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The Denali Preschool and Learning Center is for sale.

Less than two years after opening, owner Shelly Merrell is preparing to leave the state. Her husband, who works at Clear Air Force Station, has requested a transfer and they hope to move closer to family Outside.

Naturally, this sends a little shock wave through local families who use this day-care service and preschool on a regular basis.

“I want to sell it as a preschool/child care business,” Shelly said. “I’m hoping somebody will step up and want to take it over. I’m willing to train them. I’m willing to do whatever needs to be done for the little ones.”

Thrown into the mix is the outrage of some community members who object to the way Shelly acquired the business in the first place. Initially, the building/business was known as “Kid Stop.” It was founded in the mid-1980s with the help of a state grant and until about two years ago, operated as a nonprofit business, run by a board of community members.

Folks who have been around awhile will remember the annual Walk-A-Thon Fundraiser, the silent auction/dinner every year and the taco lunches at school.

The last board decided to shut down the nonprofit business and sell it to Shelly, building and all, for less than $10,000. Some community members, particularly longer-standing board members, objected. Despite extensive and emotional debate at that time, the sale went through. Shelly turned it into a for-profit business.

Her asking price now: $100,000, and she really thinks the sale price should be higher.

And yes, Shelly has a response to those critics.

“I tell them, yeah, I got a fairly good deal on the building, but I had to come in, get it up to licensing code. I had to put a lot of money in. I had to set it up as a center and not just as a childcare. I had to make it an early learning environment. I had to replace a lot of things.

“I got the preschool certified through the Department of Education. I got on the state food program.

“I’ve done a lot of things to this building, with blood, sweat and tears.”

The selling price, she said, “probably barely covers what I have put in.” She also put together an operations manual, she said.

Her business has had community support and has provided a critical service, she said.

“I had to start from the bottom up when I bought this building,” she said. “When somebody says, ‘How can you sell it for that much?’ I say, ‘How could I not?’”

It remains to be seen whether there will be a buyer and whether Shelly can legally sell the building without the child care business attached. That question still needs to be answered.

Meanwhile, many families with preschoolers anxiously wait to see how this story unfolds.  Healy alumni skater goes national

Not all Healy hockey players hang up their skates when they leave here.

Ben Jordan, who graduated from Tri-Valley School in 2005, went on to play junior hockey while working full-time for a couple of years. Now, he is a freshman at Northern Arizona University, majoring in construction management. He also skates for the Ice Jacks.

Over the weekend, his hockey team won the western regional tournament in Oakland, beating Sacramento State University and the University of California. The Ice Jacks now advance to the national tournament in Rochester, Minn. On March 12-15.

Ben skates on the first line and played an important role in that victory, with three goals and four assists.

More hockey winners

We have some 9- and 10-year-old champions in hockey, too, this week, thanks to a grand effort by the Healy Coal King Squirts hockey team, which won the 2008 President’s Day D-League Tournament in Anchorage last weekend. They resoundingly beat teams from Palmer, Glennallen and Fairbanks. The championship game, against an Anchorage team, ended in a 6-0 win.

Check out the trophy in the Tri-Valley Community Library.  Cantwell kids rock

Students in Cantwell made news this month.

BJ Gore was selected as a member of the All-Tournament Team when Cantwell School’s high school basketball team attended a basketball tournament in Nikolaevsk, a community south of Anchorage.

Teatona Ward will have her artwork — a mountain scene with salmon in a river and berry pickers — featured in the June 2008-2009 Subsistence Regulation book for Alaska State Fish and Game.

Ethan Holum drew a picture of something he is saving for — a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle — for First National Bank of Alaska’s “Savings Makes Cent$” contest — and won a pizza party for his classroom.

Cantwell’s Spelling Bee winners who will compete in the Interior Spelling Bee contest on March 1 include Tvetne Carlson, Cammron McBride and John Gore.

And we are all sending good wishes to Anitra Winkler, who will compete in the Junior Iditarod Sled Dog race this month for the first time. She came in fourth in the Cantwell Classic earlier this month.

Winterfest is here

It will be a busy weekend in the Denali Borough when we celebrate winter with the annual Winterfest Celebration. Activites are scheduled Thursday through Sunday, from Tri-Valley School to Denali National Park.

Some new features this year include a storytelling session at the Tri-Valley Community Library with Ingrid Nixon, who will present “Stories in the Stars” 7-8 p.m. This is for an audience of teens through adults. Winter short films, for all ages, is offered in the multi-purpose room 6-8 p.m.

Friday begins with ice sculpting at the Tri-Valley Community Center and ends with corn holing (its only horseshoes, only with bean bags) at 229 Parks Restaurant at 8:30 p.m.

Martin Jeffries is the featured speaker at the Winterfest opening event, which is 7 p.m. at McKinley Village Community Center. Bring a dish for the dessert potluck.

Saturday, the film “Into The Wild” (rated R) will be shown, for free, at Tri-Valley School, at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. A variety of activities will take place at the Murie Science and Learning Center 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Usibelli Coal Mine offers tours at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m, beginning at the community center. There’s a craft bazaar from noon to 4 p.m., the traditional chili cook-off, edible art contest and home brew contest. (The competitions are judged 4-5 p.m.) The chili feed follows and live music begins at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, don’t miss the acoustic jam at the community center 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At the same time, Renee Mercer will host a bouncy room, brunch and table games.