HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson

Local LARPing
Homer High School students, as well as a few younger and older warriors, gathered on Sunday for a little Live Action Role Playing at Karen Hornaday Park. Several participants created names for their clans, donned costumes and wielded foam weapons as they clashed in a make-believe battle.

‘Mariners on the Move’
Homer High School’s fourth-quarter winners of the “Mariners On the Move” awards that were announced last week are: Jenna Fabich, Keoni Alfiche, Gage Flyum, Sheldon Hutt, Ann Worsfold, Jody Weinfurter and Crystal Crane
Each year, every classroom teacher gets an opportunity to formally recognize a high school student that exemplifies model scholarship and citizenship. Those nominees are honored quarterly with a special celebration attended by the guests of honor, their parents and the nominating teacher.

Veterans wall moves through Ninilchik
The State of Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs announced the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall tour in Alaska.
The Moving Wall is the half-size replica of the Washington, D.C., Memorial, and has been touring the country for more than 20 years. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas, in October 1984. Two structures of The Moving Wall now travel the United States from April through November, spending about a week at each site.
The Alaska tour, May 6-July 2, includes a stop at Ninilchik June 15-22. For more information on Vietnam Veterans Memorial ceremonies during The Moving Wall tour, call Joe Fields at (907)347-5524 or John Teamer at (907)428-6882.

Homer woman wins governor appointment
Gov. Sean Parnell appointed Kelly Behen to the Statewide Independent Living Council. The council develops and submits a state plan to improve independent living as required under federal law. Members monitor, review, and evaluate implementation of the state plan.  
Behen, of Homer, is a former fitness technician with Curves of Homer. She has been a peer support worker, an administrative clerk, and a member of the Kenai Peninsula Housing Initiatives Board of Directors.
Behen holds an associate’s degree in human services technology, and is appointed to a seat reserved for a consumer of independent living services.

Homer Connection enrolling students
Connections is currently enrolling new and returning students for the 2012/13 school year. Please call Homer Connections at 226-1880 to make an enrollment appointment. Kindergarten students must be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2012. All Kindergarten students and students new to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District must bring a photocopy of their birth certificate to the appointment.
Connections 2011/12 Graduation will be at Soldotna High School on May 24 at 4 p.m. Graduating students need to attend the practice at 2 p.m. Please call with any questions, 226-1880.

HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson - Kat Moore-Phelps and Mariah Phelps celebrate their 5k finish

A total of 186 runners and walkers — along with a few kids in strollers — completed Sunday’s annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival Migration Run.
Homer High graduate Tux Seims turned in the fastest overall time for the 5-kilometer course, finishing in 17 minutes, 36 seconds. Heather Gaines was the quickest women’s finisher, coming in at 20:33.
Rounding out the top five in the men’s division were: Eric Rozeboom, 17:59; Brad Bentler, 18:05; Jan Spurkland, 18:55 and Jake Worsford, 19:27.
The next four women finishers following Gaines were Katie Moerlin, 21:03; Katie Miller, 21:33; Beck Hauser, 21:38 and Elizabeth Roedl, 22:15.
Dexter Lowe, 11 and Ethan Pitzman, 10, were the fastest youth finishers, coming in at 22:45 and 22:47, respectively. Aziza Pitcher, 13, was the fastest female youth, coming in at 23:57.

On the other end of the spectrum, 85-year-old Elena Badajos finished the 5k in 44:52, while veteran runner John Chapple, Jr. completed the course in 59:20.
Chapple, who turns 90 in less than two weeks, found support and encouragement throughout the event from family members — as well as cheering crowds. And, as he began to show some weariness toward the end of the race, granddaughter Stephanie Pitzman jumped in her van to give him a ride the rest of the way in.
She came back alone.

HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson - John Paul Pogson rides his bike in costume.

“He refused to get in the van,” Pitzman said. “He’s determined to finish the race on his own.”
As is often the case, several adventurous competitors donned a variety of winged outfits to stay in the spirit of the bird-inspired event.
Participants Teagan Collins and Justin Pressler dressed as lesser yellowlegs, while 4-year-old John Paul Pogson was decked out in fluffy white feathers aboard his yellow and blue bike.
“The migration run was a big success,” said organizer Bill Steyer. “It was a good start to the Homer running season.”
Complete results for the 2012 Annual Migration Run are available online at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/recreation /kachemak-bay-running-club.

Homer Bucks

A new Homer Chamber of Commerce campaign enters into a new practice of giving $500, or less, cash winners “Homer dollars” to use at local stores.
The Homer-grown contest features the town’s own forefather and town namesake, Homer Pennock’s picture.
Who needs Ben Franklins?
Chamber Executive Director Monte Davis said the basic idea is simple.
“Here at the Chamber we give out cash prizes for Clean Up Day, 4th of July Parade, Winter Carnival and for prizes in both the Shopping Derby and the Halibut Derby. In the past, we have literally given the prize and not had a clue or any control over where that money got spent,” Davis said. “Since all of the funds come from our members, we think it only fair that those dollars go back into their tills, thus Homer Bucks.”
The top prizes for Clean Up Day were five, $100-prize categories, an amount that can now be spent around town, eating dinner out or making purchases from Tech Connect, Ulmer’s, Northwind – any store in town that is a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Once the money is spent at the store, it goes to the chamber, which will write them a check that day for the amount.
It won’t be a great volume of interaction at first – there are only so many smaller cash prizes. The big Halibut Derby cash winners, of course, are still given checks. Only last year’s tagged halibut would be redeemed for the vouchers.
What businesses get out of the interplay is the assurance that their sponsorship money stays local. And that repeats its benefits many times over in the local economy, Davis said.
“It’s stunning how much it means when those dollars get spent right here in your own community,” he added, referring to the jobs, investment and opportunities that double and triple.
From now on, whenever the chamber gives a cash prize of up to $500 it will be in Homer Bucks.
“At this point, we have only made them in $5 bills because we want whoever uses them to be able to come as close as possible to their purchase price so that as little change as possible can be given back. In other words, if we had done a $100 bill and someone stopped in at Captain’s Coffee and ordered a $4.50 latte they would have been entitled to $95.50 change that they could just take it to Soldotna or Anchorage if they wanted to. This way, they might get a couple of dollars of change and we can live with that,” Davis said.
The bills also can’t be forged – they are embossed with a special raised lettering.

‘Youth On Record’ goes Homer

Cody Davidson

Cody Davidson, a local musician under the support of Haven House, launched a Youth On Record Alaska branch in Homer, a nonprofit group that helps young people lead positive lives by focusing on new skills.
In this case, that’s a musical production. A six-week pilot program in progress now involves teaching youth how to complete a music production recording. He is working with students referred by Kachemak Bay Planned Parenthood for the pilot program, but will be able to open the enrollment for an expanded 10-week course at the end of this first session.
“I’m supplying the computers for each student, the condenser mics and other professional music equipment, and each student makes a record from scratch,” Davidson said. “They learn the computer skills and the production side of music, plus gain positive peer reinforcement.”
A concert, “Rock For the Cause” is a benefit to kickstart Youth on Record Alaska, 6-10 p.m. May 24 at the Homer Theatre. The public is invited, with an admission fee of $5 per person.
For more information, call Davidson at 299-4472.

Bird-themed quilt show set for Saturday

Kachemak Bay Quilters-sponsored quilt show is 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Homer Elks Club.  

On Saturday, April 28, dozens of local citizens, businesses, nonprofits and government agencies came together to participate in the Seventh-Annual Electronics Recycling Event, a program of Cook Inletkeeper.
Electronic waste is the fastest growing segment of our nation’s waste stream. Electronics may be safe to use, but when discarded they can leak toxic chemicals like lead, mercury and cadmium into our water and air.
Recycling the precious metals in electronics helps reduce the need to find new sources.
More than 100 households participated this year, on par with turnout over the past several years, but slightly down from last year’s record-breaking 130 households.
Thirty businesses, nonprofits and government agencies also participated, a substantial increase from previous years.
“This growing, and potentially large volume sector is something we will be working closely with over the next year as Cook Inletkeeper seeks to expand e-cycling opportunities throughout the Cook Inlet watershed,” said Dorothy Melambianakis, Community Outreach Assistant and coordinator of the event.
This year, 18,126 pounds of e-waste was collected, including 1,154 pounds from the villages of Seldovia, Nanwalek and Port Graham.
“The villages are very interested in having the opportunity to recycle electronic waste.” said Melambianakis.
The electronics recycling program began in 2006. Spearheaded by concerned local citizens, it has so far kept more than 112,821 pounds of electronic waste out of local landfills.
Future electronic recycling efforts include finding ways to expand recycling opportunities throughout the Cook Inlet watershed. For more information visit: inletkeeper.org/clean-water/electronics-recycling.

Kenai Peninsula budget set at $73.1 million
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly took a look at the borough’s proposed fiscal year 2013 budget at its Tuesday meeting. Ordinance 2012-19 outlines the proposed $73.1 million to be placed into the borough’s general fund. The budget for fiscal year 2012, which ends June 30, came to $71.4 million.
Total general government operation is proposed at $16.8 million, an increase from fiscal year 2012’s $15.8 million. The budget includes $43.5 million for the Kenai Peninsula School District; $1 million for school building projects; $667,189 for colleges and $8 million for solid waste.

MAPP community meeting
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18, the South Peninsula MAPP community health project meets at Kachemak Bay Campus Pioneer Hall, room 202. The public is invited for an opportunity to learn more about recent MAPP efforts and how MAPP can best contribute.

Felt soles in fresh waters prohibited
Anglers are reminded that effective Jan. 1, 2012, footgear with absorbent felt or other fibrous material on the soles are prohibited while sport fishing in the fresh waters of Alaska. The regulation was adopted in 2010 by the Alaska Board of Fisheries to reduce the potential for introduction and spread of invasive organisms, including plants, into Alaska waters. Invasive organisms spread by contaminated waders, and other gear, can threaten resident fish stocks and important fish habitat.

‘Night of the Iguana’ auditions open
Pier One Theatre Auditions for Tennessee Williams’  Night of the Iguana will be Friday and Saturday from 5-8 p.m. at the Mariner Theatre.
Check signs on the doors for directions. The main characters are four men, four women and a few older women in a tour group. The play is to be directed by Bobbie Lee Briggs. The play presents an intense, powerful adult drama and an acting challenge. The performances are set for the first three weekends in July at Pier One Theatre. For information, call the director, Bobbie Lee at 299-4870 or Pier One Theatre at 235-7333.

First Saturday birders meet at Seaside
The Kachemak Bay Birders’ First Saturday trip will be at 8 a.m. at Mossy Kilcher’s Seaside Farm. There is some parking at the top of the hill. Seaside Farms is about 5 miles out East End Road. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge. Bring binoculars. This trip is cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and leader is Michael Craig. Call 235-0631 for information.

Journalism’s role in today’s world
Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College will present a public panel discussion: The Role of Environmental Journalism in Today’s World with Mark Osmback, author of the “Big Year,” author Nancy Lord and journalist Tom Kizzia.
The panel discussion is 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 11, in conjunction with Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. Panelists will discuss writing about the local environment and the connections between media, environment and society.
The moderator will be Michael Hawfield, KBC assistant professor of history.

Nursing graduates honored
The Kachemak Bay Campus – Kenai Peninsula College announces that the following students have completed their training this semester to earn their state certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant. KBC’s Certified Nursing Assistant class is taught by adjunct instructor Peggy Frazier with support from South Peninsula Hospital staff and South Peninsula Hospital Foundation.
A Recognition Reception was held at SPH’s Long Term Care Center on Monday.
Those honored were Brittnay Akee, Jamie McCloud, Theresa Miller, Neonila Reutov, Nina Reutov, Sage Uwekoolani, Daniel Weisserm Pamela Williams and Raisa Yakunin.

Lions Club holds membership drive
The Kachemak Bay Lions Club will be holding their annual spring membership drive at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The drive will take place at the Friendship Center in the Homer Senior Citizens complex. 
Anyone interested in joining this active community service oriented group of volunteers is invited to attend.  Join them for a free dinner and short presentation on Lions clubs.  For more information contact Amy Shoemaker at 235-2446, or Beth Van Sandt at 299-0301

Refuge closed to snowmachine use
With spring conditions rapidly reducing snow cover on the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is now closed to snowmachine use. The closure took effect at midnight on Sunday. The only areas to remain open after April 22 are Hidden, Engineer, Kelly, Petersen, Watson and Skilak Lakes for ice fishing access. This is only if the ice conditions are determined to be adequate by the operator to support their equipment. All areas close to snowmachines on April 30. The refuge cautions the public that many stream crossings are not safe. For more information, call 262-7021.

Bronwynn Kelly

VISTA volunteer Bronwynn Kelly arrived in Homer in January, with deep snows and long nights being her first look at Alaska.
“There was this crazy amount of snow, and the first thing I did was coordinate a discussion for a High Tunnel (greenhouse) group. A few of them had collapsed because of the snow load,” Kelly recalled.
Nothing like jumping in with both feet, new territory and all. Kelly had graduated from Michigan Technical University with a degree in environmental science in May of 2011. She comes from the upper peninsula in Michigan, where snow runs deep and winter can be long, though not as long as an Alaska winter. Her year-long service projects are with Sustainable Homer’s Kyra Wagner, working on a whole array of People’s Gardens and other projects.
Now, she is the third VISTA AmeriCorp volunteer to come to Homer to help on community projects. The first was Carol Bevis, who worked on an economic development study for the City of Homer under the direction of Ann Marie Holen.
“Then, apparently, the Center for Economic Development asked Ann Marie if she wanted another VISTA. She didn’t have a project lined up for a VISTA volunteer, and so she sent them my way,” Wagner said. “I designed the description around educating local people on agricultural products as well as getting businesses to incorporate that awareness into their activities, as well as collecting information on grants and surveys on what we have and what we need.”
Bevis had found that among the economic realities of Homer, it wasn’t easy to access fresh, affordable locally produced vegetables. But a lot can change in three years.
The next VISTA volunteer, Benjamin Zimmerman, went to work with Sustainable Homer’s network, and documented the range of what is grown in Homer. He worked with the Farmer’s Market, completed a study and helped promote more local agricultural projects.
Now, Kelly’s task is to build beyond their work.
“At the end of January, I went to work on the People’s Garden Grant Program,” she said. She is helping to recruit volunteers for working on the community gardens, such as for Flex High School and West Homer Elementary.
The work of networking and coordinating means Kelly talks to a lot of individuals, contacts others, spends time in schools helping to plant seeds and helps organize potlucks. Last week, she planted 100 starts with Paul Banks Elementary students.
One of the end goals Kelly is working on, is the creation of a local food manual. It will inform about vendors who sell products, how to do large or small orders, how to access the Community Supported Agriculture farms and how to get involved.
Then, at the end of May when the Homer Farmer’s Market opens, Kelly will be coordinating programs there, such as activities for children and chef demonstrations.
“We were given a $500 grant to help fund this. It could be anyone who feels they could lead a cooking program, on how to prepare dishes using all local foods,” she said.
One of the trends occurring now that makes People’s Gardens and school programs possible is federal funding to assist communities in expanding their local food options.
“These are through the Division of Agriculture and the USDA, nationwide programs. The Farm to School Grant, for example, helps connect students to good locally-produced foods. They might be mini-grants, one-time money, to develop a greenhouse,” Kelly said. “The idea is to develop programs to capacity, so they’ll last into the future.”
The hope is that once launched, these programs take off on their own with volunteers from the Parent Teacher Association or other helpers.
Since so much of Kelly’s background has been in the science of environmental topics, she is struck by how much her Homer work is steering her in the opposite direction. People connecting to people is a lot of her work.
“This allows me to look at the social aspects in the nonprofit world. I was always interested in how humans interact with their environment, how it impacts both ways,” she said. “Now, I’m getting a chance to really look at that.”

Homer City Council discussions will start this spring as local officials learn all the options for how to build-out the natural gasline distribution system.
It was a tough road to gain the $8.1 million in funding on the 2013 Capital Budget, as detailed by Homer City Lobbyist Linda Anderson at a Monday work session. But, with factors in place requested by Gov. Sean Parnell – such as the local tariff to pay $2.5 million of the project – Anderson expressed optimism that it wouldn’t be vetoed, this year, as it had the two previous years.
City Manager Walt Wrede said it’s important to get to work now in community forums to engage the public in a dialogue with officials.

Jenny Martin and Lolita Brache accept a proclamation on the Week of the Young Child from Mayor Jim Hornaday.

Sandwich boards good to go
Sandwich boards may remain in use throughout the year after all.
A crowd of people showed up at the Homer City Council meeting Monday night, all but one speaking against going back on the newly passed ordinance.
Council member Francie Roberts said she held two concerns that caused her to bring sandwich boards back to the table. “The sign ordinance that was passed had significant changes and not all of the public had time to comment. Some think one way – some think another, but I think it is important to let the public weigh in,” she said.
Roberts also felt the Homer Planning Commission, which took two years to analyze and make recommendations on signage, deserved more careful consideration than the hasty vote at the April 9 meeting.
But, in the end, fellow council members voted 5-1 against Roberts’ reconsideration ordinance.
Not before, however, the council heard from many of the same business owners – and a few new faces – that have dominated meetings since the public discussions began last summer. Many had fine tuned their arguments over the course of a dozen city discussions. Chamber Executive Director Monte Davis said, “Signs are by their nature designed to attract and inform passersby about a business. Ask any store manager about impulse buying, and you will get a lesson on the value of placement and signage inside a store.”

Homer City Clerk accepts a proclamation from Mayor Jim Hornaday for Municipal Clerks' Week, a time to commemorate the important role city clerks fulfill.

• Mayor Jim Hornaday appointed members to the Water and Sewer Rates Task Force: Ken Castner, Bob Howard, Barbara Howard, Sharon Minsch, Lloyd Moore, Terry Yager and Council member Beth Wythe.
There was some discussion about a possible conflict of interest in having Moore on the task force. He owns Moore and Services, a water-delivery service. Council member Beau Burgess suggested that the council consider this and also consider placing a person on the task force to represent constituents who live in city limits, but do not receive city water.
Wythe said she could represent those not hooked to city water, noting it is “incredibly expensive” to get to some areas of town with water mains. But to discriminate against Moore because of his business wouldn’t be right either, Wythe said.
“If we are going to establish rates, excluding him is discriminating against water haulers and those customers. He represents a very large user group in the community, and I think it is important to let that part be represented.”
This way all three stakeholder groups would be parties at the table, she said.
The mayor also appointed Barbara Howard as the second council member on the task force. She is married to Bob Howard, also appointed.
• Pete Wedin spoke to the council on supporting a resolution to urge the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to adopt measures that reduce the halibut prohibited species catch in the Gulf of Alaska.
“Anyone other than trawlers would support this. Everybody’s is hurting when it comes to halibut … but 4.4 million pounds are allowed to be wasted each year – that is more than all the recreational fisheries in Alaska combined,” Wedin said.
The council unanimously passed the resolution. It now is forwarded to the NPFMC.
• Susannah Webster spoke to the council about the need for more infant care providers in town. She provides care for babies and receives many calls from parents who need daycare who she must turn away. Many people may never had considered supplying child care as an employment option, but there is USDA help for startup grants, and they would be providing a valuable service to the community, she told the council. Write to her at homerbabyhouses@gmail.com for more information.