on Page 4, Col. 2)