By Fayrene Sherritt
Turnagain Times Hope Correspondent
At the APC meeting Oct. 2 held at the Hope Social Hall, the current APC officers were reelected unanimously; Dave Scanlan-Chair, Shawn Butler-Vice Chair and Secretary-Beth Kaser. The next APC meeting has not yet been scheduled.
Marcus Mueller, Land Management Officer for Kenai Peninsula Borough, reported that the engineering for the two new subdivisions in Hope, have been completed. The construction bid will go out in February for road, electric and phone utilities. It is hopeful that the state will give survey and title of the land to the Kenai Borough this winter.
Regardless, the construction will begin. Land disposal may begin at the same time as construction but not until title is transferred from the State. Both subdivision project lots will be sold concurrently but not before the Borough and the Hope/Sunrise APC decide on disposal methods. The Kenai Borough Road Maintenance will maintain the new Palmer Creek Road and parking area.
Mueller also reported that the gravel pit is now open for burnable slash disposal (this is limited to burnable organic material that is manageable by hand and stacked neatly). The site will be reworked to clean up the mounds of dirt and provide for safety. The gravel, in the pit, will be used for future community development. As a reminder, the gravel pit is closed to shooting of firearms for safety reasons.
On Oct. 4 nearly 60 people crowded into the Hope Social Hall for the fall Kenai Peninsula Historical Association meeting. The Hope/Sunrise Historical Society provided a wonderful soup and salad luncheon. As the group enjoyed their lunch, roses were presented to HSHS founding member Rosemarie Knecht in recognition of everything that she has done for the organization.
The afternoon program was a talk by Attorney Joseph Perkins of Anchorage. Perkins shared a comprehensive 14-page handout of the history on Alaska mining. The audience flipped thought the timeline while Perkins told stories about Kennicott, the beaches of Nome, and the AJ Mine. After the Social Hall meeting the visitors stopped by the Hope Museum to see the new exhibits.
A large quilt representing communities from all over Alaska is being created in Anchorage to celebrate 50 years of statehood and will be unveiled Jan. 3 in Anchorage. The Kenai Peninsula is creating a large panel representing the Peninsula communities to be submitted for the State quilt. Recently Hope submitted to the Peninsula quilters a 25”x 31” panel to be added to this state project. Quilters Linda Graham and Fayrene Sherritt created “A Window to Hope” using silk fabric printed with photos of Hope.
In the next few weeks, the quilters will also complete two more panels using the same process. The second one will be submitted for a quilt that will remain on display on the Kenai Peninsula while the third panel will be created, and completed as a wall hanging, to be kept in Hope. A quilt was made by Hope residents in 1988 to commemorate 100 years of finding gold in Hope. It is on display at the Hope Museum and this new quilt will be kept as a part of Hope’s history too.
The Hope Library needs a volunteer for Mondays for a few weeks while the regular volunteer is on vacation. If you can give three hours of your time, please contact Susan Anderson. Even a few Mondays or a few days would be greatly appreciated.
Their are new books-on-tape, DVDs, books and videos available. Along with Internet access, fax, or coping and the library are available for group meetings. Mark your calendars for Nov. 29 as that is the date for the Library’s Christmas Bazaar to be held at the Hope School. Contact Susan Anderson to reserve a $10 table.
The Hope’s phone list for 2008-2009 is now available in the lobby at the Hope Post Office. This year the color is pink. If mistakes are found please let either Fayrene Sherritt or Linda Graham know so corrections can be made to the list.
The Public Health nurse will hold a walk-in clinic at the Hope School Wednesday, Oct. 29 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.. The flu shots should be available for anyone who needs to have a shot. If there are booster shots or other shots needed, please contact the Seward Public Health office at 224-5567 so those can be brought with her to Hope.
Principal Dawson is at the Hope School every Tuesday and anyone is welcome to stop by for a visit with him. PTA membership dues are $10 for first member and $5.75 for each family member after that. All Hope residents are encouraged to be PTA members.
Jewelry artist Susan Anderson taught a class Sept. 30 to the Hope school students on the art of making of copper bracelets. The students were taught how to sand the copper, create designs by stamping designs into the metal, then to form the copper to their wrist size and finally how to create a patina on the copper.
The work continues to move right along on the new Hope Post Office. Doug Nielson of Nielson Construction, Inc. expects to have his part finished before the end of October. The new mailboxes are installed and the interior work continues to be completed. There is still outside work to be done in the driveway area where a large load of gravel was recently dumped. The new post office could be open before the end of November.
Rochelle Morris, owner of Alaska Dacha, reported that the store recently qualified to accept Food Stamps. The equipment needed to accept Food Stamps has arrived and is now available for use. Anyone wishing to order Butterball turkeys needs to let Rochelle know before the end of October. The cost per pound is $1.89 and the turkeys will arrive in Hope between Nov. 7 and 10 and will need to be picked up at that time
The free weekly winter community breakfast has begun. At the first breakfast, 26 folks stopped by for a good home cooked breakfast. The doors open at 8 a.m. each Wednesday and breakfast is served until 10 a.m. All Hope residents are welcome to come. Following breakfast, the Hope Christian Church Food Bank is open Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Any folks needing to take advantage of the food pantry, outside the regular hours, please contact Burgins at 782-1002.