Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly to hear Seward school lease Tuesday

The closed Seward Middle School would pass to city management under a long-term lease the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly takes up Tuesday, moving upkeep of the vacant building onto the City of Seward.

The borough Lands Committee holds a public hearing on the measure, Ordinance 2026-27, at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 18 in the Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers in Soldotna. The full assembly takes testimony after its 6 p.m. meeting begins. Remote testimony is available through Zoom. The agenda lists the ordinance as eligible for the consent agenda, which would mean approval without separate debate unless a member pulls it. The draft lease allows two five-year extensions.

Seward has already acted. The city council approved the arrangement by resolution and authorized spending up to $233,000 through the end of 2026, including $83,000 for utilities and $150,000 labeled startup costs. A July 30 account in Seward Folly reported council member Lori Draper questioning the "blank check" the council was asked to write, while saying residents back the project.

In a memo supporting the lease, the borough's land management officer wrote that the building "is an important public facility in the Seward community, and will continue to serve those needs through City management as a community center."

The school district closed Seward Middle School at the end of the last school year, citing declining enrollment. State regulations bar reopening a closed school for at least four years. The arrangement follows a broader pattern in Alaska, where districts shrinking under enrollment and budget pressure leave behind buildings that communities look to repurpose as civic or recreation facilities rather than leave vacant. Alaska News previously covered the borough's separate debate over conveying the closed Nikolaevsk School.

Testimony Tuesday is limited to three minutes per speaker.