By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times
Cooper Landing Correspondent
Fire Chief Jerry James, Assistant Chief Mike Smith, Brandon Harrison, Ken Green, Joe DeMattia, Ryan McGee, and Andrew Brown finished the week-long Basic Firefighter Training Course May 9. Training Officer John Evans from Soldotna, a paramedic and a firefighter, supervised classroom and practical training so that the volunteers became more familiar with their equipment, performing in their turnout suits, and doing various maneuvers in a timely manner. While the firefighters were in training, finish work was being done inside the new Cooper Landing Emergency Services building. CLES Board of Directors President Scott Davis said the new building will be ready for occupancy within the next two weeks and an open house will be held.
Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce members cleaned areas along the Sterling Highway May 10. After their hard work they were treated to a barbecue hosted by Alex Kime at Alaska Horsemen Trail Adventures.
The Snug Harbor Snail-a-thon begins at 10 a.m., Sat. May 17, at the Catholic Church on Snug Harbor Road. The potluck picnic on the Kenai Lake beach five miles up the road begins at noon. Prizes for the participant who collects the most trash along the route, and for the most colorful hat worn will be awarded as well as other prizes. Donations to the sponsoring organization, the Cooper Landing Community Club, are encouraged for the upkeep of the community properties, which include the cemetery, the site of the community hall-library-ballfield, and the museum. Donations can be mailed to PO Box 508, Cooper Landing, AK 99572, or will be accepted at the picnic. Terry Hook is the man in charge and can be reached at 595-1367.
The annual softball tournament at the Bean Creek Road community center, under the direction of Dan Michels, runs May 23 through June 1. Cooper Landing Emergency Medical Services will run the concession stand and raffles to raise funds. Raffle tickets will also be available at Wildman’s during the tournament. Teams scheduled to play so far: Alaska Wildlands, Alaska Rivers Co., Gwin’s Lodge, Bean Creekers, Avalanche Acres, Kenai Princess Lodge, Wildman, Kenai River Float and Fish, Summit Lake Lodge, and Moose Pass. One of the new rule changes allows a substitute runner from home plate for anyone over the age of 60. There’s a sign-up sheet on the ballfield fence for practice time. Chef Terry Hook volunteered to do the playoff dinner on Sunday June 1.
The seniors’ weekly shuttle bus to Soldotna and Kenai is even more of a bargain these days at $10 per round trip. You don’t have to be senior age to ride the bus when space is available and lately this has been the case, Jan Mitchell reports. The bus leaves Eagles View senior housing off Snug Harbor Road at 8:30 a.m. You can drive and park at Eagles View or be picked up. Call Anne Engbers at 595-1810 or Jan Mitchell at 595-1273 to make arrangements. The bus holds 11 passengers and takes them to medical appointments, grocery shopping, to hair dressers, or wherever they need to go.
The Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission meets May 22 at 6 p.m. at the community hall to discuss the Kenai Peninsula Borough Ordinance 2008-11 “An ordinance authorizing the sale of land to the Cooper Landing Senior Citizen Corporation, Inc. at less than fair market value for senior housing purposes.” CLSCCI has the funding and the contractor but needs to finalize land matters before beginning their 2008 addition.