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The Petersburg Indian Association will begin offering a paratransit service to all seniors and those with disabilities to fill a need in the community starting this fall. "I'm excited because Petersburg doesn't have this kind of service," said Tribal Council President Cris Morrison. "This will be new and open for everybody." The details of the paratransit service are still in the preliminary stage, but the free door-to-door program is expected to start off with a service area spanning between...
A well-intended new Alaska law has gone awry from a botched roll out that has turned thousands of Alaskan fishing vessel, tender, barge and sport fish operators into lawbreakers. Since the start of 2019, all vessels over 24 feet are required to be registered with the State at a Department of Motor Vehicles office. Previously, vessels that were documented with the US Coast Guard were not also required to register with the state. The registration costs $24 and is good for three years. “You need to get down to the DMV whether you’re doc...
A photo on page 15 of last week’s issue of the Petersburg Pilot showed Public Works employees removing a metal grate from around a tree stump near North Boat Harbor after the trees had been cut down. As a point of clarification, it was the borough’s decision to cut the trees down in anticipation of the Petersburg Indian Association’s plans to work on the sidewalk in the future. PIA did not play a part in the decision to cut the trees down.... Full story
April 3 — Juan Gallardo, 36, was issued a citation for driving without a valid driver’s license. A police patrol was requested on S. Nordic Dr. A vehicle was illegally parked on school grounds. Authorities were requested at a location on Howkan Dr. to deal with an unruly customer. Authorities responded to a civil argument over child custody. Andrew J. Whitethorn, 45, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, assault in the fourth degree and two counts of criminal mischief in the fifth degree. April 4 — Extra patrols were requested...
The borough assembly held a work session on Feb. 6 where public works director Chris Cotta gave a brief overview of the solid waste and recycling programs and answered questions from assembly and community members. In 2014, the borough started a commingled recycling program using blue bags. The Petersburg Indian Association and later Ruger’s Trucking picked up the bags and delivered them to the baling facility. It was costing the borough $90,000 a year for the Ruger’s Trucking contract, in addition to the $20,000 annual cost of the blue bag...
January The borough assembly received a proposed update to its zoning code that would introduce a new form of affordable housing, an expansion of the historical and industrial districts and the end of a requirement for businesses to include parking downtown. The borough assembly held a work session to discuss a plan to impose restrictions on the senior tax exemption. A possible annual fee to sales tax exemption card holders was agreed upon ranging between $50 and $60. Police Chief Kelly Swihart...
Although Friday's earthquake in Anchorage was too far away to be felt on Mitkof Island, Petersburg resident John Havrilek and members of the Petersburg Indian Association were in Anchorage when the ground began to shake at about 8:30 A.M. "The shaking was so severe I could barely stand," said Havrilek. He was in Anchorage to visit his daughter Courtney who was hosting an after school conference for troubled youth at the Sheraton Hotel. He was in his room on Friday morning when the earthquake...
Although this morning's earthquake in Anchorage was too far away to be felt in Petersburg, members of the Petersburg Indian Association were getting ready to leave Anchorage after attending a Bureau of Indian Affairs conference when the ground began to shake at about 8:30 A.M. "Oh my gosh, it was just really scary because it just kept going," said Jeanette Ness, a social worker with PIA who was in the airport waiting for the number 64 jet when the earthquake started. Ness said that ceiling... Full story
Context needed To the Editor: Context was missing from the article about the visitor industry information meeting (November 7). For example, we had approximately 9,000 cruise ship visitors this summer, down from a peak of 18,000 in 2006. And now there’s a marine passenger fee. At $5 each, that means an additional $45,000 for our community. Imagine if we had that in place when we had double the passengers we get today. Did you know we already have days where 400+ people are in town when multiple ships are here at the same time? Yes, it can g...
Juliette Low, the founder of Girl Scouting once said. "Scouting rises within you and inspires you to put forth your best." That quote was especially fitting on Sat., Nov. 11 as the local Petersburg Girl Scouts gathered to mark their founder's birthday, which is Oct. 31 and to celebrate one of their own, Gold Award recipient Avery Herman-Sakamoto. The Gold Award in Girl Scouting is equivalent to the Eagle Scout Award in Boy Scouts. You must be dedicated, motivated and inspired to achieve it and...
Sealaska and Petersburg Indian Association are holding a sea otter skin sewing class from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3 to give native Alaskans the opportunity to become closer to their roots. "Alaskan natives have been working with marine mammal fur since time immemorial," said Marcus Gho, a contractor with Sealaska who will be teaching the class. "It's a good opportunity to learn a little more and strengthen our identity." Participants in the class will work with the pelts to sew items like hats and...
September 26 — Chellsey Musewski, 26, was arrested on charges of probation violation. Suspicious activity was reported on Howkan St., but individuals were gone when authorities arrived. Loud music on S. Nordic Dr. was turned down. September 27 — Loud music coming from a warehouse on Mitkof Highway was turned down after an officer arrived on scene. A disturbance was reported in North Harbor, but the subject left the area before authorities arrived. September 28 — There was a civil dispute over an ATV on S. Nordic Dr. A vehicle was parked in th...
After mercury leaked out of a package at the Petersburg Post Office and closed the facility for just over a week, the post office reopened last Friday. "[Post office staff] handled it great and they adapted to the changes as necessary to make sure that we could keep serving our customers," said Postmaster Mark Eppihimer. Environmental contractors and regulators were flown into Petersburg to clean the facility of the mercury, though the amount that was exposed wasn't harmful, according to a...
United States Postal Service officials estimate the Petersburg Post Office will reopen this Friday, Sept. 20. Officials had previously expected the post office to resume normal retail and PO box operations by this past weekend. The Petersburg Post Office has now been closed since late Thurs., Sept. 13 after a package leaked mercury inside the facility, according to a statement issued by the United States Postal Service. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily suspending operations...
Knowledge, bonding and storytelling are the words used by the organizers to describe the First Annual Fall Adult Culture Festival that took place at Sandy Beach Park Sept. 7-9 in conjunction with the Rainforest Festival. Marsha Cook, Kayla Perry and Christina Sargent, the key organizers for the event, were inspired by their own time foraging for berries, mushrooms and other edibles. Cook had sent four years living in Kake and participating in the annual youth culture camps held there. They...
The Petersburg Post Office reopened today at 11 A.M. after closing its facility last week because of a mercury spill, according to a press release from the United States Postal Service. Environmental contractors and regulators have evaluated the facility after cleaning it and have deemed it safe to reopen. "The Postal Service apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates its customers' patience," said the release.... Full story
United States Postal Service officials now estimate the Petersburg Post Office will reopen on Friday, after a package leaked mercury inside of the facility last week, according to a statement issued by the USPS. Officials had previously expected the post office to resume normal retail and PO box operations by this past weekend. “The Postal Service apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates its customers’ patience,” according to the statement. Petersburg residents can continue to pick... Full story
Petersburg’s commingled recycling processing fees are going up 50 percent after China closed their market to most American recyclables, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The current rate to process commingled recyclable waste is $32.45 per ton and will increase to $49.84 per ton, said Cotta. Petersburg’s commingled recycle program got most of its funding from the revenue the recyclables generate; however, the market rate has dropped from $136 per ton in March 2017 to $21 per ton in March 2018. The borough pays $126 per ton to dispose of...
The Petersburg Indian Association's Tribal Transportation Program plans on building a board walk to allow residents of Mountain View Manor to connect to the trail system. "It's nice for people to get out," said Sue Harai, director of the TTP. The raised boardwalk will be 1345 feet long and six feet wide. It will connect 13th Street to the Hungry Point Trail. Funding for the project comes from a federal highway bill called the Fast Act. It sets aside money to provide safe and adequate...
Richard Peterson, Central Council Tlingit and Haida President gave an analogy Monday night that all Alaska Natives should be in the same canoe, and if they aren't, they are working against one another. Since Petersburg Indian Association made the final drop from the compact of Tlingit and Haida three years ago and became a self-determining tribal government, their relationship with T&H has been bumpy. The dinner along with a meeting earlier in the day with the PIA Board was one of the steps in s...
The CEO of Southeast Alaska’s wholesale power provider stopped by an assembly meeting on Monday to update Petersburg on its projects and financial wins so far this year. Trey Acteson, CEO of Southeast Alaska Power Agency, the primary electric provider for Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan, explained multiple ways on how the organization is cutting costs, mostly from fighting strict regulatory proposals. “As many of you know,” Acteson said, “I’m pretty active in that arena.” SEAPA saved $30,000 annually when the Federal Energy Regulatory...
