Flowers bloom at Soldotna City Hall on Wednesday, June 24, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Flowers bloom at Soldotna City Hall on Wednesday, June 24, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna approves capital budget

The budget will pay for multiple big city projects over the next 11 months

The Soldotna City Council on Wednesday approved what one city official called a “significantly” smaller capital project budget that will pay for multiple big city projects over the next 11 months.

In all, the spending plan approved by council members designates $105,000 for capital projects in fiscal year 2024, which started on July 1 and ends on June 30, 2024.

Of that, $50,000 is going to the Soldotna Police Department for the implementation of new body cameras and $30,000 will plan the future of refrigeration at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Soldotna Public Works Director Kyle Kornelis told council members on Wednesday that the City of Soldotna was a leader in Alaska when it comes to the use of police body cameras. However, the department’s technology is now aging.

“They are now antiquated and no longer supported to the degree that we need them to,” Kornelis said of the cameras. “This would enable us to implement the purchase of those new body-worn cameras as well as the connectivity through FirstNet.”

Also aging, Kornelis said, is Soldotna’s system for refrigerating the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. The city currently uses R22 Freon at the facility, but Kornelis said it will soon be illegal to produce or import the material in the United States. Although Soldotna has an “ample supply” for now, he said it’s time for the city to start planning for alternatives.

The document approved by council members on Wednesday also puts $10,000 toward Soldotna’s Riverfront Redevelopment Project and $15,000 will be used for the city’s ongoing Storefront Improvement Program.

The Riverfront Redevelopment Project, which kicked off last summer after the City of Soldotna received a federal grant to begin planning efforts, would redevelop 85 acres of land between the Sterling Highway and the Kenai River in Soldotna. Money included in the budget document will pay for an appraisal report and further public engagement meetings.

The city’s Storefront Improvement Program reimburses up to 50% of the cost of eligible storefront improvements to Soldotna businesses up to $7,500. Work eligible for the program includes the rehabilitation of building facades visible to the street such as storefronts, signs, windows and exterior lighting, among others.

Wednesday’s Soldotna City Council meeting can be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The Ninilchik River on May 18, 2019, in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Ninilchik River to remain closed to king salmon fishing

It was an “error in regulation” that would have opened the Ninilchik River to king salmon fishing on Wednesday.

A table used by parties to a case sits empty in Courtroom 4 of the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski woman sentenced to 4 years in prison for 2023 drug death

Lawana Barker was sentenced for her role in the 2023 death of Michael Rodgers.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Seward resident arrested after Monday night police pursuit

Troopers say she led them on a high-speed chase on Kalifornsky Beach Road for around 7 miles.

Concert-goers listen to The Discopians at Concert on the Lawn on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
‘Dancing at the end of the world’

KBBI AM 890 hosted their annual Concert on the Lawn Saturday.

Lisa Gabriel unfurls a set beach seine during a test fishery for the gear near Clam Gulch, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Seine test fishery continues after board of fish calls for more data

The east side setnet fishery has been entirely closed in recent years to protect Kenai River king salmon

Jason Criss stands for a photo in Soldotna, Alaska, after being named a qualifier for the Special Olympics USA Games on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna athlete to compete in 2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Thousands of athletes from across all 50 states will be competing in 16 sports.

The entrance to the Homer Electric Association office is seen here in Kenai, Alaska on May 7, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
HEA opens bids for real property

The deadline to submit bids is 5 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. (right) attends a change of plea hearing related to the October 2023 fatal shooting of Brianna Hetrick on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Homer Courthouse in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Mondragon-Lopez sentenced for death of Homer woman

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. accepted a plea deal in February for the shooting of Brianna Hetrick.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in