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SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium spoke about the possibility of collaborating with the Petersburg Borough, taking over the Petersburg Medical Center and building a new hospital facility during a Borough Assembly meeting on Monday. SEARHC Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elliot J. Bruhl gave the presentation at the request of Mayor Mark Jensen. He explained the details about a possible partnership with the borough and addressed concerns about SEARHC taking over a...
The Borough Assembly repealed three local health mandates and one public health alert and amended Health Mandate #5 at an assembly meeting on Monday. The changes to the local health mandates and alert were presented to the assembly as recommendations from the Emergency Operations Center. The assembly had the option to discuss and vote on each health mandate and the alert individually, but instead voted to approve the EOC's recommendations in one unanimous vote. At a special meeting on May 1,...
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium has expanded its services in Petersburg and taken over two locally operated health providers in the past three months. After a series of funding cuts, Susan Ohmer, executive director and founder of Petersburg Mental Health Services, decided to transfer PMHS' services and offices over to SEARHC, she said in a letter to the public in March. "I am pleased with how SEARHC has worked collaboratively to keep our wonderful PMHS team in place as they expand...
The Petersburg High School baseball team returned from State having suffered two losses, but Head Coach Jim Engell said the Vikings picked up the experience and skills needed to play baseball at the state level. Because PHS is the only Division II school in Southeast Alaska with a baseball team, the Vikings didn't get to participate in a regional tournament and therefore have a chance to qualify for the state tournament. The Alaska School Activities Association created a small schools division...
The Associated Teachers of Petersburg (ATP) will receive a one percent raise each year for the next three years as part of a new labor agreement between the teachers union and the Petersburg School District. "I think we have a really good contract moving forward, so we're pretty happy with it," said Ginger Evens, ATP's representative during negotiations with the school district. The new contract will take effect in the fall of 2021 and span three school years through spring 2024. With each schoo...
The Borough Assembly made five more amendments to the Petersburg Borough's fiscal year 2022 operating budget at their meeting on Monday before passing it in its third reading. The General Fund's revenues and expenditures equal $9,741,364 and is an overall increase of .39 percent from the 2021 fiscal year adopted budget. The recent amendments to the budget addressed a one time bonus to Emergency Operations Center staff, upgrades to two borough marine facilities, a funding source for the maintenan...
The Petersburg School Board updated Board Policy 5127 at their meeting on Tuesday to specify that students must be enrolled in the Petersburg School District to participate in the Petersburg High School senior graduation ceremony. The school district allowed a one time exception to past practices to allow students not enrolled at PHS, but in an accredited home school program, to participate in the most recent senior graduation ceremony, said PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter in an email to...
The Petersburg Borough is offering $10,000 in prizes to be distributed throughout the month of June as part of a program to encourage local residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot. The Sleeves Up Petersburg drawing is sponsored by the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, though the funds were distributed through the Alaska Chamber. The program is part of a statewide campaign to increase the state's vaccination rate by 25 percent. The drawing is open...
The Borough Assembly passed a resolution at a special meeting on Tuesday that will terminate the local Disaster Emergency Declaration at 11:59 P.M. on June 30, which will also bring an end to all the local health mandates and orders and disband the Emergency Operations Center. "The whole purpose of the emergency declaration and the standing up of the EOC was to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and protect Petersburg residents," said Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. "At this point in time, I...
Petersburg Medical Center had the highest gross patient revenue for a single month this fiscal year in April, according to financial statements presented at the PMC Board of Directors meeting May 27. "I'm going to hope that it's an upward trend that continues, but I think it's something to celebrate that the volumes in April and the gross revenue was at the highest we had this fiscal year," said Cynthia Brandt, a financial consultant for PMC. According to the financial data, which presents PMC...
After waiting the entire season to compete on the mat, Petersburg High School wrestler Deirdre Toyomura placed 6th at the Alaska School Activities Association Division II Wrestling State Championships at Chugiak High School. This year's wrestling season was shortened and postponed from the fall to the spring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were just three tournaments this season, and Toyomura had attended every one in the hopes of competing; however, there weren't any athletes in...
Petersburg High School senior Aiden Luhr brought home two championship titles from the Alaska School Activities Association Division II Track & Field State Championships in Anchorage on May 28 and 29. "We had a good meet," said Head Coach Thomas Thompson. "There were some kids who wanted to do better than they had. You do the best you can. They all performed very well. Not everything goes perfectly sometimes." Luhr came in first place in the 100 meter sprint with a time of 11.69, despite a...
Following a 26-year teaching career with the Petersburg School District, Ginger Evens turned in her keys to Petersburg High School on Tuesday, which marked the official start of her retirement. Evens, 49, first joined the school district in the fall of 1995, teaching geography and language arts at Mitkof Middle School. Eleven years later, she made the transition to the high school, but she did it alongside the class of 2010. Evens said it was a unique experience to be able to watch that class...
One new case of COVID-19 was reported by Petersburg Medical Center on May 30 and is related to recent travel, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and PMC. The individual infected with the virus has been directed to isolate themselves. Public health officials are also expected to conduct contract tracing. Petersburg is currently reporting one active case of COVID-19, which is the case that was reported over the weekend. No other cases have been reported in the last week...
About 50 people gathered together at the Petersburg Cemetery on Monday for the annual Memorial Day ceremony to honor the approximately 224 local veterans who have been laid to rest in the cemetery, according to local veteran Paul Anderson. The proceedings began with an opening prayer and was followed by a rendition of "America the Beautiful" lead by Pastor Nathan Lopez. He also led the crowd in singing "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" at the end of the ceremony. Members of the Petersburg...
The Petersburg High School Class of 2021 graduated on Monday, May 24 in an in-person ceremony before family and friends that was broadcast online in an event that was a return to tradition. Twenty-eight seniors received their diplomas on Monday, 20 of whom have plans to attend college immediately after high school or in the coming years. Jaden Perry and Mattias Volk will be enrolling in a trade school, and six other graduates have other plans or are undecided on what they will do next in life. I...
Construction is underway on the Kake Access Road project, and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities estimates it will be completed by this fall. Project Manager Garrett Paul, with DOT, said contractors Kiewit Infrastructure West began mobilizing in Portage Bay on Kupreanof Island last summer. After breaking for winter, construction of the new roads began in April of this year. The project aims to establish a 39 mile roadway from Kake to Twelvemile Creek by connecting 21.6...
Two new cases of COVID-19 were identified by Petersburg Medical Center this week, according to joint press releasees from the Petersburg Borough and PMC. The first case was identified on Monday. The individual was symptomatic at the time of testing and has been directed by public health officials to isolate themselves. The second cases was reported on Tuesday and is travel related. The individual tested positive for the virus upon arriving at the Petersburg Airport. Public heath officials have...
Seven Petersburg High School track and field athletes qualified for State at the Region V Division II Track and Field Championships last week at Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau. To qualify for State, the athletes had to take first place in their event; however, an additional top nine to eight students in each event from around the state can also qualify for the state championships, said PHS Head Coach Thomas Thompson. The Vikings were by far the smallest team at Regionals with only 14...
The Borough Assembly passed a resolution at their May 17 meeting that supports Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors and PMC staff as they take a phased approach to planning and building a new hospital facility. PMC CEO Phill Hofstetter said potential funders of the new facility would be more likely to award grants and other financial support to PMC if the borough backed the project. In addition to the Borough Assembly officially supporting PMC's first phase of building a new facility,...
The Borough Assembly will convene at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 1 to discuss whether or not to terminate the Local Disaster Emergency Declaration, which was activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If passed, resolution #2021-05 would end the Local Disaster Emergency Declaration at 11:59 P.M. on June 30. According to the resolution, any local health mandates and orders would also be terminated. The resolution directs the Emergency Operations Center to begin the process of...
Above average snowpacks at Tyee and Swan Lakes and a slow temperature warm up in the region will likely keep Southeast Alaska Power Agency's hydroelectric facilities adequately supplied with water through the summer months. As of the Assembly Meeting on May 17, the water level at Tyee Lake was at approximately 1,350 feet, and Swan Lake was at about 315 feet of water, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson. Tyee Lake can handle another 40 feet of water before SEAPA will have to begin spilling water; Swan...
The Petersburg High School baseball team ended their season with three losses against Thunder Mountain High School, but now they look to State, as they hope to qualify for the at-large berth. PHS is the only Division II school in Southeast Alaska with a baseball team, so the Vikings will not be competing in a regional tournament, said Head Coach Jim Engell. Because the Alaska School Activities Association has created a small schools division for the state tournament this year, the Vikings do...
The borough's proposed fiscal year 2022 operating budget was passed in its second reading by the Borough Assembly at their meeting on Monday. The assembly didn't make any amendments to the budget on Monday, but they did discuss a previous amendment that raised KFSK's community service funding request from $32,000 to $35,000. The assembly also discussed removing $650,000 from the motor pool budget that was set aside for the purchase of a new fire engine for the Petersburg Volunteer Fire...
The Borough Assembly passed an ordinance in its third reading on Monday that will give voters the final say in whether or not the Frederick Point East (FPE) Subdivision should be removed from the boundaries of Service Area One. Ordinance #2020-08 barely passed with a 4-3 vote and puts proposition #1 on the municipal election ballot in October for voters to decide whether the subdivision should be removed from service Area One. Assembly members against the ordinance cited lower assessed property...
