From Deacon Row to Beach Drive, We’ve Come a Long Way!

Rest towards Border Avenue[/caption] In 1997, when I bought the land for Angels Rest on Lowell Point, it was known and identified by the Lot and Block numbers. There were no real road names, and the dirt two-lane track that divided the east and west side of the lots was a right-of-way. “Deacon” after the homesteader that subdivided the land and eventually sold the lots off. Since I purchased my land, there have been upgrades made to the two-track dirt right of way, turning it into a gravel road. When Emergency Services and 911 reached our remote part of the world in the early 2000’s, we went from giving directions such as “past the large rock next to the bent spruce” to road names with street address numbers! Looking from the very north end of Beach Drive, looking south Looking from the very north end of Beach Drive, looking south Beach Drive is often subject to flooding particularly during winter and spring months when the ground is frozen, and it rains. Sometimes the puddles would be so deep small cars could not drive through them. Over the years, my husband and I have attended several Road Board meetings, with our photos of the problems and requests for improvements. Other neighbors took up the torch after we got tired of local politics and with much perseverance and diligence, and years of waiting, we have finally been rewarded. This late spring and spilling into June (our apologies to guests who suffered through the process), our local contractor Metco worked for several weeks on the improvements to Beach Drive, which included a lot of ditching, placing of culverts and installing a special drain system to allow the road run-off to run into the bay without the road taking on ocean water. Then they raised the road surface and topped it with fresh gravel. The result is a beautiful wide thoroughfare all the way from the corner at Border Avenue to the north end of Beach Drive. We haven’t solved the problem of the north end of Beach Drive not having a cul-de-sac, but the owner of the land to the north, “Silver Derby Campground” has allowed their driveway to connect to the north end of Beach Drive, so instead of having turn around, as in years past, you can make the loop and you end up back at Lowell Point Road just south of the bridge that crosses Spruce Creek. Beach Drive from corner at Border Avenue Beach Drive from corner at Border Avenue; Angels Rest is 700 feet to north of this corner For those of you who have already visited, you’ll really see the difference in this last photo. In the past, folks would be often be confused when they would turn the corner onto Beach Drive and it would seem as if the road had disappeared into a parking lot. These most recent improvements have helped to clarify the road and has really opened up the corner and given traffic a way to flow. It’s very exciting! We’re grateful to the Kenai Peninsula Borough for securing the funding for the project and for coordinating and implementing it; and to Metco for doing such great work!