Valdez News
Funds Approved For Small Boat Harbor Here
Valdez Bank Is
Approved for FHA
Building Loans
Housing again held the spotlight
in Valdez last week. Two public
meetings, one with Ed Critten
den of the Alaska Housing Au
thority, and another with George
Bond of the Federal Housing Ad
ministration, were well attended
by interested Valdez residents.
Mr. Bond, representing Clinton
Staples, who is territorial director
of FHA, announced that FHA fi
nancial assistance is now avail
able to home builders in the Val
dez area.
The First Bank of Valdez has
been named an authorized lend
ing institution of FHA, and as
such can make loans to indi
viduals interested in construc
ing homes in Valdez.
Mr. Bond was guest at a public
meeting held on March 16, in
which acting mayor George Gil
son explained procedures for se
curing an FHA loan through the
Valdez bank.
Mr. Bond asked for a selection
of 35 m.m. slides at the conclu
sion of his visit here. The slides
will go to Mr. Staples, who is
collecting a film library of Alas
kan communities to be shown to
lawmakers at Washington, D. C.j
At the earlier public meeting
with Mr. Crittenden of AHA, resi
dents were told how that organi
zation could help in alleviating
the Valdez housing situation.
Mr. Crittenden said AHA
could be asked to undertake the
erection of housing here, when
local interests had shown they
could not handle the job. He (
suggested formation of a co
operative of home builders, as
the step toward most rapid ac
( tion. If this co-operative is
formed, AHA can give finan
cial assistance up to about 85
per cent of the total cost of
housing, it was staled.
Local Valdez businessmen also
might band together to form a
corporation and then request
AHA assistance, he explained.
At the conclusion of both hous
ing meetings, Valdez residents;
pooled opinions on the speediest
and most efficient method of se
curing needed housing here. The
concensus was that the most prac
tical and rapid method of secur
ing housing in Valdez would be
\o borrow construction funds
from the Valdez Bank under an
FHA loan.
Cordova Completes
Blood-Typing Program
A blood-typing program was
completed in Cordova recently,
under the sponsorship of the Cor
dova Health Council. Residents
were given a free blood-typing.
The blood samples will be ana
lyzed in Anchorage and each par
ticipant in the program will re
ceive a card carrying information
about his blood type and Rh fac
tor.
A similar program recently was
completed here in Palmer, under
the joint sponsorship of the Ki
wanis Club and Dr. C. C. Bailey.
VALDEZ CLEANERS
PLAN IMPROVEMENT
Joe Davies of Valdez Cleaners,
who has just returned from a re-1
cent business trip to Anchorage,!
announced the purchase of a new;
cleaning unit for his shop. Mr.
Davies is planning extensive im
provements for his business, in
cluding a Valdez pick-up and de
livery service, in the near future.
Future plans for the Valdez j
Cleaners also includes a one-day j
cleaning service for truckers. As j
soon as the newly purchased |
equipment is installed and in
good working order, there will
be a three-day cleaning service
for all customers.
The Davies are recent arrivals
in Valdez from South Dakota.
FILM SHOWS LIFE
OF YOUNG NEWSMAN |
The movie shown at the Little
Theatre in Valdez school last*
Tuesday, under the sponsorship
of the Valdez Community Hos
pital, was “Price of Freedom,” the
movie dramatization of the news-;
paper career of a young war vet- j
I eran.
“Thief of Bagdad,” a techni-!
color serial, is to start soon at the
Little Theatre. Playing dates will
be announced in the near future.
Admission to these Little The
atre movies is by donation. They
are scheduled each Tuesday eve
ning at 7:45 p.m.
YOUTH SURVEY BLANKS
>OON TO BE MAILED
fO ALASKAN CITIES
Questionnaires designed to
gather information on the living
conditions, health, education, wel
fare, labor and recreation of the
territory’s youth soon will be
mailed to every Alaskan city.
The survey is sponsored by the
Commission on Children and
Youth, created recently by Presi
dent Harry Truman.
Alaska’s Department of Public;
Welfare is taking charge of or
ganizing the local commission in
the territory, and will assist with
the work of the survey. However
the program is in no way con
nected with the welfare depart
ment, it was emphasized.
1950 Changes In Fishing Rules j
Announced By Secty. Chapman
New rules governing the 1950;
fishing season were announced
last week by Secretary Chapman
of the Department of the Inte
rior. Changes in regulations were
based in part on recommenda
tions made at a series of public
hearings in Alaska and in Seattle,
Secretary Chapman said.
The changes which affect this
area would extend fishing dates
for red salmon on Copper River
to June 20, an extension of five
days’ time over last season;
Port Chalmers on Montague Is
land is closed to all salmon fish
ing this season.
Set net catches in the Eshamy
section are required to be re
ported daily to the Fish and Wild- j
life Service, after the Prince Wil-'
liam Sound trap and seine sea
son closes on Aug. 7.
The fall quota of razor clams
was reduced from 3,000 to 1,000
cases and 2,000 cases was added
to the spring quota.
The closed season for crab fish
ing in the waters of Orca Inlet
was extended to Oct. 31, to pre
vent fishing during the time
when the catch is of low quality.
Herring quotas in the Prince
William Sound area were an
nounced on a three-year basis.
For the years 1950, 1951 and 1952,
the Resurrection Bay-Prince Wil
liam Sound quota was fixed at
180,000 barrerls annually. The
season was shortened in each
area. It now ends on Aug. 10 in
the Prince William Sound waters.
Minister Plans Manual
Training Center
A building, now located on
the old courthouse property,
will be given to the Rev. R. J.
Teeter to be used as a youth
manual training center, it was
decided at a special meeting of
the Civic Club held Monday,
March 20.
Reve-end Teeter plans to
move the building to a more
central location. In addition to
a manual training classroom,
he intends to establish a hob
bycraft center for adults and
youth alike.
The special Monday meeting i
was held at the home of Miss
Helen Long.
VALLEY RESIDENTS
VISIT IN VALDEZ
Last week Ed Christensen, Al
Gregorson, Leonard Moffitt and
Mrs. Wayne Welch drove to Val-.
dez. The trip was particularly>
enjoyable for Mr. Gregorson who j
had not seen Valdez since he ar
rived in the Territory a number
of years ago.
Mr. Moffitt and Mrs. Welch vis
ited their aunt, Mrs. Lydia
Searles, and were guests at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth
Ham.
Mr. Moffitt drove home a new
automobile which had been de
livered at Valdez for him.
LIBRARY BUYS
151 BOOKS IN '49
A total of 74 new books forj
adults and 77 new books forj
children was purchased by the!
Valdez Library in 1949. Library;
membership is free to all Valdez!
children; adults pay a member- i
ship fee of $3 a year or 50 cents!
a month.
The Valdez library is open each
Monday evening from 7 to 9, un
der the charge of Mrs. Sullivan,
volunteer librarian.
NEW ARC ENGINEER
Bernie Krovets, a recent arri
val in Valdez, is to be an addition
to the Alaska Road Commission’s!
engineering department. He has'
just completed a contract with
Drake Puget Sound on Adak.
NURSES VISIT HERE
Miss Florence Eby, assistant di
rector of public health nursing in
Alaska, and Miss Florence Bins
ley, district nursing supervisor,
were due in Valdez early this!
week.
RETURN FROM VISIT
!
Mrs. Mildred Kaser and Mrs.!
Florence Ingraham returned from
a visit to Seward and Anchorage
on March 15.
Valdez Students Present Holiday Program
f The entire student body of Val
dez School took part in a St. Pat
rick’s Day program presented at
the school last week. Parents of
the students were their invited
guests for the day’s entertain
ment.
The St. Fatrick’s program was
presented as follows:
First Grade
(Miss Mable Anderson, teacher)
“March,” a poem, by Kathy
Ferrier;
“The Clouds,” a poem, by
Larry Gregorieff;
“Snowflakes,” a poem, by
Jane Bruce;
“Merrily,” a song, by John and
Gene George;
“My Wild Irish Rose,” a song,
by the entire first grade.
Second and Third Grades
(Miss Dolan, teacher)
“The Magic Shamrock,” a play,
in which Bonnette Harrison, Den
nis Jennings, Sharon Olson, Mary
Jane Schmidt and Mac Teeter all
took part.
Fourth and Filth Grades
(Mr. Stout, teacher)
Piano solo by Diane White;
Guitar solo by Edward
George.
Junior High School
(Mrs. Stout, teacher)
Poems read by Bernice Teeter
and Betty Soward.
High School.
(Mr. and Mrs. Harold French. -
teachers)
History of St. Patrick’s Day
by Jimmy Segerquist;
“Casey at the Bat,” a poem,
by Dean Thatcher;
Stories of famous Irish people
in the United States by Lee
Ann Thatcher;
Irish records played by
Frieda Gregorieff.
Roger Schmidt was master of
ceremonies for the program. He
concluded the entertainment by
thanking the students for their
participation, the teachers for
their help, and the parents fori
their attendance.
BIDS FOR WORK
TO BE OPENED
ON MARCH 27
Funds in the amount of $16,500
have been assured for a new
float, gangway and dock ap
proach for the Valdez small boat
harbor, it was announced this
week by George Gilson, acting
mayor.
The city council has called for
bids on the harbor work. Sub
mitted bids will be opened in the
Council chambers at the Tillikum
Club on Monday, March 27.
The planned work, together
with the maintenance dredging
of the small boat harbor, will
greatly improve existing dock ar
rangements for small boats. The
float to be constructed is to be
150 feet long and will lie at right
angles to the main dock approach.
The present dock approach is
to be considerably enlarged, to
make for easier handling of sup
plies to boats docking at the
float.
In addition to this small boat
harbor work, negotiations are
now under way with Territorial
officials, in an attempt to get a
seaplane ramp built at the end of
the new float. This would permit
much better handling of Valdez
seaplane traffic, which is heavy
during the summer months.
*************************
A public hearing will be held
in the Tillikum Club at Valdez
on April 20. at 8 p.m., to de
termine the city's need for an
increased harbor area for small
boats. Hearings on this matter
were last held in 1946, but the
project was tabled at that time.
The April 20 hearing will be
conducted by a representative
from the office of the district
engineer at Anchorage.
X-4Hfr*****************-*-3f*-*
Father Melbourne Tells
Time of Church Services
Father D. A. Melbourne spent
the week of March 14 to March
20 in Valdez. Prior to his return
to Cordova, Father Melbourne
announced church services at the
St. Francis Xavier Catholic
Church as follows:
Daily mass at 8 a.m.; Rosary
and Litany on Wednesday eve
ning at 7:30 p.m.; stations of the
Cross on Friday evening at 7:30
p.m.; Sunday mass at 10 a.m
Easter Seal Drive
Starts Here March 21
The Easter Seal drive got under
way in Valdez school last Tues
day under the chairmanship of
Gail Stalker. Seals will be mailed
to Valdez residents through the
post office. However, if anyone
who wishes to buy seals should
be missed in the mail, Miss Stalk
er will sell additional replace
ments.
PLANS OUTSIDE HOLIDAY
Bob Easterday, who has been
employed as a locating engineer
by the Alaska Road Commission
for the past year, is going Out
side on vacation.