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A Petersburg home was destroyed in a fire on Jan. 13. Just after noon, Petersburg's volunteer fire department, police and Alaska State Troopers responded to the residential fire - located about two miles out of town along Frederick Point Drive. Petersburg's Fire Chief Dan Bird said the house was "completely engulfed in flames" when firefighters arrived on scene. No one was home at the time of the fire; neighbors said the owners are on vacation. The fire was contained by midafternoon. "It's...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a wishlist of community projects during their first meeting of the year on Jan. 6. Every year, the Alaska Legislature puts together a capital budget - money to fund big ticket projects around the state. And every year, the Petersburg Borough requests some of that money for local projects, and names its top ten priorities. Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor said he isn't very optimistic the projects will receive large amounts of funding, but he likes...
Part of Petersburg's downtown was closed for nearly an hour on Jan. 9. Just after 7 p.m., George Marlow was waiting for a ride home from work at the IGA grocery store when he witnessed a black truck make a U-turn at the north end of Main Street. That's when, he said, the truck rammed into a trash can on the sidewalk. "Nearly got me right there," Marlow said. "He hit the garbage can, he seen me standing there and he just got on it ... way too fast." Heading south, the truck smashed into a parked...
A Petersburg man has pleaded not guilty for allegedly sharing child sexual abuse material. Alejandro “Alex” Melendez Aguilar, 45, was indicted last month on 10 felony charges for possession and distribution of child pornography. He was arraigned remotely from jail in Juneau through the Petersburg Courthouse on Jan. 6. Last year, law enforcement officers said they received a tip from Kik, a social networking app, reporting Aguilar’s account shared explicit sexual content of children. Alaska State Troopers investigated. When interviewing Aguil...
Petersburg started the year nearly snowless, even at high elevations - and that's rare, according to long-term data records. Snowpack data is collected at hundreds of sites in Alaska every winter month for the National Resource Conservation Service's snow survey program, which monitors snow depth and water content measurements to use for environmental forecasting and water management. There are several snow survey stations in Southeast Alaska - including two on Petersburg's Mitkof Island, which...
A Petersburg man is facing 10 felony charges for possession and distribution of child pornography after a grand jury indicted him on Dec. 26 for allegedly sharing sexually explicit content of children. Charging documents say law enforcement received a tip from Kik, a social networking app, reporting that an account belonging to Alejandro “Alex” Melendez Aguilar, 45, had shared the content. Investigators spoke with Aguilar at his Petersburg residence in November. They allege that, during the interview, Aguilar admitted sharing explicit con...
The Petersburg Borough will enter negotiations with a local developer who wants to buy seven borough-owned lots between Severson Subdivision and Skylark Way. Skylark Park LLC wants to develop the land into a major subdivision with roads and utilities that could provide cheaper housing options in Petersburg. In 2023, a survey found that the town needs over 300 more housing units in the next decade. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht told the Petersburg Borough Assembly at a meeting Dec. 2 that...
Staff at Petersburg Medical Center sprung into action earlier this month when a sudden leak erupted from part of the building's hydronic heating system, spewing dozens of gallons of mixed water in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) room behind the nurse's station on the hospital's second floor. Maintenance staff were able to patch the leak with plumbing parts, but have not been able to find a replacement for the actual piece that was leaking yet. There was not a patient in that particular room at the... Full story
Advisory committees are making recommendations to the state Board of Fish for hundreds of proposals to change certain fishing regulations - a process that happens once every three years for the region. Proposals were submitted by members of the public, organizations, advisory committees and ADFG staff earlier this year. The Petersburg Advisory Committee for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) coordinated with Crystal Lake Hatchery operators Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture...
Before a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision removed the legal barrier to apply local sales taxes to online purchases, states and municipalities were blocked from collecting sales taxes from sellers that did not have a physical presence in the tax jurisdiction. Most online merchants declined to collect sales taxes on goods shipped into states and cities with a local tax. Residents of Petersburg could purchase tax-free orders from Walmart, Eddie Bauer and other vendors online. After the ruling, to...
Earlier this month, the Petersburg Borough Assembly passed an ordinance updating the sales tax chapter of municipal code to clarify exemptions and rules for businesses, modernize definitions and organize information for better transparency - borough officials emphasized that the ordinance does not introduce new taxes or exemptions, nor does it change how sales tax is applied locally. The amendment highlights existing information about sales tax into clear new sections and adds definitions that w...
Lifelong gymnast and founder of Fitness Fundamentals Madeleine Valentine is leaping into a new chapter for her business. After three years of operating her gymnastics and fitness school from various rented, temporary spaces around Petersburg, Valentine has secured a permit from the borough to convert a large detached garage on her recently purchased property into a permanent location for her classes. Finding a consistent space to house the program has been a challenge. Valentine explored several...
Over the last two summers, U.S. Forest Service crews have made headway to improve the Petersburg Lake Trail on Kupreanof Island — upgrading the boardwalk, brushing the path and cutting through fallen trees by hand. The 10.5 miles meandering from the dock up to the Petersburg Lake Cabin site is now mostly passable — but a beaver dam complex remains an obstacle, flooding about a mile of the path in the middle of the hike. Petersburg Lake Trail had been largely impassable due to degradation fro...
Folks filling seats in the Northern Lights auditorium next week are in for "a fun, quick-paced show that they'll walk away ... with a smile on their face," said Tiffany Glass, of the Mitkof Mummers theater group. Nearly a year since their last performance, the Mitkof Mummers will return to the stage next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for their fall performance of "The Snow White Variety Show." On stage, Seven dwarfs, each possessing a distinct personality, will recount their versions of the...
Petersburg residents are buzzing about the intense rumble that swept the area late last Thursday night. The sound —which to some folks seemed like an airplane flying just overhead, or felt like a tree fell into their home— was the roar of thunder resulting from lightning striking near Mitkof Island around 11 p.m. Nov. 7. Grant Smith of the National Weather Service in Juneau told the Pilot that overnight satellite data detected four strikes of lightning near the Petersburg area around the tim...
A new ordinance being considered by the Petersburg Borough Assembly proposes adding a new section about "inactive vessels" to the municipal harbors section of borough code. Adopting the new language would impose certain requirements —including storage fees, a marine condition survey, and proof of insurance— on vessels that don't leave their moorage stall in the harbor for 12 consecutive months or longer. The ordinance aims to encourage active, regular use of vessels that are moored in bor...
American Cruise Lines —operators of a small cruise ship that frequents Petersburg during the summer— is working with the borough to design and potentially build a dedicated cruise ship docking space at the end of Dock Street. Having a guaranteed place for the cruise line to dock could help the harbor department to better manage vessel congestion in the inner harbor. Splitting the cost with American Cruise Lines (ACL), the borough has hired PND Engineering for conceptual drawings to assess wha...
The U.S. Forest Service Petersburg Ranger District is temporarily moving office operations to Scow Bay while the downtown headquarters is renovated. Work on the downtown office —including a complete renovation of the interior of the building— is estimated to start in January 2025 and could last two years. Until then, the Harris Building —at 123 Scow Bay Loop Road— will be the de facto Petersburg District office location where the public can meet with USFS staff. Work at the downtown office site...
Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) filled two positions in October, hiring Jalyn Pomrenke to the Tribal Administrator position and Hillary MacDonald as Director of Finances. "I am excited to have this opportunity to listen to and uplift the voices of tribal citizens in Petersburg," Pomrenke said in a message to the Pilot. Born and raised in Petersburg, Pomrenke has a career in residential property management and real estate, working at Petersburg Properties LLC and at PIA in her previous role...
Petersburg Borough is set to request over $3.5 million in state loans to help fund the long-anticipated vessel haul-out and work yard project at Scow Bay. The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution on Oct. 21, authorizing the loan application to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) for the Scow Bay infrastructure project. It passed unanimously in a 6-0 vote, with assembly member Bob Lynn excused. The borough will apply to ADEC's revolving fund program for...
An updated set of procedures for future sales of borough-owned tidelands could be codified this November. The Petersburg Borough Assembly is considering a new ordinance that would update municipal code to clarify the process of selling borough-owned tidelands and establish that such sales would be considered at no less than the appraised value —rather than the assessed value— of the land. The ordinance would add not one, not two, but three new sections under the Tidelands chapter of borough mun...
A century-old technology has been added to Petersburg's fire hall for emergency communication when all else fails. Amateur radio —or ham radio— is a form of two-way radio communication that allows specially licensed operators to communicate over long distances using radio frequencies reserved for non-commercial use. Think walkie-talkie, but much more powerful. Depending on the equipment and frequency range, ham radio operators can communicate with neighboring communities, countries on the oth... Full story
Faced with increased operational costs from inflation and higher utility expenses, paired with rates that are several years out-of-date, the financial sustainability of Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility is under review. A new ordinance brought before the Petersburg Borough Assembly this week would increase and establish certain charges for residents. Among the changes, the ordinance would install a one-time "Community Facility Fee" of $2,000 for new residents moving into the facility...
Hunters harvested 131 moose this season, which according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game was the third highest harvest on record for this area. According to Fish and Game, 45 of the moose were checked in at the Petersburg ADF&G office, 50 were reported to the Wrangell representative and 22 were reported to the Kake representative. The rest were checked in at other ADF&G offices throughout the region. Among the 131 total moose taken this year, 120 were legal harvests and the remaining 1...
Artists, foodies and nonprofits: the time is nigh. Petersburg's 49th annual Oktoberfest Art Share returns this Saturday at the Petersburg Community Center. Oktoberfest is sponsored by the Muskeg Maleriers, who have facilitated the event for over four decades. Originally founded by the Petersburg Arts Council, the event is an art-focused opportunity for folks to sell and share homemade crafts with the community. Jewelry, glasswork, woodwork, photography, knit creations, original paintings, toys,...
