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Ocean Beauty officials say the fish processing plant took such a hard hit last month that it will not be in full operation this summer. The plant, situated at the end of a 1,500 ft. pier between the North and Middle harbors, was struck on May 7 by the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry the M/V Matanuska. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. According to Tom Sunderland, vice president of marketing for Ocean Beauty the plant will still be running its normal ice delivery service... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors approved a 3 percent increase of rates and salaries beginning July 1. The increases will take place across the board, said Chief Financial Officer Leon Walsh. “We have a program that raises the rates for anything that we charge for,” Walsh said. The board unanimously approved the increases at the May 24 meeting. In July 2011, the board increased rates from 1 to 5 percent depending on service, and raised salaries by 1 percent. “We try to be as competitive as we can. If we’re not competitive, we have...
U.S. Senator Mark Begich-D had a busy Memorial Day weekend, but made a stop in Petersburg. While he was in town, Begich met with officials and toured several city facilities. “We got to see a lot of the facilities, the new facilities, also the old ones. We got to tour the police station, which is in desperate need of help to say the least,” he said during an interview at the Harbormaster’s office. Begich, 50, who is serving with Lisa Murkowski, said he was “unsure” if there would be any Federal...
These PHS students were all nominated for the Elks Lodge’s Student of the Year Award. The prize went to Bud Bergen and Karolyn Kvernvik. (Left to right, back row) Bud Bergen, Tyler Lantiegne, Bret Martinsen, Aden Martinsen, Brina Compton, Carolyn Kvernvik (Middle row) Kris Thorsteinson, Mizani Rawhani, Kyle Hagerman, Abby Taylor, Maria Lopez (front row) Aaron Murph, Julia Buschmann, Jessica Franklin, Kyla Compton, Raven Hanson...
The City Council on Monday voted to draft an ordinance adopting a new utility rate hike for water, wastewater and sewer services. An outside consultant presented a detailed analysis of the water, sewer, and sanitation systems financial forecast. Each year the city reviews revenues as part of its budget process, but with major capital projects looming on the horizon for wastewater, the Assistant Public Works director Chris Cotta said a more detailed analysis was necessary for a number of reasons. “One is that operating costs are expected to r...
Community members flocked on Saturday to the grand opening of the new fire hall. The recently completed volunteer fire department Station One was a $6.7 million Capital Fund project. The new facility replaces the older, smaller downtown location. “I was reflecting on the dreams we've had about having a facility that met the needs of the volunteer fire department here. I think it started in the 60s or something,” said Mayor Al Dwyer. “They even had a drawing, an artist rendering in 1978, when I s...
The Petersburg Community Foundation on Saturday awarded $7,000 in competitive grants to local organizations and a $5,000 discretionary grant to the new City Library. The announcements were made at a donor event held at Glorianne Wollen's home, amidst the busy Little Norway Festival weekend. Foundation board member Liz Cabrera made the announcements and handed out the checks for the third cycle of grant fund bequeathments. The recipients of the competitive grants include: $2,500 to the Clausen...
A divided Alaska Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an interim redistricting plan due to the fast-approaching 2012 elections. This action prompted the Petersburg City Council to meet in an emergency session on Wednesday to decide the city’s next step in this on-going legal battle. This means the Redistricting board will have to go back to an earlier map until after the elections. This would put Petersburg back in Proclamation District 32 with downtown Juneau, Douglas, Tenakee Springs, Gustavus and Skagway. The district is currently represented b...
These Middle School students, (l to r) Emma Chase, Sydnie Guthrie, Mariah Taylor, have been working on robotic submarines since the beginning of February. This project is part of the Alaska STEM SeaPerch project. The students learned how to drill, solder electrical connections, read and follow instructions, and practice teamwork. “They got really into it because of their ability to take the material and take ownership of it by building a submarine that reflected their skills and knowledge. We f...
Even organizers are calling the 2012 Little Norway Festival a success. The Scandinavian Style Show and Luncheon, the Annual Festival Parade, the Mitkof Mummers Musical Melodrama, “Wash Your Troubles Away Or…Dirty Deeds Come Clean,” the Little Norway Festival Pageant, art openings and other events were all well attended. Several attendees even walked away from contests and raffles with cash and prizes from some of the events. The first-place winners of the Little Norway Boat Regatta held on Satur...
On Monday, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell signed into law three budget bills for Fiscal Year 2013 appropriating an estimated $870 million for transportation. Among the budget items is the allocation of $40 million for the controversial Kake-Petersburg Road. Many residents from the cities of Petersburg and Kupreanof sounded off during the last City Council meeting. They asked for city action toward a line-item veto of the project. The council voted in favor of drafting a resolution, but there wasn’t enough time to send it out. Kupreanof Mayor D...
Let your inner-Norwegian out. The Little Norway Festival begins today. The annual event celebrates Syttende Mai, or May 17, the signing of Norway's Constitution in 1814. Petersburg has been formally celebrating the occasion since 1958. The celebration includes live music, food, traditional dance, art receptions, softball and the return of the Viking/Valkyrie jail. Activities run from Thursday to Sunday. “We are bringing back the classics,” said Little Norway Chair Holli Flint. “The Style Show,...
What's in a name? The Petersburg Economic Development Council (PEDC) hopes the name Petersburg will translate into increased tourism and economic growth thanks to new city branding. The PEDC, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and several city employees, gathered last week to see the latest artwork and slogans for a new city branding effort that is designed to entice visitors, businesses and new residents. The desire to create a Petersburg logo and slogan began about a decade ago, said PEDC...
The Petersburg School District Board unanimously approved the $8.7 million balanced budget Tuesday night. The budget calls for 78 percent of the funding to come from the state and foundation, 20 percent from city and the remaining 2 percent in local revenues comes from various grants and donations. The expenditures for next year have not changed much from FY12. The district is expected to spend 72 percent of its budget on instruction. The remaining budget goes toward heating, maintenance, landscaping, equipment and other costs. “To have a b...
The U.S. Forest Service continues to host a series of meetings with members of the community to discuss the possibilities of a stewardship contract in connection with the Tonka Timber sale. Forest Ranger Jason Anderson initiated, and is facilitating, the workshops to gain a better understanding of what the public wants. “It's just a chance to have some communication, discussion regarding a broad range of projects,” said Anderson. “A chance for people to have a creative dialogue about what they want from their landscape,” he added. The sale wi...
Petersburg High School was recently ranked by the publication US News and World Report, receiving a Bronze award for academic achievement and college preparedness. US News and World Report and the Washington D.C.-based American Institute compiled the high schools rankings for Research. More than U.S. 21,000 high schools were analyzed based on how well the school served the students, not only those who are college-bound, but also students who showed measurable academic progress across a wide...
PETERSBURG — The Alaska Marine Highway ferry Matanuska crashed into the face of the Ocean Beauty Seafoods dock in Petersburg at 1:00 p.m. Monday. The M/V Matanuska was negotiating a turn in Wrangell Narrows prior to the accident as it prepared to dock at the Petersburg ferry terminal on its southbound trip. Heavy damage was sustained to the face of the Ocean Beauty dock. Dock piling were broken and the hydraulic crane was dangling over the water. In addition to the dock damage, the second f...
Passengers of the M/V Matanuska said they barely felt the impact when the ferry crashed into Ocean Beauty Seafoods on Monday. None of the 60 passengers aboard the M/V Matanuska were injured when the incident occurred around 1 p.m. According to Petersburg resident John Bringhurst, who was a passenger at the time, the impact was barely felt from the observation deck where he was standing. “I was a little distracted. I was talking to my wife,” Bringhurst said as the M/V Matanuska began a 360-degree turn. “Then my wife said, 'John, what is he do...
The City Council on Monday awarded ASRC McGraw Constructors the construction bid for the new library. The Library Building Committee recommended low bidder ASRC McGraw Constructors for the project. ASRC McGraw was one of five bids that came well under the $4.5 million estimated cost. The bid will also allow for additional features such at higher quality finishes to the building, a paved parking lot as well as sidewalks and gutters. The single story, 9,770 square-foot building was designed by MRV Architects in Juneau. The City Council...
Petersburg residents can now pay their utility bills online. A new program allows utility customers to register their accounts and then pay monthly bills on the web site with a credit card. Customers can log on to verify their accounts with an account number and either a meter number or phone number associated with the account. “The new program will let customers view usage and billing history for themselves,” said City Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported to the City Council on Monday. He also noted that online bill pay offers the added con...
Frustrated by the lack of public forum regarding proposed funding for the Kake-Petersburg Road, Petersburg and Kupreanof City residents spoke out against the project during Monday night's City Council meeting. Petersburg resident Mike Stainbrook submitted a letter to the council that contained a sample resolution asking Governor Sean Parnell for a line item veto of the road. “This funding requires a bold reaction. A request for veto,” he said. The 50-mile road was added to the state budget by Senator Bert Stedman as part of $870 million in tra...
More than 100 students attended the Petersburg High School Prom Night on Saturday, May 5. The students kicked off their shoes and danced to a variety of music from Lady Ga Ga to Nickelback. The Sons of Norway Hall was decorated like a disco with strobe lights and a mirrored ball. Balloon arches and streamers framed the dance floor as several students shared the dj duties with a laptop playing students’ favorite songs. At the end of the evening as fellow students, parents and young siblings l...
School Superintendent Rob Thomason presented a balanced budget to City officials on April 25 during a budget work session. No changes were made to the recently drafted Petersburg School District 2012/2013 operating budget. “Over the years we've had great directors, we've had a very supportive city, we've had staffs that have negotiated agreements that were fair and equitable, and we've been able to do some very wise spending … and so we're in better shape than just about all of our colleague districts,” Thomason said. The projected opera...
The Library Building Committee plans to recommend low bidder ASRC McGraw Constructors for construction of the new library to the City Council on Monday. Of the five construction bids received, ASRC McGraw came well under the $4.5 million estimated budget and will also allow for additional features such as higher quality finishes to the building, a paved parking lot as well as sidewalks and gutters. The single story, 9,770 square-foot building was designed by MRV Architects in Juneau. The...
With a Division of Elections deadline looming, the Alaska Redistricting Board has filed an appeal to the decision of a Superior Court Judge's decision ordering the board redraw district lines. The Division of Elections has given the board a deadline of May 14, in order for the division to meet state and federal obligations for the 2012 elections. Superior Court Judge Michael McConahy issued a decision in the 2011 Redistricting Cases v. Alaska Redistricting Board case, directing the board to redraw district lines. In a petition filed on...
