“NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA’*
ED KEITHAHN
fi “i 10H Y MUSEUM & LIBRARY
The Kenai Peninsula
third year
October 6, 1961
10c a Copy
Number !•
AREA DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM UNDERWAY
“There is no time to waste,”
Kenai Peninsula areas desiring
to obtain funds under the Area
Redevelopment Act are being
warned by Mrs. Gus (Bertie)
Meyer, secretary 0f the Council
of Chambers of the Kenai Pen
insula.
An Oct. 20 deadline has been
set for areas to report projects
selected and to appoint chairmen
to a Peninsula-wide district
steering committee. These should
he reported to Mrs. Meyer be
fore the deadline date.
The district steering commit
tee is to meet on or about Nov.
1, at which time a final plan
based on what is most needed for
social and economic development
of the entire Peninsula will be
outlined and then submitted to
a state committee.
The Extension Sendee has been
designated by the Department of
Agriculture to organize and help
communities plan their studies
for development.
Ed Lsebenthal, district agricul
tural agent, and Mrs. Gladys
Musgrove, district home demon
stration agent, both of Homer,
are presenting a skeleton draft
of requirements and suggestions
when they meet with civic groups
throughout the Peninsula. Both
of them addressed the Kenai
Chamber of Commerce on this
subject last Tuesday.
“There are two programs un
der which communities may ac
quire financial aid,” Liebenthal
said. “They are the Rural Area
Development program set up by
the Department of Agriculture
and the Rural Area Re-develop
nient program under sponorship
of the Department of Commerce.
The two programs require an id
entical approach and there is no
necessity in setting up separate
committees. There is also advice
to he obtained from the Secre
tary of Labor.”
Certain funds have been allo
cated to the Rural Electric Ad
ministration and to the Farm and
Housing Administration. Loans
are available for appliances and
for homes in rural and non-farm
areas. Industurial loans are also
available. Federal funds up to
65 per cent may be obtained from
these existing services at an in
terest rate of 4y/srr.
Some projects suggested h y
the Extension Department are:
Business, manufacturing, extrac
tive industry, fishing, agricul
ture, timber, finance and cred
it, civic planning, health, educa
tion and personal development,
touris m , communication and
transportation. Additional proj
ects suggested locally are roads
and shipping. Town level meet
ings may bring out other proj
ects deemed necessary to Pen
insula areas.
“Since the Peninsula has been
classified as an area of chronie
unemployment, due to seasonal
work, it will qualify under the
act,” Liebenthal said. “It must
start, however, at a local level
and go through various steps in
order to properly present any
project or plan to the state com
(Continued on Page 10)
fe SEE OCT. 20 DEADLINE
Farmers Meeting Called;
Grain Dehydrating Plant,
Pelleting Mill Planned_
A meeting of all farmers in
the central and northern portions
of the Kenai Peninsula is being
called by the Soldotna Chamber
ci Commerce’s area redevelop
ment committee.
The dinner meeting is set for
7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the
Riverside House and is for the
purpose of forming a co-operat
ive association in order that area
farmers may establish a dehy
drating plant for drying grains.
A pelleting mill is also pro
posed and if possible a complete
feed mill, says Clarence Good
rich, chairman of the committee.
Information o n dehydrating
■plants, pelleting mills and com
plete feed mills will be avail
able. Ed Liebentbal, district ag
- cultural agent from Homer, is
being asked to attend.
A temporary board of directors
is to be selected at this time.
Goodrich says. Homer Swires is
serving with Goodrich on the
area redevelopment committee.
Farmers are asked to bring
tneir wives. Other interested per
son also are invited to attend.
Dinner reservations will be $2.00
pei plate. It has been requested
that all reservations be made by
telephone to Bertha (Mrs. Dick)
Midyett, secretary of the Cham
ber of Commerce, at her office
at M-K Realty Co., or directly
to the Riverside House.
The Kenai Peninsula was the
center of a near major earth
quake on Sept. 5, 1901. The shock
lasted one and a half-minutes
and was rated as being of a mag
nitude of 6.1, with major tremors
registering 7 points or higher in
magnitude.
Oct. Clinic
Oates Mamed
The current schedule for the
Kenai itinerant nurse, Miss
Ruth Tewes, has been announced
for October.
Immunization clinics for Clam
Gulch, Cohoe, Kasilof and Tustu
mena school will be held Tues
day, Oct. 10, 11 a.m. to noon, at
Tustumena school.
Cooper Landing—Friday, Oct.
13, noon to 12:30 p.m. at the
school.
Kenai Health Center— Wed
nesday, Oct. 11, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
also, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 1:30 to
3:30 p.m. Evenings by appoint
ment only.
Ninilchik—Fr-iday, Oct. 6, 12
to 1 p.m. at the school.
Soldotna— Tuesday, Oct. 24,
noon to 12:30 p.m. only, at the
school.
Sterling—Monday, Oct. 9, noon
to 12:30 p.m. at the school.
Tyonek—-Oct. 17 through Oct.
20.
Elects Officers
New officers of the North Ke
nai Community Club were elect
ed Tuesday night at a meeting
held in the club rooms on North
Kenai Road, approximately ten
miles north of Kenai.
Harry Drew' will head the
group as president for the com
ing year. Other officers elected
are Mel Carson, vice president;
Sonny Thomas, secretary; David
Bell, treasurer, and Tony Mc
Gahan, sergeant-at-arms.
Mystery Surrounds Circumstances
Leading to Burning of Kenai Woman;
Victim Dies; Investigation Continues
Kesults of the investigation
into the death of Agrafina Laf
flee, 52, of Kenai, were still un
available at press time on Friday.
Mrs. Lafflee died at 1 a.m. on
Wednesday in the Alaska Native
Service Hospital in Anchorage
without (revealing how she had
received the burns for which she
had been hospitalized.
Charles Peavley, Kenai chief
of ]!>olice, said Friday morning
that there are many conflicting
stories being circulated as to
circumstances leading to the ac
cident and that he will not have
a statement to make until these
tales have been sifted and re
sults of investigation confirmed.
An autopsy to determine the
cause of death was requested and
has been performed but Peavley
said he is not free to release
information arrived at from the
autopsy until he has received of
ficia] notification.
Mrs. Lafflee, wife of Grover
Lafflee of Kenai, lived on the
beach back of the Spurr Motel.
She was taken to the dispensary
at \\ i 1 dwood Station for emerg
ency treatment of first, second
and third degree burns on face,
neck, chest and hack, Saturday
afternoon, several hours after she
was burned.
Capt. Peter Webber, medical
officer at W ildwood, noting ex
tent of her injuries, immediately
notified the Civil Air Patrol. Al
though weather was bad and fly
ing conditions hazardous, serious
ness of the victim’s condition de
manded her immediate evacua
tion to the hospital.
Capt. Webber, as medical at
tendant, accompanied the pilot,
Maj. Glen Kipp, CAP patrol com
mander at Kenai, in the L.-20
Beaver on the flight to Anchor
age. The L-20’s takeoff at 2:27
p.m. Saturday marked the pa:,
rol's 58th mission of the year.
Chief Peavley said the burr
ing incident occurred some tin:
last Friday night during a part;,
at the home of Mary Oskoskof:
across from the Fish and Wild
life station in the old town sit
of Kenai. She was not taven fo
medical attention until the fol
lowing afternoon.
One story given the chief of
police is that another w o m a r»
threw boiling water on M.ts. Laf
flee; another is that the victim,
was lying on a burning mattress
and someone poured water on
the mattress.
Peavley says the victim’s hus
band has requested that her body
be returned to Kenai for burial.
Information as to time and place
of services has not as yet beer,
announced.
Hospital Assoc. Starts Membership Drive
One of the newest and most
active organizations on the Ken
ai Peninsula is the CENTRAL
KENAI PENINSULA HOSPI
TAL ASSOCIATION, INC. The
goal of the organization is to
build a hospital to serve the cen
tral Kenai Peninsula area. To
this er.d a broadly based organi
zation has been incorporated, a
board of trustees set up and—at
the last meeting—officers elect
ed.
Elected were Rev. Dan Harlan
(Kenai) chairman; Rev. James'
Rose (N. Kenai) vice chairman;
Mrs. M. L. “Raye" Mullin (Ken
ai) secretary; Mas. Wm. “Vir
ginia” Gibbs (Soldotna) treas
urer; Mrs. Leo T. “Marion” Ob
erts (Kenai) and Mrs. Stanley
“Daphne” McLane (Ridgeway)
membership committee.
The original committee on plan
ning was composed of Dan Har
lan. Virginia Gibbs and Donnis
Thompson. At October’s meeting
held Thursday night at the Riv
erside House in Soldotna, com
mittees on budget and finance,
site location, and building were
authorized by the board. These
committees will take over the
functions of the original plan
ning committee.
Preliminary surveys by the
planning committee indicate that
to be near the population center
the hospital site should be lo
cated in Jvenai or Soldotna o r
somewhere between the two cit
ies. It is expected the site com
mittee will select several possi
ble sites and investigate them
for suitability and compliance
with Hill-Burton requirements.
C urr.entl y the most urgent
problem is for the hospital as
sociation to raise enough funds
for the necessary preliminary
work that must be done before
any state or federal aid can be
applied for. At the present time
the only source of funds avail
able to the organization is thru
the dues of new members and
donations.
New members are accepted at
the monthly meetings by a vote
of the board. Board meetings are
held on the first Thursday of
each month.
Membership applications will
be available from the Member
ship Committee, from members
of the board and from othe:
members designated by the mem
bership committee.
Dues for Ibtil-62 are two dol
lars which should be submitted
with the application for member
ship. Any additional donatio
will he gladly accepted and re
corded in the association' s ret -
ords. Lists of members and do
nations will be published at in
tervals in The Cheechako New
For the convenience of n e ■
members and supporters of th
hospital program an applieatio
form has been printed in th:
newspaper.
You are urged to clip out this
application, sign it, and send
with two dollars or any greater
amount you would like to contri
bute to this worthwhile cause
to CKPHA, Membership Commit
tee. Box 458, Kenai, or Box 34-'
Soldotna.
One hundred per cent supper
of this worthwhile organization
will insure the success of th -
program to make a modern ho-,
pital available to the area.
Application for Membership
CENTRAL KENAI PENINSULA
HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
Incorporated under the laws of the State of Alaska
Name.-..
Address .. .~
DUES PAID FOR 1961-62 $2.00 Donation $.
(Detach and mail application to CKPHA Membership Committee, Box 45$,
Kenai, or Bex 346, Soldotna.)