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The Petersburg Borough is pursuing the possibility of constructing a new float and dock at Papke's Landing with the help of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to keep the facility operational while the borough pursues full ownership. The Petersburg Borough Assembly has approved conceptual plans for an eventual major improvement project, but the rapidly declining state of the facility and delays to obtaining ownership have users of the facility questioning if it will...
The Petersburg Indian Association held its annual election on Monday, which saw Tribal Council President Cris Morrison and Tribal Council Members Jaclyn Mae Eide and Joe Stewart reelected according to the unofficial results. Morrison, Eide, and Stewart all ran unopposed for the seats they will be retaining on the council. Morrison, who joined the council in 2017 and has served as council president since 2019, was reelected to a one-year term with 15 votes. "I am looking forward to working with...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved an ordinance in its first reading during Monday's meeting that would rezone a lot located at 10 N. 12th Street for commercial use. The rezoning was requested by the Petersburg Indian Association, which filed an application to purchase the 0.31-acre lot from the borough in September 2022. PIA has stated that it is only interested in the lot, which is currently zoned as an open space, if it is rezoned for commercial use so that it matches an...
January Petersburg experienced record snowfall on New Year's Day with 17.5 inches of new snow on the day, bringing the total snow depth to 40 inches according to the National Weather Service. The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution requesting a discussion with the U.S. Postal Service about providing additional services in Petersburg following continued issues with staffing, irregular hours, and long lines. All-purpose vehicles became legal to drive on roads in Alaska, including in...
Volunteers rallied at the Community Cold Storage on Nov. 21 to distribute 1,748 pounds of moose burger meat to local organizations. According to Desi Burrell, recipients of the meat included the Petersburg Indian Association, Alaska Native Brotherhood/Alaska Native Sisterhood, Petersburg School District, the Catholic Church soup kitchen, the Baptist Church Wednesday night meals, Monday night meals, Humanity In Progress, Petersburg Children's Center, Mountain View Manor Assisted Living, Mountain...
After two years of navigating supply chain issues and the demands of his other responsibilities working for the Petersburg Indian Association(PIA), Jack Galaktionoff put the final touches on the Mountain View Manor Trail and its official opening was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony held on Monday, November 7th. The trail, which begins behind the Manor at the corner of 13th and Gjoa Streets, is just short of 1400 feet long and connects to the existing Hungry Point Boardwalk, creating a f...
Early in-person voting for the 2022 state general election opened on Monday. Petersburg residents can vote ahead of election day in the community center activity room Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Nov. 7. The election will use ranked choice voting where voters will be able to rank the candidates in each race based on their preference. After the polls close, each voter's first choice vote will be counted. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the candidate who...
With the mission of getting kids moving and creating life-long healthy habits, the Petersburg Indian Association is inviting tribal members to apply for financial assistance for the costs of their children's extracurricular activities through the SEARHC program Healthy is Here. Members may receive a reimbursement of up to $100 dollars for elementary, $250 for middle, and $300 for highschool students. Elementary School Principal Heather Conn says, "For elementary school students, eligible fees...
The five candidates running for the two seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly participated in a candidate forum on Monday in the assembly chambers hosted by KFSK and the Petersburg Pilot. Assembly Member Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Assembly Member Chelsea Tremblay, Donna Marsh, Scott Newman, and Kurt Wohlhueter were presented with the same questions and were each given one minute to respond in a random order. The first part of the forum saw candidates answer questions asked by members of the media...
Bob Lynn What is your age? 76 What experience do you have? I've had 8 year's experience on the Petersburg Assembly. I have been fortunate to serve as Petersburg Assembly Board representative to Southeast Alaska Power Authority (SEAPA.) In that role I have served as Board Chair and voting member to replace submarine cable serving Petersburg. I have also served 6 years as the Assembly representative to the Hospital Board. Having been an EMT years ago has provided me much needed background to serve...
Why I’m running for mayor To the Editor: Greetings, I am running for the office of mayor in the October 4th election and I would appreciate your vote. I think Petersburg is a great place to live, raise a family and enjoy a pretty special way of living. We have a great school system, a critical care hospital with a great staff in need of a new building, dedicated borough employees, and a community filled with independent people caring for one another in difficult times. We are very fortunate. The borough faces a few challenges that include c...
Bear sightings are continuing to rise as they frequent the streets of Petersburg in search of garbage. In response, Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr spoke during Monday's Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on the threat bears pose and actions the police department has taken to reduce their presence. "To try and get the bear issue to drop before school starts we started issuing citations enforcing the new garbage ordinance," Kerr said. The ordinance, which was approved by the...
August 10 – An officer assisted a citizen on Fram Street. An officer attempted to find the source of a 911 call that initiated in the North Boat Harbor but hung up. A driver on South Nordic Drive was issued a warning for driving with an expired registration. A deer was struck and killed on Mitkof Highway. It was unsalvageable. An officer responded to a report of counterfeit cash at a local business but determined the cash was authentic. A runaway dog was returned to its owner on Kiseno Street. An officer responded to a report of a dog hanging o...
Within the scope of their duties To the Editor: Police Chief Kerr’s recent complaint of harassment by two assembly members, Jeff Meucci and Dave Kensinger, resulted in a finding that no harassment occurred. The Pilot gave us only the gist of the complaint and the borough’s findings, and the article raised a lot of unanswered questions. But one feature of Chief Kerr’s complaint stands out: he perceived it as harassment when assembly members “questioned the police department hiring process,” had contact with department employees and asked the...
The Petersburg Medical Center is one step closer to "shovel ready status" following unanimous approval from the Petersburg Borough Assembly to begin surveying and evaluating potential sites for a future hospital. The approved process, which will be paid for by PMC through received funding, will help the hospital learn more about the borough-owned properties and see if there is anything at the proposed sites that would prevent building. Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter said during... Full story
PIA’s letter of support To the Editor: It is our understanding that the Petersburg Borough is working with the State of Alaska to obtain the dock, floats, ramp, tidelands, and uplands at Papke’s Landing on Mitkof Island. The State of Alaska DOT and DNR both have interests in this facility; DOT has already indicated that it would like to pass ownership to the Borough. The Borough Assembly has solicited a Letter of Support from the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) regarding this matter. Although Petersburg’s governing body has not shown itsel...
Ocean Rangers To the Editor: If you were disappointed in the Senate Resource Committee’s decision last week and want to stop SB 180 please speak up now. As constituents of Senator Bert Stedman, it is very important he hear our concerns on this bill introduced by Governor Dunleavy that will eliminate Ocean Rangers on cruise ships. We need to ask him to hold SB 180, to not schedule a hearing this session, and urge him to reinstate funding for the Ocean Rangers on most ships, most of the time. Ask Senator Stedman directly what he is planning to d...
The Petersburg Indian Association is looking to complete two projects next year which would increase public access to parks according to Tribal Administrator Chad Wright. PIA has entered an agreement with the Petersburg Borough to provide design and construction for the replacement of the staircase at Eagle's Roost Park after discussions with Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne. The approximately 60-foot wooden staircase allowed beach access until it was removed because of its poor con...
Assembly Member Chelsea Tremblay gave a report to the Petersburg Borough Assembly on March 21 about a meeting which discussed housing needs in Petersburg and what organizations are doing to support those experiencing homelessness. Representatives from the borough, Humanity In Progress, Working Against Violence for Everyone, the Petersburg Medical Center, the Petersburg Indian Association, and other local organizations were in attendance at the March 10 meeting. "The goal of these meetings is to...
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium leadership will give a presentation at the next Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board meeting on March 24 according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. The board voted in September to invite SEARHC leadership to speak at a future meeting to give the public an opportunity to hear more information on SEARHC's vision for local health care and discuss Petersburg's need for a new medical facility. Questions from board members and staff at the hospital were...
Parks and Recreation has distributed community center membership passes to borough board members and to the staff of nonprofit child care providers as a way to thank them for their service to the community. The idea to give passes to board members was suggested to Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne who said it could serve as a way for the borough to show its appreciation for the service people provide by serving on those boards. She discussed it with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht w...
Attendees to the upcoming Séet Ká Festival in town should leave with a wealth of knowledge because the goal of the event is to increase cultural awareness for, and uplift, the Indigenous people of Séet Ká Kwáan. The event spans five days, Feb. 10-14, and the idea for it came largely from Avery Sakamoto, a busy, local Lingít advocate. Last spring, Sakamoto was invited to join the Rainforest Festival Committee, and it only took a couple days after the first meeting for inspiration to strik...
Chad Wright is set to become the new tribal administrator of the Petersburg Indian Association next week according to PIA Council President Cris Morrison. His hiring follows Tracy Welch's departure from the position after two and a half years to become the executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska. "He possesses the necessary skills as outlined in the job description, and he has a breadth of experience that we feel he would be able to perform the essential job functions as the tribal...
Leaving his warm house and family behind at 2:30 a.m., during winter months in order to plow snow can be downright taxing for Martin Odegaard. The Public Works (PW) foreman lives out on Cabin Creek, and he's no stranger to putting chains on his pickup just to make it to work. Recently, it took him a half hour to complete the three-mile drive, no joke. "I know the road pretty well, know what to look for, and I've always got it figured out how I'm gonna make it in," Odegaard says. "Always made... Full story
The Petersburg Indian Association held its annual election Monday which saw four incumbents reelected and one former PIA Tribal Council member return according to the unofficial results. Cris Morrison was reelected to a one-year term as council president, winning the race unopposed with 15 votes. Five people ran for the three two-year seats up for election on the PIA Tribal Council. Incumbents Mary Ann Rainey, who has served on the council for over 10 years, and Heather Conn, who has served for three years, received the most votes with 16...
