Chambers set schedules
■ The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce next meets today at noon at Froso’s Restaurant in Soldotna. Larry Persily, assistant to the borough mayor, will provide an update on the Alaska LNG Project. RSVP to 262-9814.
■ The Kenai Chamber of Commerce will not meet this week. For more information, call 283-1991.
Free F/V drill conductor workshop for commercial fishermen
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) will offer a 12-hour Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor workshop in Homer on July 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The workshop will be conducted at the Best Western Bidarka Inn, 575 Sterling Highway. This workshop is an excellent opportunity for commercial fishermen and other mariners to gain hands-on training with marine safety equipment and learn best practices for surviving emergencies at sea.
Instructor Rob Hulse will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, flares, and maydays; man-overboard recovery and firefighting; immersion suits and PFDs, helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures, and emergency drills. There will be and in-the-water practice session, giving participants practical experience with PFDs and immersion suits, employing survival techniques, and righting and boarding an inflatable life raft.
AMSEA Drill Conductor workshops meet the training requirements for documented commercial fishing vessels operating beyond the federal boundary line. This workshop is offered to commercial fishermen at no cost, thanks to support from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. Interested mariners may register online at www.amsea.org or call (907) 747-3287.
Farm equipment for rent
The Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District has a wide variety of garden and farm equipment for rent, including tractor-drawn implements for initial field preparation (the fabled “Meri Crusher”), tillage, no-till seeding, bed shaping, mulch laying, and planting. Non-mechanized tools for rent include backpack sprayers, broadcast seed spreader and broadfork. A DEC-approved mobile kitchen trailer is also available.
For information, see the “Equipment Rental” page at www.kenaisoilandwater.org or visit Kenai Feed & Supply.
Summer of Heroes nominations open
Alaska Communications and Boys & Girls Clubs – Alaska are teaming up and celebrating the fifth annual Summer of Heroes program to recognize local youth making a difference in Alaska communities. The search is on for five young Alaskan heroes, between the ages of 6-18, who are going above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of others. Each will receive a $1,500 scholarship and a trip to the Alaska State Fair. A hero can be any youth, ages 6 to 18, who has made a significant contribution to his or her community through acts of generosity, courage or achievement.
Alaskans can nominate themselves or others by filling out the online nomination form. The deadline for nominations is July 15. Alaska Communications is also seeking help from businesses and individuals in our search for the 2015 heroes.
Visit the Summer of Heroes website for program rules and details about the nomination process, or to make a donation: www.alaskacommunications.com/summerofheroes.
What’s new in your business?
Have you opened a new business, moved to a new location, hired a new person or promoted an employee? Send us your information at news@peninsulaclarion.com, fax it to 907-283-3299, or drop it by the Clarion at 150 Trading Bay in Kenai. Questions? Call 907-335-1251.
Business announcements may be submitted to news@peninsulaclarion.com. Items should be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication.