Soldotna’s capital budget final draft up for review

  • By Kelly Sullivan
  • Tuesday, July 8, 2014 11:14pm
  • News

The city of Soldotna is proposing a capital budget with significant attention to downtown improvement projects aimed at community identity.

New light pole banners, landscaping improvements and two gateway signs are among the beautification projects in the city’s fiscal year 2015 capital budget.

The final draft will be introduced at Wednesday’s council meeting, and the final list of capital projects will be open for public comment on July 23.

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

Promoting downtown development was determined to be the highest priority goal from the Economic Development section of Envision Soldotna 2030 Comprehensive Plan, according to the document.

The projects for this fiscal year were identified by the public, city administration, or council based on current needs or opportunities, said Stephanie Queen, Director of Economic Development and Planning.

“The capital budget is a way to annually implement high-priority city projects,” Queen said. “Many projects on the list were identified as goals in one of the city’s various planning documents, such as the Comprehensive Plan or Recreation and Trails Master Plan.”

This year’s proposed budget is $1.45 million to be appropriated to the city’s General Fund.

In previous years the operating budget and capital budget were in the same ordinance, but this year the two were taken on individually said Kyle Kornelis, City Engineer.

By looking at the two budgets separately, an emphasis can be directed at which projects need to get done, rather working around a number, Kornelis said.

After the first work session with the council and the public on June 27, Kornelis added an additional $172,000 allocation for extending the sidewalk on Riverside Drive, a section that receives high pedestrian traffic, he said.

The council also requested funding for improving the Soldotna City Hall sign, Kornelis said.

Improvements to the city’s parks and waterfronts were also a high priority in this year’s budget.

Proposed projects include the installation of informational and educational signage for guiding visitors and preventing environmental damage, according to the document.

Council member Pete Sprague said he was particularly pleased to see a priority placed on renovations to Swiftwater Park this year. The area needs “a lot of work,” he said.

Upgrades to Swiftwater Park include work on the water systems, restrooms and pedestrian facilities, as well as road improvements within the park, which is at full capacity during the summer months, according to the document.

Kornelis worked closely with Rachel Nash, the City Librarian at the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Library to come up with a plan to allocate funding for a self-checkout program.

An appropriation of $40,000 is set for purchasing Radio Frequency Identification tags, according to the document.

The independent system is aimed at “improving patron confidentiality,” and “decreases the potential for repetitive stress injuries in the staff members,” Nash said.

Soldotna’s Safe Routes to School Walk Zone Inventory and Recommendations plan are already receiving attention with the allocations in this year’s budget.

Park Avenue and Redoubt Avenue were identified as the two top locations for installing mid-block crossings, according to the capital budget. The project would involve “the removal of existing signs and warning lights; installation of mid-block crossings and signage; and striping.”

A final schedule has not yet been decided for implementing the proposed projects, Kornelis said. Design timeframes, weather conditions, and the bidding climate are among the many considerations required when analyzing and planning the completion of the projects.

Kornelis said it is a challenge coming up with a plan on how to implement these projects when the fiscal year ends in the middle of the short summer construction season.

 

Kelly Sullivan can be reached at kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks at a town hall meeting in the Moose Pass Sportsman’s Club in Moose Pass, Alaska, on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Insurance authorization bill sponsored by Bjorkman, Ruffidge becomes law

The bill requires insurance companies and health care providers to meet new deadlines for authorizing requests for care.

A map of the Johnson Tract Mine exploration project. Photo courtesy of the Center for Biological Diversity
Inletkeeper, partners file lawsuit against Cook Inlet gold mine

The Johnson Tract Mine is located on CIRI-owned lands inside Lake Clark National Park.

A sockeye salmon is carried from the waters of Cook Inlet on North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, during the first day of the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai River dipnet fishery open 24 hours beginning Friday night

Per fish counts available from the department, 471,000 sockeye have been counted so far this year — with 108,000 counted on Wednesday alone.

Attorneys Eric Derleth and Dan Strigle speak to Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson during the opening arguments of State of Alaska v. Nathan Erfurth at the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Opening arguments offered in Erfurth trial

The trial is set to continue for around two weeks, into early August.

Evacuees in Seward, Alaska, walk along Adams Street following a tsunami warning on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Tsunami warning canceled following 7.3 earthquake near Sand Point

An all clear was issued for Kachemak Bay communities at 1:48 p.m. by the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management.

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.

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