Vol. 5, No. 36
Your Community Newspaper
February 17, 1955
Alaska Historical
Library & Museum
Box 2051
Juneau, Al aska
PUD MEETING
The board of directors of the Kenai
Public Utility District decided Monday
night to forward* through their attor
ney, ^5,000 to the Territorial Depart
ment of Health to be used as a guaran
tee that the water filteration equip-**
ment will be installed at the hospital-'
health center# After the equipment is
installed the money would then be con
sidered as a payment on the building*
This action will save the PUD the cost
of a performance bond* * -
It was announced that a copy of the
plans and specifications for the hos
pital-health center had been received
and are available for inspection at the
PUD office. ‘ ■ '
A motion to put up for bid the job
uf le placing three pilings at the Homer
dock and to put in a new dead man and
tie up post at the dock was passed*
Doek Manager Hugh Watson was to draw up
the specifications and bids are to be
opened Monday night at a special meet
ing of the board at 8 p.m. at the fire
hall. ....
The board also decided to forward to
the Territorial Highway Engineer a re
vised. copy of the hospital-health cen
ter access road. The road plan was or
iginally drawn up hy the engineers and
revised by the surveyor. A road plan
had been requested by the highway en
gineer.
A letter from Henning Johnson, dis
trict Civil Defense Director, inquired
about storage space availability in the
fire hall. The board instructed the
manager to info mi Johnson that approxi
mately 400 square feet was available.
Dock Manager Hugh Watson -volunteered
to have a boat tie-up line ready on the
arrival of incoming freighters provid
ing the PUD furnish the line and pro
viding the line is returned to him af
ter the beach line has been secured.
CHAMBER NOTES
(As the editor of the News was sub
stituting for one of the teachers at
the Homer school Monday and was unable
to attend the Chamber meeting, the fol
lowing notes were provided by Chamber
secretary Robert Norman.)
’’Meeting called to order at 12:20
p.m. with 24 members present including
six directors.
"After short invocation by Arthur
Nichols, minutes of the previous meet
ing were read and approved as read.
•"President gave a short summary of
the Director’s meeting on Saturday.
"Secretary read letters from the
following: U. S. Army Quartermaster de
tailing methods of inspection for fresh
and canned fish bidders as requested by
the chamber; from ARC with regard to
the Fritz Creek Hill road; and from
Delegate Bartlett with regard to the
Federal Small Boat Harbor Project.
"President discussed the trip to
Anchorage on February 28th urging all
that can go to go so that Homer could
WEATHER
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 14
February 15
February 16
High Low
24 21
30 22
22 ... 17
16 - 2
23 13
24 12
25 8
WHERE'S WINTER?
A popular question in Homer these
days is "What happened to the winter
weather?" To date the area has suffer
ed but slightly from what most Alaskans
would call "cold weather."
A review of the high and low temper
atures since January 1 shows, that only
once has the thermometer dropped below
zero and only 11 times did the ther
mometer get below the 10 degree mark.
The coldest recorded has been 4 below.
The highest temperature noted since
the first of the year has been 43 which
occurred twice,once on January 8 and on
January 26. Twenty-eight of the forty
seven days since January 1 were 30 de
grees or above for the high; thirteen
days had a high of 20 to 30, and only
seven days registered highs between 14
and 20.
To date Homer has had only one real
winter storm and that occured in mid
December to give us a tfiite Christmas*
That storm put down about 18 inches of
snow*
Over last weekend and early this
week the snowman visited us again leav
ing about a foot of the white stuff so
that we now have about IB inches on the
ground*
The roads have, for the most part,
remained in good driving condition with
ice conditions at a minimum with many
drivers still venturing out without
chains*
Homer, however, is noted for its
late winter aiow stoma, so local resi
dents can probably look forward to a
few more weeks of snow if not extreme
cold*
be represented at the meeting with the
Anchorage Chamber.
"Bill Eklof spoke on the Small Boat
Harbor and requested that the Territor
ial Highway Engineer be contacted with
regard to information on funds avail
able from his office*
"Clare Hiner moved that an inquiry
be made - by the Chamber with regard to
funds available for the small boat
basin* 2nd by J* C. Reynolds and passed
"Report of the economics committee
given by Homer 3* Thompson. Effect of
possible oil economy on Homer is being
investigated by the comnittee*
"President gave a review of the
States Alaska Case and Yule Kilcher
read two letters -on the Fritz Creek
Hill road that he had received.
“Possible trip to Seward with meeting
with Seward Chamber was discussed*
"Meeting was adjourned at 1:05 P*M.“
Charles Barnes, land officer for the
Shell Oil Company, said Wednesday in
Anchorage that his company rould be
working on the Kenai Peninsula this
sunnier as rail as the Alaska Peninsula.
He said that the company had been suf
ficiently encouraged'by their geologic
al oork to date to go ahead here. Rep
resentatives for the oil company have
applied for leases for 60,000 acres of
land in the Wide Bay region* They non
hold options on applications for
100,000 acres there*
In addition to the leases, Aieh the
Shell representatives applied for Tues
day, three Anchorage residents filed on
more than 100,000 acres in the Moose
reserve on the Kenai Peninsula, The
applicants included Willard Nagley,
Wilbur Wester- and Elmer Rasmuson. The
trio paid a total of $26,240 in rentals
and filing fees on the acreage.
The Aimy installation at Kenai on
Cook - Inl^t is ^primed for a rush con
struction season as the District Engi
neer calls for bids on another new
project in addition to nearly $2 mil
lion in contracts started last year*
Contractors are asked to submit bids
for construction of an unloading dock
and big fuel storage tanks* Bids will
be opened February 24 and the job is to
be completed by February 1, 1956*
KENAI
PTA MEETING
k decision to sponsor a series of
Alaska’s favorite games was made by the
Homer Parent-Teachers Association at a
meeting held last Friday* The games,
which are to begin during February,
will also include other activities, and
will be given to raise money to enable
the P-TA to complete the installation
of a large oil range in the school caf
eteria#
The range was donated to the Hobbt
school by the Seldovia Bay Packing Com
pany, and has been placed in the school
cafeteria* According to Paul Choquette
the range must be assembled, a hot wa
ter tank connected, and perhaps a new
chimney built*
Merrill Hatcher, school superinten
dent, reported on a tax plan which was
discussed at the Teachers’ Institute
recently held in .nnchorage* The plan,
worked out by the University of Alaska,
would place a uniform mill levy on real
property, and three different amounts
of levy were suggested* Hatcher stated
that he felt this proposal would not be
introduced in the legislature for sev
eral years*
Hatcher also reported that a sample
of the school water had been tested and
found contaminated* He also stated
that water from Lonnie Scroggs* well
had been declared satisfactory, and the
school proposed using this water*
Entertainment opened and closed the
meeting, with the Third Grade presen
ting a skit, and Don Stoith showing
films taken in Africa* Refreshments
were served in the cafeteria after the
meeting*