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Strong hitting and good defense contributed to two wins at home against Thunder Mountain on Friday and Saturday. The Falcons kept the Vikings on their toes, and each game was hard fought. Senior Colby Bell was the starting pitcher in game one. With Bell at the mound, the Falcons struggled offensively, earning just four hits and two runs. "Colby pitched another masterful game," Head Coach Jim Engell said, adding that Bell pitched 15 strikeouts during the game. "He's averaging a little over two...
Petersburg High School (PHS) senior River Quitslund will be adding his talents to a young team of runners at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) this fall. Quitslund has been running competitively all four years of his high school career. "I've been running competitively since my freshman year when I started cross country, but I didn't really take it that seriously until January last year when I started doing pre-season," he said. His increased efforts were met with a setback as an injury kept...
The Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) will be making a few upgrades once it’s figured out where exactly to take the money from. PMC’s Board of Directors voted to move forward with a capital projects list containing six items; a long-term care tub room, radiology room upgrade, cardiac monitoring system, software, acute care beds and an iSTAT portable blood analyzer used to quickly obtain test data, totaling $398,514. The board gave Interim Chief Financial Officer Doran Hammett the go-ahead to check into leasing options for five of the six dur...
A petition to retain the blue bags as part of the Borough’s curbside recycling program has been withdrawn by its sponsor Angela Davis and 13 co-sponsors, bringing to an end a several months long debate about the future of recycling collection in Petersburg. Davis submitted the withdraw in a letter to the Borough dated April 23. In it she wrote, “In light of the approval of resolution #2015-09…I do not feel that it is in the best interest of the community to have increased garbage rates and to have two competing recycling programs.” The resolut... Full story
A new special revenue fund, instead of the general fund, will now house Transient Room Tax (TRT) revenue, meaning the TRT committee and grant process they once oversaw will be dissolved. Assembly members unanimously approved the change at Monday’s meeting. The TRT, also known as the bed tax, is collected from the lodging industry and is used to fund visitor-related services in the borough. In the past, the majority of TRT monies have been allocated to the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, and remaining funds were doled out via... Full story
Borough Assembly members chose a remodel design option for the Petersburg Municipal Power and Light (PMPL) building after hearing a presentation from architect Linda Millard at Monday's regular meeting. The new design incorporates changes to bring the building into compliance with fire and ADA codes, improve the building's insulation, and increase visibility for drivers at the intersection of Haugen Dr. and Nordic Dr. PMPL Superintendent Joe Nelson said the building dates back to the late...
The Petersburg High School baseball team opened its season at home versus the Sitka Wolves, defending state champs, in a three-game match up last weekend. Though the Vikings didn't come out on top in the games, Head Coach Jim Engell said he was happy with his team's performance. "For our first games of the year and starting a pretty young group of kids, I think we did quite well," he said. The Vikings fell to the Wolves 2-0 in Friday's game, which Engell described as the epitome of a pitcher's...
The Petersburg High School track and field team participated in the first official meet of the season in Ketchikan last weekend. The girls and boys team each finished in second place over all. PHS runners and jumpers faced off against those from Prince of Wales, Thorne Bay and Ketchikan. "It was just a real small triangular meet. We did not take a very big crew as far as high school kids," said Head Coach Brad Taylor, adding that a lot of middle school kids also participated in the meet....
Petersburg High School shop teacher Nick Popp took eight students to Sitka for a three-day welding performance exam April 15-17. All eight students passed at least two of three positions tested as part of the American Welding Society's steel plate credential. "It's a real-world test that a welder would take if they're going to work in a shipyard or work construction," Popp said. "It's not a written test, it's all just welding skills." Students were assessed on flat, vertical and overhead steel... Full story
Work on the new incubation building at Crystal Lake Hatchery continues, with completion expected in June. Though that's behind the original estimated completion date of March 2015, Loren Thompson, manager at the facility, said that's well before the building is needed again for incubation. "We're not using that building right now...The first thing we need it for is to incubate eggs for our returning adults," Thompson said, adding that the typical timeline for that is early August. Thompson said...
Ever glance outside and think ‘Today just isn’t the day for a picnic’? There really aren’t many ideal days in a rainforest. But the Petersburg Ranger District is adding cover to the back loop picnic table area at Blind River Rapids Trailhead, similar to what can be found at Manmade Hole Picnic Site, said Brad Hunter, District Recreation manager. “The idea is to have a dry place to picnic there,” he said. Phase one includes tearing up existing decking and building a new foundation to support more of a load with 20 feet deep muskeg. Phase 2 wil...
Tourists and local marine mammal lovers alike can now enjoy an updated, interactive Marine Mammal Kiosk at the Petersburg Visitor’s Center. The kiosk is a collaboration between the Visitor’s Center and the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), awarded a $1,700 grant last year by the Petersburg Community Foundation to make upgrades to the kiosk’s computer. “The equipment, computers being what they are, don’t have a long lifespan,” said Don Holmes, PMMC board member. “So the new grant enabled us new hardware, and we had a volunteer, Je...
Petersburg residents will get to choose whether to haul their recyclables to the curb in a cart or a blue bag, following the Assembly’s approval of a resolution Monday night that provides for the dual program. The new program is aimed at maximizing recycling participants, some of whom favor the continuation of the blue bag program and others who’d like to see a move to a cart-based system. The resolution that passed on a 5-1 vote includes all the elements of the initiative petition submitted by Angela and Wes Davis and certified as suf... Full story
Runners and walkers are expected to fill the street this Saturday at the Beat the Odds’ Circle of Life Cabin Creek 5k Run/Walk. The race begins at 9 a.m. at Sandy Beach Park, with warm ups and late registration preceding. The annual run/walk is one of two such events held each year in Petersburg to raise funds for Beat the Odds, now in its 15th year. Last year the organization raised $26,050, which has been allocated in a variety of ways to support cancer patients and their families. The bulk of the funds have been allocated to organizations t...
This year’s baseball team at Petersburg High School has nearly doubled in size from last year. Head Coach Jim Engell took just nine players to the regional tournament last year, the exact amount needed for a complete team. He said this year’s larger roster will bring more opportunities for the team to develop a relief pitching staff, among other things. Engell said this year’s team includes players with different levels of experience with the sport. Returning juniors and seniors include Ethan Bryner, Kjell Wittstock, Chauncey Sandhofer and l...
Mayor Mark Jensen and Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht announced at Monday’s Assembly meeting that Petersburg Public Schools will be granted Secure Rural Schools funding for this academic year and next. The two-year funding extension was included as a provision in the US House’s Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which was signed by President Barack Obama late last week. “They put in the bill we will get within 45 days so we will actually get it prior to this year end and that will go into the fund that the Borough has set a...
Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson said she will be certifying the most recent application for petition submitted by Angela Davis and Wes Davis, which includes a resolution to continue the blue bag recycling program. The application was submitted in response to the Assembly’s March 16 vote to move to the recycling collection in house and replace the blue bags with carts. The Davis’ submitted the application last Wednesday after a previous application was found to be insufficient due to unenforceability. The resolution included with the most rec... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly sat as the Board of Equalization (BOE) for 2015 property assessment appeals on April 6. There were 66 appeals this year, most of which were settled privately with the Borough’s assessors Mike Renfro and Arne Erickson from the Appraisal Company of Alaska out of Anchorage. Renfro said the appeals process was straightforward this year. “Most of the appeals were people that had legitimate issues and we addressed all of those concerns,” said Renfro. Five appeals went before the BOE for consideration. The BOE denie...
Petersburg High School senior Shalie Dahl will swap her Vikings jersey for a Gators uniform as she takes to the basketball court this fall for Green River College in Auburn, Wash. "I've always wanted to play college basketball. It's always been my dream since elementary school," Dah said. That's when she first took to the court through the local parks and rec program. She continued to develop as a player in the middle school program, and she started playing club basketball during those years as...
Six Petersburg High School students travelled to Wrangell to participate in Artfest last week, and three students earned "Best of Workshop" awards. Julia Murph took home the honor for jewelry making, Tayla Wilson for copper etching and David Galaktionoff for spoon carving. Sydney Guthrie earned an honorable mention for her pottery work and Murph earned the same title for leather mask making. Joec Randoph and Gus Petersen also attended. Over the four-day event, a combination of visiting and...
The Petersburg High School Track and Field team is in full swing practicing for their season that starts May 1. Head Coach Brad Taylor said this year’s team is comprised of about 40 runners, jumpers and throwers. A group of about 25 traveled to Ketchikan last weekend for a scrimmage, giving Taylor a chance to assess his team before the regular season begins. Taylor said several from the team set personal records and the boys team finished first in every event except for three. “They just did really well…I can’t believe we’re actually further a...
The Borough Assembly voted 5-2 in favor of delaying the purchase of a new sanitation truck for the recycling program. Though the Assembly approved the transition to a cart-based system on March 16, an as-yet unresolved citizen initiative to retain the blue bag system for two more years gave several assembly members pause on moving forward with the truck’s purchase. Angela Davis and Wes Davis filed an application for initiative petition with Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson on March 31, which outlined a two-year, blue bag program with a c... Full story
Though the Borough has a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2015), they have begun preparing for leaner times ahead. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht has tasked the Parks and Recreation department to cut $100,000 from their budget over the coming two fiscal years (FY), compared with the $887,334 budget for 2014-15. “It’s never pleasant,” said Giesbrecht. “With the combination of state and federal cuts, we’ve got to start working on this.” Parks and Rec Director Donnie Hayes said they’ve already eliminated on... Full story
The Juneau-based troupe Theatre in the Rough will bring Shakespeare’s The Life of King Henry V to a Petersburg audience this weekend. Director Aaron Elmore said the production is brought to life by a troupe of eight actors who collectively fill 40 roles. To keep the action moving along, characters transform on stage before the audience. In addition to quick wardrobe changes, another key costume element aids in distinguishing the characters. “All of these characters are pretty comic. They tend to be laggards or cowards or drunks,” Elmore said....
Police arrested Lars D. Christensen, 56, on a charge of felony assault following two motor vehicle accidents on N. Nordic on April 1. According to the criminal complaint filed by police, witnesses saw Christensen driving a Ford Ranger on N. Nordic, which veered close to parked vehicles on the street before hitting a car parked in front of Petersburg Rexall Drug. Christensen allegedly continued driving after this incident and veered to the right again, hitting the back of a full-size pickup parke...
