Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 208
Petersburg Borough clerk Debbie Thompson gave the following Borough Manager’s Report during the assembly meeting on Oct. 18. Representatives of the Rasmuson Foundation and Alaska Community Foundation were able to visit the Children’s Center last week and tour the new classrooms. Next week Sandy Dixson will be attending the Fall Preparedness Conference and Local Emergency Planning Committee Association meeting in Anchorage. Attendance is Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS&EM) grant requirements. Dixson and Fire Chi...
The weather might have forced a couple participants to drop out of the postponed 3rd Annual Paddle Battle, but the number of paddlers undertaking the activity continues to increase. Last weekend, 28 paddlers participated in the event, a fundraiser hosted by the Petersburg Medical Center Foundation, beginning at Papke's Landing and ending at Sandy Beach. "We ended up losing five people just because of the date change," said Sarah Holmgrain, community education assistant for PMC. "But I really... Full story
Diane Marie (Lund) Forde, 73, died peacefully at home in Mukilteo, Washington on July 12, 2016 after a courageous 5-year battle with cancer. Diane was born on March 14, 1943 in Petersburg, Alaska and grew up in a small home on Lumber Street with her dad Arne, mom Dolores, and brother Dennis. She graduated from PHS, was salutatorian of her class in 1961, and chose Oregon State University to continue her education. While still in High School in Alaska; she met Alf Forde from Ketchikan, who was... Full story
The recent addition of two bird cages filled with feathered friends for Petersburg Medical Center's Long Term Care (LTC) residents is all about combating loneliness, helplessness and boredom. The positive impact of the birds is noticeable, according to Susan Ohmer, executive director of Petersburg Mental Health Services. Ohmer started the process of bringing birds into LTC about three months ago, after getting the green light from PMC Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Bryner. Ohmer immediately... Full story
In last week’s edition of the Petersburg Pilot it was stated, “The Rasmuson Foundation has also issued an $8,000 challenge for the Petersburg Community Foundation. If the PCF can receive $8,000 from new donors, Rasmuson will provide PCF with a matching grant.” It is more accurate to state, “The Petersburg Community Foundation has a challenge grant on the table. If new donors match $8000, we will receive the same from the Rasmuson Foundation AND a local donor who has joined the match.” Part of this year’s grant funding helped purchase a...
The Petersburg Community Foundation awarded $15,000 worth of grants this year to six Petersburg organizations. WAVE, KFSK, The Children’s Center, The Petersburg Arts Council, the Salvation Army and the Mitkof Dance Troupe were all beneficiaries of the grant monies. Petersburg Community Foundation chair David Wallen said this was the first year PCF was able to give out that much money. “It was an easy choice because we had more money than we needed available and we ended up just giving it all,” Wallen said. “(The money) is derived from how muc...
A mock car crash staged in the parking lot behind the community gym kept local emergency crews and students busy for a good part of the morning last Thursday. Students from the eighth grade up to seniors in high school witnessed a drunk driver, played by Kyle Clayton, getting arrested after causing an accident. Clayton's fictional disregard for the law and safety of others injured two occupants of the vehicle he hit, and killed one. The carnage required the top of the car he hit to be removed...
Kyle Hagerman's father, Karl, likes to refer to him as "well adjusted." Kyle is soft-spoken, humble about his intelligence and a cancer survivor. Although he only has one, maybe two, memories about the battle with cancer he fought and won. Kyle was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia one week after turning two years old. For Robyn Hagerman, Kyle's mother, the emotion of the day is inescapable. "Let me tell you this, I am the emotional Hagerman, so don't you feel bad," Robyn says... Full story
The Rasmuson Foundation has chosen a collection of Petersburg artists’ works to put in its newly renovated office space in Anchorage. In its promotion of the arts, the Rasmuson Foundation awards funds through the ‘art acquisition fund’—grants to museums across the state so they can purchase local art to display. Kelsey Potdivan, Rasmuson Foundation program fellow, said about 28 museums across the state are involved in the program and those museums then provide several pieces to Rasmuson to display for 18 months. “The museums that we’ve original...
Shortly after the newly constructed Petersburg Public Library opened its doors a couple years ago, local artist Doris Olsen felt like something was missing. She kept walking by the teen room and even though youngsters were laughing and having fun at eye level, the room itself felt somewhat lifeless above the books. Olsen says the room needed something to help it flow, and she eventually decided mobile art hanging from the ceiling constructed with found objects would be perfect. After talking wit...
Petersburg Fisheries, Inc. or PFI celebrated its 50th Anniversary in June. The local giant is much more than a staple of the community, it's a vital brick that allowed Petersburg to continue building its foundation. When Alaska achieved statehood in 1959 salmon traps were abolished, sending the enthusiasm for the fishing industry of many Alaska canneries owned by out-of-state interests into a downward spiral. Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) headquartered out of Bellingham, Wash. was one of...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly heard the latest update for the ongoing yearlong efforts of the consulting firm, Agnew Beck, to develop a comprehensive and waterfront master plans. Project manager Shelly Wade and land use expert Chris Beck, gave a lengthy presentation about firm's progress so far in completing the public hearing drafts of the project. The drafts have been released and are now available to the public for a comment period. Wade and Beck shared the highlights of the plans and their proposed future implementation. Over the past...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at Monday’s regular Assembly meeting: Power & Light is nearing the end of a major rewrite of the Emergency Action Plan required by FERC on our Blind Slough hydro. Power & Light and Public Works spent significant time putting up Christmas lighting for the tree and street poles. Excellent cooperation made the job go smoothly. Thanks to Power & Light, Public Works, Matt Bryner, Pete and Theresa Litsheim, Ray and Gladys Olsen for such a beautiful community Christmas tree this year. The P...
Public Works Director Karl Hagerman reported the following information to the Petersburg Borough Assembly in lieu of Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht’s absence: The underground cable connecting the Blind Slough hydro plant to our distribution system failed, and that portion from the plant to the hatchery had to be replaced. Harbor staff continues to remind people to give them a call so they can keep an eye on your boat when owners leave town. It is also important for folks to check their skiffs during our very wet weather. The Public Works c...
Step in the right direction To the Editor: I had a very nice and rather extended conversation with a Petersburg fisherman recently. Our conversation touched on many subjects and we found we had many opinions in common (as well as a couple of instances where we did not see eye to eye). He is still fishing and I am retired but we both agreed one of the real problems facing Petersburg is viable and meaningful employment. Long term employment with a reasonable income attached. I had to admit that if I was not a retired Alaska state employee, I...
September 18, 1915 – The power barge Elliott, Captain W. H. Royden, arrived in port on Friday of last week from a six weeks' shark-fishing cruise. The cruise was successful, the scow bringing in forty-one barrels of oil and twenty-nine barrels of salmon bellies. The salmon were seined for bait, the backs being used for that purpose. The total number of sharks caught was 362, and the oil rendered averaged about five gallons per shark liver. The principle demand for shark-liver oil comes from the paint companies. The oil is said to be a very f...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at Monday’s Assembly meeting: - An extreme low tide did damage Sunday morning at the launch ramp float when a random chunk of piling floated in and lodged itself under one of the float sections and punched through the styro billets and deck covering boards. Staff was able to pull it free and patch the hole. Tamico will order extra covering sheets in conjunction with the new fish cleaning station to allow Harbor maintenance to get things back in order. - Harai and Associates will t...
An investigation conducted by a British Columbia commission found that the provincial government had not violated public disclosure laws by withholding information on Mount Polley mine prior to its tailings impoundment dam breach last summer. The report was put together by Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham and addresses complaints that the province had violated Canada’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. On Aug. 4, 2014, the mine’s tailings pond wall ruptured and released 13.8 million cubic yards of met...
A short-lived farm property tax exemption proposal died during an assembly meeting Monday afternoon. Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor had been contacted by residents on the possibility of the exemption earlier this year and asked in January if he could work with staff to develop an ordinance for future consideration. On Monday he said he liked “the idea of promoting agriculture in Southeast” because it’s challenging, but added that he could no longer support the ordinance knowing the exemption would also apply to marijuana grow opera...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at Monday’s Assembly meeting: -On May 12, the Harbor Department had their annual surprise visit from the US Coast Guard Homeland Security unit to review the Borough’s Harbor Homeland Security Plan. They passed with no deficiencies. On May 26, Eddy Tagaban and Officer Jim Kerr attended the annual meeting in Wrangell with the Captain of the Port to discuss homeland security and other Coast Guard issues. -Public Works waited until after Memorial Day to begin work on the Columbarium foundat...
The Petersburg Community Foundation (PCF) awarded six grants totaling $11,000 to area nonprofits in an award ceremony on May 16. Several special guests and donors were present for the ceremony including Governor Bill Walker and Lt. Governor Byron Mallot, representatives from the Rasmuson Foundation and the Alaska Community Foundation board chair Alex Slivka. The monies awarded this year will serve a variety of different programs and projects in Petersburg. The largest ot the grants, $3,000, was...
Tourists and local marine mammal lovers alike can now enjoy an updated, interactive Marine Mammal Kiosk at the Petersburg Visitor’s Center. The kiosk is a collaboration between the Visitor’s Center and the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), awarded a $1,700 grant last year by the Petersburg Community Foundation to make upgrades to the kiosk’s computer. “The equipment, computers being what they are, don’t have a long lifespan,” said Don Holmes, PMMC board member. “So the new grant enabled us new hardware, and we had a volunteer, Je...
A statewide fundraiser, Pick.Click.Give. saw a 25 percent increase in donors and a 20 percent increase in dollars raised this year, benefitting six of Petersburg’s own organizations. Pick.Click.Give. gives Alaskan residents the chance to make a donation to an organization of their choice when they file their Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) online. The $3.3 million pledged statewide this year was a record amount for the seven year program, according to Interim Program Manager Kathy Day. The Petersburg Humane Association (PHA) was one that b...
The Petersburg Community Foundation’s (PCF) will award $11,000 to local nonprofit organizations this year as part of their annual grant cycle. Three or more organizations will receive grant monies from PCF to support programs in areas ranging from health and safety to community and economic development to the arts, recreation and education. In order to be eligible for the grant, organizations applying must have 501c3 status. Community services organizations without such a status may partner with a 501c3. “These grants are quite often ideal for...
The Petersburg Medical Center is in a good position financially right now, but it’s in the next three to five years that it may face some serious challenges. Representatives from the hospital and its board of directors met at a special meeting with the Petersburg Borough Assembly Monday evening. “Your hospital is strong, you have almost no debt,” said Interim Chief Financial Officer Doran Hammett, who brings in an outside perspective as he does financial work for hospitals around the country. He added that Petersburg has a strong balance sheet...
