Fort Reconstruction Plan
At Kenai Needs Community
Support, Educator Warns
“A shot in the arm” has
been suggested in connection
with Kenai's previously announc
ed plans for reconstruction of old
Ft. “Kenay” as one of the major
attractions to he offered tourists
and state residents during the
Alaska Centennial Celebration in
1967.
Lieut. Col. Roman Malaeh of
the Civil Air Patrol and superin
tendent of on-base schools at El
nendorf Air Force Base is a his
torian of note and has done ex
pensive research concerning the
old U.S. Army fort which existed
at Kenai nearly 100 years ago.
Due to his findings of plans and
government missives in archives
at Washington. D.C., Malaeh be
came one of the primary instiga
tors of the project involving re
construction of the old fort as
nearly as possible as it was when
built after the purchase of Alas
ka from Russia in 1867.
If this is to be accomplished,
constructive planning must not be
allowed to come to a standstill,
he warns. The Kenai area must
be united behind the project and
push it through legislative chan
nels to obtain needed federal
funds. Malaeh is a member of the
Governor’s Advisory Committee
on the Alaska Centennial Pro
gram.
New Site Sought
The actual site upon which the
fort was located now belongs to
the Russian Orthodox Church and
has many buildings around it.
Another site of at least five acres
as close to the old townsite of
Kenai as possible is needed for
the construction program.
According to old documents,
Ft. “Kenay" (as it was officially
called back in 1869) contained
about 12 buildings in the fort,
made of hand-hewn logs. The fort,
which was in existence 17 months,
was a mile square in area and in
cluded not only the buildings but
parade grounds and gardens in
which the Americans raised veg
etables and experimented with re
sources of the country. It was one
Sterling Names
Honor Students
The honor roll for the first se
mester of the 1962-63 school year
at Sterling School has been an
nounced by Joseph G. Widman,
principal.
The high honor roll, which re
quires more A’s than R's and no
C grades, includes: Jacki Rum
ley and Terry McNutt, both in
the second grade; Sue Robinson,
Linda Hanson and Jesse Cryer, all
in the third grade; Tyler Hand
ley. fourth grade; Larry Smith,
fifth grade, and Steve Robinson
and Dick Demaray, both in eighth
grade.
The regular honor roll, with its
B average requirement, includes;
Alice Barrett, Colleen L’Hiron
delle, Douglas Schultz and Ron
nie Anderson, third grade; Steph
en Morgan, Wayne McNutt and
Wanda L’Hirondelle, fourth
grade; Dean Robinson, fifth
grade; Anthony Endsley, Marga
ret Cryer and Sheri Gaines, sixth
grade; Mike Demaray and Greg
ory Endsley, seventh grade, and
Connie Burgess and John Johns
ton, eighth grade.
A grade of B in citizenship is
required in both honor rolls.
of several forts built by the Unit
ed States after the purchase of
Alaska and considerably less is
known historically about it than
about the Russian fort which was
in the vicinity prior to the trans
fer from Russia.
A Ft. Kenay Restoration Com
mittee was organized in Kenai on
Oct. It), 1 962, for the purpose of
developing this portion of Kenai’s
colorful history into a tourist at
traction. The 10 members present
at the organizational meeting re
presented “parent” groups in Ke
nai. Officers were elected and in
clude Donnis (Mrs. Stan) Thomp
son, chairman; Mary Willets, se
cretary, and Mr. and Mrs. Dick
Ruberg, serving jointly as trea
surer and fund raisers. Malach
was one of the original 10 spon
soring the project.
Malach says he is willing to ad
vise and to help in any way pos
sible with the project — but he
is only an individual, he adds, and
to be successful the project de
mands “organized public effort”
and must not be allowed to come
to a standstill.
Needs Public Backing
A copy of a letter Malach re
cently wrote to the committee
chairman in regard to the pro
ject follows:
Box 2082
Anchorage, Alaska.
7 January 1963
Mrs. Donnis Thompson. Chairman
Ft. Kenay Reconstruction Com
mittee
Rox 277
Kenai, Alaska.
Dear Mrs. Thompson:
In answer to your letter of 4
Jan. 1!)63, I wish to quote from
Laura Olson’s letter (she is legis
lative assistant to Senator Gruen
ing) dated 4 Dee. 1962:
“Senator Gruening was very
much interested in your com
ments concerning Ft. Kenay re
construction project and said he
would certainly do what he could
to look into the matter to deter
mine how restoration funds might
he obtained, if possible, on the
Federal level.’’
-Now it would seem appropriate
that your Kenai Committee
should take this problem over
and follow it with Senator Gruen
ing and other legislators. I am
only one person, who is deeply
interested in the project, and am
ready to do everything to “push’’
it ahead. Yet, I can not act alone
in these matters.
In a certain way, I committed
myself to the Army officials at
Ft. Richardson as far as the Ft,
Kenay project, and it was done
in the name of your Kenai com
mittee.
As it stands now, I am wait
ing for the Kenai committee ac
tion, which could tell the public
through news media, etc., of the
general progress of the Ft. Ke
nay restoration project. Other
wise my personal efforts may be
accepted only as an individual's
efforts and not those of the Ke
nai people.
I am at your service, but the
Kenai Committee will have to
come forward with more public
and “organized’’ efforts. Other
wise the whole plan may just be
recognized — and may even re
main — as one of those plans
which may never materialize.
Sincerely,
Roman Malach
Jim Doyle’s Back
as Your
TEXACO FUEL
Dealer
DOYLE'SllLlERVICE
283-7655
Matching Federal Funds Approved
For Kenai’s Sewage Treatment Needs
Kenai was one of eight Alaskan
communities for which funds have
heen approved in response to ap
plications for matching- money
available under federal Public
Law (560 for use in sewage treat
ment facilities.
The federal grants, approved
by the United Slates Public
Music Trail
Series May
Come to Area
In connection with proposed
plans to organize a Greater Kenai
Concert Assoc, and to bring Mu
sic Trails programs to the area,
three films have been secured
showing the New York Philhar
monic Orchestra on its overseas
concert tour.
The first of these films depicts
the concert in West Berlin and
may be viewed at the Kenai Cen
tral High School gymnasium at
8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12. There
will be no charge of admission
and all music lovers and persons
interested in a proposed, concert
association for the area are invit
ed to attend.
The remaining two films are of
the Venice conceit appearance
of the Philharmonic Orchestra,
scheduled for showing at Kenai
on Feb. 2(5, and the Moscow con
cert, with film showing set for
March 12, both at 8 p.m. and in
the gymnasium. The coming three
programs are all free and are for
adults only.
According to Conrad Potter,
Kenai school superintendent, or
ganization of the Greater Kenai
Concert Assoc., is expected to
take place during their three
meetings, possibly at the first one
and a board of directors is to be
elected. The goal is to establish
Alaska Music Trail programs at
least by 19(54 in the new high
school building yet to be construc
ted or if possible to begin the
series even sooner.
Persons with questions or wish
ing additional information as to
the concert association are asked
to call Mrs. Jessie Munson, Mrs.
Jack Lewis, or Potter, all in Ke
nai.
Health Service for water pollution
control programs, include a sum
of $38,620 for Kenai.
A ninth application from the
city of Nome is pending and is
expected to be approved within a
few days, according to Dr. Ed
win Wicks, director of the Divi
sion of Public Health througn
which the federal grant is admin
istered.
Other communities for whose
programs the P. F. 660 funds have
been approved include: Yakutat,
$12,000; Hamilton Acres in the
Fail banks area, $168,720; Juneau,
at the Municipal airport, $29,040;
Fairbanks, for a west side inter
ceptor sewer, $69,000; Palmer.
$120,000; Dillingham, $56,860, and
North Pole, $46,550.
Cheeehako News classified ads
— cost little — get results. Try
them.
Bid Opening Set
On Sterling
Highway Project
Advertising for reconstruction
of another section of the Sterling
Highway is underway with bids
to be opened in Juneau on March
7.
Presently under contract are
two more projects for paving IS
miles of this highway on which
work will commence this season,
Highways Commissioner l). A.
McKnnon has announced.
The new project—Happy Creek
to Anchor Point—includes grad
ing. drainage and realignment of
nearly 14 miles of roadway. A
10-foot structural plate pipe will
replace the present three-span
timber bridge over Stariski Creek.
McKinnon said the contractor
will be allowed 200 working days
to complete the project following
award of the contract.
Read the News classifieds for
profit—use them for results.
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