Kachemak Emergency Service Area Board will be holding its regular monthly board meeting at 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, via Zoom. The public may listen in by the link below. If you have any questions, please call 235-9811. Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/8136649908?pwd=ZUpEN3BXVDFUM2MrUnJUeExobmU5UT09; Meeting ID: 813 664 9908.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough election is in October and includes three seats open on the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board. The deadline for interested candidates to file to run for a position on the board is at noon on Monday, Aug. 17. Candidacy requirements are set by Alaska State Laws and Borough Code that include residency for one year in the service area and being a qualified voter of the State of Alaska. Candidate forms and instructions are available on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Website at https://www.kpb.us/assembly-clerk/elections/about-us.
The SKPHSAB consists of nine board members and all members are elected by the public and serve a 3-year term. Currently seats D, E and F are open for 3-year terms. Because of a resignation, seat G is open for a 2-year term. Interested individuals can file at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Annex in Homer.
The Anchor Point Fire & Emergency Medical Service Area Board will hold its next board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. This meeting will be via Zoom. Further information will be released at a later date.
Kachemak Crane Watch needs your participation during Kachemak Crane Watch’s annual Count Days, Aug. 22, Aug. 29, and Sept. 5, 2020. Please share this information with other crane lovers and count the cranes where you see them with information on the number of adult cranes, colts and cranes with transmitters. Also note the date, time and location. Please submit your information on the day of each count, or as soon as you can before the next count day.
For a special experience, join at Beluga Slough at the end of the gravel trail for the evening crane fly-in from 6 p.m. until sundown on each of the three Saturdays. Please wear a mask and maintain a 6-foot physical distance from others.
For more information contact Nina Faust, Kachemak Crane Watch, at reports@cranewatch.org or call 235-6262.
Kachemak Crane Watch asks you to report fledgling sandhill cranes. Sandhill crane colts are practicing their flying skills. It takes 60-70 days from hatching to fledgling. Please report any crane colts fully flying (fledged) to Kachemak Crane Watch. Let them know where and when the colts were able to fly off with the adults. Include your specific location and other information you care to share. If the colts you have been watching have disappeared or died, please report that as well. If you know how they died, please include that information too. Successful fledgling and mortality reports help Kachemak Crane Watch determine nesting success for the year compared to previous years. Your citizen science reports are vital to KCW monitoring of the nesting season. Send reports to reports@cranewatch.org or call 907-235-6262.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities are now open Sundays. For more information contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667 or check their webpage at https://www.kpb.us/swd-waste/about-solidwaste.
Kenai Peninsula Votes tidbit:
The goal of Kenai Peninsula Votes (KPV) is to have all citizens vote. How do we get more people to vote? Really, whose job is it? If voting is one of our basic fundamental responsibilities, why doesn’t everyone vote? It is a conundrum. Because we are a country steeped deeply in individual liberties and freedoms, each citizen also has the right to vote or not to vote. Many of them choose the latter.
So, what can we (you) do to encourage more people to vote? Talk about voting. Talk to your friends, neighbors and families. If you’re reading this Voting Tidbit, I can infer that you care about voting, and even though you are not our target audience, you hold one of the keys to increasing voter turn-out. You can reach out and talk to your people about why you vote and the importance of voting. KPV members feel that an effective way to get more people to vote is the art of conversation surrounding this topic. Non-voters are more apt to change their thinking when the message comes directly to them from people who they have personal connections with.
Of course, voting is more than putting a check in a box. It is a complicated process that takes time and consideration. But in your discussions about the merits of voting, you can explain that too. There are also tutorials online. Studies show that once you do start voting, you are more inclined to do it regularly.
I know this seems like a simple solution to increase voter turn-out, but we have to do it one person at a time. I know my children weren’t really aware about the importance of voting until we sat down and talked many times about the subject. And if you feel that voting is important, let your voice be heard. Your voice and your vote matter.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue serves take-out meals on Thursday evenings with pickup from 5-6 p.m. Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and donations can be dropped off any time. The office staff are at work and available by phone for addressing needs. For information, call 235-7786.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Call 235-4556.
Homer Senior Citizens
All activities are canceled and the Homer Senior Center is closed to the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Homer Senior Citizens congregate lunch is closed, but meals can be picked up at noon from Monday-Friday. You must call 907-235-7655 by 10 a.m. daily to reserve your meal.
Hospice of Homer
Hospice of Homer requests that anyone who needs to borrow or return medical equipment or to pick up disposable personal care items, call the office. Staff will check availability and arrange a time for pick up.
Anyone needing access to grief counseling or other services should also call to talk with a staff member. Staff will be available Monday-Thursday at 235-6899.
Support Group meetings have been canceled.
Hospice of Homer has had an unusually high demand for medical equipment recently and are in great need of many items. Anyone wishing to help can go to Smile.amazon.com.
Select Hospice of Homer as your charity then select Charity List and choose any of the items on our List of Current Needs. All donated equipment is loaned out free of charge to anyone who needs it in the Homer vicinity and a percentage of the purchase is donated to Hospice of Homer.
Kachemak Bay Campus
The college and campus directors will be available for a general information session via Zoom to answer questions and provide updates at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. The Zoom link is https://alaska.zoom.us/j/94681988485.
Monday, Aug. 24 — classes start at Kachemak Bay Campus. High school students can JumpStart college by taking college classes while attending traditional high school or learning from home, and receive a big break in tuition. KBC has decades of experience in online teaching that students can rely on in these uncertain times. More information is available at 235-7743.
Join Michael Hawfield this semester for Ancient History and get answers to burning questions like “How did a teacher and his followers conquer the Roman Empire and the Western World?” “Was ‘Noah’s Flood’ a real event?” “Did the Trojan War really happen?” “Why was a Roman bride carried over a threshold?” “And why do we have a month named for the two-faced god Janus?” Study the underpinnings of democracy, urban life, the gymnasium, the arch, theatre and mime, toga parties, and much, much more. Call 235-7743 to register.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Homer Annex is now open with some restrictions at 638 East Pioneer Ave. in the Homer Borough Maintenance building east of the Homer Volunteer Fire Department. Please limit visits to one person at a time and wait in the parking lot or in vehicles while other people are inside. Masks are recommended but not required. The office is staffed for help by phone or email. For more information call 235-9837 or email Tamarron Baxter at tbaxter@kpb.us. Forms for property tax exemptions or appeals are available outside on the door, and a dropbox is available for completed forms.
Pratt Museum
The Pratt Museum’s summer hours through Aug. 31 are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
These hours are subject to updates in compliance with CDC State/Federal Public Health Guidance.
For the safety of guests, members and staff:
• Face masks required for entry.
• Visitor log sign-in required upon entry.
• Social distancing guidelines include maintaining 6 feet of distance at all times.
• Capacity limited to 10 guests in the museum at one time.
Face masks and capacity limits do not apply to outdoor spaces including gardens, forest trails, and Homestead cabin; however, staff do request that visitors respectfully comply with social distancing guidelines.
Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center
The Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center operations are temporarily suspended following guidelines from the CDC and recommendations from state and local health authorities. Updates will be posted to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge website and social media channels. The Beluga Slough Trail and other outdoor areas on the refuge will remain open to provide healthy options for recreation and relaxation. A reopening date has not been determined at this time.
Updates about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s response to coronavirus will be posted at https://www.fws.gov/home/public-health-update.html. Please check with individual refuges or facilities regarding the change of operations or postponement of events and programs.
To reach refuge staff call 907-235-6546 or email alaskamaritime@fws.gov.
South Peninsula Hospital
Homer Medical Center is offering free physicals for high school students involved in fall and winter activities by appointment only at a one-day clinic from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, Aug. 8. Appointments are required, and exams are offered free of charge by our providers to students needing a physical for participation in school sanctioned sports and activities.
Parents are asked to complete the History Form and if applicable the Special Needs Supplemental form and bring the entire document with them to the clinic. The forms are found at www.homermedical.org. All students must bring or wear loose fitting shorts for the screening.
If students are unable to attend, they can make an appointment for an annual wellness exam and a sports physical form will be filled out as part of the wellness exam. In most cases this will be at no cost to a patient with insurance. Those without insurance and who do not make the free sports physical day can make a sports physical appointment on a regular clinic day, the cost after discounts will be $35.10 if paid at time of service.
Please contact Homer Medical Center at (907) 235-8586 to make an appointment or for additional information.
