Seward school moving forward

The new Seward Middle School project will be set to go if the assembly, as expected, passes Resolution 2004-026 on Tuesday, thus awarding the Phase 1 site work job to the Soldotna-based firm North Star Paving Inc.

At $445,000, North Star was the winning bidder in a field of five companies vying for the project.

The work consists of clearing, grubbing, rough grading, sewer line installation and culvert installation in preparation for the construction of the new school, according to Kevin Lyon, project manager. Phase 1 is expected to take about 60 days from the notice to proceed. Funding will come from bond revenues.

Another measure to be considered at Tuesday's meeting is Ordinance 2003-19-39, which would accept and appropriate a $929,000 lump-sum payment from the U.S. Forest Service to be used in the removal of dead and dying spruce trees. The ordinance is set for introduction. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 20.

More than 1.5 million acres within the borough have been infested with spruce bark beetles, raising concerns over wildfire. The borough's Spruce Bark Beetle Miti-gation Program that administers an approved action plan for hazard tree removal needs additional funds to continue that work.

The $929,000 congressional appropriation to the borough was accompanied by separate appropriations of $260,000 and $300,000 earmarked for the city of Seward and Homer Electric Association, respectively, for their tree-removal programs. HEA's money will cover the costs of tree removal on the south side of Kachemak Bay.

The assembly also will hold several public hearings on pending ordinances.

One is Ordinance 2004-04 that would amend the borough code to clarify that the power and duties of local advisory planning commissions include making recommendations to the assembly through the Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission and directly to the assembly upon assembly request.

Another up for public hearing is Ordinance 2003-45, which would provide for a flat tax on aircraft. Tuesday's will be the fourth of five scheduled hearings.

In other business, the assembly will:

n Introduce Ordinance 2003-19-41, which would increase the Road Service Area's 2004 capital budget from $1.3 million to a little more than $1.74 million. That will be accomplished by approving expenditure of an additional $278,086 from the service area's operating fund and redirecting $163,743 from projects already completed which required less money than expected.

n Consider a substitute for Ordinance 2003-19-38, which would authorize the borough to acquire three lots in the Sumpter Subdivision as an addition to the Sterling Senior Center and appropriate $60,600 to cover costs. The substitute, offered by assembly member Grace Merkes of Sterling, changes the amount the Sterling senior organization would have to pay from a below-market-value of $50,000 to $60,000. The seniors would be required to put 10 percent down and pay 6 percent interest annually over 20 years to pay off the rest.