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Petersburg baseball's hope of a return to the DII State Championship game lives on. The Alaska School Activities Association state committee announced on Sunday that the team earned the second at-large seed in the tournament, which will be held at Wasilla High School this weekend. There the Vikings will face Kodiak in the first round on Thursday, June 1 at 12:30 p.m. Petersburg ended the regular season 3-14-1, having faced one of the strongest schedules in the state, with wins over Palmer and...
After training all season on gravel and mud, the Petersburg High School track and field team proved they got what it takes to compete on the rubber for real. 13 Vikings made the trip up to Thunder Mountain last weekend to compete in the Division II regional competition. Of those students, Rik Cumps, Alexus Sakamoto-Quezon, Erik Thynes, Kinley Lister, Elaina Enriquez, and Anya Pawuk qualified for the state championships. "It was a really good performance by our kids," Activities Director Jaime...
The Petersburg High School baseball team played its final series of the regular season in Ketchikan last weekend. Though the Vikings boarded the ferry back without a win, Head Coach Jim Engell said the team played the three games with grit and determination. “It felt like the kind of games we needed to be able to prepare for a state tournament so hopefully we’ll get that nod,” Coach Engell said. Despite Petersburg starting pitcher Jack Engell throwing a no-hitter, the Kings claimed the win Friday night in a 1-0 game. Engell struck out eight...
The 21 members of the Petersburg High School Class of 2023 are gearing up for graduation and spending their final week as students reflecting on what has been a memorable four years. From persevering through the COVID-19 pandemic, to digging themselves through record winter storms, to changes in administration with the departure of former longtime principal Rick Dormer and arrival of Ambler Moss, these students have seen it all. Through their academic work, the Class of 2023 has earned over...
The Petersburg Borough is rolling out a survey this week that asks community members what their housing needs are now and in the future. The survey was created by Agnew::Beck Consulting, which has experience administering similar surveys in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and reviewed by the Housing Task Force and the Petersburg Borough Assembly. "They're trying to find out from us what we need in housing ... one of the main sources of data they're going to have is what we tell them,"...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the borough's FY24 budget in its second reading during Monday's meeting with three amendments added. The first amendment, proposed by Assembly Member Jeff Meucci, increased funding for Mountain View food service from $25,000 to $42,800 using general fund reserves. The increase was requested by the program to help meet the rising costs of food, inflation, and an increase in deliveries to five days a week, which started during the COVID-19...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved an ordinance in its second reading Monday that could allow federally recognized tribes to purchase borough-owned land for less than their assessed value. Currently, if the assembly determines it to be in the borough's best interest, borough property may be sold below assessed value to state and federal agencies, nonprofit entities, and for purposes of economic development. If the ordinance passes, it would add federally recognized tribes,...
Over 50 people and 25 more over the phone attended a hearing last week in Petersburg hosted by the National Marine Fisheries Service on a proposal to list the sunflower sea star as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The hearing allowed NMFS to share details on the proposed ruling as well as gather input from the public ahead of their final determination. Over 20 public comments were heard at the meeting, with much of the community's concern resting on how listing the species as...
The Petersburg High School track and field team battled through stormy weather last weekend at the Kayhi Invite, but still managed to pick up some personal bests in their final meet before the regional championships. 17 students and Assistant Coach Rob Cross made the trip down to compete against other schools from across Southeast. Erik Thynes topped the podium in the discus with a 109-foot 9-inch throw. Rik Cumps placed fourth in the triple jump, leaping just over 35 feet, and finished fifth in the long jump. Anya Pawuk tied for fourth place...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly adopted the millage rate for the next year at its meeting on Monday. The assembly resolution, which was unanimously approved, set the millage rate for Service Area 1 at 10.84 mills-down from the last three years at 11.5 mills. Outside of Service Area 1, the millage rate will remain at 4.2 mills. According to Finance Director Jody Tow, the lower millage rate will help offset the increases to assessed residential property values, which rose by about 15% in...
The Petersburg High School baseball team took a stunning series win against visiting Thunder Mountain last weekend. Scores of parents, fans, and students made the trip up to the ballfields last Wednesday and Thursday to enjoy the sunshine and cheer on their hometown team. "It was big for us to go out and get the series win," Head Coach Jim Engell said. "I'm glad everybody came out to watch it." The Falcons opened the series with a tight 4-3 win over the Vikings in a game that featured a classic...
Over five years of preparation is set to finally pay off at the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Plant as site work for the refurbishment project nears. The project aims to keep Blind Slough, which provides approximately 25% of Petersburg's power, operational and possibly increase generation while keeping utility costs low for local customers. "It's a great project for Petersburg and the longevity of this little hydro project is amazing," Utility Director Karl Hagerman said. "We're approaching 100...
With education funding undecided, Director of Finance Karen Morrison reported to the Petersburg School District Board during its meeting on Tuesday about possible budget scenarios for the next school year. The need for an increase in funding both at the state and local levels has been driven by inflation, rising utility costs, and the implementation of the Alaska Reads Act as well as the end of the district's hold harmless provision and COVID-19 funding going away. Earlier this month, the...
The Petersburg Arts Council recently installed a new wireless sound mixer at the Wright Auditorium that will make productions easier and improve sound quality according to Dave Berg. The upgrade was made possible by a $1,000 grant given by the Petersburg Community Foundation during the Little Norway Festival last year. The Mackie Wireless Mixer will be used for concerts, plays, dance recitals, and other events put on by the Petersburg School District and local organizations. The previous sound s...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a fuel adjustment charge for the annual Southeast Alaska Power Agency shutdown during its meeting last week. SEAPA is scheduled to shut down its hydroelectric power supply to perform maintenance to Tyee and Swan Lakes from May 31 to June 9. During those 10 days, the borough will run its diesel plant, which the fuel adjustment charge looks to offset the high cost of doing. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the adjustment will take...
The Petersburg School District announced last Friday that it has hired Gustavus High School Principal Brad King as the new principal of Petersburg High School and Mitkof Middle School starting next year. According to the school's announcement, King has over 30 years of experience in education ranging from teaching, administration, curriculum development, budgeting, coaching, and more. "Mr. King will bring a calm, steady hand to our school, and a wealth of educational experience," the district...
They may be small, but the mighty Viking Swim Club turned up big at the Alaska Swimming State Championships in Anchorage last weekend. VSC only took six swimmers to the meet but managed to finish ninth overall as a team in the 14 and under division. "We may not have taken quite as many swimmers but we sure did compete," Head Coach Scott Burt said. Petersburg went up against 320 swimmers from 19 teams across the state who had to pass through stringent time requirements to attend the competition....
The Petersburg Borough Assembly discussed potentially hiring an independent specialist to review the borough's current hiring practices and safety policies during Tuesday's meeting. Over a dozen people spoke and even more crowded the assembly chambers, filling it so much that some had to stand along the perimeter, to show support for a review. The assembly ultimately voted to direct borough staff to contact Alaska Public Entity Insurance-the borough's liability carrier-along with The Safety...
The Petersburg High School baseball team took on unfamiliar competition at the Buddy Dale Invitational last weekend as they continued their pursuit of a state tournament bid. The Vikings played four games in Wasilla, winning one. "It was a great opportunity for us to compete against really good teams, teams that we don't face every day," Head Coach Jim Engell said. Petersburg opened against the Eagle River Wolves, the eventual tourney winners, last Thursday, losing 17-2. The Vikings held a 2-1 l...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously during Tuesday's meeting to approve the borough's FY24 budget in its first reading. No amendments were made to the budget, though some are expected to be introduced in successive readings. During the meeting, Assembly Member Dave Kensinger proposed an amendment to increase the funding for Mountain View Food Services to $43,000, though it failed in a 3-4 vote with Assembly Members Kensinger, Jeff Meucci, and Scott Newman in support. The proposed...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an extensive resolution during its last meeting that will move the Petersburg Medical Center new facility project one step closer to shovel-ready status. The resolution, passed in a 6-1 vote with Assembly Member Donna Marsh against, approved the North Haugen site as the location of the future hospital and authorized the PMC board to proceed with a preconstruction services contract with Dawson Construction. The new facility project was made the borough's...
Longtime Petersburg High School Coach Rick Brock has made it his mission not just to develop students as better athletes, but to help them build stronger character. Teaching kids that it is not just about how well they shoot a basketball or how fast they can run, but how they lift others up on and off the court. For those efforts, the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches named Brock as the recipient of the 2023 Roger Steinbrecher Coaching Integrity Award. The integrity award is given annuall...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed a supplemental budget during its April 17 meeting that includes spending for dredge projects, attorney fees, and more. The FY23 budget revision was amended in its final reading to increase the South Harbor dredge project budget by $1 million, bringing the borough's total budgeted amount up to $2.1 million. The project, which has removed approximately 29,351 cubic yards of material so far, has faced difficulties removing hard blue clay from the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly held a work session on Monday to review the borough's FY24 draft budget ahead of its first reading. Finance Director Jody Tow walked through the presentation, along with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht and other borough department heads, which gave assembly members an overview of what next year's budget may look like. Giesbrecht said this upcoming budget was a bit of a challenge to put together due to increased costs of insurance, inflation, uncertainties in...
The visiting Sitka Wolves took down the Petersburg High School baseball team last weekend, winning each of the three games by mercy rule. The Vikings started the series with a 15-4 loss Friday evening, which Head Coach Jim Engell said was a "real gut check for us." The Wolves broke away with a six-run third inning and added to their lead with five runs in the fifth while Petersburg suffered through five errors in the game. "We've been talking a lot this year about being resilient, being able to...
