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Susan Flint and Chelsea Tremblay appeared before the Petersburg Borough Assembly Monday night seeking a sponsor to sign an ordinance that would remove the Senior Citizen Sales Tax Exemption and replace it with a needs based rebate program. Flint noted that nearly 600 tax-exempt cards are in use and in some cases two generations of a single family hold the cards. The ordinance change would be presented to the voters in the form of a proposition at the next regular election on October 2, 2018. The proposition would repeal the current sales tax ex...
One of the largest graduating classes in the history of the Petersburg School District will receive their diplomas next Tuesday at commencement ceremonies in the PHS gym. Principal Rick Dormer said the 45 students rolled through the system each year like a wave, due to their class size. “They were a very active class. Very outspoken and very likeable kids,” Dormer noted. “They were all over the school, involved in activities with other students. They weren’t a bunch of stuck up seniors,” Dormer stated. Also unique to this class was the inter...
Employees of the Petersburg Municipal Employee’s Association complained of “bullying,” and a, “big lack of professionalism,” taking place at the negotiating table, according to comments made at Monday’s special assembly meeting on Monday. Joe Bertagnoli, who has led the PMEA negotiations in the past said, “It’s not pretty.” It’s like when we negotiated with former city manager Scott Hahn. When items are placed on the table, negotiator John Hoag says, “Hell no.” “We’re not asking for the moon,” Bertagnoli added. Blake Buotte continued by say...
Alaska Humanities Forum's (AHF) second cohort of Alaska Salmon Fellows convened in Petersburg at the Holy Cross House for 5-days beginning with a reception at the Sons of Norway Hall last Friday. According to Fellow Kris Norosz, this was the first time the cohort of 16-fellows had met in person. The Alaska Salmon Fellows work to facilitate conversations about salmon issues and identify innovative opportunities to strengthen the resource for future generations. A contingent of about 28 people,...
Petersburg is set to receive an 87-foot Marine Protector Class coastal patrol vessel that will serve the Inside Passage with search and rescue patrols, fisheries enforcement, drug smuggling interception and other missions. The vessel will be home ported in Petersburg after the 110-ft. Anacapa is removed from service in 2021. Mayor Mark Jensen told the Pilot Wednesday, "It's a done deal." This was discussed in D.C. this winter when he made a personal visit with the Alaska Congressional...
The Borough Assembly deliberated over the first draft of the fiscal year 2019 budget presented Friday afternoon by Finance Director Jody Tow. Tow told the assembly the property tax mill rate decreases this year from 11.6 mills to 11.38 mills. The millage rate is the amount per $1,000 used to calculate taxes on property. Absent voter approved levies for the school, aquatic center, assisted living and library debt, the mill rate is below the required cap (10 mills) at 9.2 mills. Tow said the mill...
Michael P. Heiser, attorney for the Hanson Class, plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Kake Tribal Corporation, is seeking a court order forcing Attorney Fred Triem to render a full accounting of the Hanson Class funds being held in his trust account. In the early 1990s, Triem represented the "Hanson Class" of shareholders who were plaintiffs, bringing suit against Kake Tribal Corporation. The court awarded judgment to the plaintiffs in the amount of $2.7 million, plus costs, attorney fees and...
The Borough’s Enterprise Funds are all solvent and to keep it that way, some rate increases will go into effect this fiscal year. Enterprise operations are carried out by the harbor, water, wastewater, sanitation, elderly housing and assisted living departments, which largely pay their own way from revenue they generate from people using their services. Finance Director Jody Tow noted that the Assisted Living fund is being subsidized by the General Fund for both Bond Debt ($179,606) and Operating Fund transfer ($150,000) this year. That a...
We are ecstatic that the U.S. Coast Guard will operate another cutter out of Petersburg after the Anacapa is taken out of service. True, it’s a smaller vessel than the Anacapa, with a smaller crew, but we’ll take it. The Coast Guard’s Petersburg operations make a huge impact on our economy. The payroll alone is significant. Then start adding in lease payments to the borough for the mooring facilities, housing for families, supplies and goods — often purchased locally, fuel purchases and all manner of repairs and the sum starts to become...
Since June 2017 this newspaper has received three price increases totaling $167 metric/ton from our Canadian newsprint supplier. This newspaper, along with other Alaskan publishers, purchases their newsprint from Canadian manufacturers because there are not enough U.S. paper mills to meet the demands of the newspaper industry. The Trump administration has levied a 22% tariff on newsprint imported from Canada based upon the complaint of a single paper mill (North Pacific Paper Company) that is accusing Canadian mills of engaging in dumping...
Superior Court Judge William Carey ordered Petersburg Attorney Fred Triem to pay $99,159.02 to Alaska Airlines counsel Davis, Wright, Tremaine LLP to settle claims sought by the law firm for costs, attorney fees and a $10,000 sanction for his misconduct in continuing a lawsuit against Alaska Airlines after his client Helen Lingley died. Triem represented Lingley who was fired from her position with Alaska Airlines for taking ear buds from an airline storage area. Lingley died on June 24, 2016 while the Airlines and Triem were actively pursuing...
In one of the most confounding and complex moves ever attempted by a manager, the Borough Assembly approved Steve Giesbrecht’s plan to reorganize the Power and Light and Public Works Dept. leadership. The fact that it required changes to six ordinances, as well as ignored credible and often eloquent testimony by knowledgeable people in the electrical field, along with the public opposing the measure, reveals the manager’s stubborn pursuit to save perhaps $100,000 per year in a department that operated efficiently and productively for over 40...
Petersburg residents, along with other Alaskans need to participate in the larger debate on gun violence and steer clear of the knee-jerk reaction, to simply restrict gun sales. We suspect that gun violence that could be perpetrated on most Alaskan communities would make use of a privately owned weapon, not one recently purchased from a firearms dealer or merchant. In some gun violence cases, as mentioned by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, we’re paying a price caused by the, “hardening of our culture,” over the last 40 years from the influence of vi...
As discussion continues on the Power and Light reorganization, it’s important to quantify the savings and identify where they will be placed within the borough budget. Saving money in the Power and Light Dept. will not help the borough’s general fund. It will only bring savings to the Power and Light fund. The funds cannot be transferred to the general fund on an ongoing basis. Since the PMP&L fund is a self-supporting enterprise, it operates independent of the borough’s general fund. In other words, it pays its own way, as do the sanit...
Was last year’s election for naught? We thought voters made their feelings well known by voting Brandi Thynes Marohl and Mark Jensen into their respective positions on the Assembly. Last week’s decision to revisit the Power and Light management plan in a continued attempt to save money is ill advised. Cut corners somewhere else. Many have said, “Everything is going well. We don’t need a high salaried superintendent.” One assembly member even suggested that everyone at Power and Light was getting along well and singing Kumbaya together....
Superior Court Judge William Carey said Petersburg Attorney Fred Triem, “has been repeatedly untruthful with the court and opposing counsel,” and that he, “engaged in a game of subterfuge and deceit,” in pursuing legal action over his client’s firing from Alaska Airlines. On Tuesday, Carey ruled on multiple motions in his order and ultimately dismissed the case against Alaska Airlines. Helen Lingley was terminated from her position with the airlines and in 2012 Triem filed a wrongful termination claim with the company on her behalf. Triem tol...
Superior Court Judge William Carey denied a request by Plaintiffs Danny Robert Thompson and Greg Richeson to have their case heard as a class action by stating the case does not meet the class action prerequisites required by state law. Carey heard oral arguments on the case in December of last year, and issued his order for Class Certification on Jan. 16. The order explains that two plaintiffs seek injunctive and declaratory relief, the return of property and general, special punitive and exemp...
When ownership of a newspaper or broadcast outlet changes, it’s big news. It’s the lead story of the day. Everyone wants to know who the new owner is, and what changes will be made to the organization. In the case of KSTK, Wrangell’s public radio station, the proposed ownership change was advanced with barely a whisper to the public. With approximately 234 letters mailed to active supporters and bits of information shared with a few others, minimal notification was made of changes that were coming to Wrangell’s station. This newspaper stumble...
Lack of support from KSTK public radio listeners and businesses in Wrangell may bring ownership changes to the station. A public notice published in last week’s Wrangell Sentinel foreshadows the transfer of radio station assets to CoastAlaska in Juneau. CoastAlaska provides administrative support and other services for seven Southeast public radio stations including KSTK. Reductions in grant revenue and local donations, has made the station’s financial situation untenable. We’re not convinced that moving the station’s operations to CoastAl...
The State Supreme Court this month dismissed appeals by Attorney Fred Triem to continue to represent Appellants in the case of Arlene Bell Hanson, et al. vs. Kake Tribal Corporation. In September the court allowed Triem to pursue its appeal, “on behalf of one or more individual class members, provided that the individual class members confirm in writing that they wish to pursue the appeals and that they wish to be represented on the appeals by Mr. Triem,” according to the court order. Triem submitted the name of Ms. Lillian Feldpausch from Sit...
The remodel of the Petersburg Medical Center kitchen facility is nearing completion. Food service will resume in the new kitchen on Jan. 8. The hospital board approved the budget of up to $292,000 in March and made plans to use the Ocean Beauty bunkhouse kitchen to prepare meals during the remodel. Project supervisor Marty Sussort with Alaska Commercial Contractors in Juneau said the project entailed breaking up the kitchen floor to access waste lines that had plugged or failed. "We found the so...
Ndesamburo Kwayu is the retired headmaster of the Sokoine Secondary School in Tanzania. His wife Rose is a retired elementary school teacher. The couple visited Petersburg last week to provide a report on projects that the Petersburg Lutheran Church and the Petersburg Rotary Club have supported, and also to inform the community of the continuing needs of the school and neighboring town. The secondary school is comparable to a high school level program in the U.S. It has 650 students and a staff...
Despite the clearly decisive results of the October election, the borough assembly appears to let politics decide their votes on important electrical issues. The vote to confirm the mayor’s selection to the Southeast Alaska Power Agency seats should have been voice votes, not secret ballots. The public is entitled to know how the assembly voted. It’s all about transparency. To select an inexperienced person to the voting seat for Petersburg, undermines Petersburg’s standing in the organization. John Jensen has served for years on the SEAPA...
Police reports over the past year show a significant number of thefts and burglaries each week. Police Chief Kelly Swihart told the Pilot this week that there are numerous reasons for the thefts. It’s not all related to drugs. “There could be a drug nexus in a lot of these things. If we really look at this, we’re dealing with the same population. Some struggle with their addictions. Some struggle for survival. “We’re dealing with the same population of violators, but they’re stealing for different reasons,” Swihart noted. According to...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht received high marks from both department heads and assembly members following his performance evaluation for borough work performed between March 1, 2016 and Feb. 28, 2017. “I wholeheartedly support the veracity of this evaluation,” Nancy Strand, an assembly member, said at a meeting on Monday. “I think we should approve and, in addition, repay Steve for following his suggestions.” In its summary, six evaluators said the manager met job standards; eight said his work exceeded job standards and four rated t...
