Cooper Landing News
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By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times
Cooper Landing Correspondent
Cooper Landing was a beehive of energy and activity last week with two major events occurring virtually simultaneously on Aug. 11 and 12 with a senior housing grand opening and a two-day Walkable Community event.
Ravens View Grand Opening
Cooper Landing Senior Citizens Corp. Inc. (CLSCCI) held their long awaited grand opening of Ravens View senior independent housing on Aug. 11 beginning with a potluck luncheon and a business meeting in Helen Gwin Commons in Eagles View before climbing the hill to Ravens View. CLSCCI President Marjorie Van Kooten chaired the day’s events. Residents and community folks were joined by Rep. Paul Seaton and his wife Tina, Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Dave Carey and Special Assistant Susan Wilcox, and Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly President Milli Martin. Also speaking during the program were former KPB Mayor John Williams and his chief of staff Tim Navarre.
Letters were read from Gov. Sean Parnell, Senator Gary Stevens, and KPB Assembly member Ron Long, all who were unable to be there. Michelle Blackwell from Senator Lisa Murkowski’s staff had time for a quick tour of the facilities. KPB Land Management Officer Marcus Mueller joined in the celebration. Elaine Mello and John Havelock from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and Denali Commission Program Manager Nancy Merriman were on hand to speak and be thanked for their financial support. Former KPB grants manager Bonnie Golden was present on behalf of Congressman Don Young. John Torgerson, Executive Director of the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, was also a welcome participant. Ravens View has been occupied since it opened in May.
Walkable Community Event
National authority on walkable, bikeable, and livable communities, Dan Burden was the primary speaker at the Walkable Community Event put together by Deb Carlson and her crew and held at the community hall on Bean Creek Road.
Two solid days of presentations, questions and answers, a walking audit of the community, a discussion of the vision for Cooper Landing, and a suggested implementation plan had local residents who attended energized on the possibilities of our community becoming healthier through walking, and changing traffic patterns to calm the rush of vehicles through the Landing. I was only able to attend the event briefly on Wednesday morning but was impressed by Dwayne Adams’ drawings illustrating concepts that came from the previous day’s work. Loved the roundabout by the bridge to slow the flow of traffic, which the 35 mph speed signs don’t seem to accomplish currently. Some 50 people were already buzzing around the community hall by 9 a.m. Bruce Cain, Executive Director of the Native Village of Eyak was there. He’s an example of this new philosophy. He rides his bicycle in Cordova on a 5-mile round trip commute four days a week.
Many of the VIP’s attending the Ravens View open house also took part in the Walkable Community Event such as Rep. Seaton, KPB Mayor Carey, and KPEDD Exec. Director John Torgerson. Also attending and participating were staff from Alaska DOT, U.S. Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, the Alaska Center for the Environment, the Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission, Cooper Landing Community Club, Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce, Cooper Landing Emergency Services, Cooper Landing School and Community School, Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, and many more.
Summer season winding down
Fall seems to be in the air as leaves start to yellow and things begin to slow down a bit although fishing and river rafting goes on rain or shine. Clint and Andrea Laurin were recent visitors to the Cooper Landing Museum and Clint had some very good pictures on his digital camera of a large brown bear fishing in the Russian River near human anglers. Andrea is the daughter of well-known artist, teacher, and naturalist Boyd Shaffer. She was glad to see in the museum the large panels her dad painted 30-some years ago for the highway kiosk at the area near Mile 46 that we called the sheep lookout. The painted scenes and wording describe the 1959 burn, the differences between Dall sheep and mountain goats, and more.
