The Kenai Peninsula
Cheechako News
THIRD YEAR
FEBRUARY 23, 1962
PRICE 10c COPY
NUMBER 68
Peninsula - Wide Borough
Gets Nod From Study Group
The Kenai Peninsula Dorough Study Group went on record Sat
urday as fa coring the size of a borough for the Kenai Peninsula to he
that of an area encompassed by boundaries to include all of Election
Districts 9 and 10, as reapportioned and redistricted last December.
This area was formerly known as Election Districts 11 and 12
and includes the entire Kenai Peninsula and the Tyonek area across
Cook Inlet.
Ambulance
CmpsGets
Aid From C D
Several items have been given
to the Soldotna Volunteer Am
bulance Corps recently through
Civil Defense, it has been an
nounced by George Denison, Sol
dotna area C D director.
These include 18 blankets, 21
sheets and one basket stretcher,
ail of which were given directly
to Charles Griffin, Soldotna
school superintendent, on Feb. 9.
Griffin is chairman of the local
:orps.
The department of P u b.l i c
Works has loaned the corps a
folding stretcher until one can
:>e obtained through Civil De
fense, Denison added.
A siren, also obtained through
Givi! Defense, was picked up by
Denison at Seward on Feb. 1 and
is to be used both as a Civil De
fense alert and as a fire alarm
signal for the Soldotna area. It
reportedly can be heard within
a 5-mile radius.
The 3 h.p., 3-phase siren, plac
ed at the Department of Public
Works, has an alarm box instal
led at the fire hall building, Den
ison said. In emergencies, people
(Continued on back page)
The motion as to boundaries
was passed following- recommen
dations of the study group’s boun
dary subcommittee, A question
naire survey conducted by the
Boundary Subcommittee showed
an overwhelming majority of first
choice selections to the three pro
posed boundaries to -he the one
selected by the Study Group.
Proposed boundaries as listed
on the questionnaire survey were
U) largest size borough, an area
to include Anchorage, Susitna
\alley and Kenai Peninsula; (2)
Kemai Peninsula Borough, consist
ing of the area commonly known
as Election Districts 11 and 1,
and now redistricted as Election
Districts 0 and 10; and, (8) a
borough of smaller size than the
entire Kenai Peninsula.
Of the 205 questionnahes re
turned, the Kenai Peninsula bor
ough was listed iis first choice
by 158 persons; 35 listed for first
choice a borough of smaller size
than the entire Peninsula, and
only 22 were in favor of the larg
er sized borough, including An
chorage and the ausitna Valley.
Spirited discussion and many
questions marked the meeting
held at Riverside House in Sol
dotna. It was well attended by
representatives from most por
tions of the Peninsula. Tyonek
was not represented and is to he
polled as to desires of residents
there.
(Continued on page 3)
KENAi PENINSULA representatives at the borough study
group meeting Feb. 17 at Soldotna voted unanimously that the
entire Kenai Peninsula be included as one borough, as outlined
here by the small dots. Alternatives were a borough ot' smaller
size than the Peninsula and a borough to include Anchorage, the
Susitna Valley and the Kenai Peninsula, as encompassed by the
outer broken line on the above map.
- v - i^iii ui^iiiiiBi
THIS WASHINGTON deisel 1000 h,p., 225 rpm with its 700 kw.
General Electric generator, weighs in excess of 100 tons and
was an object of much interest .at the Feb. 11 pow’er plant open
house held at Sports Lake near Kenai. Built by Consolidated
Utilities, Ltd., the plant is under a 20-year contract to supply'
power to Kenai Power Corporation.
Bank Opening at Kenai
Creates Much Interest
Kcnai's glistening new and
colorful, branch of the City Na
tional Bank of Anchorage was
presented to the public Satur
day in an open house attended
by an estimated 450 persons.
Mrs. Ben Crawford and other
officials and members of the
board of directors of the home
bank in Anchorage were among
the 24 arriving at Kenai airport
by a chartered Reeves Aleutian
Airways’ D-C 3 plane to attend
the event. Have Friend, also well
known in banking circles, and
his family came by private plane.
The recently completed build
ing, constructed basically of steel,
concrete blocks, aluminum and
glass, is built for expected ex
pansion. It features? ceramic tile
facing on the large vault and
one entire wail lined with safety
deposit boxes. Two spotless rest
rooms have been provided.
A 24-hour depository slot has
been installed for service to pa
trons and a future drive-in fac
ility is planned. Three tellers
currently are located in the main
banking section.
A coffee lounge, complete with
cooking facilities, has been pro
vided for convenience of employ
ees. ’Stack rooms and storage
facilities have been included.
Mrs. Crawford remarked that
business at the branch bank had
far exceeded expectations and
that future expansion is being
considered.
The Kenai branch was estab
lished by the City National Bank
of Anchorage on Nov. 7, 1960.
J. R. Lietzke, assistant vice pres
Soldotna C of C
Road Meet Sat.
Secondary roads will be the
featured topic on the program
planned Saturday for the noon
meeting of the Greater Soldo|na
Chamber of Commerce to be held
in the Colonial Room of the Vil
lage Inn.
Guest speakers will be Robert
G. Dwyre, district highway en
gineer from Anchorage, and a
representative from,-the office of
Lee Hubbard, secondary roads
engineer.
Went has been manager since its
opening-. The bank is located be
tween Kenai high .school and
Hartley’s store.
Peggie (Mrs. W. A.) Stein
auer is a new addition to the
local banking staff. Other em
ployees arc Loy {Mrs. Carl) Mo
ser, head teller this past year,
and Miss Pat., icia Rose, secre
tary to the manager.
Time and demand deposits in
1960 showed an increase of
slightly more than 600 per cent
and other bank business reflect
ed a corresponding increase, the
local manager said.
Top Mushers To
Race In Kenai -
Soldotna Event
Interest is increasing daily in
the first annua] Alaska State
Championship Sled Dog Races,
according to Kenai - Soldotna
Sports C ommittee members who
are spearheading plans for the
event. The races are being spon
sorod jointly by Kenai ami SoT
dotna on the weekend of March
3 and 4.
The purse of $2,000 has all
been raised or committed and is
expected to attract many of the
top-ranking mushers. Gareth
Wright, well - known Soldotna
musher who has won top honors
in the past at Anchorage and
Fairbanks races, is in Anchor
age now lifting up contestants
for the local event from among
those participating in the Fur
Rendezvous competition.
Nine competitors in the Fur
Rendezvous sled dog races at An
chorage have tentatively signified
that they will participate in the
first annual Alaska State Champ
ionship Sled l tog Races to lie
held at Kenai and Soldotna on
March 3 - i. Definite committ
ments cannot be made until after
the Anchorage races and will de
pend upon the condition of their
dogs, a spokesman said.
Included in the group are Gar
eth Wright, Soldotna musher;
Rergnian Sam, Husiia; Jimmy
Malemute, Galena; Joe Reding
ton, Jr., FJathprn Lake; Steve
Losonsky, Fairbanks; Stef e n
Frost, Old Crow, Y.T.; Orville
Lake, Anchorage; Dr. Roland
Lombard, We v land. Mass., and
Leo Kriska, Koyukuk. Chuck
Raymond of Kasilof has also
said he plans to enter.
(Continued on back page)
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