KBBI - Homer

The first large storm of the season is expected to hit Southcentral Alaska later today, peaking overnight and early Wednesday.

Forecasters say that parts of Southcentral Alaska could see hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 100 mph and heavy rain starting tonight.

Dave Snider, a meteorologist with National Weather Service Alaska, says people should avoid travel during the storm.

“Probably a good rule of thumb for most people anywhere in South Central Alaska would be to get there and stay there. It’s just going to be pretty tough to move around,” said Snider.

High Wind warnings are in effect for the eastern Kenai Peninsula and the Anchorage area while storm warnings have been issued for Kachemak Bay and surrounding areas.

Sustained winds of 50 miles per hour are expected around Homer and along the Sterling Highway corridor with possible stronger isolated gusts.

“You’re going to experience horizontal rainfall at some point in the day, that’s how windy it will be,” said Snider.

Those flying or on the water are going to experience very rough conditions, says Snider.

“Gale warnings are up for Cook Inlet, south of Kalgin Island and we have storm warnings out over the Barrens. Gusts around Homer and the Sterling Highway corridor may reach upwards of about 50 miles per hour. But we do expect there are going to be some isolated gust that will be considerably stronger and we are thinking right now that those winds coming in from the south and east will create a pretty substantial low-level wind shear and turbulence for aviators moving around and again being out on the water is going to be pretty rough,” said Snider.

Snider says this is the kind of storm that could blow things away if they are not secured.

“You might want to bring the trash barrels a little bit closer to the house. If you still have the patio umbrella up, you might want to consider taking that down fairly quickly because things like that will become airborne fairly easily with stronger southeasterly gusts,” said Snider.

He adds that it is also time to secure airplanes and boats and to take other precautions.

“Folks that normally tie up their airplanes and tie up their boats in big weather system this may be the day to do it. And in some cases it would not be surprising to see potential tree damage in some areas with some of those stronger gusts. If those are concerns for folks in preparation, then first thing Tuesday during the day before it really picks up in the afternoon and evening would be a wise time to take a break and go take care of those things.” said Snider.

In addition to the high winds, flood watches are in effect from Seward north to Whittier, from Tuesday night into Thursday, with 5 to 7 inches of rainfall projected in a 12 to 18 hour period.

Forecasters have said that this storm appears to be stronger than the one that moved through Southcentral Alaska earlier this month, which took down trees and knocked out power for thousands of customers from Willow to Homer.

Dozens attended a 10-year celebration of the Homer Public Library’s building on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The Friends of the Homer Library threw the party that included a musical performance, refreshments and the introduction of a new bookmobile.

The Friends bought the bookmobile this spring from the community of Glennallen. They then refurbished the outside of it and marked it with their new logo.

Mercedes Harness is the coordinator for the Friends of the Homer Library. She said the bookmobile will be used for community outreach.

“The primary purpose of the bookmobile is to promote reading and life-long learning in the Homer community by providing access to books for people in the community who are underserved due to physical, economic, social, geographic or other barriers. So our hope is that by next summer we will be able to take the book mobile out east, perhaps on the spit, places where access to the library is more difficult,” said Harness.

Harness said that Andy Haas, another member of the Friends, brought up the idea for the bookmobile.

“We’ve been asking ourselves for a few years what we can do to bring people to the library that may not necessarily come here; those who may not fully have the chance to come in. For instance: students from outlying areas, senior citizens, people who are house-ridden, and people in outlying communities who may not enjoy the library,” said Haas.

Harness said that this fall they hope to bring the bookmobile to the elementary schools during the school day. They also hope that the bookmobile will encourage kids to get library cards.

All the books that are in the bookmobile were donated. If you’d like to donate books, they are accepted year-round at the Homer Public Library.

A Homer resident died in a car crash just before midnight Sept. 9, according to a dispatch from the Alaska State Troopers.

Jonathan Osteen, 32, crashed his truck near mile 13 of East End Road.

He was thrown from the vehicle and is believed to have died before troopers arrived on the scene.

The crash occurred after a related incident was reported to Alaska State Troopers.

According to a dispatch report, an unidentified woman called 911 to report a physical disturbance with Jonathan Osteen near mile 10 of East End Road.

The woman had met Osteen at a local bar on the Homer Spit that evening.

The state medical examiner will perform an autopsy on the body.

Alcohol and excessive speed are believed to have caused the crash.

The investigation is ongoing.

Homer, the little town at the “End of The Road,” is becoming an increasingly popular travel destination.

2016 has been a record-breaking year for the Homer tourism industry, said Jan Knutson, the Visitor Center coordinator with the Homer Chamber of Commerce.

“It has been a banner year for Homer and the surrounding area in terms of the number of the visitors. This year we had over 12,600 visitors,” Knutson said.

The visitor center welcomed 219 tourists on July 21 alone, breaking the record for number of daily visitors. In comparison, the average number of visitors per day was 94 in 2015.

Increases in the number of visitors have translated into higher revenues for a number of Homer businesses.

Homer city campgrounds, for instance, reported a revenue increase of $5,000 in comparison to August 2015.

Local bed and breakfasts also have seen increases in occupancy, Knutson said.

“With several of the B&Bs last year, they had 60 percent occupancy, this year it’s 92 percent. They’re all booming,” Knutson said.

Besides the increase in the number of visitors, the Chamber of Commerce has seen a number of other changes, Knutson said.

“The trends that we see that are new this year, one is more and more motorcyclists are coming in,” she said. “The other trend I’m seeing is more and more people, depending on what their budget is, are coming to camp because their budget may be limited, but they really want to come to Homer.”

The Homer Chamber of Commerce is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the year. It also will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through the end of September.

Construction crews are getting ready to break ground on a new athletics building in Homer.

The South Peninsula Athletic and Recreation Center, or SPARC, will be used for a variety of activities, including indoor soccer, baseball and pickleball.

Daniel Zatz, who is spearheading the SPARC project, said the facility will allow residents to be active throughout the year.

“We’ve needed this space forever,” Zatz said. “As our winters have increasingly become warmer and the opportunity for playing in the snow has gone down and fields have turned into mud, we really really need this now.”

The SPARC building will be constructed on a 3-and-a-half acre lot near Homer Middle School.

Excavation is scheduled to begin in late September and the prefabricated steel structure will arrive at the end of October.

The goal is to open SPARC by the end of 2016, Zatz said.

The total cost of the SPARC building will be approximately $550,000.

So far, the project organizers have raised $450,000. Necessary amenities will be added to the building next year, once they’ve reached their fundraising goal, Zatz said.

“What the community will probably see is that we will raise the SPARC and we will make it playable with a closed-in building, with a rubberized floor, with LED lighting,” he said. “That will happen before the end of the year. The heaters and the bathrooms may have to wait until next year as we raise the final funds to finish it.”

The SPARC project is supported by a combination of public funding and private donations.

Currently, 60 percent to 75 percent of funding has come from private donors, including local businesses and individual contributions.

The City of Homer will contribute roughly $200,000 toward construction costs.

“One of the keys for all of us in building the SPARC is that it will be built 100 percent debt free. So, the only budget that we will have to achieve each year will be the cost of operations,” Zatz said.

Based on recent estimates, Zatz said that facility entrance fees will cover most operational costs.

More information about the SPARC project can be found online at www.sparchomer.org.

Summer may be over, but three “circus art” classes are set to begin this week at the Homer Council on the Arts.

Homer resident Kammi Matson is one of the class instructors. She’s been practicing aerial silk arts since 2011.

Aerial silk work is a type of performance art that uses long strips of fabric suspended from the ceiling.

Performers wrap themselves in the fabric, creating a makeshift harness.

“It’s a beautiful art form where you’re climbing and you’re wrapping,” Matson said. “You’re wrapping your foot or your hand or your body in the silk.”

“It’s surprising because from different positions you can go from the beautiful acrobatic suspended position that you’re in and you can roll and drop suddenly, one to three to five feet,” she said. “There’s this element of control and grace and beauty, and then surprise and adrenaline and speed.”

Because it requires both flexibility and muscle strength, aerial silk art can be a physically demanding activity.

Beginners gradually build upon skills as they learn, class instructor Bridget Doran said.

“A lot of people feel intimidated when they see it, like ‘I don’t have the upper body strength for that. My arms are really weak,’” Dooran said. ” You can use different muscles in your body to actually climb. It’s not like doing a pull-up every time. It doesn’t have to be.”

Homer Council on the Arts will offer three aerial silk classes this fall.

A beginning class focuses on building strength and flexibility, while learning basic aerial silk movements.

In the intermediate class, students further develop these skills and study more advanced techniques.

A new aerial conditioning exercise class focuses on building stamina and improving overall physical fitness.

Aerial silk classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and run on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Oct. 14.

To learn more about the upcoming classes and register, visit the Homer Council on the Arts website.