Kenai
RSSNews from Kenai, Alaska
One Anchorage restaurant keeps getting caught serving with expired cards
Alaska cited six bars and restaurants for servers pouring with expired training cards — one Anchorage spot for the fifth time in four years, now risking its liquor license.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readAIAnchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, and Kenai, Alaska
Kenai airport eyes automated fee system amid pilot privacy backlash
Kenai Airport is moving toward an automated landing fee system using aircraft tracking data, but a federal bill co-sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan would ban that exact use, forcing the airport to choose a different technology if the law passes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai enacts subdivision, street design standards overhaul
Kenai City Council approved new subdivision and street design rules to speed up development review. • Minimum lot size set at 40,000 square feet for septic systems, matching borough standards. • Large subdivisions must extend water mains if public water is available within 1,500 feet. • New Street Design Manual can be updated by city staff without council approval, replacing rigid code rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai council passes camping ordinance limiting tent numbers
Three tents is enough. / A campground, it shall be called. / Freeloaders, beware!
by Alaska News2w ago1 min readAIKenai, Alaska
Kenai limits tent camping to 2 tents per property, defines 3+ as campground
Kenai allows up to two tents on private property indefinitely, but three or more tents now require conditional-use approval and are classified as a campground.
by Lucas Brown3w ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai unveils 20-year parks master plan with sports complex overhaul
Kenai approved a 20-year parks plan to consolidate ball fields into one expanded sports complex. • Downtown green spaces become seasonal campground and event venue. • City spends 1.3 million yearly on parks but recovers only 17 percent through fees. • Near-term priorities include new playgrounds and ice rink upgrades.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
State asks Kenai to join disease early-warning network
Kenai City Council approved joining a statewide wastewater monitoring network that tests sewage for disease outbreaks. The state covers all equipment costs and will sample Kenai's wastewater weekly.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIKenai, Alaska
Kenai parent asks commission to lower weight room age limit
A Kenai parent asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to lower the weight room age limit at Kenai Rec Center from 16 to 14, saying the current policy pushes families to drive to nearby communities where younger teens can use gyms independently.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai completes streetlight assessment, eyes $1.9M federal grant
Kenai's school bus stops lack safe lighting in winter darkness, assessment finds. City applies for 1.9 million dollar federal grant to upgrade lights and widen bike paths on two corridors. Most streetlights are aging LED units showing flicker and electrical problems. Grant decision expected next week, work would start later this year if approved.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai airport cafe closes; city seeks new operator by June 25
Debbie's Bistro closed at Kenai Municipal Airport after gross receipts fell to $68,000 in a year, compared to $400,000 to $500,000 when prior restaurants operated there. The city seeks a new operator with bids due June 25.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAIKenai
Alutiiq Air ends Kenai service; airport eyes Fox Air contract
Alutiiq Air stopped flying to Kenai, leaving Grant Aviation as sole carrier. City pursuing Fox Air contract pending investigation of citizen complaint. Main runway closed three weeks for repairs, operations on temporary runway pending FAA approvals. Terminal cafe closing May 23, seeking new operator by July 1.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai commission imposes quiet hours on short-term rental, reviving debate over neighborhood rules
Kenai Planning & Zoning Commission approved an Airbnb in Inlet Woods with mandatory 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. quiet hours, reigniting debate over whether short-term rentals should face stricter rules than long-term rentals in the same neighborhood.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI1003 Skyler Lane, Kenai
Kenai seeks federal grants for sidewalks, fish passage culverts
Kenai submitted a federal grant application for sidewalk and street lighting improvements on Lawton and Tinker, and is preparing a second application to remove fish passage barriers in local creeks by end of June.
by Alaska News2w ago1 min readAIKenai, Alaska
Kenai adopts $42.1M budget with swim team grant, airport upgrade
Kenai City Council adopted a $42.1 million budget for fiscal year 2027, approving $296,402 in amendments for a swim team grant, airport billing automation expected to recover $130,000 in missed revenue, and council chambers technology upgrades.
by Lucas Brown3w ago1 min readAIKenai
Planning commission approves variance for multifamily housing on corner lot
Kenai Planning Commission unanimously approved a variance allowing two multifamily buildings 10 feet from Cacnew Way instead of the standard 20 feet on a corner lot, citing safety improvements and housing demand.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAIKenai, Alaska
Kenai garden tour set for Aug. 11, focus on Leif Hansen Park
Kenai Beautification Commission hosts a free garden tour August 11 at 5:30 p.m. to showcase landscaping at Leif Hansen Park and the visitor center.
by Alaska Newsadded 1mo ago1 min readAIKenai
Kenai Parks Commission approves master plan, sends to City Council
Kenai Parks Commission unanimously approved a 10-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan on May 7 and sent it to City Council, which will review it May 20 and vote in June.
by Alaska Newsadded 1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai approves $30K more for gas storage lease consulting
Kenai City Council approved an extra $30,000 for consultants to evaluate two competing natural gas storage proposals at the municipal airport, bringing the total contract to $60,000.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai health office closed May 7 due to plumbing problems
The Alaska Department of Health office in Kenai will close May 7 due to plumbing issues, with remote workers continuing duties and essential staff reporting as usual.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAI630 Barnacle Way #A, Kenai, AK 99611
Kenai Planning Commission recommends rural residential rezone, rejecting city's denser proposal
Kenai Planning Commission rejected the city's plan to rezone 81 acres for denser housing and instead recommended rural residential zoning with larger lots, citing neighbor concerns about infrastructure despite a housing shortage.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI6575 Kenai Spur Highway, Kenai, Alaska
Kenai proposes $1.55 million for street work, pay raises in 2027 budget
Kenai budgets $1.55 million for street work and 2 percent pay raises for all staff. • Paramedic and police certification pay increases to match neighboring departments. • City allocates $300,000 for public safety building design ahead of November 2027 bond vote. • Water and sewer rates rise 4 percent to cover inflation and future plant upgrades.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Senate panel hears workforce plan for Alaska LNG pipeline
The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee received a presentation on workforce needs for the Alaska LNG pipeline project, with consultants warning the state must act immediately to prepare workers for construction that could begin as soon as 2027.
by Alaska News2mo ago5 min readAIJuneau
Kenai proposes 4% water/sewer rate hike to fund aging infrastructure
Kenai proposes 4% water and sewer rate hike starting July 2026 to fund wastewater plant overhaul planned for 2029. • City losing 340,000 dollars annual revenue and facing higher chemical and staffing costs. • Rates remain among Alaska's lowest. Last increase was in fiscal year 2025. • Council will hold public hearing before final budget vote in May.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAIKenai
Kenai airport main runway closed May 14 through September; pilots use temporary runway
Kenai airport main runway closed May 14 for three month rebuild • Pilots use temporary runway with initial restrictions • FAA clearance documents needed before normal operations resume • Work finishes by end of September if weather allows
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAIKenai
Kenai River Flats access project nears July 1 opening
A new elevated walkway and river-access stairs at Kenai River Flats wayside will fully open July 1, finishing a State Parks project funded by Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council money.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAIKenai River Flats, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Kenai Planning Commission weighs townhouse permit in rural zone
Kenai Planning Commission is deciding whether to allow townhouses and a six-unit building in a rural neighborhood, with a nearby resident warning of traffic and community concerns.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min readAIKenai, Alaska
A coho cap could close Cook Inlet's sockeye season early, fishermen warn
Cook Inlet boats are after sockeye, but the coho they catch by accident could shut the whole season — at a limit the feds set below their own scientists' advice.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAICook Inlet, Alaska
Cook Inlet's salmon season opens June 22 — and could slam shut early
Cook Inlet's salmon season opens June 22. The last two years so many reds came back they went uncaught — and the rule behind that is still on the books.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAICook Inlet, Alaska
Hilcorp seeks state lease for 1,330-acre gas storage field in Kenai
Hilcorp filed Friday for a state lease to store natural gas in 1,330 acres of subsurface rock beneath Kenai, with public comments due July 7.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min readAIKenai Peninsula
