Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 217
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...
An enhanced Clausen Museum will reopen to the public March 3 after being closed since mid-January for staff to work on projects. Director Brittany Zenge has been taking inventory of the museum's collection and building new displays, along with making preparations for a new discovery center that will allows kids of all ages to learn more about the natural world of Mitkof Island. Zenge took the director position last October and said the revamp is a response to feedback she's heard about the...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report to the Assembly at Monday’s meeting: A new chemical pump for the pool will be installed to adjust the reliance on CO2 and lower the overall chemical usage. The property assessor will be in Petersburg on Feb. 3; property assessments will go out at the end of the month. There was a major update to the utility bill online payment program which requires customers to re-register their online accounts. Customers will now have the ability to add multiple utility accounts to one online a...
At last Thursday’s meeting, Petersburg Medical Center’s Interim CFO Doran Hammett updated the board on recent efforts to increase cash on hand at the facility by decreasing accounts receivable (A/R) days –the amount of time it takes for a patient to pay money owed for services rendered. Hammett said that PMC’s accounts receivable days have historically been very high for PMC. “Gross A/R days have ranged from 106 to 145 (days) over the past two years,” he said. “Looking at this last fall we realized that we had gotten to a point in our patien...
Alaska seafood marketers are ramping up promotions and bankrolling a global $1 million media blitz to counteract a tough sockeye salmon market. Sockeyes are by far the most valuable salmon catch, often worth two-thirds of the value of Alaska’s entire salmon fishery, but last summer’s unexpected surge of reds left lots of inventory in freezers, and record US imports of competing farmed salmon from Chile and Norway combined with the prospect of another big run at Bristol Bay make for a sockeye sales squeeze. Alaska’s approach will be patte...
January More than 600 Petersburg residents signed up for the borough's recycling program. The Petersburg Land Selection Committee requested the borough pursue legislative action regarding the State's calculation of land entitlement for the Petersburg Borough after the committee's determination that the State's selection of land was inadequate. The Petersburg School Board approved a $2.3 million exterior wall renovation project for the Rae C. Stedman Elementary School. Petersburg School District... Full story
When he first took a job with the City of Petersburg, now Petersburg Borough, Leo Luczak didn’t expect to be with it long enough to retire from it. “It was supposed to be full time, temporary for three to four months, and it’s been 28 years,’’ he said. Starting as building inspector, Luczak was quickly fitted for new hats, gaining the titles and duties of Community Development director and supervising a building maintenance crew. The new roles came with new learning curves as well, throwing him headlong into bureaucratic waters he had only... Full story
Borough Manager Steve Geisbrecht gave his report to the assembly at Monday's meeting. Replacement lighting at the South Harbor should be completed this week, including installation of the final five new fixtures and the removal of the old fixtures. Planning and design work is beginning on the possible replacement of the aging Cat electric generators. Replacement parts are no longer manufactured, and both units are reaching the end of their useful life. The borough is working with SEAPA and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to deal with...
Attorneys in the Superior Court in Juneau recently argued over the fate of a collapsed house in Petersburg. The borough wants the house demolished, citing it is a dangerous structure, but the homeowners are fighting for more time to improve the property. The house at 1011 Wrangell Avenue is owned by Fred Triem and Karen E. Ellingstad and has been the subject of some controversy since last December when the borough ordered the house to be demolished within 30 days. Triem appealed to borough... Full story
August 8, 1914 – A few days ago Mrs. J Allen going out at the back of the house saw a young black bear. Surprised, she loudly called for Mr. Allen to bring a gun, but having got a warning, the cub and its hide are still intact as it took to the woods with great speed. All of which goes to show what a nice quiet community we have here. Even bears can approach our town without realizing they are near a great city. August 9, 1974 Celebrating Pilot's 40th Year – Peter and Spurg, two hand puppets, explained some of the mysteries of sea life to abo...
The Physical Therapy department at the Petersburg Medical Center has recently ordered new equipment that will assist in helping clients. An anatomical model of a shoulder was purchased with funds from the Petersburg Community Foundation. The fully flexible model shows the scapula, clavicle, and a portion of humerus and joint ligaments. Models of knee and hip joints are on order, Ellie van Swearingen, department head, told the PMC board during a meeting July 24. The models make it easier for...
The Petersburg Medical Center's Physical Therapy Department is holding the Paddle Battle in the Narrows fundraiser on July 12 to raise money for new parallel bars. The Paddle Battle consists of two courses that run along the Wrangell Narrows where kayakers, paddle boarders, rowers or whatever flotation craft one prefers can find community members to sponsor each mile of their trip. A long course, from Woodpecker Cove to Middle Harbor, is planned for those looking for more of a challenge. Fundrai... Full story
Issues of funding assistance continue to crop up between the Petersburg Borough Assembly and Petersburg Medical Center, and an ambiguous relationship between the two bodies isn’t clarifying the matter. Last week, PMC CEO Liz Woodyard requested, on behalf of the hospital board, the assembly pay for repairs on a leaking exhaust stack in the borough-owned hospital facility—a request the assembly denied. Woodyard said PMC is struggling to keep up with repairs as the borough-owned building ages, and the dilemma of not being able to afford the rep... Full story
June 13, 1914 – Last Tuesday evening, immediately after the adjournment of the firemen's meeting, nearly every man in town who was not otherwise occupied assembled at the Fire Hall for the purpose of devising ways and means for the celebration of the coming fourth. Enthusiasm ran high and, if kept up, Petersburgers and visitors will witness the greatest fourth of July celebration in the history of the town. It was suggested that everybody be appointed a committee of one and invite out-of-town friends to join in the festivities of the day. J...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following during the last Borough Assembly meeting: New ordinances have been forwarded to the court for inclusion in the Courtview and TrACS systems. This will allow the court to recognize the revisions and ultimately allow for more efficient processing of citations. Preparation for the annual FERC inspection of Blind Slough has begun and includes installation of a flange and plat over the low-level outlet to facilitate the FERC mandated operation of the outlet valve. The valve hasn’t been o...
The Petersburg Community Foundation awarded its annual grants on May 17, 2014. The grants, valued around $10,000, included: Petersburg Medical Center - $335 to support new instructional materials for the Physical Therapy Department, Working Against Violence for Everyone (WAVE) - $400 to support volunteer advocate training in 2014, Petersburg Public Library - $750, to support the 2014 Amazing Rainforest Race, Petersburg Children's Center - $1,308 to support new teaching materials for S.T.E.M....
The Petersburg Community Foundation is doling out funds to Petersburg non-profits and is waiting for more organizations to apply. “We have $10,000 to give away to local non-profits, so we’re encouraging people to apply,” Petersburg Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera said. “It’s an online fairly simple application and we’ll be awarding those in the middle of May.” Those interested in receiving grant funding can visit petersburgcf.org. The PCF relies on private donations and gifts, has an endowment of more than $425,000 and is managed by t...
