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During the recent Hospital Board meeting Sept. 28, Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter shared news of receiving the "verbal greenlight" for a $20 million treasury grant earlier that day. The verbal greenlight came from PMC's liaison with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the state governor's office, which is the agency that is working with the Department of the Treasury, Hoffstetter explained to the Pilot in an interview. This $20 million grant will be used to develop the... Full story
After a series of setbacks, Kari Petersen recently returned to Petersburg from Fort Collins, Colorado, where she accomplished the long-time personal goal of becoming a licensed massage therapist. In January of 2020 Petersen made what was, for her, a "massive investment" when she enrolled in the United States Career Institute's Massage Therapy training, a hybrid program designed for working students like Petersen, a single mother with a full-time job. Divided into two parts, the program required...
With high oil prices driving up state revenues, Southeast legislators say to expect a larger capital budget next year for public works projects, more money for deferred maintenance and another attempt to boost state funding for public schools. That’s assuming oil prices stay elevated as the state works its way through the fiscal year that will end on June 30 and remain high in the forecast for the next year. Lawmakers will return to work at the Capitol on Jan. 16. With oil prices last week 30% higher than assumed in this year’s spending pla...
The state wants to send the Matanuska, the oldest vessel in the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet, into a shipyard for the equivalent of a full-body scan. Management wants to find out just how much of the ship's steel has rusted, and how far the rust has eaten into the thickness of the metal. The 60-year-old Matanuska has been tied up at the dock in Ketchikan since last November, waiting for the state to decide whether to repair the vessel and restore it to working order, or give up on the...
High oil prices could provide an additional $500 for Alaskans a year from now. As part of the end-of-session budget deal put together by legislative leaders, particularly in the Senate, lawmakers in May adopted a provision in the fiscal year 2024 state spending plan that will provide a one-time “energy relief payment” next fall if state revenues exceed estimates. Global supply shortages, caused largely by production cuts in Saudi Arabia and Russia, have driven up oil prices and boosted state revenues for the first three months of the fis...
A record number of people visited Anan Wildlife Observatory this season - the largest amount since 2004, when the permit system was implemented. Of the 2,905 visitors who came through the observatory in 2023, 548 were independent or unguided and 2,357 were commercially guided. Guide companies used nearly 80% of their available permits - only 610 commercial permits were unused. The visitor count was slightly higher than the pre-pandemic peak in 2013 and much higher than the lowest recorded visito...
This year's Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend will be $1,312. The Alaska Department of Revenue announced the figure last Thursday, two weeks before the annual cash payments will be delivered by direct deposit. PFD applications that were filed electronically, slated for direct deposit and have been deemed eligible will be paid out Oct. 5. The Department of Revenue will mail paper checks and begin direct deposits from paper applications later in the month. This year's PFD amount had been estimated... Full story
If you thought it seemed awfully rainy last Thursday, you'd be right. An atmospheric river saturated Petersburg last week with heavy rain and windy conditions. A record breaking 4.47 inches of rain fell on Petersburg on Thursday, Sept. 21, which resulted in landslides in remote areas, reservoir spillover at Crystal Lake, and some hazards across all three harbors. A flood advisory was put into effect for Falls Creek Thursday morning due to excessive rainfall. Mariners were advised to check the...
The Petersburg Police Department notified the Petersburg School District of a threat made by a high school student directed at the secondary school. PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter told the Pilot that the threat made on Tuesday is a completely different, separate incident from the threat made in the district less than two weeks ago. The student was not on school premises when the threat was made and “will not be on campus for the foreseeable future,” Kludt-Painter told the Pilot. When made aware of the threat, PPD notified the dis...
Katie Holmlund I have my bachelor's degree in elementary education, and I love being immersed in active learning classrooms. In 2018, I co-founded Kinder Skog Nature Program to connect my passion for education and nature. I remain the administrator of Kinder Skog while also coordinating other youth programs. I also serve on the Borough appointed Early Childhood Task Force and SHARE Coalition. At the state level I am a contributing member to the Afterschool Network School Age Childcare Workgroup,...
Marietta Davis I originally moved to Alaska with my parents and have lived the majority of my life in SE Alaska since I was 17 years old. I worked for Southeast Island School District in various logging camps that my husband and I, with our children, lived. We received property in an Alaska state land lottery and lived in Whale Pass on Prince of Wales Island for five years. While there I became an EMT and served on the Homeowners' Association. We moved to Petersburg in the fall of 1993. I...
Ambre Burrell My name is Ambre Burrell, I have made Petersburg my home for the past 17 years. My family has enjoyed many activities over the years at the Parks & Rec facilities and it has been my honor to help past projects move forward and to serve on the board for the last year. I have chosen to run for the 3-year Parks and Rec advisory board seat after spending the past year serving on the board. I feel we have a great team working up at the facility and a board who is excited to support...
Bob Martin As a fisherman and recreational boater, I use most harbor services and pay moorage for a 42-foot boat and seasonal skiff, a launch permit, grid fees, and a drive down dock permit. I work well with the Harbormaster and Assembly and value diverse views and philosophies on harbor issues. The Assembly is currently teeming with harbor knowledge, but the harbor advisory board can still serve the public as a less formal forum to float and hash out an idea before it hits the Assembly. I...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the sale of a borough-owned lot at the corner of Haugen Drive and North 12th Street to the Petersburg Indian Association for a price of $45,000 following negotiations with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. The sale comes on the heels of an Aug. 7 decision by the assembly to move forward with PIA’s application to purchase the property located at 10 N. 12th Street, and an Aug. 20 approval to sell the lot directly to PIA, instead of through a public bid. Cris Morrison, President of the Tribal Co...
Candidates for the hotly contested seats on Petersburg Borough Assembly came together last Thursday for a live candidate forum where they responded to questions from news reporters with the Pilot and KFSK and questions from a live audience. After opening statements, the evening’s first question was the big one: Where do the candidates stand on the new hospital project? Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Jeff Meucci answered with clear, full support of the new hospital phased construction project. Candidates Rick Perkins and Rob Schwartz both emphasized t...
Three Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) staff members from Juneau presented the findings and recommendations from their recent review of safety and human resources of the Petersburg Borough to the Assembly on Sept. 18. Earlier this year, the borough agreed to engage an outside organization, later selecting APEI, to help evaluate and make improvement recommendations regarding the safety and human resources practices of the borough, the review arose from a community demand that an effort be made to prevent a situation like the fatal 2016 car...
During a regular meeting on Sept. 12, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a recommendation to change the zoning of Government Lot 14, which is owned by Skylark Park LLC. The property is currently zoned as public use. However, owner Ambre Burrell proposed a rezoning to single-family mobile home, citing the intention to subdivide the 5-acre parcel into lots for placement of manufactured homes. The proposal asks to make this amendment because the property area is "mis zoned."...
The Petersburg School District said they are confident in the safety of students and staff at school, following a credible threat made by a student last Thursday. The school responded to the threat with an investigation in cooperation with law enforcement. The Petersburg Police Department told the Pilot there is no present danger to the school. “We evaluated the threat and … we don’t see it as a threat to the students or to the public,” said PPD Chief Jim Kerr. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter told the Pilot that the situation began when a...
The Petersburg Medical Center is introducing a new program for psychiatric care under the behavioral health department, with the support of a $300 thousand federal grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a one-year grant that HRSA awarded PMC to “address immediate needs in rural areas through improving access, capacity and sustainability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use disorder,” according to the language of the grant. PMC is...
Petersburg's new Rotary Youth Exchange student from Hungary, Sara Eszik, says she's "really happy to be in Alaska." She had requested the U.S./Canada, followed by Finland and Taiwan. "I feel like I got kind of a two-for-one between the U.S. and Finland, getting to come to Alaska," Eszik muses. "I don't feel homesick at all," declares Eszik, explaining that there are four stages to the experience of a typical exchange student. In the first stage, everything feels good and exciting, with little...
Mary Ellen Anderson Why have you chosen to run for Library Board at this time? I love being on the library board and serving my community. I'm very well suited as the former elementary school librarian at Stedman-a position I held for 19 years. I started early in the library world, numbering and checking out my dad's classic Dickens collection to neighborhood friends when I was about 10. Oddly enough, there were only a couple takers. I then worked for the library in high school, and as an adult...
Stan Hjort Why have you chosen to run for Public Safety Board at this time? I have chosen to run for the Public Safety Board again because I am familiar with safety issues having been an engineer officer on AMH. What personal and professional experience do you bring to this role? As an engineer on AMH, I was supervisor of a crew of up to 6 employees. What do you define as the role of the Public Safety Advisory Board in Petersburg? The role of the Safety Board is to stay in touch with citizens co...
Of all the people born and raised in Petersburg, those who have grown up with the sight of Devil's Thumb like the exclamation point on a sunny day, none had ever reached its summit before this summer. The peak of Devil's Thumb hangs at 9,077 feet, arguably the most striking of the border peaks along the Coast Range. All Petersburg locals have seen it, and many have wondered at least once what it would be like to be on the top, one foot dangling into Alaska, the other into Canada. Now Kyle...
Moose hunting aims to begin on September 15. For this hunt, Alaska Wildlife Troopers Sgt. Cody Litster says hunters should acquire a RM038 permit, verse themselves thoroughly on what distinguishes legal game, submit their hunting reports and report their mistakes without hesitation. As far as antler configuration goes, Sgt. Litster says "it's the same as it has been." According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), antler restrictions protect a portion of the bull population by...
"Looking for ways to meet new people while also making a difference in Petersburg?" On September 22, 15 local organizations and nonprofits will gather at Sons of Norway Hall for a volunteer fair -Reconnect Petersburg- from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Anyone interested in learning more about what is happening in the Petersburg community is invited to join that Friday for free appetizers, door prizes, and a community gathering where they can discover specific ways to become more involved. While the...
