Due to the map needing to be updated, and such short notice, the Kenai Old Town walking plan will not be included in this year’s Kenai visitor’s guide.
According to Kenai Chamber of Commerce Director Samantha Springer, due to many buildings being incorrectly numbered, the walking tour map will not be in the Kenai Visitor Guide this summer.
Springer said she and the chamber staff realized that the pre-existing guide was incorrect, and that only two of the 20 buildings were numbered correctly.
Springer also notes how there was a lack of sidewalks in some areas, which could make it very easy for tourists to get lost. She’s hopeful that there can be some updates walking-wise that can make things easier to navigate in the future.
“And then hopefully within the next year or so, we can get back to an actual tour that would be accessible and have sidewalks and crosswalks and all that,” said Springer.
Unfortunately, due to the visitor guide deadline in January, there would not be enough time to relabel all the locations and have it printed into existence. To accommodate this, their guide will include some of the main historic sites, including the replica of Fort Kenai, the U.S. Army installation and the Holy Assumption of Saint Mary Russian Orthodox Church.
Another concern is the Moosemeat John Cabin. Springer says that she had an inspection done and learned that the building was under some serious damage. Just the electrical work alone is going to be upwards of $10,000. And then there’s the leaking roof and decaying floor.
“We can’t get the roof inspected fully until spring, but we do know that there the roof is in bad condition. So, the building overall is not safe to be in. So unfortunately for now, we had to make the decision to close it. ” she said.
At this moment in time, the Moosemeat John Cabin will be closed until further notice. Springer says that she wants to be able to save the building, but also values everyone else’s safety above all else.
“We’re not going to cut out old town that’s not what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to preserve it and make it into something that people actually want to come see and learn more information, scan documents in so that people can scan QR codes and get a lot of information that isn’t readily available at this time.”