Sorted by date Results 5323 - 5347 of 5553
JUNEAU — Regional Forester Beth Pendleton affirmed the Tongass National Forest supervisor's Tonka Timber Sale Record of Decision Monday, July 23. The 2,085-acre sale area encompasses most of the National Forest System lands on the southern half of Lindenberg Peninsula on Kupreanof Island, located across Wrangell Narrows from the Petersburg road system. Four appeals were received on the Tonka project, raising various issues related to economics, water quality, wildlife, and NEPA. One issue, raised in two of the appeals, related to the use of A...
The City of Petersburg adopted the 2012-13 City budget with very few changes from last year. “The biggest change is the general fund subsidizing some of the assisted living facility expenses,” City of Petersburg Finance Director Jody Tow said. “In addition to charging a mill rate for the facility’s annual debt service, the City will be transferring $100,000 from the general fund to assisted living. These funds are to support the facility’s day to day operations. The facility is now at full occupancy which means the City is receiving more reve... Full story
A joint resolution calling for the development of new fish hatcheries and releases was passed by Petersburg City Council Monday, July 16. This resolution was drafted by City and Borough of Wrangell Mayor Jeremy Maxand with several members of the fishing fleet. “There is a desire to see the development of a new hatchery in Southeast Alaska to expand the available number of fish for harvest, whether it be for commercial or sport fishing,” Maxand said. “We thought a joint resolution and letter from both Wrangell and Petersburg to the gover...
Many Petersburg merchants expressed mixed feelings regarding its first sales tax-free day. The tax-free day took place, in conjunction with the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Spring Market giving merchants extra opportunities to pass savings on to the public. Savann Guthrie owner of The Fabric Basket and Chamber of Commerce Retail Committee Chair stated the committee received no negative feedback regarding this event. “I believe people spent money that they normally wouldn’t have,” Guthrie said. “Many merchants, including myself, had extra s... Full story
In a recent City Council meeting, council member Don Koenigs questioned the rationale of additional increases on top of the percentage increases budgeted for department head salaries. The fiscal year 2013 budget was adopted June 11 with wage increases for management staff. Petersburg City Manager Stephen Giesbrecht put forth a plan that consisted of pay increases for individuals ranging from two to four percent. In addition, some management positions receive a one-time flat rate increase to brin... Full story
The Petersburg City Council passed a resolution to change the terms of a land lease with the Petersburg Humane Association. The Humane Association leases three acres of City land for the construction, development, operation and maintenance of a community animal shelter and dog park for the term of 55 years and at a rate of $1 per year. Council member Don Koenigs stated that a 55 year lease was too long and suggested a 30 year term. “55 years is a standard lease for the City,” Petersburg City Clerk Kathy O'Rear said. “This term will be long...
A lawsuit filed in Wrangell’s First District Court by Dr. Greg Salard and his wife, Laura Salard, is seeking monetary damages and attorney fees in a defamation case against a longtime Wrangell resident. The case, which was initially filed on July 13, alleges that Lisa Gillen made statements in an online chat session about the physician, his family, and his ability to practice medicine. The filing also seeks damages exceeding $50,000, the Salard’s attorney fees, and any other relief the court may see fit to award. Attorney Michael Nash, who is r...
WRANGELL — With the rising costs of heating homes and businesses in Southeast Alaska, an earth-friendly product may be the answer to lower costs – and possibly creating jobs in Wrangell. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, in collaboration with the Wrangell Cooperative Association, has been working in past weeks to bring a feasibility consultant to the borough in an effort to determine the economic and strategic possibilities of producing a biofuel – or “biobrick” – product locally. Bi...
Founder of Historic Flight Foundation, John Sessions, landed this WWII Class B-25 Mitchell Fighter plane at Petersburg airport for fuel Wednesday afternoon. Sessions is the owner of 10 WWII Class planes ranging from 1927 to 1957. This B-25 is on its way to Elmendorf AFB for an air show. Sessions is shown here fueling the plane as his co-pilot Vanessa Dunn looks on....
The Petersburg City Council discussed raising the sales tax cap from $1,200 to $1,700 at a work session Thursday evening. Citywide sales for the fiscal year 2012 were $95,570,231.29 and after exemptions the total sales were $2,752,594.84, which is an increase of over $200,000 from fiscal year 2011. Sales for the fiscal year 2011 were $90,427,154.48 with exemptions in the amount of $47,404,716.97 “Assuming sales generated are above the proposed $1,700 will generate an additional $353,000 in sales tax revenue,” City of Petersburg Finance Dir... Full story
Engineering plans show that the North Harbor project is projected to cost $2.2 million more than the $7 million that has been budgeted. Petersburg City Manager Stephen Giesbrecht stated this oversight in his report to the City Council Monday evening. “Rough estimates at this time are a project around $9.2 million,” Giesbrecht stated. “We are $2.2 million over budget and we will be meeting with the engineer in the near future to see how we can get back within budget.” PND Engineering also reviewed the Mitigation application and permitt... Full story
City officials and members of the Finance Committee have had concerns that the properties in Scow Bay, including the Reid property, have been assessed too low. This question is posed because the appraisal value and assessment value are so different. City Assessor Mike Renfro met with the Finance Committee to explain the industry and the differences between appraisal and assessment. According to Alaska Statute AS 29.45.110, the assessor shall assess property at its full and true value as of Jan.... Full story
The northern lights made a rare midsummer appearance over the weekend. This shot was taken around 1 am Sunday morning from a home at around 2 mile, Mitkof Hwy....
ANCHORAGE (AP) — The captain of a state ferry made a maneuvering error in strong currents that couldn't be corrected before the Matanuska slammed into a seafood company's dock when sailing into Petersburg. Those are the findings of state report into the May 7 accident that caused significant damage to the Ocean Beauty Seafoods' dock. Captain M. Scott Macaulay has more than 29 years' experience as a deck officer with the ferry system. He performs relief work on various ships, and this was the third time he captained the Matanuska in the p...
A large pod of up to a dozen Orca Whales fished the shoreline of Cape Strait on Tuesday....
Petersburg is filled with fishermen, who spend much of the year fishing and don’t have the time or opportunity to voice concerns regarding the heavily-regulated industry. This is where organizations such as the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association (PVOA) come in. PVOA acts as the voice for these fishermen, and women, who represent a very diverse, multi-gear, multi-species industry. After six years, PVOA executive director Julianne Curry is leaving her position. Curry’s main responsibility at...
The Petersburg City Council awarded a $36,397 bid to Urban Accessories for the purchase of 20 medallions to be used in the Petersburg Road Improvement Project. One of these new medallions will be cast in the design of the new Petersburg logo. The medallions will replace the existing brass sidewalk inlaid artwork with full sized sand casted bronze artwork. This purchase will be funded through Capital Project Fund 727 and will come from the City’s share of matching funds for this project. Petersburg Public Works Director Karl Hagerman stated t...
A resolution was passed unanimously by the council at Monday night’s meeting, reducing the amount of funds to be bonded for the library project from $1.5 to $1.3 million. Voters of the City of Petersburg authorized the City to incur debt and issue bonds in the amount not to exceed $1.5 million to finance part of the cost of planning, designing, constructing and equipping a public library. “The bids for this project came in lower than expected,” Petersburg City Manager Stephen Giesbrecht stated. “The City staff and the project architect are in...
The annual Municipal Election will be held Tuesday, Oct. 2. The first day to file for candidacy is Tuesday, July 24. “To date, there is one approved ballot proposal,” Petersburg City Clerk Kathy O'Rear said. “That is to withdraw from the Inter-Island Ferry Authority. However, the council has until the second meeting in August to finalize any additional proposals.” The 2012 ballot will provide for the election of two City Council members for three year terms and one council member for the balance of a term ending October 2014. “In addition...
The bid for the medical center roof replacement base bid and all alternates has been awarded to Silverbow Construction in the amount of $469,600. Petersburg Hospital Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Woodyard states that the roofing project is considered “high emergency” top priority. “This project will be funded first in the fiscal year 2013 before funding the other high priority items,” Woodyard said. “Other projects are the pediatric crib, label printers, bladder scan, long term care interior design/remodel, blood bank refrigera...
A former manager at Chugach Electric Association in Anchorage has been tapped as the new head of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency. SEAPA’s Board of Directors hired Trey Acteson as their new Chief Executive Officer at the agency, which provides hydroelectric power to the communities of Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan. Acteson joins the organization after 11 years with Chugach and will start his new position on August 20. He will be based in Ketchikan. Jeremy Maxand, the chairman of SEAPA’s board said he is confident Acteson is the rig...
For some time the City of Petersburg has been contemplating the purchase of the Reid waterfront and warehouse property. During the June 11 City Council meeting requests were made for an appraisal and survey of the property to be performed along with the preparation of a business plan to assess the possible benefits for this facility to the city. Several statements of positive feedback from the business community were introduced to help guide the council toward a favorable decision regarding the purchase of the property. “Our fishing c... Full story
Chip marks and excessive wear and tear to the gym floor of the Petersburg Community Center are main subjects of discussion by the Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department. The concerns regarding the conditions of the floor brought the Petersburg Hockey Club members to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting Monday, June 25 to address the possibility of losing its program. “This facility was built in the 1990s,” Parks and Recreation Director Donn Hayes said. “About 10 years ago is wh... Full story
Investigation ensued after the Alaska Marine Highway ferry Matanuska crashed into the Ocean Beauty Seafoods dock Monday, May 7, but the cause of the accident has yet to be determined. “A report has been submitted for internal review,” Alaska Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Jeremy Woodrow stated. “There are several things that need clarification before any news can be released.” As reported in the May 10 issue of the Petersburg Pilot, the M/V Matanuska was negotiating a turn in Wrangell Narrows prior to the acciden...
SITKA (AP) — Remember when a newborn baby girl was found in the sink in the women's restroom at Thomsen Harbor? That was Jan. 23, 1994, and over the years Sitkans have wondered what happened to her. Now they know. The baby was adopted by a Juneau couple, Karen and John Amrhein, who named her Karissa. When she was two, the family moved to St. Augustine, Fla. This week they came back to Sitka. The trip was a high school graduation present to Karissa from her parents, to let her see the place she was found and maybe meet some of the people who c...
