Letters – Feb. 3

Letter to the Homer City Council

I’m against the proposed zoning change for the West Hill area. Whoever came up with rezoning upper West Hill (as stated in a small part of the Comp Plan) must have personal gains in mind. There’s no other reason to change the zoning. There would be no benefit to the neighborhood and most of the area is designated wetlands anyway. The idea of rezoning the West Hill area should be removed from the Comp Plan. Then, we can rest assured that we will not have to attend every council meeting for the next 50 years to protect our standard of living. There’s no economic need for future duplicate of small businesses up West Hill, such as convenience stores, coffee shops etc… as suggested by the Plan.  I remind everyone that in the past few years at least two convenience stores and one video rental shop went out of business.

I don’t agree that there’s a need for reduced driving either. We could have had a Fred Meyer store if the city was truly concerned about our driving habits. That alone would have eliminated thousands of miles and tons of carbon. Any such zoning changes in our neighborhood would disrupt the ‘Alaskan Wilderness’ character and generate excess traffic and other undesirable behaviors. Let me quote other Alaskans when I say, “we did not move here for convenience.”
 Bill Smith stated to you that, “It’s the public’s responsibility to keep up with plans they are interested in; it’s not the city’s responsibility to run out and talk to every group.” That statement reflects arrogance toward those of us who are too busy working and providing for our families. We have little time to invest in constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure government just leaves us alone.

Candus Cornett

Eagle View Drive Resident

Pandora’s Box revisited

I appreciate the comments on the guided halibut moratorium offered by John Johnson on Jan. 27. For the record, my comments on the guided recreational limited entry rule can be found on www.regulations.gov by searching on RIN 0648-AW92. My comments did not support the moratorium, nor do I now. That said, the reality is the final rule has been published, and the application period starts February 4 and runs through early April. If Mr. Johnson can muster up enough support and funding to challenge the moratorium in court, then I encourage him to do so. If not, this should be a lesson to guided recreational anglers and the guides who serve them that the rules are made by those who take the time to participate in the process by reading up on the subject, attending meetings when possible and submitting their comments. If you cannot attend the meetings, you can access all the information on the guided halibut fishery, including live North Council webcasts, on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council website. Recreational interests may be outnumbered on the North Council, but your voices can and do make a difference in its decisions. Please take the time to participate in the process.
Rex Murphy

Walk-in freezer needed for pantry

The Homer Community Food Pantry supports the Kenai Peninsula Food Banks’ efforts to raise funds for their planned expansion of their walk-in freezer in Soldotna so they can better serve the south Peninsula communities. HCFP purchases a portion of its food from them for a shipping and handling fee. This allows us to save some money and distribute considerably more food to more people, which is important in this economy. This also benefits the Homer community and its 1,600 unduplicated clients.

The KPFB acquires food, when available from the Food Bank of Alaska, for a shipping and handling fee as well as from the Kenai and Soldotna community donations and grants. FBA is not able to access the Feeding America foods as they use to due to transportation costs and a lack of donations to Feeding America by manufacturers. Their supply of food to Kenai and then to us is minimal due to this fact.

We have had a good working relationship with KPFB for 19 years. If you wish to support their efforts, it would be a help if you were to donate to their expansion program. Just know that if you donate to them, we do not see that money in any form.

Diana Jeska and the Homer Community Food Pantry Board

Great attendance at local film

Sometime in December, a small film was shown at the Homer Theatre. A lot of work from a lot of people had to be put into that film in order to have it shown there. The awesome amount of support from the community shown by simply the number of people who attended gave purpose to all that work. It’s really something when work pays off in the end, when you can leave a project knowing that its creation brought people together and entertained them. This is movie magic, I suppose. I would like to thank everybody that supported us and am proud to say I am from a town as unique and vibrant as Homer. A place where a movie as unique and vibrant as “The Contract” could come into form. Thank you everybody; it’s been a blast.

Clinton Edminster

Pride in opera

Homer should be proud to have an institution such as our venerable Homer Theatre with enlightened and responsive owners and a staff willing to go out of the way to bring such a treat as the Metropolitan Opera High Definition series to our community. Super-kudos to Jamie Sutton and Robin Daugherty for making this happen. After Sunday’s debut of TOSCA, we can confirm that to view these magnificent productions in HD, especially filmed for theatre audiences, with surround sound, is simply wonderful – in some ways perhaps even better than at the Met itself. We have close up seating, comfortable seats, popcorn and hot dogs, and we get to go “backstage” between acts to interview the singers, costume designers, set masters and musicians.

This is an incredible opportunity for new opera goers to get their feet wet without spending a fortune and for opera buffs to just revel in the pure delight of it all. Prices are reasonable – $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 for students, and several free student tickets have been made available by private promoters of the series for AIDA and CARMEN.

For free tickets, email: moldham@acsalaska.net. Come to the opera and dress up for the occasion.

Carol R. Dee

The Game lets us all win

At the recent Homer Foundation annual meeting, local non-profits were invited to play a game: write a grant that emphasizes “Doing More with Less – Efficient Use of Resources” – and they would do a demo on how the winner is chosen.

The stakes are $500 to be awarded the winner

The Players are various non-profit groups including Homer Community Food Pantry, with our project for printing new media material to replace out ‘last century’ look (that was more outdated than some of the food we share.)

The Winner would be a very worthy project: expansion of the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust/suppliers/students/a Food Pantry potato growing project.
Special Ruling: Wait – It’s not over. Up steps Mr. Cottonwood Fund. He as good as slaps an extra $500 on the table and declares a second winner. The Cottonwood Fund claims sponsorship of our project.

Ruth Dickerson

Homer Community Food Pantry

Homer: One talented town

It has been said over and over how fortunate we are to have so much talent in this town. This letter is to say it again, Sam.
The Homer Council on the Arts had a fundraiser at Alice’s on Friday night that has got to be the fundraiser of all fundraisers. What fun. What talent. The Marimba Madness Concert was the best fun we’ve had all winter. It featured three local, outstanding marimba bands (Rufaro, Shamwari and Tamba) who rocked the house. If anyone missed-out on these performances, their winter is surely going to be much longer now.

Rufaro is one of the newest marimba bands in town. The players are elementary-aged young gentlemen who wow this spectator every time she hears them perform. You guys are awesome.

Shamwari and Tamba are bands (just as awesome) who have proven that you don’t have to be kid to be able to boogie down. Thank you all for the hard work you’ve done, and for sharing your marvelous talent and music.

The fun didn’t stop there. HCOA threw in an auctioneer who was equally as entertaining and fun to listen to, as he helped bring in more, well-deserved funds for the Homer Council on the Arts.

HCOA, thank you. And do it again.

Mary Maly

Thank you, Jesse Clutts and chamber

Yearly, the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce recognizes outstanding businesses and community members at a lovely evening dinner event.I have had the privilege of attending these award dinners over the past eight or nine years, and always admired how the community says thanks to their own – be it students, businesses or an individual.

Last Saturday the Chamber very graciously bestowed on me an honor I was not expecting. The Golden Deed Award has, I believe, always gone to a special Anchor Pointer. I was therefore most surprised, and deeply honored as the 2009 recipient.

As I tried to say that evening (and I thought of a lot of things I should have said as I was driving home,) Anchor Point is unique in its ability to form groups to support the needs of the greater community. As examples: the Senior Center, the Helping Hands, Senior Housing, Public Library, Water and Sewer systems for the central area, including the school, the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services, etc. When you look at all the community accomplishments, it is quite incredible for a non-organized community to do so much.

And I think the reason is that Anchor Point is like a big family. You work and play together, you resolve differences, and are there for each other.
The Chamber is a reflection of that. Yes, it represents the business community of Anchor Point, but also the general community, and through your informative meetings, you inform the entire Southern Peninsula.

That you honored me as you did, was truly, truly humbling.

When all is said and done, it was my pleasure to have served you.

Thank you.

Milli Martin

Money put to great causes

On behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Homer Downtown, I would like to thank the many people who bought tickets in our two raffles last year. Their money went to provide survival gear to homeless teens, dictionaries to 275 third graders from Ninilchik to Nanwalek, reminder magnets for the No Child Left Inside program, and to help fund Homer’s Future Farmers of America student field trips.

Both raffles were won by Homer residents, although we had ticket buyers from all over Southcentral Alaska.
Although the main focus of our club is teen support and help, that’s not all we do. We put our dollars to work both locally and globally. We sponsor the Fly the Flag project, which puts American Flags at businesses around town on the four main summer holidays. We send money to help support Rotary International’s “End Polio Now” program, which vaccinates children worldwide against polio. We also sent money to buy school uniforms for impoverished Nicaraguan students. In the past, we’ve sent money for flood relief in Mexico and to provide clean water to villages in Thailand.

As members of Homer’s newest, and smallest, Rotary Club, we are pleased at how much we have accomplished in four years. But we want to do more, and anyone who is interested in helping is invited to come to one of our meetings. We meet 6 p.m. Wednesdays at the Best Western Bidarka Inn. You can also check out our web site: www.clubrunner.ca/homerdowntown.

Jan O’Meara, president 2009-2010

Rotary Club of Homer Downtown

HEA welcomes new board member

At a special meeting of the HEA Board of Directors on Jan. 27, two cooperative members were appointed to fill vacant District 3 seats. Mike Wiley of Clam Gulch will serve the remaining year of Mike Pate’s term and Bill Fry of Homer will replace Brian Hirsch. Since the latter seat expires this year, Fry must begin running for election right away if he wants to serve beyond May. 

In all, 16 people submitted applications to serve as HEA Board members. This is a remarkable and heartening show of interest in our rural electric cooperative. Homer Members Forum participants want to express our appreciation and thanks for all the applicants’ willingness to represent fellow HEA members. We congratulate Mike and Bill on their appointment and welcome them to the HEA Board. HEA Members Forum looks forward to working with you. 

Konrad Schaad, HEA Members Forum

Homer racers act responsibly

My name is Phil Celtic.  I am the President of the Homer Racing Association this year.

Recently, Mako Haggerty, borough assembly representative, district 9, contacted one of our club members about a concern he had over ice skaters and vehicles on the ice at the same time and in close proximity to each other. Just to be crystal clear, and Mako and I have known each other for a very long time, members of the Homer Racing Association, will not be “spinning cookies” anywhere close to ice skaters.

We have been on Beluga lake since 1956. We have built the skating rinks for the ice skaters. We built our race track back and away from where the skaters like to be. We cannot control the people that drive onto the lake and might, through their own stupidity, be driving erratically near the skaters. We, as a club, have spent many hours and many gallons of gas and diesel to build our track, only to have people aim for the berms and blow right through them, on purpose. We deal with the same unthinking people that the skaters do, so we wholeheartedly understand, but members of the Homer Racing Association have manners.

Just as a side note to this, we encourage all of those of you who want to participate in the races to come on down on race day and join in. Build a car or just come down and watch.

Thank you,

Phil Celtic

Besh Cup coverage

Homer missed a titanium opportunity. This past weekend nearly a thousand people came to Homer from out of town for the Besh Cup races. Sprint races were held Saturday at McNeal Canyon, and Sunday the races were at the Look Out Mountain trail system – a state of the art system 10 years in the making.

I find your coverage of this event paltry. The photo you included could have been anywhere— in someone’s back yard. There was no banner on the front page. May I suggest your reporters get out of their chairs, off their screens, put their noses to the ground and get involved in this community and its happenings. Explore the fact that skiing (in Alaska!) is the least funded of local sports.  Give us a photograph of these premiere stadium-viewing trails peopled with thousands. Cars stretching a mile, competitive, Olympic style skiing where spectators can view the majority of the action.

How did these hundreds and hundreds of visitors impact our local economy? Where did they stay? What did they eat? Where were they from? Who organized and prepared for this tremendous gathering? Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, check with the experts: Kenton Bloom and Doug Schwiesow. While you’re at it seek out some of the local past Olympians and get their perspective and opinions. Yesterday was a five school Middle School ski race at Lookout Mountain
trails. Teams came from Seward, Kenai, Soldotna, and Ninilchik; don’t take my word for it, interview some of these young and up-coming athletes. Get their stories. Make us want to buy and read this paper.

Debi Poore, one who barely skis

Remember to recycle

Now that the holidays are over and you are replacing old electronics with the latest version you received for Christmas, remember to put the old ones in storage until the Electronics Recycling Event in April. This year’s event  is scheduled for April 24 at Spenard Builder’s Supply.  So do like Andy Rooney of “60 Minutes” does: put your old stuff in the basement or closet—don’t throw it away. But take the next step that Mr. Rooney has not yet taken—bring your old electronics to be responsibly recycled this spring.

Nina Faust

Electronics Recycling Coordinator

A project of Cook Inletkeeper

Pride in opera

The essence of traditional African Culture is reverence for life and a deep value for family and community. And Africans embody these values through music and dance. The spirit of the HCOA fundraiser at Alice’s on Friday night was just that. The Shona music of Zimbabwe played by the talented Marimba Bands carried us to a place of shared delight. The evening felt like a celebration. The room was packed with people of all ages, from elders to children, families, singles, and couples with clapping, dancing, eating, drinking, and bidding at the auction. What a great evening!

HCOA gives a HUGE thank you to all of the Marimba players and their families, and special guests Milo Mathews and Laura Patty, auctioneer Dave Alpin and to those who donated the auctioned items: Home Run Oil, Timber Bay B&B, Homer Theatre, Grant Aviation, Diane Borgman, Flo and Peter Larson, and Cindy Nelson. Thank you to the Homer Bookstore for selling tickets, and KBBI, the Homer News and Homer Tribune for getting the word out!! Thank you to Alice’s and the staff that never stopped running to serve the crowd!! And thank you to the Homer community for your support of HCOA, the Marimba Bands and the arts. What a great community!!! A community we are inspired to serve.

Gail Edgerly

HCOA Board and Staff

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