The South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board is an elected board that oversees local tax dollars for a healthier community. The SAB will hold its regular monthly board meeting virtually via Zoom on Thursday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting ID and details will be made available closer to time of the meeting.
Grace Ridge Brewing will support Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park/Kachemak Bay Water Trails as the business’s May nonprofit. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kachemak Bay State park that was on May 9, the brewery will offer 100 bottles of a special beer with $2 per bottle being donated as well as all of May’s tips. On Saturday, May 16, a 50th Anniversary quilt by Patrice Krant and quilted by Karrie Youngblood will be for viewing 3-6 p.m. at Grace Ridge Brewing. The Kachemak Bay Pale Ale will be on tap and a limited bottling will be available.
The 3rd Annual Homer Pottery Tour, scheduled for May 16 and 17, 2020, is cancelled. This self-guided tour of nine area pottery studios with eleven participating artists welcomes the public into our studios for a glimpse at what it takes to make things from clay. Some studios give demonstrations, some slide shows, there is pottery for sale and organizers had planned a game to search for hidden pots to give away at each studio this year.
Though the tour has been cancelled, potters are all still making pots. Their website, homerpotters.com provides links to each artist. Potters hope to see you soon and for the tour in 2021.
The Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center is sponsoring and embracing a new approach to cleaning up our community with a “Do-It-Yourself Clean-Up Month” from Saturday, May 2 to Saturday, May 23. Yellow trash bags, provided by the Kenai Peninsula Borough, can be picked up outside the Chamber & Visitor Center front canopy entrance at 201 Sterling Highway. Take only the number of yellow bags that you or your group can use and sign out on the clipboard the area of our community that will be cleaned up. Go outside with your family, church group, non-profit or civic organization, neighbors or employee group to clean up Downtown and Old Town Homer, the Spit, East End and West End Roads or around your own home, cottage, cabin, business or when you are walking the trails during May. Practice social distancing, face mask etiquette and enjoy being outdoors. Take your filled yellow bags directly up to the Homer Transfer Facility (HTF) 3.5 miles northwest of Downtown Homer, located at Mile 169.3 Sterling Highway. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
Sandhill cranes have arrived in Kachemak Bay. Please report nesting sandhill cranes to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Date, time, location, behavior, and number of cranes is helpful. Leave a name and number in case Kachemak Crane Watch needs more details.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste facilities will be open Sundays starting May 17, 2020. For more information contact the KPB Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667 or check their webpage at https://www.kpb.us/swd-waste/about-solidwaste.
The May 2020 Hazardous Waste Collection Days for Soldotna, Seward and Homer are canceled. Organizers anticipate the July 2020 events will resume as normal. For more information, please contact the Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667 or email solidwaste@kpb.us. Also, check the borough website for updates.
Kenai Peninsula Votes tidbit:
On April 7, Wisconsin held their spring election and Presidential Primary. This election was definitely a test of the voters resolve. The day before the election, the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 that Wisconsin’s election would proceed normally. This decision by the Supreme Court forced many voters to have to go to the polls if they wanted to vote. Wisconsin was not prepared to have a normal election. For example, Milwaukee only had five polling stations available for voters as opposed to their normal 100. This meant that anyone who voted in person on April 7 had a greater chance to acquire the COVID-19 virus. The final voter turnout for this election was 34%. (It is important to note that absentee ballots were the more predominant method of voting). There were long lines and waits. Those who went to the polls recognized the importance of their vote, despite the health risks. Across the country there are discussions going on about how voting will look this year. COVID-19 will have a huge impact on the process of voting in the future. By filling out your absentee registration today, you can be sure to secure your ballot now for the upcoming elections in Alaska. Please remember to vote—your voice matters!
Kenai Peninsula Service Area Boards meetings have been postponed until further notice. For more information, visit kpboem.blogspot.com.
Anchor Point Senior Citizens
The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Avenue is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congregate meals and the Helping Hands Thrift Store also are closed. The Anchor Point Senior Center serves take-out meals on Monday and Thursday evenings with pickup from 5-6 p.m. Donations for Helping Hands Thrift Store can dropped off. The office staff are at work and available by phone for addressing needs. For information, call 235-7786.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Call 235-4556.
Homer Senior Citizens
All activities are canceled and the Homer Senior Center is closed to the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Homer Senior Citizens congregate lunch is closed, but meals can be picked up at noon from Monday-Friday. You must call 907-235-7655 by 10 a.m. daily to reserve your meal.
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Hospice of Homer
Hospice of Homer requests that anyone who needs to borrow or return medical equipment or to pick up disposable personal care items, call the office. Staff will check availability and arrange a time for pick up.
Anyone needing access to grief counseling or other services should also call to talk with a staff member. Staff will be available Monday-Thursday at 235-6899.
Support Group meetings have been canceled.
Hospice of Homer has had an unusually high demand for medical equipment recently and are in great need of many items. Anyone wishing to help can go to Smile.amazon.com.
Select Hospice of Homer as your charity then select Charity List and choose any of the items on our List of Current Needs. All donated equipment is loaned out free of charge to anyone who needs it in the Homer vicinity and a percentage of the purchase is donated to Hospice of Homer.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Free Mini-Class – Updating Your Resume will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. Be ready for changing job situations and discover tips on crafting a resume that makes you stand out. Join Kachemak Bay Campus instructor Michelle Waclawski for a free Zoom session. Visit this link to join Michelle’s presentation: https://alaska.zoom.us/j/
Summer and fall registration are open now. Summer 2020 classes start May 18 and if you are staying in our beautiful town this summer, now is the perfect time to pick-up a class you might have missed during the fall or spring semester. Visit this link to see what we have on offer: https://tinyurl.com/y9bdk3fm. Call 235-7743 with questions.
For the fall, the printed schedule is back. Look for it in your mailbox and around town in May. Register now to hold your place in your local campus classes. Want a sneak peak? Visit this online link, https://bit.ly/2wRIxEA to see what KBC is offering our community; call 235-1655 to talk to an advisor.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Homer Annex is closed to walk-in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic at its location at 638 East Pioneer Ave. in the Homer Borough Maintenance building east of the Homer Volunteer Fire Department. The office is staffed for help by phone or email. For more information call 235-9837 or email Tamarron Baxter at tbaxter@kpb.us. Forms for property tax exemptions or appeals are available outside on the door, and a dropbox is available for completed forms.
Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center
The Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center operations are temporarily suspended following guidelines from the CDC and recommendations from state and local health authorities. Updates will be posted to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge website and social media channels. The Beluga Slough Trail and other outdoor areas on the refuge will remain open to provide healthy options for recreation and relaxation. A reopening date has not been determined at this time.
Updates about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s response to coronavirus will be posted at https://www.fws.gov/home/public-health-update.html. Please check with individual refuges or facilities regarding the change of operations or postponement of events and programs.
To reach refuge staff call 907-235-6546 or email alaskamaritime@fws.gov.
South Peninsula Hospital
Got symptoms? Get tested!
Symptoms of COVID-19 include: cough, chills, difficulty breathing, diminished sense of taste or smell, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle/joint aches, nausea, rash, chills with shivering, runny nose, sore throat, or increased sputum (phlegm) production.
Three ways to get tested if you have symptoms:
• Call your provider
• Call the hospital Covid Nurse 235-0235
• Just show up! Come to the drive through testing in the hospital’s main entrance parking lot.
COVID-19 testing does not require a referral and there is no charge to the individual, regardless of insurance or not. Testing is offered 24/7 in the tent in the hospital’s main entrance parking lot. Call 235-0235 en route to be met outside for a drive by swabbing.
