The Kenai Peninsula
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JUNEAU ALASKA 1-1-12
Cheechako News
“NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA”
10c a Copy
Number 45
School Registration Doubles
In Soldatna; 248 Students
Now Enrolled in 8 Grades
Soldatna school registration of
248 students on the first day of
school, Sept. 5, more than doubled
the number of children enrolled
on Sept. 6 last year when the
new school building was opened
for use for the first time. Total
registration to date this year is
for Grades 1 through 8, inclusive,
according to Charley Griffin,
superintendent.
This is a gain of 144 students
over initial enrollment figures
for September 1960. The gain can
partly, but not entirely, be cred
ited to the fact that the 7th and
8th grades aie now being taught
in Soldatna this year while last
year students in those grades
were taken by bus to Kenai
schools, Griffin said. There wms
no room in Kenai schools this
year for the additional grades
from Soldatna.
Two rooms have been rented
from M. L. “Red” Grange in his
newly constructed office building
back of the Central Kenai Penin
sula Medical Clinic and which is
near the school building. They
will be used by the two upper
grades. High school students are
still being taken by bus from the
Soldatna area to attend classes in
Kenai.
The breakdown of registration
by grades is as follows:
First grade, 40; 2nd grade, 46;
3rd grade, 32; 4th grade, 27; 5th
grade, 24; 6th grade, 25; 7th
grade, 18; and 8th grade, 36 stu
dents.
Due to the increase in number
of students, three additional
teachers are needed but have not
been hired as yet, the superin
tendent said. When they arrive,
the present teaching staff tnay
be shifted to teaching other
grades than those currently be
ing taught.
Teachers already hired and the
grades they teach include Mrs.
Mary France, 1st grade; Mrs.
W'iniford A. (Gladys) Hoover,
wife of the superintendent of
Kenai schools, 2nd grade; Mrs.
Harry (IMaxine) Reger, 3rd
grade; Mrs. Blanche Ryan, 4th
and 5th grades; Mrs. Charley
(.Joyce) Griffin, wife of the Sol
datna school superintendent, 6th
and 7th grades; and Superin
tendent Griffin, who is teaching
the 8th grade.
(Continued on Page 12)
Kenai Buys and Leases
Land for Public Parking,
Docks and Barge Service
The City of Kenai has acquired
possession of two parcels of land,
totaling slightly more than 28
acres, it was announced this week
by Frances Torkilsen, city clerk.
Tidelands, amounting to 11.91
acres located on Sec. 4, Lot 6,
TW5N, R11W, was leased for the
purpose of erecting a dock and
barge service. Total lease rental
is $2100 to be paid at the rate
of $25 per year.
The second piece of land was
purchased outright for $28.03 and
is comprised of 11.21 acres locat
ed on Sec. 9, Lot 3, TW5N,
R11W. This is to he used as a
public parking area and for small
boat launching, Mrs. Torkilsen
said.
The City of Kenai has been
negotiating for the property for
the past year, dealing with the
Bureau of Land Management
through Alfred Steger, chief of
lands adjudication unit. Both re
ceipts were dated Aug. 30.
1
To the Consumers of
HOMER ELECTRIC POWER
In case of power failure between the hours of
8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays, please call
Homer Electric office, Soldotna
Phone 262-4662
If failure occurs on weekend or holidays call
KEN KVAKVIK
Phone 262-4583
Please enter this last name and phone number
in your telephone directory. Remember—the
sooner the trouble is reported the sooner it
is restored.
Homer Electric Association
The first roadhouse in Ivenai was erected in 1924 by “Kenai Joe”
Consiel. Here Joe is pictured with two “friends” shortly after
he opened his new business. Joe still owns this property, now
operated as the Western Corral Bar and Cafe by Kitty Swanson.
Peninsula-Wide Council Meeting
Sought by Kenai C of C to Plan
Area Program to Submit to ARA
The Kenai Chamber of Com
merce voted Wednesday to re
quest Jack Randall of ( ooper
Landing, to call a peninsula-wide
Council meeting to work up a
comprehensive plan of area de
velopment to submit to the Area
Redevelopment Act committee in
the near future. Randall is presi
dent of the Kenai Peninsula
Council of Chambers. It is being
requested that he set the pro
posed meeting sometime during
the week of Sept. 17-23.
District 12, which includes the
entire Kenai Peninsula, was one
of two areas in Alaska recently
designated by ARA as eligible
for financial assistance in devel
oping the complete area. Seasonal
nature of work of peninsula resi
dents results in a chronic under
employment problem. Anchorage
with its chronic problem of un
employment was the second area
designated by ARA.
It also w'as voted at the Kenai
C. of C. luncheon meeting, held
Wednesday in the Western Cor
ral, that the Chamber’s support
Father Dies
George Morrison of Soldatna
left Thursday for Minneapolis to
attend funeral rites for his father,
Joseph K. Moirison.
bo given to Ken Sheppard, out
going president of the Greater
Anchorage Chamber of Com
merce, in his bid for state presi
dency of Alaska C. of C.’s.
Allen Peterson, chairman, pre
sided over the Kenai Chamber
meeting.
Goal Exceeded
In Cancer Drive
Mrs. Carl Glick, chairman of
the Kenai cancer drive, and Mrs.
Elmer Knudson, co-chairman,
have announced proceeds from
the Kenai area alone exceeded
their goal of $400. Returns for
the Kenai area this year were
$501.72.
Volunteer workers who assisted
in the campaign were Mrs. Ches
ter Cone, Phyllis Morin, Roberta
Crabough, Kay TunSuden, Anna
Kent, Frost Jones, Shirley Mor
gan, Idell Gee, Lois McGahan,
Betty Monigold, Mrs. Carl Jann
son, Ganell Swanson, Sylvia John
son, Dorothy Johnson and Jess
Nicholas.
Mrs. Glick and Mrs. Knudson
expressed their thanks to all
workers in the drive and to all
those who contributed to make
it a success.
Peninsula Center
Of Near Major
Shock Tuesday
Kenai Peninsula residents %vere
alarmingly jolted fro m their
slumber about 1:35 a.m. Tuesday
by an earthquake that lasted ap
proximately IV2 minutes and nar
rowly missed being scaled as a
shock of major magnitude.
A long rolling rumble preceded
the more severe jolt which was
followed by a second tremor of
lesser intensity. In addition to
shatteied nerves, minor damage
was reported in Homer, Kenai
and Soldatna.
Tuesday’s early morning shock
was rated by the California In
stitute of Technology as being
of a magnitude of 6.1. The same
scale lists major shocks at 7 or
higher.
In Kenai, two water lines lead
ing from a well were broken at
the Kenai Laundry and caused a
shut-down of business until they
were .repaired a few hours later.
Riley Pope at Hartley’s De
partment Store in Kenai reported
lamps -were shaken from tVie
shelves and that shoes, guns and,
some displays were knocked down.
Pope, who lives above the store,
said he looked out of the window
and that the new Hartley mobile
homes next to the building were
rocking back and forth. Dishes
wrere knocked from shelves and
cupboards in many homes.
Howard’s “Y” Service in Sol
datna reported a broken window
and the quake caused a large
crack in the cement floor. It also
was reported that a local liquor
store in Soldatna lost several
bottles of liquor that were broken
when they were dislodged from
the shelves.
Evan Belnap, superintendent of
Homer Electric Co., said power
was disrupted for about 5 min
utes between Kasilof substation
and Cooper Lake but was ener
gized again at Cooper Lake about
the time Homer Electric was pre
paring to switch to the emergency
power plant at Homer. Although
he had not been to Cooper Lake
and there is no telephone con
nection between the two stations,
Belnap thought the power stop
page may have been caused from
a fuse that had been shaken
umst*.
Considerable glass was broken
at Homer ami water pipe dam
age was reported. The Inlet Trad
ing Post at Homer also had many
items knocked over and some
breakage resulted.
According to the Fairbanks
Coast and Geodetic Survey, the
center of the tremblor was in the
Kenai Peninsula. Government
seismologists in Washington,
D. C,. where the quake was re
corded at 7:34 Eastern Daylight
Time, placed the curve in the
upper part of the Aleutian Islands
and said their charts indicated
it occurred some 25-35 miles be
neath the surface of the earth
and about 4000 miles northeast
of Washington.
Available evidence rated the
quake as being from natural
causes and not from nuclear ex
plosion as many feared.
New Bookkeeper
Shirley Bernard has been em
ployed as the new bookkeeper
at the Central Kenai Peninsula
Medical Clinic.