This story originally published in the Peninsula Clarion.

Third graders at Soldotna Elementary are learning all about their community. Marge Mullen, one of the city’s first homesteaders, it invited every year to teach students about what life was like in the early days on the peninsula.

Mullen showed the students around Soldotna’s historic post office, where she used to receive mail. She visited the students in their classroom earlier last week to talk about her own homestead.

“I took some survey tape and made a 14- by 16-foot square on the floor to show them that my homestead could have fit inside their school room,” Mullen said.

Third-grade teacher at Soldotna Elementary, Shaya Straw said having Mullen speak to the students is a great opportunity.

“I think it’s cool they get to have this first-hand account of history here,” Straw said.

Marge Mullen shows a group of third graders around the Howard Lee Homestead, which was used as the city’s first post office when she first homesteaded in Soldotna, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Soldotna, AK. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Marge Mullen shows a group of third graders around the Howard Lee Homestead, which was used as the city’s first post office when she first homesteaded in Soldotna, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Soldotna, AK. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Marge Mullen shows a group of third graders around the Howard Lee Homestead, which was used as the city’s first post office when she first homesteaded in Soldotna, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Soldotna, AK. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Marge Mullen shows a group of third graders around the Howard Lee Homestead, which was used as the city’s first post office when she first homesteaded in Soldotna, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Soldotna, AK. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Marge Mullen shows a group of third graders around the Howard Lee Homestead, which was used as the city’s first post office when she first homesteaded in Soldotna, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Soldotna, AK. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

This story originally published in the Peninsula Clarion.

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe Henu’ Community Wellness Court celebrated the program’s first graduates Friday afternoon at the Tyotkas Elder Center.

The Henu’ Community Wellness Court is a joint-jurisdiction therapeutic court, operated by the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the State of Alaska Court System. The court serves offenders who face legal trouble stemming from substance use.

Kenaitze Tribal Court Chief Judge Susan Wells says the program is about transforming lives.

“When we talk about transforming lives, that’s really what it is,” Wells said. “Most people that come into the program really want to sober up and be clean.”

The program’s first graduates, Dale Vaughn and Eli Darien, were awarded many celebratory tokens, including a piece of Dentalia, which Wells said was historically used as money in the area and shows the participants they have value. Graduates also received Chaga tea, a spruce hen feather and an agate rock, which all hold important cultural significance.

Vaughn said the program has been amazing.

“Eighteen months ago, I had three years hanging over my head,” Vaughn said. “It was either do the three years or get out with no license. I’d probably be in the same boat, in and out of jail, like I was before, but this program came along. I decided to give it a try. Now look at me. It’s all been worth it.”

Darien also said his experience in the program was phenomenal.

“I had some rough spots, but I got over them,” Darien said. “It’s been just a wonderful experience. When I started the program, I pretty much didn’t have anything. Now it seems I have everything at my fingertips.”

Henu’ uses rehabilitation to reduce recidivism rates and improve the lives and the communities of program participants. The program is 18 months long and goes through a series of phases. One phase is the trust phase, where participants and the tribal court learn to trust each other through the process.

“It’s not so much that we learn to trust them to do what they’re supposed to be doing, it’s them trusting us to help them,” Wells said.

To be in the program, people must go through an interview process with tribal probation officers. Wells said they focus on people who are high risk and have high needs. Priority is given to people who have children involved. Members of the program cannot have a distribution charge.

The program is individualized for the needs of each person’s recovery, but it takes at least 18 months to complete, and sometimes even longer if the participant relapses. Wells said the 18 months is necessary to regain complete sobriety.

“They want that clean, sober life, but they can’t because of the chemicals in their brains until they can get them out,” Wells said. “A six-week program just doesn’t work; it’s not enough time. It doesn’t take care of that addictive brain. We realized early on in this program if the person is addicted or just getting out of jail and they’ve been sober for a month or six weeks, their addiction is a lot of work.”

Wells credits part of the program’s success to the Dena’ina Wellness Center and its clinicians, as well as asking the right questions.

“We have to change the questions,” Wells said. “It’s not ‘what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you stopping? You want to. You say you want to. What’s the matter with you?’ We are asking the wrong question, and what we need to do is look deeper at what happened to you to get you on this path, and what can we do to help you get back. It’s not about us catching them doing something wrong; it’s about catching them do something right and helping them continue on this path of sobriety.”

Wells said she believed the program can help change lives and communities.

“We want to stop the recidivism, and I think we can,” Wells said.

Both Vaughn and Darien said they are excited to see what opportunities the future has in store for them.

“I can get on with my life,” Vaughn said. “I can drive legally without looking over my shoulder, you know.”

“I’m just going to keep on this path on recovery,” Darien said. “So many good things have happened to me already.”

The Kenatize Indian Tribe held their inaugural graduation for the Henu’ Community Wellness Court program on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Kenai, AK. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

This story originally published in the Peninsula Calrion

Peninsula voters shot down a controversial proposition to fund a new school, passed another to move the border between the Central and South Peninsula Hospital Service Areas to the true midway point, and elected some fresh faces to both the borough assembly, school board and city councils.

Tuesday night’s unofficial results, with all 28 precincts reporting, show Proposition 1 failing by nearly 60 percent and Proposition 2 succeeding by 65 percent.

Many candidate races on the central peninsula were uncontested, while some were more competitive. In Kenai, three candidates, Robert Peterkin II, Teea Winger and Bob Molloy were running for two vacant city council seats.

Carol Baumer, a retired Kenai resident, said voting for Teea Winger for the Kenai City Council brought her to the polls Tuesday.

“It’s a chance to sort of do something different,” Baumer said. “We’re all aging. It’d be nice to kind of get newer people in as the rest of us age-out.”

Newcomer Peterkin II was elected to the Kenai City Council, along with incumbent Molloy. Winger fell short by only 49 votes.

“I certainly appreciate the confidence of the voters and congratulate both Robert Peterkin and Teea Winger on a really good race,” Molloy said. “I’m looking forward to working with Peterkin and the other city council members.”

In Soldotna, all three candidates ran unopposed for the three open council seats.

Todd Paxton came out on top in the Nikiski Fire Service Area board member race against Peter Ribbens.

In the contentious southern peninsula Borough Assembly race, incumbent Willy Dunne beat out Troy Jones with 626 votes against 541 votes.

In the central peninsula, both borough assembly candidates ran unopposed. District 1 candidate Hibbert came in with 426 votes for the Kalifornsky area. For District 6, which includes Seward, Hope, Moose Pass and north Sterling, Kenn Carpenter received 669 votes.

Greg Madden leads the four-way District 5 School Board race, with over 163 votes ahead of 15-year incumbent Marty Anderson.

“Congratulations to Madden,” Anderson said. “It was a privilege to serve on the school board for 15 years. It was the longest I’ve ever done anything. I hope Mr. Madden learns quickly because there’s a lot of things coming up for the school district. I wish him well.”

Nine-year incumbent Tim Navarre lost by 43 votes to Matthew Morse, in the District 2 School Board race.

“I’m happy to win and I hope to do some great things for the school district,” Morse said.

At polls from Sterling to Ninilchik, voter turnout seemed somewhat sparse, with intermittent bursts of activity that kept poll workers on their toes.

Preliminary numbers showed 9,113 voters turned out for the elections this year, down from recent years. Unofficial results show 9,113 ballots were cast, out of 47,158 registered voters — approximately 19 percent of the population. In the 2017 Regular Election, 15,177 of the 44,951 registered voters cast ballots — approximately 34 percent of the population. Only about 21 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2015 regular elections.

On the central peninsula, voters seemed most concerned with the K-Selo bond proposition, which would provide $5,390,000 to help build a new school in Kachemak-Selo, an Old Believer village east of Homer. The Kenai Peninsula Borough was awarded a $10,010,000 grant through the 2016-2017 state capital budget. Under the grant program, the borough must provide a 35 percent match of $5,390,000. Some voters said the K-Selo bond proposition was the primary reason they showed up at the polls.

In Kenai, Kaye Reed said she came out to vote because it was her civic duty. She said she supported the K-Selo bonds because it means the peninsula is growing.

“If we’re needing to build a new school, that means we’re having growth, and that means we should be building new schools,” Reed said.

In Soldotna, teacher Bristol Demeter said supporting education by approving the K-Selo bonds was the main reason she came out to vote. Chad Sorenson, also in Soldotna, said he came out to vote because it was his civic duty. He said he also supported the K-Selo Bond issue.

“I think the school bond is important,” Sorenson said. “It’s just the right thing to do for the little kiddos.”

In Sterling, Ted Moran said he came out specifically to vote against the K-Selo bond proposition.

“I think it’s just a waste of money for such a small area,” Moran said.

In Ninilchik, Marti Chapman also visited the polls to support the bond.

The bonds failed with 4,431 ‘no’ votes.

Although the K-Selo bond was the focus of many ballots on the central peninsula, many were ambivalent when it came to Proposition 2, which moves the common boundary between Central Peninsula Hospital Service Area and the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area 15 miles south. The boundary between the two hospitals has always been at the Clam Gulch Tower along the Sterling Highway, which is 14.5 miles closer to the Central Peninsula Hospital than the true midway point. Chapman said she spent more time reading up on other issues.

“I didn’t do enough reading on that,” Chapman said. “I’ve been educating myself mostly on what’s coming up (in the mid-term election), with proposition 1.”

The proposition to move the border to the midway point was successful with over 65 percent of voters supporting it.

Reach Victoria Petersen at vpetersen@peninsulaclarion.com.

Kenai City Council candidate Teea Winger and her husband hold campaign signs for passing motorists along the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

A supporter of Robert Peterkin, who ran for Kenai City Council, campaigns along the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday, Oct. 2 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

This story published in the Peninsula Clarion.

Stephen Trimble wants everyone to know that the business of solar power is growing. His company, Arctic Solar Ventures Corporation, has been installing more and more solar panels on the central peninsula.

In 2016, when Trimble’s company first started, it put up around 120 panels. In 2017 that number ticked up to set more than 1,000, and so far this year they have already surpassed a thousand.

‘We’ve seen a huge uptick in volume,” Trimble said. “There’s a lot of different tangible outcomes that come from solar.”

One of Arctic Solar Ventures’ recent customers is Dale Bagley, one of the owners of Redoubt Realty. On July 14, he installed 48 panels on the Redoubt Realty building on Kalifornsky Beach Road. He said he was interested in solar power because of the cost savings. The panels cost him a total of $50,000, but he’s expecting to save over $3,000 a year.

Bagley was awarded a $13,800 grant to help pay for the cost of the panels on his commercial property. He says there’s a lot of tax benefits and government rebates for those interested in getting into solar.

“I can’t say I ever thought two hoots about doing solar,” Bagley said. “I was never part of that group, but now I’m in it for the savings perspective.”

On an average day, Bagley’s building uses roughly 50-kilowatt hours, which is the total amount of energy used in an hour of time. So far, his best day for solar energy production has been 100-kilowatt hours, which is twice as much energy as he needs. The excess energy can’t be stored, and it goes back into the grid to help power neighboring buildings. Bagley then receives credit on his electricity bill for the energy he put back on to the grid.

When Bagley was first looking into solar, one of his biggest worries was how clunky chrome and flashy equipment on the roof of his building would look, he said. However, Arctic Solar Ventures uses a matte black set up to attract the sun and the heat. This is most useful in the wintertime when snowfall might cover the panels.

“All the panels are black with black hardware,” Trimble said. “(The panel) absorbs more heat to help melt the snow off of them. Also, building the panels vertically gets rid of the snow problem.”

Trimble said one of the biggest myths about solar power in Alaska is panels don’t work well in the cold.

“Our seasons have changed quite a bit and there’s less snow on the ground, which has improved viability for solar,” Trimble said. “Solar panels produce more electricity the colder it gets. In places like Arizona, where people think solar can crank for days, they get damaged by the heat. Colder air is a secret advantage we have.”

Voltage levels and the value of solar power is diminished in the darker months of December and January, Trimble said.

Though interest in solar energy has been gaining traction recently, it’s not brand new. Anchorage-based renewable energy company Lime Solar, which was founded in 2013, maintains an office in Homer. Soldotna-area contractor Gary Dawkins has been installing wind turbines and solar panels for 28 years for a variety of homes and businesses, including some on the remote west side of Cook Inlet. For the last four years, the city of Seward and the Seward Sustainable Energy Group have hosted a Seward Energy Forum and Fair focusing on renewable energy sources — including solar —in Alaska.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s new visitor center has been investing in solar power since it first opened its doors in May 2015. The center uses a pair of 60 square meter solar arrays, which are expected to provide between 3 and 10 percent of the headquarters building’s power with more during summer months.

On a community level, there’s new potential for solar power. Homer Electric Association has been seriously looking into solar power over the last year. Bruce Shelley, director of member relations at HEA, said awarding the contract for the community solar project, which would be Alaska’s highest-capacity solar farm, was brought to a standstill with a tie vote at HEA’s March 12 board meeting. The proposed solar farm would be positioned at HEA’s Anchor Point substation and would take place through a purchase tower agreement, which means a contractor provides a bid to build an 800,000-watt system, and HEA purchases the power from it.

However, Shelley said HEA isn’t done yet. After HEA’s annual meeting on May 3, a member survey, which asks for a $10 pledge of support, has been distributed as a way to gauge interest in introducing solar power.

“We’ve been encouraging members to make pledges, and so far almost 50 people have signed up and have pledged,” Shelley said. “We are pushing it hard.”

In the fall, the board members will vote again if they want to award a contract for the solar project.

Also on July 14, borough assembly member and owner of Alaska Cab Brent Hibbert had Arctic Solar Ventures place 30 panels on his home. He said solar power could help him become more self-sufficient and that he’s already noticed a difference.

“I hope (solar power) is growing,” he said. “It’s a little expensive to get into, but it pays for itself.”

This story originally published in the Peninsula Clarion.

Nikiski, an industrial base for oil, gas, mining and fishing for decades, was once rich with industry money and a number of bars, restaurants, cafes, and independent video store and even an arcade. As oil prices plummeted and a fabrication plant and fertilizer producer closed, so did many of the area’s businesses. Now, community members are working to revitalize the area.

Todd Brigham grew up in Nikiski. He left for college and returned more than nine years ago with his wife to start his family. Last month, Brigham quit his job as an engineer for ConocoPhillips to give back to his hometown. Now, he said he’s working harder than he ever did as an engineer.

“We want to help our youth navigate life,” Brigham said. “The Compass is really about building relationships, and teaching practical life skills, and really getting the youth pointed in a healthy direction.”

Brigham and his wife Emily are starting the Compass, a youth center, they hope to open just in time for school to start. Currently under construction, the center will feature a lounge area, games, pool table, air hockey, foosball, computers for children to work on homework, a conference room where Brigham hopes to offer work sessions on personal finance, first aid and other practical knowledge, a shop area where kids can learn to make ceramics with the center’s donated wheels and kiln and a coffee house that community youth will help run in the morning. Brigham said the revenue made from the cafe will support the center and will be open to the public every morning.

A 1953 Willys pickup truck donated by Brigham will also offer youth an opportunity to learn about automotive restoration.

“We can paint it Compass colors and drive it in the Fourth of July parade next summer,” Brigham said.

The youth center is located next door to M &M Market, near Nikiski Middle/High School, and is geared towards children in that age range. Drop-in service will run from 2:15–3:30 p.m. on weekdays.

In the summer, Brigham hopes to offer outdoor programs where youth can go canoeing and hiking in the area.

“It’s actually surprising, a number of the youth around, even though we have it all around us, they’ve never been out,” Brigham said. “We want to get them out in creation and enjoy the rivers and the hills.”

Brigham has worked with many of the youth in Nikiski through his church, Lighthouse Community Church. He’s setting the Compass up as a faith-based organization, but the center is open to any youth in the area.

“I’ve met a lot of good kids, with a lot of ideas a lot of talent, but not a whole lot of direction,” Brigham said. “There’s a number of youth that I’ve run into or stopped by that aren’t really involved in anything and, or dropped out of school. I think we can really fill a gap where they can really have a place to belong and help some of them through the tough years of being a teenager. (Nikiski) is a place where there’s not a whole lot to do around here, (the Compass) is a place where they can come and hang out.”

Residents of Nikiski say they see a need for the Compass and more community centers, as well. Stacy Oliva, a co-vice chair of Citizens for Nikiski, Inc., a group petitioning the state to incorporate Nikiski as a city, and a member of the North Peninsula Recreation Service Area Board, said she loves the concept of the Compass.

“It’s definitely needed,” Oliva said. “It’s so needed in every community, and it’s neat they chose here.”

There were no community centers like there are now when Oliva was growing up in Nikiski in the 70s.

Both Oliva’s maternal and paternal grandparents homesteaded in Nikiski in the 1950s. She said she’s seen Nikiski change from a homestead area to a growing community.

“[Nikiski] lost its homestead feel,” Oliva said. “We always had really small family get-togethers and we relied on each other, shared things. It’s more commercialized now, and we don’t have neighborly gatherings like we used to, but now there are so many events where people are getting together here.”

She said she’s seen more families come to Nikiski in pursuit of a rural lifestyle, and a growth in agricultural enterprises, including marijuana.

“It’s still very industrial as an area, but it’s definitely very family-oriented,” Oliva said. “Nikiski is very unique and it has great families.”

While there is a growth in families, Oliva said Nikiski has also seen a growth in criminal activity, which she said is the community’s biggest drawback.

“Unfortunately, remoteness has left the door open for criminal activity, more so now than in the (Trans-Alaska Pipeline System) days,” Oliva said. “It’s just now it’s more unpredictable… You can stay under the radar here.”

Brigham is hoping to keep Nikiski’s youth out of trouble.

“We found that the youth that doesn’t have something to be part of or something to do, is getting in trouble, or are headed in a bad direction, so we really want to come alongside them and help them be set up for success,” Brigham said.

This is the first center dedicated to youth in Nikiski. The Nikiski Community Recreation Center, which was created after the Nikiski Elementary — housed in the same building — was shut down in 2004, also offers youth programs, a playground, a teen center that hosts monthly teen nights, youth sports programs and space for area-wide events.

Rachel Parra, the recreation director of the North Peninsula Recreation Service Area, said the Nikiski Community Recreation Center has been a work in progress, but that it’s central to community events. The list of programs and events is growing every year. Residents this summer can now enjoy Yoga in the Park for free at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and next month, the Nikiski Pool is hosting its first ever cardboard and duct tape boat race.

“The primary industry out here is oil and gas and fishing, but it seems like we have a really growing desire to have a community out here and offer different things for teens to do,” Brigham said. “I know the rec center has been really trying to help get stuff like that going as well as (Challenge Martial Arts).”

Brigham said he sees a desire for community growth in Nikiski, and it’s because of a collaborative effort between the area’s organizations and businesses.

“We love Nikiski, we love being out here and we have the woods, and the ocean and a lot of things to enjoy, but we want to come together as a community of people as well,” Brigham said. “I see that happening out here as well. With oil and gas and fishing, it’s very seasonal. It ebbs and flows with oil prices, so we get little booms and slow periods. It seems right now we are headed in a new direction and I’m excited.”

The strip mall where M &M Market and the Compass are housed, has gradually added businesses in the past few years — what was once a nearly empty strip mall is now home to two restaurants, a martial arts studio, a ceramics shop and now the Compass youth center. Felix Martinez, owner of M &M Market, feels the ebbs and flows of Nikiski economy strongly. Last year, the hardware store closed and a community gas station stopped offering repairs, after which Martinez said his sales dropped between 12–14 percent.

“Our little community economy imploded last year,” Martinez said. “Though, Nikiski has been up and down since the beginning.”

Martinez has been an owner at M &M Market since 2003, but the store has been around since the 60s. He said in order for business to grow in Nikiski, people need to be willing to take risks.

“I don’t think I’ve seen someone take as big a chance as (Brigham),” Martinez said. “It almost brings a tear to my eye. When you see someone take a chance it makes you smile and you remember there are good people in the world. Our youth is our future, and if Todd next door is putting this much into our youth, it’s the least we could do to support him.”

The Compass is preparing to have an open house on Aug. 11 where the community can come and learn about the center’s goals.

This story was originally published in the Peninsula Clarion.

Goat hobby herds are becoming more and more popular on the Kenai Peninsula.

While some farmers sell their excess milk through herdshare programs — in which a shareholder invests in an animal and retains a proportionate amount of the animal’s production — others are using their surplus to craft specialty soaps.

When Deanna O’Connor isn’t milking her 11 goats — which she does twice a day on her lakeside property in Nikiski — she’s making goat milk cheese, ice cream and soap.

She shares her recipes and writes about her eight years of experience as a goat owner on her blog If you give a girl a goat…. Taking care of the goats started out as a hobby, but has recently grown into something more, she said.

“I think people are more aware of the products that they are putting on their skin and what they’re consuming,” O’Connor said. “I think particularly people in Alaska are hyper-aware because we are more connected to our environment.”

O’Connor sells her soap through her blog and at Alaska Herbal Solution’s Soldotna Wednesday Market booth. She plays with fragrances, exfoliants and oils to meet the needs of a broad range of people. She said, in general, goat milk soap is great for anyone who has issues with their skin. For acne, O’Connor would recommend her Tipsy Goat soap. It’s made with the amber beer from Alaska Brewing Company. Her favorite though is a new one she’s calling Farm Morning, which contains beef tallow, pork lard, black coffee, honey, oatmeal and more.

“It’s a good creamy bar,” she said.

Meg Wright of Wise and Right Farms also makes goat milk soap in Nikiski. She started three years ago as a way of making unique Christmas gifts for her family.

“My friend, who had made soap lots of times before, came over to my house and taught me how to make hot process goat milk soap,” Wright said. “From that day on I have been hooked on making and using it.”

Wright said she likes to be creative with her soap making, whether it would be adding basic colors, layering and swirling them or adding exfoliants such as pumice, clays or seeds. When it comes to fragrance, she goes by what her family likes. Like O’Connor, she also has unscented soaps for people who may be allergic.

O’Connor and Wright are not alone. At the Soldotna Wednesday Market, Wright sells her soap alongside five other soapmakers and two people selling goat milk soap. Despite the saturation in the market, Wright said she doesn’t try to compete.

“Everyone’s soaps are going to be different, so while everyone might use goat milk, the oils and other ingredients will and could be different,” Wright said. “It’s a pretty friendly market. We all have different spins on our soap, so there’s something for everyone. There seems to be enough variety for all the visitors.”

Wright also makes body butter and beard oil, with plans to expand to goat milk lotion and lip balm.