The public comment period for the future plans of the Kenai River Ranch Property closes next week.
On January 20 around 40 people participated in the scoping meeting for that property located near mile 12 of Funny River Road
Most of the participants live along either side of the river near the property but there were mixed feelings around the room.
Ray Price has been working to get the property developed for over 12 years and last year was part of getting the legislature to allocate the $35,000 for the Alaska State Parks to begin planning the development.
Price: “We don’t really want to develop all the land just basically, there is no boat launch on the south side of the Kenai River from the Sterling Highway to the end of the river and that’s what we’re after.”
Others like Gary Pressel and his wife were concerned about the development bringing additional pressures to the area if the over 100 acre parcel were developed.
Pressel: “Again I hate to see a development of this size happen because it’s just going to increase human pressure on the river and I’ve heard several times before from different river managers of the Kenai River say that the biggest problem the river has is easy access for people and because of that we have a lot of use of the river, a lot of boats, a lot of bank fisherman, what have you, and it gets hit very hard. A natural resource like that can only take so much and then it’s not going to recoup.”
The scoping meeting and suggestions gathered there were the first steps in the planning process for state parks and public comment will be accepted until February 10.
Comments can be submitted online via the project website or sent by mail, e-mail or fax to:
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1340
Anchorage, AK 99501
fax: 907-269-7506 or e-mail: Lucille.Baranko@alaska.gov.