Kenai council addresses airport electrical woes

The Kenai Municipal Airport was without runway lights for a few hours March 28 after a circuit board shorted out and started smoking, Rebecca Cronkhite, airport manager, reported to the Kenai City Council at its Wednesday meeting.

The short occurred around 8 p.m. March 28 and knocked out power to the runway lights, which are like Christmas lights, Cronkhite said, because when one light goes out, they all go out.

The airport shut down the board and canceled flights until 10 p.m. If the board was left on for too long it would start to overheat again, so it was shut off until a plane was due in, allowing flights to land again.

On Friday, the airport borrowed a circuit board from Anchorage Municipal Airport, and by Saturday the problem was fixed.

The council voted to pay the cost of repairing the damaged equipment and restocking maintenance supplies at the airport.

In other council news:

n The council voted to remove a protest against renewing the liquor license of Eaglechief Inc., which operates the Katmai Motel Restaurant and Lounge, as long as the company pays the $4,300 it owes the city by 4 p.m. today.

Eaglechief owed $7,200 to the city for water, sewer and lease payments and indicated it could pay the rest by Friday.

n The council voted to remove a protest against renewing the liquor license of Spencer W. Han, operator of the New Peking Restaurant, as Han has paid all the money his establishment owed to the city.

n Council member Joe Moore reported that the Library Commission decided to have the Friends of the Library group submit grants for the library expansion project in its name on behalf of the city, since research showed other libraries have had more success getting grants that way.

n Council member Duane Bannock reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission granted a conditional-use permit for a dormitory at the Alaska Challenger Learning Center and denied an application for a variance permit for an oversize sign at the Challenger Center.

n Bannock also read a letter he received from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, saying the chamber gratefully accepted the council's invitation to give a commission/committee report at council meetings.