By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Correspondent
The community hall hummed with activity from early morning to late nights Oct. 10, 11, and 12 with the yearly fall session of Deb Carlson’s Stamp Camp. Women and kids from Cooper Landing, Anchorage, Seward, and Kenai worked on designing greeting cards, scrapbooks, crafting gifts, print making, and even quilting.
To break up the hard work, Carlson set up a silent auction, a “Make It and Take It” table, and directed a timed scavenger hunt where items were bagged according to the letters in the players names.
Ellen Maling, director of Outdoor Programs and Strategic Initiatives for Camp Fire USA Alaska Council, stopped by the community hall during Stamp Camp to talk about the proposed improvements at Camp Kushtaka. Over 40 years old, Camp Kushtaka off Snug Harbor Road beyond the Senior Campus, is getting a much-needed facelift.
The sanitation and water systems of the camp are being upgraded with protecting the water quality of Kenai Lake a top priority. More than 600 children come to the camp during the summer season. The original camp was built with donated materials and volunteer labor. Ellen is looking into developing a program on the history of Camp Kushtaka for the Jan. 17 meeting of the local historical society. They’ve recently received donations of 30-year old movies taken at the camp as well as photographs.
Crista Hippchen from the Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Dept. administered the oath of office to Scott Davis at the Oct. 8 Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission meeting held in the emergency services hall. Scott and fellow commissioners Carrie Williams, Rob Bear, Karl Romig, and Mona Painter conducted the business as posted on the agenda. Sandra Key and Stacy Corbin had excused absences. The members passed a motion to support the final plat of Towle Subdivision Lakeview Ridge (Segesser-Hidalgo) with the borough recommended requirements to be made prior to approval. Also supported was the request by Cooper Landing Senior Citizens Corp. Inc. to vacate a utility easement which crosses an area suitable for septic leach field expansion.
The proposed replacement easement is not in conflict with future site development. CLAPC meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month unless a special meeting needs to be scheduled to coincide with KPB plat and planning meetings. Meeting notices are posted a week in advance in the post office bulletin box.
Steve Skolnick, in the October Cooper Landing Gun Club Newsletter, reports shooting vandalism at the gun range and people are encouraged to notify the Alaska State Troopers if they see this happening. Some of the damage is pretty serious. The range is closed on Saturdays at noon for safety during trap shooting. Thanks were given to Mike, Jed, and Kevin for cleaning the range, for the fencing, and for re-hanging the steel gongs.
Leah Smith sent an invitation to stop by the new pre-school currently held at Alaska Heavenly Lodge on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon. She says the kids are loving it.
Mayme Ohnemuses newest book, Friends Helping Friends, a collection of mini-biographies, photos, and recipes is expected from the printer in a week or two. Those chosen to be included are new Sexy Senior Dumpster Cleaners and SSDC wannabes. Mayme included a timeline, statistics, and a little kidding around in her narrative. Sales locations will be advertised over the Community Crier.