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Fayrene Sherritt/Turnagain Times Windows have been installed and the exterior siding has been completed at the new Hope Post Office. The contractor believes construction will be done before Thanksgiving. The local joke is that he hasn’t been working on “Hope Time.” |
By Fayrene Sherritt
Turnagain Times Hope Correspondent
Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. the Hope Community Library Board will meet at the Hope Library and is open to Hope residents. Agenda items include a review of the summer and plans for fund raising will be an important topic along with funding for a new backup woodstove. Volunteers are needed for the winter hours, if you can take an afternoon or volunteer even a couple of hours, please contact Susan Anderson at 782-3311. The winter hours will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.
The Hope Library Book Club meets the third Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Library. October‘s book is Tree of Smoke, November-Three Cups of Tea and December-The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. All Hope residents are welcome to join the group in reading these books.
Thank you to Beth and Greg Kaser for doing all the work to get new fabric on the library chairs. The chairs were taken to Anchorage for repairs and the new dark plum or eggplant purple is a fresh new look for the Library. Along with being “pretty” the chairs are now very comfortable too.
There are new books-on-tape, DVDs, books and videos available. Along with Internet access, fax, or copying, the library is available for group meetings. Mark your calendars for November 29 as that is the date for the Library’s Christmas Bazaar to be held at the Hope School.
The 2008-2009 list for Hope phone numbers is being updated to reflect the changes or additions that have occurred this past year. If your information is incorrect or you need to be added to the list, contact Fayrene Sherritt or Linda Graham. The new phone list should be available in early October at the Hope Post Office.
All members of Hope, Inc. are encouraged to attend the next quarterly meeting at 7 p.m. at the Hope Social Hall Saturday Oct. 18. Should you have any items to add to the agenda, let President Shawn Butler know of those issues. There will also be an agenda posted at the post office where items can be added.
Gina Motoyama has been gathering information on the “Full Circle Farm” which offers a flexible membership program. Twelve people are needed to have organic produce delivered to Hope. (Currently they deliver to Girdwood at two locations). There is information posted at the Hope Post Office or for more information please look at their webpage: www.fullcirclefarm.com Basically it’s a membership program where you order a small, medium or large box of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs to be delivered every week or every other week. If you are interested, contact Gina at 229-4697.
Work continues to move right along on the new Hope Post Office. Doug Nielson of Nielson Construction, Inc. continues to make steady progress. The metal roof goes on the last week of September and finishing work continues on the interior. The sheetrock has been hung and the walls painted. The exterior siding is in place and with a 25-year lifespan, should continue to look nice for many years. It appears that the mailbox area will have less of the large boxes but with the new feature of a bank of larger boxes just for small packages or extra mail that should handle that small problem. A key will be put into a resident’s mailbox which will then open the larger box so smaller packages or mail will be available when the Post Office is closed. Larger packages will still be handled through the window during regular hours. The way construction is going, the new post office could be open before Thanksgiving.
Hank Mori and Tito Kagimoto would like to thank locals and visitors alike who shared in another successful summer season at Tito’s Discovery Cafe. A special thank you goes to the staff for all their hard work! Tito’s is now operating winter hours Friday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. This winter the cafe will be closed three days a week, Tuesday - Thursday. Please stop by and enjoy some delicious homemade soups and pies!
Join Bowmans’ for an ice cream social Saturday, Oct. 4 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Sweet Mo’s Ice Cream. It will be the end-of-the-season event featuring two-for-one ice cream cones and free popcorn. Bowmans does wish to express their thanks to the dedicated fans that have made their first season so successful. Keep an eye out for special openings during the winter, and come get your Alaska Supreme ice cream at Bowman’s Bear Creek Lodge this winter in the dessert department.
The staff at the Hope School is looking for volunteers interested in working with the students on a variety of projects. Are you an avid reader interested in leading a team in the Battle of the Books? Perhaps you care for the environment and would like to guide the students in the Caring for the Kenai environmental contest. Do you love to spend time in the kitchen? The students would love your assistance in preparing healthy snacks to enjoy every day. Or maybe you are an artist or crafter eager to share your creativity with young people. If this sounds good to you, contact the school for more information at 782-3202.
Principal Dawson is at the Hope School every Tuesday and anyone is welcome to stop by for a visit with him. The next scheduled PTA meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 3:15 p.m. Membership dues is $10 for first member and $5.75 for each family member after that. All Hope residents are encouraged to be PTA members.
Rochelle Morris, owner of Alaska Dacha, reports that the store has recently qualified to accept Food Stamps. The equipment needed to accept Food Stamps should arrive in the store sometime mid October. Anyone needing to use this service should check with Rochelle to see when the program will be available in Hope.
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, contact Burgins at 782-1002. The weekly winter community breakfasts will begin Wednesday, Oct. 8.