Cooper Landing News

Mona Painter/Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission members Sandra Holsten, Carrie Williams, and Karl Romig with Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management Tech Dan Conetta pinpoint a borough property on a map of the Cooper Landing area during the first workshop to discuss updating the local 1996 land use plan.

By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Correspondent

Land plan update in progress
Members of the Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission met Feb. 28 with Kenai Peninsula Borough Planner Crista Hippchen and Land Management Tech III Dan Conetta in a three-hour workshop to begin updating the 1996 Cooper Landing Land Use Classification Plan for Borough-Owned and Borough-Selected Lands. Carrie Williams, Sandra Holsten, Karl Romig, Scott Davis, and I began by looking at the listed community goals, discussed possible wildlife viewing areas, suggested deleting the two sites set aside for a high school, considered an area for the future site of the gun range, discussed the impact of the highway bypass and the advisability of making the present highway corridor safer, and saw the necessity of having current maps showing land ownership within the boundaries of the Cooper Landing planning area. In the past 13 years some lands have been reclassified and three residential areas were subdivided and lots sold in two subdivisions. Regular CLAPC meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month when business dictates. The next workshop meeting looks probable for March 28.

Health survey to identify needs
Carrie Williams, president of the Cooper Landing Health Center, in planning with her board for an area-wide study, wrote: “The community of Cooper Landing started working on this important project (the Health Center) just one year ago. Our community goal is to bring to Cooper Landing and the surrounding area immediate health care services under the Federal 330 program, these programs provide medical services to everyone regardless of their ability to pay for services, whether or not they have insurance, or have Medicare, Medicaid, Denali Kid Care, or are simply in need of a payment plan for health care. To this end, we have acquired funds through fundraising, donations, and matching dollars from Central Peninsula Health Center, in Soldotna, to complete a health needs and feasibility study. This study will provide the basis for the establishment of a health care facility to service Cooper Landing, Moose Pass, Crown Point, Hope and the thousands of visitors to our area each year…” Please help by completing the health needs survey.

Camp Fire’s Camp Kushtaka redevelopment in progress
Mayme Ohnemus and I spent a day in Juneau recently with Barbara Dubovich, Camp Fire USA Alaska Council CEO and architect Steve Fishback meeting with legislators or their staff members on behalf of work being done at Camp Kushtaka in Cooper Landing. Over one million dollars was raised for current camp construction and in-kind support and pro bono services have been given or pledged from numerous sources. Strong support has been collected from volunteers, the community, agencies, and individuals. The camp is on leased state land in the Kenai River Management Area. Funding is needed for water and septic utilities at the camp to further Camp Fire’s commitment to environmental conservation and concern for Kenai Lake. Camp Kushtaka’s 43 year history of offering camping and leadership training to hundreds of children each summer is the program for the April 18 meeting of the Cooper Landing Historical Society.

Seniors fund raising dinner a success
Over 70 people came to the community hall during the snowstorm last Saturday night to enjoy a delicious dinner of ribs, scalloped potatoes, and other dishes and desserts cooked up by Arden Rankin and her staff for the Cooper Landing Seniors Citizens Corp.’s latest fund raiser. Pots of blooming hyacinths decorated the tables making us long for spring.

Borough Mayor Carey to visit
A heads up from Cooper Landing Community Club Vice President Sandra Holsten that KPB Mayor David Carey will be meeting with the community at the hall at 7:00 p.m. on March 17. It’s being billed as a ”town hall meeting” on the Mayor’s calendar on his website.