Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 400
Petersburg City Council voted to send an ordinance increasing the sales tax exemption rate from $1,200 to $1,700 to the voters for the Oct. 2 election. Before discussion opened for this item, Council member Nancy Strand amended the ordinance to increase the amount to $2,400. “I think it should be doubled in order to accrue some money,” Strand said. “I also think with the big over run in the North Harbor project we are going to need to do some belt tightening and this is a good place to start.” This amendment was not met with much support and ma...
Kai Kaino and Terri Hamamoto of Hawaii became engaged on a fishing boat captained by Craig Curtiss Aug. 4. Kaino has always considered Petersburg a second home and has been coming here to fish for the past 10 years. “I brought Terri here this year hoping she would love Petersburg as much as I do,” Kaino said. “Luckily for me, she does.” It rained the entire week, but they did get one day of sun for that special day. “I had stressed that I wanted to catch a Coho salmon, because I think they are...
The City of Petersburg awarded Northwood Sand and Gravel the bid for an amount not to exceed $51,000 and Rock N Road Construction of Petersburg was awarded a bid in an amount not to exceed $24,780. Petersburg Public Works Department recently solicited bids for 1,500 tons of winter maintenance sand with 500 tons additional sand to be awarded as an optional item. This material is used by Public Works for traction control in the winter months. Three bids were received for this project. Rock N Road came in with a bid of $61,835 and Ketchikan Ready...
Petersburg City Manager Stephen Giesbrecht, along with Parks and Recreation Director Donn Hayes are researching renewable energy grants to lower utility costs for community buildings including the hospital, schools and municipal buildings. “Donnie has taken the lead on this project,” Giesbrecht said. “We are encouraged that this will help save the city money in the long run.” The Petersburg Harbor Advisory Board and PND met recently to discuss the details on the North Harbor project with the group giving direction to PND for the preferred alter...
7 Elected positions will expire this year and will be voted on at the regular municipal election Oct. 2. There are three positions of the Petersburg City Council held by Susan Flint, Nancy Strand and John Jensen that are up for grabs in October. Two positions on the School Board held by Jim Schwartz and Sarah Holmgrain, which are three year terms are open for candidates. The Petersburg Hospital Board has three positions held by Timothy Koeneman and Jeanette Ness which are three year terms and Rocia Tejera will give up a one year term, that... Full story
The Petersburg Harbor Board held a work session Friday afternoon in order to discuss options for reducing costs regarding the reconstruction of the North Harbor. PND Project Engineer, Dick Somerville, provided the board with five options to possibly decrease the $2.2 million overage in the $7 million budget. “Many of the cost increases are due to time,” Somerville said. “When the project was originally budgeted, costs for electrical supplies were 40 percent lower.” Somerville explained that there are approximately three miles of 2 ¼ inch dia... Full story
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Alaskan temperatures have been cooler and wetter than average for the first six months of the year. The entire state has had its 15th coolest January to June on record with temperatures 3.2 degrees below average. The Alaska Climate Research Center notes that May in the Southeast Region had a temperature 3.9 degrees below the long-term mean and monthly precipitation was high with 19.25 inches, more than doubling the long term mean of 8.20 inches. It rained 29 of the 31 days... Full story
The City of Petersburg awarded Jensen, Yorba and Lott, Inc. with the bid for the design and plan development of the Petersburg Police Department and Jail Facility at a cost of $465,000. Proposals were received from Jensen, Yorba and Lott, Inc. (JYL) of Juneau and Bettisworth North Architects and Planners, Inc. (BNAP) of Anchorage. Public Works Director, Karl Hagerman detailed in a letter to Petersburg City Manager, Stephen Giesbrecht that both proposals were very good at detailing the experience levels of the Project Manager, project team... Full story
The Petersburg City Council discussed five funding options for the acquisition of the Reid Marine Property in Scow Bay. Option one includes raising the sales tax rate from six to seven percent. This option will raise approximately $462,000. Passing a resolution giving the Harbor Enterprise Fund all of the fish tax the City receives annually is also a part of this alternative. Option two includes increasing the sales tax cap from $1,200 to $1,700; eliminating the sales tax exemption for seniors outside the City; moving to a point of sale system... Full story
Candidate filings for local board positions are very low for this election term. “We only have one person, so far, that has filed for a city council position,” Petersburg City Clerk Kathy O'Rear said. “We also have only one for the Library Board.” O'Rear explained that there are still more than 20 positions to be filled with only a couple of weeks left to get petitions in for these positions. “We need more candidates,” O'Rear said. “Get in your petition now....
It may have been raining, but it did not keep people away from the First Friday Artist Walk. The people of Petersburg crowded into shops to see their favorite artist's work along with other pieces that were available for the evening. Beth Loesch, owner of Mielle Gallery, displayed her vibrant watercolors and had a crowd of people there to enjoy her work. The Fabric Basket and Savann Guthrie played host to Sally Dwyer and her colorful quilts. Dwyer displayed a quilt of the Norwegian flag and it...
Workers from Ocean Beauty Seafood took time to help Petersburg Parks and Recreation by improving the Hungry Point Trail. “Cheryl Romeo approached Glorianne Wollen, who sent her to me,” Petersburg Parks and Recreation Director Donn Hayes said. “They were like receiving manna from heaven.” Hayes explained he and his department members had been trying to figure out a way to improve the trails in the area but were unable to get to them. “We had a little extra funds,” Hayes said. “It cost us about...
Petersburg City Manager, Stephen Giesbrecht, along with City of Petersburg department heads will evaluate existing positions in the City as they become vacant to determine ways to save money. “We are performing a review of hours, job descriptions and job class for the purpose of identifying opportunities to save money,” Giesbrecht said. This savings is above the budgeted amount for these positions. Excavation and fill for the library is nearly complete. “The crews are working extra hours in order to get the walls and roof on by fall,” Giesbre...
Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department received a $1,500 grant from Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling, ALPAR, for the second year in a row. The grant pays for a lead adult supervisor and as many kids that desire the work. “This is a great first job for 14-year-olds,” Recreation Facility Coordinator Judy Forgey said. “It teaches them responsibility, work ethic and pride in community.” ConocoPhillips, Alaska provides the safety vests for the workers and BP provides the yellow...
Marta Elise Skrøvseth Havdal, niece of Norwegian artist Kalla Skrøvseth, arrived in Petersburg with one goal in mind, to find as many of Skrøvseth's paintings as possible. “We have about 300 of her paintings in the gallery in Norway,” Havdal said. “But she has paintings all over the world, we are hoping to photograph any that we find here in Petersburg.” A Centennial Celebration of Skrøvseth's work will be held in Norway, November of 2013 and she is hoping to collect more pieces for the gallery....
The Petersburg Indian Association, PIA, has hired former Petersburg City Manager, Bruce Jones, as their new Administrator and he began working Wednesday. “I am looking forward to getting to work with a group of talented people,” Jones said. Jones served 28 years with the City of Petersburg with his last six as City Manager. He retired from the City in 2007 and went to work for the Inter-island Ferry Authority. PIA is a federally recognized tribe that works with money from grants through the Bur... Full story
The Alaska Department of Law has added a lawyer to the Juneau office after receiving complaints from Petersburg about short staffing in the district attorney’s office. A budget analyst position has been changed in order to make room for another attorney. This change will take the number of state attorneys in Juneau from three to four to handle cases. During a visit by Governor Sean Parnell in early June, complaints about short staffing in the D.A.’s office, a high dismissal rate for court cases and lack of communication with local police wer... Full story
Marlena Erickson returned from a life-changing trip to Sweden last Tuesday. Erickson spent more than 11 months in Hudisvall, Sweden, which is approximately two hours north of Stockholm, as a foreign exchange student through the Petersburg Rotary Club. “I still feel like I’m in a dream,” Erickson said. “It was such an amazing experience.” Erickson explained that she was able to take a three week tour of Europe while she was there as well. She visited Germany, Poland, Austria, France and Belgi... Full story
The trip of a lifetime awaits River Quitslund as he leaves for Ching Mai, Thailand Monday. Quitslund applied for the foreign exchange student program through the Petersburg Rotary Club. “This was kind of a split-second decision,” Quitslund said. “My guidance counselor asked if I would be interested and I applied.” He was not interested at first, but after discussing the program with his mother, Karen, he realized what a great opportunity it would be. Quitslund explained that his mother wanted...
Plans to remodel or rebuild the Petersburg Medical Center Long-Term Care facility had PMC Board members excited for new possibilities. Roy Rountree, architect, and Abigail Kron, interior designer, of Bettisworth North Architects and Planners of Anchorage, gave board members a detailed look at several options that could take place for the PMC LTC facility. “Abigail and I inspected the facility pretty thoroughly,” Rountree said. “It is now in a state of managed deterioration.” Rountree and Kron spoke with several members of the staff and residen...
The City of Petersburg adopted the 2012-13 City budget with very few changes from last year. “The biggest change is the general fund subsidizing some of the assisted living facility expenses,” City of Petersburg Finance Director Jody Tow said. “In addition to charging a mill rate for the facility’s annual debt service, the City will be transferring $100,000 from the general fund to assisted living. These funds are to support the facility’s day to day operations. The facility is now at full occupancy which means the City is receiving more reve... Full story
A joint resolution calling for the development of new fish hatcheries and releases was passed by Petersburg City Council Monday, July 16. This resolution was drafted by City and Borough of Wrangell Mayor Jeremy Maxand with several members of the fishing fleet. “There is a desire to see the development of a new hatchery in Southeast Alaska to expand the available number of fish for harvest, whether it be for commercial or sport fishing,” Maxand said. “We thought a joint resolution and letter from both Wrangell and Petersburg to the gover...
Many Petersburg merchants expressed mixed feelings regarding its first sales tax-free day. The tax-free day took place, in conjunction with the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Spring Market giving merchants extra opportunities to pass savings on to the public. Savann Guthrie owner of The Fabric Basket and Chamber of Commerce Retail Committee Chair stated the committee received no negative feedback regarding this event. “I believe people spent money that they normally wouldn’t have,” Guthrie said. “Many merchants, including myself, had extra s... Full story
In a recent City Council meeting, council member Don Koenigs questioned the rationale of additional increases on top of the percentage increases budgeted for department head salaries. The fiscal year 2013 budget was adopted June 11 with wage increases for management staff. Petersburg City Manager Stephen Giesbrecht put forth a plan that consisted of pay increases for individuals ranging from two to four percent. In addition, some management positions receive a one-time flat rate increase to brin... Full story
The Petersburg City Council passed a resolution to change the terms of a land lease with the Petersburg Humane Association. The Humane Association leases three acres of City land for the construction, development, operation and maintenance of a community animal shelter and dog park for the term of 55 years and at a rate of $1 per year. Council member Don Koenigs stated that a 55 year lease was too long and suggested a 30 year term. “55 years is a standard lease for the City,” Petersburg City Clerk Kathy O'Rear said. “This term will be long...
