The Eastern Peninsula Road Service Area will be staffed this year. The area was created by the borough last year and serves emergency response needs on the eastern Peninsula along the Seward highway from Hope to Moose Pass and Cooper Landing.
Contractsof $15,000 went to Cooper Landing Emergency Services, Moose Pass Volunteer Fire Company and the Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps, while Hope-Sunrise Emergency Services was given a $5,000 contract.
The new service area will pick up the slack on heavily travelled, but sparsely populated areas through which the Seward Highway runs. Especially in summer, vehicle accidents and other emergencies may have to wait for response from as far away as Soldotna. Now, the highway corridor will be split into five segments, each with its own dedicated responders.
The borough approved a $350,000 annual budget for the new service area, which will be funded through a federal payment in lieu of taxes.