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For more than 30 years, a Kenai resident has heard agencies stress the importance of sand dunes to the health of the Kenai River.

On Wednesday, Tommy Thompson was pleased to see the Kenai City Council take action to protect them.

The council sped through approval of an emergency ordinance extending no trespassing prohibitions to the beach area on the south side of the Kenai River. Two weeks ago, the north beach was protected similarly.

"I have been on the Harbor Commission since the late 1970s," Thompson said. "Now I'm the chair.

"It's our request that you support this as an emergency issue," he said.

By rushing the measure through first and second readings before giving it approval, the council adopted the ordinance in time for it to go into effect before the upcoming salmon dipnet fishing season, which begins July 10 in Kenai.

The new law prohibits anyone from trespassing in the environmentally sensitive sand dunes, subject to a stiff fine. Originally the ordinance called for a $500 fine for each violation, but council members Wednesday added a $150 fine amount if the trespassing does not cause physical damage to the dunes.

"It seems logical that the rules should be equally applied on the south beach," said Old Town resident Bob Peters.

City Manager Rick Koch said the dune areas are being fenced off in advance of the dipnet fishery.

The council also amended the city's ethics rules for elected and appointed officials and for city employees. The revised rules prohibit municipal officers or city employees from bidding on surplus city property if they have privileged information about the property that would not be readily available to the general public.

The rule adds commission members to those officials who must declare any financial conflicts of interest before voting on a question.

In other action, the council approved a $375,713 contract to Sterchi Construction to build a urea storage building at Kenai Municipal Airport.

The storage building was necessitated by the closure of the North Kenai Agrium fertilizer plant. In the past, when urea was needed to keep the runway ice free, the city would call the plant and place an order. With the plant no longer operating, urea will need to be ordered from elsewhere, requiring a storage facility for it when it is delivered.

The contract award was approved unanimously.

A $165,368 contract was awarded for a public safety garage. The work calls for enclosing the existing carport structure used by the Kenai Police Department. In the interest of saving fuel, police vehicles parked in the garage will no longer need to remain idling in cold weather to ensure emergency readiness, Koch said.

At Koch's direction, the city has implemented a no idle policy for city vehicles when the temperature is above 35 degrees. When the temperature drops below 35, city vehicles and equipment are permitted to idle for a maximum of 10 minutes. If it is necessary for the vehicle to stay warm, it must be placed in warm storage.

The new fuel-saving policy does not apply to public safety vehicles.

Phil Hermanek can be reached at phillip.hermanek@peninsulaclarion.com.