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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...
Eleven Petersburg High School students headed to Fairbanks two weeks ago to participate in the State Science Symposium. Junior Summer Morton and sophomore Ellerie Freisinger placed in the top 10 of the finals. Morton and Friesinger researched topics related to ecology and diversity-one of four topics students could choose to research. Morton, who placed first in her category and sixth overall in the finals, studied whether moose are reproductively isolated in each island in Southeast Alaska....
The Superior Court Judge’s ruling to grant a stay on the demolition of a Petersburg home, which the borough deemed as a dangerous building, left a few unanswered questions. The court was silent on the, “elephant in the room,” fact that the home has been sitting on the ground after falling off its foundation for nearly five years. The homeowners Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad have had plenty of time to repair the foundation and restore their home to a stable footing on their Wrangell Avenue property. Efforts by the borough to push the proce...
A Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the owners of the house on 1011 Wrangell Ave. Tuesday morning granting a stay of demolition after the Petersburg Borough issued a demolition order against the structure. The building’s foundation failed in September 2009. During June 2012, Community Development Director Leo Luczak sent notice to Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad, homeowners, that the structure had been deemed a dangerous building. Luczak sent written requests to the homeowners asking for a plan to bring the structure up to code. Because n... Full story
Petersburg Public Works staff is delaying the demolition of the building owned by Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad on 1011 Wrangell Ave., pending a recommendation from the borough attorney. The building’s foundation failed in September 2009. In June of 2012, Community Development Director Leo Luczak sent notice to Karen Ellingstad that the structure had been deemed a dangerous building—a designation the borough assembly agreed with after a non-compliance hearing and subsequently December 2 issued a 30-day order mandating the owners repair the...
Homeowners of the collapsed structure at 1010 Wrangell Ave. have filed an appeal in Superior Court against the Petersburg Borough Assembly's 30-day order to demolish or repair the home at the owner's expense after borough building officials determined the structure to be a 'dangerous building.' The building's foundation failed in September 2009. During June 2012, Community Development Director Leo Luczak sent notice to Karen Ellingstad that the structure had been deemed a dangerous building. Sin... Full story
The Petersburg borough assembly ordered Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad to repair or demolish their property at 1011 Wrangell Avenue after a non-compliance hearing last Monday and colorful testimony given by Triem, which included a threat to engage in litigation with the borough. The building’s foundation failed in September 2009. On June 21, 2012 Leo Luczak, Community Development Director, sent notice to Ellingstad that the structure had been deemed a dangerous building. Since then, Luczak has requested a plan for how the structure would be r... Full story
The Petersburg Borough assembly will conduct a non-compliance hearing regarding a structure at 1011 Wrangell Avenue at its December 2 meeting. The hearing comes after Leo Luczak, Director of Community Development, deemed the structure a 'dangerous building' according to municipal code. In June, Luczak wrote in a letter notifying owners Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad, "Exclusive of the piling foundation, which has failed, the building suffers thirty-three percent or more of damage or...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is combining the police station and jail facility project with its municipal building rehab project after voting to allow MRV Architects to come up with a document listing the next steps and costs associated with a remodel. Those items are on the borough’s capital projects list that prioritizes projects community wide in hopes the state legislature provides funding for them. The police and jail facility have been at the top of that list for two years. The Municipal Building Rehabilitation was ranked 17 on the l... Full story
Designer-builder, sailor, skier and mountain climber, Dieter Klose, has best left his mark on Petersburg in the form of distinctive architecture. From the cantilevered Troll Bridge of Sandy Beach Park to the numerous homes, businesses, and even a church, Klose uses his expertise in building, his passion for natural landscape and an eye for detail, to make the most of each building he creates. To understand Klose’s designs, it’s best to look back at the architectural inspiration of the community...
