Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 163
At the regular Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10, the commission considered the rezoning and sale of five lots on Odin Street and one parcel near Skylark Way at the request of Rock'n'Road Construction and Skylark LLC owners Sig and Ambre Burrell. The Burrells put forward the request for the borough to rezone and sell the properties with the intention to purchase and develop them. "If we can buy these lots, put the utilities in, turn around and sell them, put the utilities...
At the Alaska Hospital and Health Care Association (AHHA) conference in Girdwood last month, Petersburg Medical Center Long Term Care received the top award of Excellence in Quality for the 2023 Nursing Home Quality Awards. The Alaska Nursing Home Quality Achievement Award was bestowed to PMC by Mountain Pacific, a nonprofit corporation that oversees the quality of care for Medicare and Medicaid members through federal and state contracts, as a Gold Pan award for the quality of care delivered... Full story
Commercial salmon fishing in Southeast is mostly finished for the year and the volume of salmon caught far exceeded expectations, but due to low prices, the value of the harvest fell short of recent years. Troy Thynes, Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s (ADF&G) regional management coordinator for commercial fisheries, told the Pilot that this season was “actually a pretty good year” in terms of total number of fish. The preliminary total estimated number of fish currently stands at 65,737,799 salmon for the region, most of that being 47,64...
The unofficial results of the Petersburg 2023 Municipal Election are in. When the voting window closed at 8 o'clock Tuesday night, 1250 voters had cast their ballots. The preliminary results amounted to a strikingly close race for positions in the Borough Assembly and Public Safety Board - with a difference of five votes between assembly candidates and nine votes separating public safety board contenders. 24 absentee ballots remain uncounted, along with four questioned ballots. Borough Clerk...
Local fishing industry representatives met with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) in Petersburg last week looking for a Golden King Crab compromise. The department acknowledged frustrations voiced by the fishermen this year regarding management hindering the golden king harvest. King and Tanner Task Force (KTTF) meetings were organized to brainstorm and come to a common understanding. In the latest KTTF meeting held at the Petersburg Public Library on Sept. 28, the industry and the...
As of Oct. 3, hunters have harvested a total of 70 moose in the 2023 RM038 moose hunt, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Six of the 70 harvested were illegal, with the remaining 64 considered legal game. The total number of moose harvested at this point falls slightly short of the 77 moose harvested last year by Oct. 5 2022. Hunters have harvested 29 legal moose —and two illegal moose— on Kupreanof Island, more than any other area Fish and Game tracks. The Stikine River has seen 14 legal moose harvested so far. The hig...
In the final moments of Dave Kensinger's last Borough Assembly meeting Monday, September 18, lighthearted joking capped the session just before adjourning. It was time for assembly member comments when vice-mayor Bob Lynn spoke up to address something very important: "Well, since this is member Kensinger's last meeting, I gotta thank him for everything he's done. But the one area he hasn't really done a really good job - I think he was our representative with the Alaska Ferry System," a light la...
During the recent Hospital Board meeting Sept. 28, Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter shared news of receiving the "verbal greenlight" for a $20 million treasury grant earlier that day. The verbal greenlight came from PMC's liaison with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the state governor's office, which is the agency that is working with the Department of the Treasury, Hoffstetter explained to the Pilot in an interview. This $20 million grant will be used to develop the... Full story
If you thought it seemed awfully rainy last Thursday, you'd be right. An atmospheric river saturated Petersburg last week with heavy rain and windy conditions. A record breaking 4.47 inches of rain fell on Petersburg on Thursday, Sept. 21, which resulted in landslides in remote areas, reservoir spillover at Crystal Lake, and some hazards across all three harbors. A flood advisory was put into effect for Falls Creek Thursday morning due to excessive rainfall. Mariners were advised to check the...
The Petersburg Police Department notified the Petersburg School District of a threat made by a high school student directed at the secondary school. PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter told the Pilot that the threat made on Tuesday is a completely different, separate incident from the threat made in the district less than two weeks ago. The student was not on school premises when the threat was made and “will not be on campus for the foreseeable future,” Kludt-Painter told the Pilot. When made aware of the threat, PPD notified the dis...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the sale of a borough-owned lot at the corner of Haugen Drive and North 12th Street to the Petersburg Indian Association for a price of $45,000 following negotiations with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. The sale comes on the heels of an Aug. 7 decision by the assembly to move forward with PIA’s application to purchase the property located at 10 N. 12th Street, and an Aug. 20 approval to sell the lot directly to PIA, instead of through a public bid. Cris Morrison, President of the Tribal Co...
After 23 years, Brandy Boggs moved away from Petersburg. Although she may no longer be here in person, her substantial contributions to the community will continue as she remains Petersburg Medical Center's patient navigator - now working in a hybrid role. Over the years, Brandy has held various roles serving rural Alaskan communities. She worked for the state doing child protection with the Office of Children's Services for a number of years before transitioning to her role in the court, where...
Three Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) staff members from Juneau presented the findings and recommendations from their recent review of safety and human resources of the Petersburg Borough to the Assembly on Sept. 18. Earlier this year, the borough agreed to engage an outside organization, later selecting APEI, to help evaluate and make improvement recommendations regarding the safety and human resources practices of the borough, the review arose from a community demand that an effort be made to prevent a situation like the fatal 2016 car...
During a regular meeting on Sept. 12, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a recommendation to change the zoning of Government Lot 14, which is owned by Skylark Park LLC. The property is currently zoned as public use. However, owner Ambre Burrell proposed a rezoning to single-family mobile home, citing the intention to subdivide the 5-acre parcel into lots for placement of manufactured homes. The proposal asks to make this amendment because the property area is "mis zoned."...
The Petersburg School District said they are confident in the safety of students and staff at school, following a credible threat made by a student last Thursday. The school responded to the threat with an investigation in cooperation with law enforcement. The Petersburg Police Department told the Pilot there is no present danger to the school. “We evaluated the threat and … we don’t see it as a threat to the students or to the public,” said PPD Chief Jim Kerr. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter told the Pilot that the situation began when a...
The Petersburg Medical Center is introducing a new program for psychiatric care under the behavioral health department, with the support of a $300 thousand federal grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a one-year grant that HRSA awarded PMC to “address immediate needs in rural areas through improving access, capacity and sustainability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use disorder,” according to the language of the grant. PMC is...
The numbers are in from the summer season of the Southeast Alaska commercial Dungeness crab fishery which closed in mid-August. Over the two months that the season was open, 2.58 million pounds of Dungeness crab was harvested in Registration Area A, with 148 permit holders reporting landings. Joseph Stratman of the Department of Fish and Game says the department estimates another 1.3 million pounds will be harvested once the fall season opens Oct. 1. The Department of Fish and Game does not conduct surveys for Dungeness crab stock, instead the...
Moose hunting aims to begin on September 15. For this hunt, Alaska Wildlife Troopers Sgt. Cody Litster says hunters should acquire a RM038 permit, verse themselves thoroughly on what distinguishes legal game, submit their hunting reports and report their mistakes without hesitation. As far as antler configuration goes, Sgt. Litster says "it's the same as it has been." According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), antler restrictions protect a portion of the bull population by...
"Looking for ways to meet new people while also making a difference in Petersburg?" On September 22, 15 local organizations and nonprofits will gather at Sons of Norway Hall for a volunteer fair -Reconnect Petersburg- from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Anyone interested in learning more about what is happening in the Petersburg community is invited to join that Friday for free appetizers, door prizes, and a community gathering where they can discover specific ways to become more involved. While the...
Anyone interested in the sudden surge of mushrooms or the bellowing cry of the Sand Hill Cranes passing over town can stoke their curiosity at the Petersburg Rainforest Festival events during the days to come. The official goal of the rainforest festival is, "connecting people to the natural world through education, exploration, and the arts." Since 2008, this festival has typically taken place after Labor Day weekend. However, that changed a few years ago. "For the last couple of years, we've...
Petersburg can expect the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce a higher standard for wastewater discharge in a forthcoming permit that would call for expansion, testing, disinfection and treatment upgrades to meet criteria defined by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The price tag for the system to disinfect the wastewater discharge is currently estimated to be around $10 million - making it "the largest wastewater project that we've ever seen" if, or wh...
The 2023 summer reading programs at the Petersburg Public Library ended in July after six weeks of participants flipping pages, learning instruments, and math-ing their way through an escape room. Across three programs, 270 people of all ages took part in this story, with 65 completing their program cover to cover. Kari Peterson, Program Coordinator for the Petersburg Public Library, said "It went really well, this summer." Back in spring, the library had this year's prizes out on display....
The Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) has completed its review of safety and human resources for the Petersburg Borough. Though it was prompted by community concerns following the car crash in 2016 involving a borough vehicle that resulted in two employee fatalities, APEI’s review was not an investigation of the crash. Their goal was to understand current practices and make recommendations to enhance the safety of borough employees and the public, as outlined in the report’s executive summary. The report noted “a number of areas where...
Dredging is expected to resume at South Harbor this October to finish the maintenance project that was suspended earlier this year. Harbormaster Glo Wollen says Western Marine, who has undertaken the South Harbor dredge project, is "here, poised, ready to go" but must wait to resume in-water work due to environmental regulations. "Because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, we can't do any in-water work until October 1," she said. "We'll see them start to fire up and get things ready, and then...
At the office of Petersburg nonprofit Humanity In Progress, anyone experiencing food insecurity can pick up a grab-and-go bag from the storage container just outside the door. Inside, a thoughtful collection of products to meet a person's basic needs are stacked against the walls. Humanity in Progress, also called HIP, is a small local nonprofit organization that aims to address the present humanitarian needs for shelter and sustenance in Petersburg. There is currently a housing shortage in...
