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Winter Scout Trip to Quartz Lake
April 21, 2000
COMMUNITY EASTER MUSICAL The Delta/Greely Community Choir is presenting "A Celebration of New Life" performance at Ft. Greely Chapel on Saturday, April 22nd at 7:00 p.m. "Choir members have been rehearsing since shortly after Christmas," reports Choir Director, Kathy Sharp. "The music is wonderful and very moving. I believe the community will really enjoy this performance." The Easter Musical Celebration will be quite different from the format of the Community Choir’s Annual Christmas Concerts. The songs performed by the choir will honor the Passion of Christ, the Resurrection, and the joyous celebration of New Life and Beginnings. The performance will also include local students singing in the Baptist Church Youth Choir and a recorder trio playing short interludes of renaissance music. An enjoyable highlight of the performance will be the Youth Theater Group performing an original play, "Just the Way You Are" by Max Lucado, directed by Chap. Jim McNeal. The theatre group joins the choir for a "Hosanna" opening by Jim McNeal and Becky Riche. The closing "Easter Song" features a combined adult and youth choir. Limited childcare will be available for children ages 2 to 5. To make child care reservations for the performance, contact Ft. Greely Chapel at 873-4610. Mark your calendar to join fellow community members in this musical celebration of Christ’s gift to us. Kathy Sharp -- April 19, 2000
Spring Fun in the Alaska Range
April 13, 200
Deltana Community Corporation The regular monthly meeting of Deltana Corporation opened on March 9th with many members of the public attending. The board moved through the agenda and arrived at the Borough Planning Update, which was the evening’s point of interest for most of the public. Deltana has determined to draft a different charter than the one the current steering committee has apparently filed. The consensus of opinion of the board was that Deltana would work on a draft charter that would suit the areas need and simply keep it on file. At this time Deltana has no intent to file a charter. The board feels that appropriate research needs to be done on several issues including tax revenue resources, while continuing work on a new draft charter. A minimum local contribution of 4 mils is required to support the schools. Fran Hallgren ,a former member of the Local Boundary Commission for a period of four years, was present and able to answer some questions regarding rumors of a North Star Borough annexation. She assured all that the LBC follows prescribed criteria before approving or disapproving of any request submitted. The criteria used are ownership of the land, mineral rights, water drainage, and the sentiment of the local population to name a few. The area population is allowed to testify in the proceedings and would receive a fair hearing. Pete Hallgren talked to Dan Bockhorst and was told that this rumor of annexation has been around for years. The head of Planning for the FNSB said they are not planning any annexation. Discussion followed with conversation and questions flowing between everyone present. President Knopp then gave an overview of what Deltana has done so far. Deltana took the steering committee draft charter last summer and reviewed it line by line and made recommendations. It was then given to the steering committee. They incorporated only a few of the changes recommended by the board. Deltana then decided to take our own recommendations and incorporate them into a new document. A document that would be a Unified Municipality charter structured with less bureaucracy than the current steering committee’s document. It is a planning tool. That brought on more discussion about which type of borough we would like to have. A Municipality form would absorb the City of Delta leaving one central government for the area. A Home Rule form would allow the City of Delta to remain intact thereby creating two local governments. Interchanges followed about accepting any possible debt load the City of Delta might have or receiving the benefits of any of the multiple grants the City of Delta might be approved for. At the next regular meeting of Deltana Corporation there will be a guest speaker, Dan Bockhorst to answer questions concerning the borough formation process. The board moved on to the disposition of the 1996 grant monies. Kevin Kelly representing the Deltana Volunteer Fire Department made a presentation requesting funding for another fire station at Sawmill Creek. His presentation was well made. The floor was opened to question and answer. Hawley Zachgo made a presentation for a project he and John Hite had researched when it was apparent that no public requests were going to be made for these monies. The project was a driving range to be situated near the Deltana Fire Station. Pam Ellis was present representing the City of Delta. The City of Delta was requesting support for their efforts to repair and upgrade the translator/antenna on Donnelly Dome. Todd Zachgo requested that the City also include radio transmission into the project as the Ft. Greely station will be going off air in the future. Pam said that there had been some discussion on that and that it was certainly possible. The vote on disposal of this grant had to be made this evening so a motion was made to call for a vote between the several requests. The roll call vote that followed was close. The translator project was selected for this particular grant. A resolution was passed to endorse the Deltana Repeater and Radio. An update on the oil refinery project followed. Russ Bowdre stated that for saving in time the refinery has moved off Ft. Greely. Apparently there would have been some big time delays in getting title to any land on Ft. Greely. They are dealing with Ventec Corp. right now. A feasibility study and environmental study will be needed before the project can continue. A proposal is in for $25,000.00 for the park. It is not tied with the Ballistic Missile Site. In a couple of weeks Russ anticipates they will have firm information. On the Missile Defense project the City is moving ahead with joint use of the Allen Army Airfield. Pete Hallgren stated that insurance would be an issue. The FAA will help in any effort to improve the airfield. The Ballistic Missile Defense team has expressed an interest in helping to upgrade the airfield to meet their needs. General discussion followed about the likelihood of the BMD actually happening. School enrollment problems were briefly addressed. Steve Fields requested a brief prison update. Pete Hallgren said that there are five causes of action pending. Only one cause has been addressed. The reason that the judge found for Allvest is that it had nothing to do with the rest of the case. The judge regarded it as inconsequential to the other matters of the case. There will not be a referendum. The judge will hold a scheduling conference on March. As we go to press it is understood that the trial date has been set for April of 2001. The Gerstle River Dike project has come into some difficulty. We are currently working with Natural Resources Conservation Service to use the stockpiled riprap in the project as part of the Deltana match. Phil Naegle suggested writing a letter requesting assistance to come up with some options for a solution. The board unanimously passed a motion to send the letter to NRCS. We received a request last meeting regarding assistance for Clearwater Extension. Phil said that there was some design work done on that project. A motion was made and passed to write a letter to the Soil Water Conservation District requesting technical assistance and a site visit to Clearwater Extension. The next meeting of Deltana is Thursday, April 13th at 7:00p.m. at the Delta Community Center. Dan Bockhorst will be present to answer questions on borough formation. For further information call 895-4150 Kassie Farrar -- April 4, 2000 Delta's Champion Community Delta's status as a Champion Community appears to have already benefited one of the projects in the region's Two-Year Plan. The Delta Regional Economic Development Council (DREDC) developed the plan with the participation of many organizations. The Gerstle River Dike project is a part of the Delta Region Two-Year Plan and shortly after the letter was received from USDA Rural Development, Deltana Community Corporation (DCC) was able to obtain the necessary funds to complete the dike project. The letter written to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) by the State Director of USDA Rural Development, Sheila Selkregg, stated, in part, "Without any direct financial assistance from USDA Rural Development, it (DREDC) has developed a well rounded two-year work plan. In addition, it has scoped out most of those projects and entered them into the USDA Benchmark Management System. It has made more progress to date than almost any other Champion Community in the entire nation." If you have any new projects that you would like to include in the Delta Region Two-Year Plan, it is not too late to submit them to DREDC. March 31,2000 IS THERE ANY INTEREST Parents interested in having their children in the little league program (T-Ball, Minor, Major, Jr. League or Senior League), must attend a mandatory Parents meeting being held in the Library Conference Room, Thursday April 13, 2000 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is to determine if there will be a baseball program for the up and coming summer. Stop in and tentatively tell us if your child wants to play ball this summer. We will have a tentative sign-up sheet available at the meeting. We will continue to go ahead and do a registration to get an actual count. That is why it will be imperative to be at the parent meeting or have your child signed up on April 22 at Granite View Sports. Registration will be from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. We do need parents to be involved, you don't have to be an expert at the sport, just a willing hand and we as a community can still have a program for our youth. If you can help please contact Jeannie Pinkelman 895-5250 or Eileen Herman 895-5564. March 31,2000
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Resurrection Sunday Drama Planned Delta Christian Center invites the Delta Community to celebrate the resurrection by seeing the drama, "He Has Risen" on Sunday, April 23rd at 11 AM. The drama is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Delta Christian Center is located at 4.5 Mile Jack Warren Rd. Anyone needing a ride should call 895-5279 or 895-4918. Delta Christian Center -- April 19, 2000
Willowwood Now on the Web Willowwood Cards,Gifts, and Collectibles, formerly known as E.C.'s Garden & Gifts, can now be viewed on the web at http://knix.net/willowwood and soon at http://www.willowwoodgifts.com. An Alaska grown business, long-time Delta resident and owner Elaine Shannon says "Willowwood is the result of years of dedication, sacrifice, and work. And it's a dream coming true." It all began with her love of gardening and preserving flowers. E.C.'s (Everlasting Collections) was primarily a place where a person could purchase dried flower arrangements using home-grown flowers. "No one else in the area was crafting with these yet, and as a result, the business did well. But customers began asking for more of a variety, a little of this or a little of that, and eager as I am to please my customers, voila, a new store was born." Willowwood is now a place where a person can purchase a variety of gift items not commonly found in Alaska stores. Special orders are accepted regularly and currently for graduation 2000. The site will change with the seasons and aims to make shopping at -50 below a little bit easier. April 10, 2000 FISHING SEMINAR Anyone who has ever wet a line in Alaska knows what a difficult task it can be to interpret the state’s fishing regulations. Even seasoned Alaskans get frustrated. For new Delta residents who read and speak only Russian, it has to be doubly difficult. We know there are many who would like to get out and enjoy fishing and the fine meals their catch can provide but are hesitant because of their uncertainty in understanding the regulations, requirements or opportunities. A fishing seminar especially designed for our Russian speaking neighbors will be held on Friday evening 28 April from 7 PM to 9 PM at Delta Christian Center (4.5 Mile Jack Warren Rd). Interpreters will translate from English to Russian. Delta Area Sport Fish Biologist Fronte Parker will cover fishing regulations, procedures, requirements and answer any questions. Area Wildlife Biologist Steve DuBois will open the session with a brief overview on the permit hunting application process for those interested. The majority of the time however will be spent on fishing related topics. Another session planned for August will be devoted specifically to hunting issues. Contact Mike (English) (895-1946) or Alex (Russian / Ukranian) (895-5417) if you have any questions or need further information. Mike Rawalt -- April 10, 2000  Canada geese wing their way north across an April Interior Alaska sky. Photo by David Johnson. Migrating Birds Arriving The first migrants of spring are beginning to arrive, according to Delta Area Wildlife Biologist Steve DuBois. "There was a Canada Goose spotted at Clearwater Lake on Tuesday (4/4/2000), and two swans today (4/6/2000)," DuBois said. "We've been getting reports of snow buntings....the first migrants of spring....for a couple of weeks or more now." DuBois says the main body of migrating waterfowl typically shows up by mid-April. The waterfowl are quickly followed by songbirds. David Johnson -- April 7, 2000
Spring Hunter Education Class Delta hunter education instructors have scheduled a state-sponsored hunter education class for Tuesday, April 18 through Saturday, April 29. Hunter Education training is taught throughout North America to help develop good hunting skills. The program covers three main areas: firearms safety, wildlife conservation and hunting ethics and responsibility. ADF&G hunter education instructors say the program is designed to help young people and adults get off to a safe and responsible start in hunting. Every state now has some hunter education requirements. Some states require certification before purchasing a hunting license. Instructors recommend that parents or guardians accompany their young people in the class. Adults usually find they learn quite a bit from the classes as well, instructors say. Adults share their experiences, and that aids class learning. It can be a good opportunity for fathers and sons or daughters or even mothers and children to learn together. The program is difficult for children under about 11 years and that is the youngest age that should take the class. Participants successfully completing the class will obtain an Alaska Department of Fish and Game Hunter Education card. These cards are accepted in other states that require Hunter Education training before obtaining hunting licenses. It may also become important in Alaska because hunter education certification may be required on Alaska military installations before hunting in the future. The classes will be held for three hours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Saturdays. Participants must attend every class to obtain the Hunter Education card. The class is limited to 25 students. The class costs $5, which covers class expenses. People interested may sign up at Granite View Sports and Gifts. People with questions can call David Johnson at 895-4919. David Johnson -- April 6, 2000
Fish Get Even Bigger in the Delta Area
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