Soldotna hires consultants to open annexation conversation

The city of Soldotna is continuing its research into the annexation of nearby areas currently outside of city boundaries by creating a forum for public engagement.

The city hired The Athena Group, a consulting agency based in Olympia, Washington, to design and facilitate a process that “will allow everyone to be heard and to hear each other,” according a release from the city.

In December, the Soldotna City Council approved an ordinance to appropriate $50,000 to spend on gathering public input on the hotly contested issue, which, for years, has continued to appear on the agenda and ignite debate.

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

“Our role in the project is really to design and facilitate a process for the community to have an open and honest conversation about annexation,” Meagan Picard of The Athena Group said. “What it means to them individually and what it means to the community at large.”

There will be three ways for the community to participate in the dialogue. Starting Sept. 1, and running through Oct. 30, an online discussion forum will open to the public at https://soldotna.consider.it.

“We’re going to start with a series of questions about the various changes that would happen if these areas were to be annexed,” Picard said. “We’ll be gauging what’s important and what really matters most to community members regarding each of those potential changes.”

Starting on Sept. 27, The Athena Group will organize a series of in-person conversations and open houes to address specific issues and concerns.

“If they are concerned about what will happen with law enforcement, they can talk to representatives from the police department,” Picard said.

The kick-off presentation and full open house will take place Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. There will be two more open houses at the Joyce Carver Memorial Library on Oct. 2 and 3 from 11 .m. to 2 p.m.

“Then we will be talking in the evening with community members about the things that we’ve been hearing in the online forum that seems to be riding to the top in terms of caring about annexation,” Picard said.

There will be four evening meetings held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The first meeting will be on Sept. 27 at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. The second will be held at the Gilman River Center on Sept. 28. The third and fourth evening discussions will be held on Oct. 2 and 3 at the Joyce Carver Memorial Library.

“We expect to be pulling from these, some kind of high level guidelines for decision making for the council and, possibly, even specific proposals that community members come up with,” Picard said. “We’ll take more detailed questions (from the open houses) and bring them into the last few weeks of the online forum to really dig in and really understand the community best.”

This is the second phase in Soldotna’s exploration of annexation. The city also completed a fiscal impact study last June, which evaluated the potential costs of delivering municipal services to each of the nine proposed geographic areas outside of the city identified as Funny River West, Skyview, K-Beach South, K-Beach Central, K-Beach North, Knight Drive, Kenai Spur, Sterling Highway and Funny River.

If, following the public engagement process, Soldotna decides to go through with annexation of one of the nine proposed neighborhoods, a petition would be sent to the Local Boundary Commision. The commission has the final say over the annexation of additional land and will hold its own public input process.

Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Vice President Kelly Cooper speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough considers seasonal sales tax rate

Borough sales tax would be modified from a flat 3% to a seasonal model of 4% in summer months and 2% in winter months.

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
King salmon fishing on Kasilof closes Thursday

If any king salmon is caught while fishing for other species, they may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Un’a, a female sea otter pup who was admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in June 2025, plays with an enrichment toy at the center in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center
SeaLife Center admits 2 seal pups, 1 orphaned otter

The three pups join the Alaska SeaLife Center’s ‘growing’ patient list.

James Wardlow demonstrates flilleting a salmon with an ulu during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Refuge to celebrate all things fish during weeklong event

Fish Week will take place July 16-19.

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

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