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At the suggestion of the mayor, the Kenai City Council put off talking about this year's Kenai River Dipnet Fishery report at Wednesday's council meeting, but did approve fencing in dunes on the south side of the river to protect them from heavy dipnet traffic in the future.

The council appropriated a $62,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant to install fencing around the environmentally sensitive dunes similar to wooden post and linked chain fencing that went around dunes on the north beach in advance of last summer's personal-use, sockeye salmon dipnet fishery.

Approximately 5,000 lineal feet of fencing will be installed on south beach.

The federal grant will cover materials and labor, according to City Manager Rick Koch. The work is expected to be completed before next year's dipnet season.

The council had been scheduled to discuss the city's 2009 dipnet report, but Mayor Pat Porter asked that the discussion item be combined with another scheduled discussion on setting up a work session to plan motor vehicle, camping, camp fire and off-road vehicle management measures.

The council agreed and set a work session for 6 p.m. Dec. 8.

Councilman Joe Moore said later he was disappointed that the report was not discussed at Wednesday's meeting considering it was advertised as an agenda item.

Moore then asked that the discussion item be placed on the next regular meeting agenda of the council scheduled for Nov. 4.

Moore also questioned why the city was being shown proposed advertising proofs for the first time Wednesday when the council was scheduled to decide whether to spend $10,000 on ads in the 2010 Kenai Visitors Guide.

Natasha Ala, executive director of the Kenai Convention and Visitors Bureau, which produces the guide book, said she was unaware that the city council wanted to see ad proofs.

"We've had them for a month," she said.

In a memo to the council dated Oct. 15, Koch said the city had not received information requested from the KCVB including "what is proposed to be included in the visitors guide." He recommended postponing approval of the $10,000 request or amending the proposed resolution to approve $5,000 -- the same amount the city spent in on advertising in this year's guide book.

Just hours before Wednesday's council meeting Koch received ad proofs, which were given to council members at the start of the meeting.

The council voted unanimously to approve the $10,000 expenditure, and Ala thanked the city council for supporting the project.

In other business, the council approved two $2,233,110 appropriations to pay for extending city water and sewer lines down Bridge Access Road from the Kenai Spur Highway to nearly Beaver Loop Road.

The city will receive $2 million in funding for the water extension and $2 million for sewer from the state Department of Environmental Conservation through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The city must pay a 10 percent match plus a one-half percent early prepayment fee as the funding is a loan through the DEC Clean Water Fund loan program, according to Koch.

He said earlier the work will start as soon as next March and be completed by October.

The work is not expected to cause traffic interruptions on the busy Bridge Access Road other than periodic reduced speed limits.

The council also unanimously approved a $2 million appropriation in the Kenai River bluff stabilization project. The money is from a state Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development grant, which does not require a local match.

The new grant brings the total funding in hand and in-kind for the $29 million project to $10.2 million. The Kenai Peninsula Borough donated quarry rock with an estimated value of $4.8 million.

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