Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 304
Assembly members received a report on the Borough’s annual audit performed by BDO at last week’s regular meeting. BDO partner Michelle Drew informed the Assembly of the ins and outs of the fiscal year 2014 audit. “The audit received a clean audit opinion, an unmodified opinion, and that’s kind of the highest report card you can get from an external auditor,” Drew said. The Borough ended the fiscal year with $10.4 million in total revenues for the general fund, while total expenditures amounted to $8.9 million. Drew said that total revenues...
The lady Vikings started the season strong with two wins at home against the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears last weekend. The Vikings topped the Bears 53-30 Friday night and 50-32 on Saturday. Coach Dino Brock said the girls' strong start gave them a momentum that carried them throughout the game. “We just kind of jumped out of the lead to start with in the first quarter and just built on it,” Brock said. The team exhibited strong defense and rebounding, which helped keep them ahead and ultimately secure the lead. “Especially for early in the s...
The boys basketball team played hard in their season opener away against Ketchikan last weekend, but ultimately fell in both games to the 4A team. The Vikings are a young team this year with only three experienced players returning to the variety squad. "We're very young. We really returned three played that had any significant minutes last year," Coach Rick Brock said. "Over half our team wasn't on varsity or even in high school last year." That, in addition to Ketchikan's status as one of the...
Petersburg Schools will be looking to replace their existing boiler rather than rehabilitate it, board member Cheryl File reported on behalf of maintenance director Dan Tate at Tuesday’s meeting. Tate was absent due to serving jury duty in Ketchikan, but sent along a report explaining that further research indicated that repair of the apparatus wasn’t feasible “We became aware that the manufacturer only recently discontinued manufacturing the seal kits needed to repair our boiler,” File read from the report. “This…necessitates the need to repla...
The Mitkof Dance Troupe (MDT) put on three performances of The Nutcracker to packed houses in Wright Auditorium last weekend. Some 141 dancers from toddlers to teens danced in the show, which has become an every-other-year holiday tradition in Petersburg. "I think we've been doing it for 16 years now, every other year," said Mindy Anderson, a part-time teacher with MDT. Anderson first produced The Nutcracker with her dance studio Steppin' Out Dance and Movement Education. Anderson has since...
Assembly members unanimously voted against a resolution to dedicate local funds to capital improvement projects pending the allocation of State funds by the Alaska legislature. Assembly member Bob Lynn had proposed the resolution at the Nov. 25 meeting because he said projects with a local match are more likely to be funded by the legislature. Rather than dedicating funds among the lengthy list of capital priorities, Assembly members said they wanted to see all monies put toward the number one... Full story
This year's Pickled Herring Contest held at the Sons of Norway Hall Wednesday evening was one of the biggest ever. Four tables showcased over a dozen entries apiece, each competing for the top prize in four categories: pickled seafood, smoked salmon, cured/smoked seafood and pickled herring. Cynthia Mathisen, the event's organizer, said there were more entries overall this year and several exciting entries in the cured category, which was new to the contest this year. "Everyone has their... Full story
The Assembly speedily approved two housekeeping matters at Monday’s regular meeting in addition to approving funds to ship a crane off for repairs after failing a recent OSHA inspection. Some $60,000 was allocated for the repairs to the small crane on the Crane Dock, which will be performed by Maximum Performance Hydraulics (MPH) in Seattle. The initial estimate from MPH was $25-30,000, though Harbormaster Glo Wollen said the estimate is based on pictures and information sent to the company, and a final estimate won’t be available until the...
Four parties expressed their opinions on the acquisition of land at Papke's Landing, which will go up for sale Dec. 15. The initial public comment period was held at Monday's regular Assembly meeting. There are three lots in particular that Borough Assembly members have said are important to the public and possible future development at Papke's. Before making a decision on whether or not to bid for the lots, the Assembly wanted to hear public input. So far public opinion is split on the land...
Petersburg resident Karen Dillman's studio is a split between a mad scientist's lab and a serious crafter's work space. There are jars filled with all manner of dried mushrooms and lichen and others filled with rich, colorful dye baths. Skeins of hand-spun yarn in a rainbow of colors line the wall and a small library of books is close at hand to look up formulas and provide inspiration. An ecologist for the U.S Forest Service by trade, Dillman combines artistry with her love of the natural...
Summer 2014 was a busy one for Petersburg, with tourists bringing more charter business to town and spending more on hotels and retail than the previous summer. This summer the Borough collected over $35,000 in sales taxes from charter businesses, almost double what was collected over the same time period in 2013. The Borough also collected about $4,000 more each in bed tax revenue and retail sales tax revenue. Marilyn Meucci of the Visitor Information Center said she thought that a rebounding economy played a large role in the increased...
Girls on the Run participants traded their running shoes for snow shoes after slick, icy roads prohibited the group of young runners from completing a scheduled 5k race on Saturday. "Mother nature had her own plan that morning. Due to the wet snow on the icy roads, plan B came into effect," said Joyce Burk-Biggs, one of the program's organizers. With a little creative thinking and help from the community, the event changed course and took advantage of the snowy day. Officer Derek Thorsen...
Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen brought his fisheries knowledge to bear as a chosen member for new Governor Bill Walker and Lt. Governor Byron Mallott's transition team. The team met Nov. 21-23 at a three-day conference to identify key issues to be addressed by the new administration. "I was very honored to get picked to participate," Jensen said in a phone interview. He was one of 246 Alaskans comprising the transition team, which was sub-divided into 17 groups covering topics from education and... Full story
The Southeast Alaska Drift Gillnet and Purse Seine task forces met in Petersburg on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, to review the 2014 season and discuss the 2015 season. On Tuesday, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) biologists from districts around Southeast presented a review of the 2014 season for various salmon species harvested by gillnetters. Justin Breese, ADFG biologist from Ketchikan, reported District 1, Tree Point, had an above average harvest for cohos and pink salmon and a below average harvest for sockeyes and chums.... Full story
The fridge is full of leftovers and downtown is bright with Christmas lights and decorations, two sure signs the holiday season is underway in Petersburg. Friday evening kicked off with two Petersburg traditions, the parade of lights and the tree lighting ceremony. Gloria Ohmer and Don Koenigs were named as the honorary tree lighters for this year's ceremony. Ohmer has been in Petersburg since 1949 when she arrived for a two-week visit from Washington state but never left. "She's gone on to... Full story
Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) members compiled work-group draft recommendations for the Tongass National Forest’s timber management plan amendment at their Nov. 19-21 meeting in Sitka. Present at the recent meeting was USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Bonnie; Beth Pendelton, the U.S. Forest Service Alaska regional forester; and Forrest Cole, the Tongass National Forest supervisor. Bonnie emphasized the importance of TAC’s opportunity “to find a solution that works for everybody [so] we ca...
The Borough Assembly will be taking public comment on whether or not the Borough should bid on three land parcels near Papke’s Landing that will go up for public auction next month by the Alaska Mental Health Trust. The Assembly wrote a letter to Mental Health in August asking them to suspend the sale of three lots at Papke’s Landing because of their importance for public access to the dock and parking area and the possible future expansion of Petersburg’s harbors. At Monday’s regular meeting... Full story
At their next meeting on Dec. 8 the Assembly will vote on a resolution proposed by Bob Lynn to dedicate local funds to proposed capital improvement projects that are headed to the Alaska State Legislature at the next legislative session. Under the resolution, the local pledge of funds would be contingent on the State Legislature’s assignment of Capital Improvement Project grant funds, meaning that funds will not remain assigned to projects that are not given funding by the state during this funding cycle. Lynn said that capital projects with l...
After discussing a draft ordinance to restrict herbicide use within Borough boundaries at Monday’s regular meeting, the Assembly decided to task a revamping of the ordinance to a sub-committee. While the Assembly was primarily concerned about the State’s potential use of herbicides within Borough boundaries, Borough Manger Steve Giesbrecht said that local concern extends beyond the State’s use and includes local residents using herbicides on their property. Several Assembly members said the draft ordinance was too restrictive for resid...
Local poet Lee Ribich's first audience was his family members who received an original poem written by Ribich as an annual Christmas tradition. Those poems and others were eventually combined and became his first published book of poetry in 2011. Ribich's pen has been busy since, with a second book, "The Lines that Connect Us," released in 2012 and "Stones in a River," his most recent work, released this October. As a retired English teacher, the written word has long been a central part of...
Several appointments were made at Monday’s Assembly meeting to fill vacancies on various boards. Marlene Cushing, Kris Thynes and Erin Michael expressed interest in filling the two remaining vacancies on the hospital board. After a vote by the assembly, Cushing and Thynes were appointed to serve. In her letter of interest, Cushing said she will bring her experience serving on non-profit boards and her 30 years of experience as a health care provider to the Hospital Board. Thynes wrote in her letter that the 18 months she worked in the h...
The Ragnarök Rollers, Petersburg's roller derby team, bouted against Wrangell's Garnet Grit Betties Saturday evening at the Fall Brawl in Wrangell as some 260 spectators cheered on the skaters. "We didn't win but it was closer this time so that was good," Coach Rebecca "Midlife Tigress" Anderson said. This was the third time the two teams have dueled it out since the Petersburg team was formed in late 2012. The Betties started out strongly, picking up an early lead and building from there. By...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) board members met in Petersburg Nov. 13-14 to discuss the results of their annual audit and other business. Independent auditing company BDO performed this year’s audit, which followed both generally acceptable auditing standards as well as government auditing standards, required because SEAPA received some $5.99 million in state grants of which $1.11 million counted as state expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 2014. BDO’s Assurance Director Joy Merriner was present via teleconference for the... Full story
A coordinated effort between the harbor security boat and Good Samaritan vessels helped to get local crabbing vessel F/V Moana back to town after running aground north of town near the Sukoi Islands on the evening of Nov. 5. After talking with Coast Guard Sector Juneau and crew from other vessels on the scene, Harbormaster Glo Wollen learned that one of the four individuals on the scene was injured and the boat’s location prohibited assistance from the other vessels present. “The people that were on scene couldn’t get to the shore, so we figure...
Crystal Lake Hatchery Manager Loren Thompson pled not guilty on Nov. 13 to a charge of Littering over Five Pounds. Thompson was cited for the minor violation by Alaska Wildlife Trooper Cody Litster for dumping some 400 pounds of coho on the tide flats at Olsen’s Log Dump. Bill Gass, production manager for Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA) which operates the Crystal Lake facility, said he didn’t have an official comment on the case itself but explained that the fish dumped at the site were brood stock coho salmon who...
