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The Petersburg School District released its reopening plan Friday which outlines COVID-19 guidelines for the upcoming school year. The school district formed a moderate risk plan that includes a universal masking policy in school until the next school board meeting on September 14. A local Health Advisory Committee including a representative from the school board, Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter, Principals Heather Conn and Rick Dormer, Activity Director Jaime Cabral, a Public Health nurse,...
The Petersburg School District has hired seven new teachers for this upcoming school year as the schools seek in person instruction under the new COVID-19 protocols. A few of the new teachers are returning to their roots in Petersburg including Hannah Smith who will be teaching science at Mitkof Middle School. Smith went to Gonzaga University before receiving her masters at Montana State in science education. "I grew up here actually, graduated from Petersburg High School. My parents and my...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported three new active cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, all of whom are non-residents. One non-resident case was identified on Sunday and two non-resident cases were identified on Monday according to PMC. A total of 14 non-resident positive cases have been linked to travel since August 1 and PMC is advising everyone who comes to town to get tested both when they arrive and seven days later regardless of vaccination status. Free travel testing is available at the...
The Borough Assembly conducted their third and final reading of Ordinance #2021-12 during Monday's meeting. The assembly voted unanimously 7-0 to adopt the ordinance which added the Electric Utility Bond Issuance matter to the ballot for the election on October 5, 2021. There was no discussion by the assembly prior to the vote. "We had a very good explanation at the last meeting from Mr. Hagerman, so I think we're all up to speed on it," Mayor Mark Jensen said. The revenue bonds, not to exceed...
The Borough Assembly voted 4-3 to empower Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht to create a committee to serve as a COVID information response system during Monday's meeting. The discussion of the action item centered on the creation of the committee and the inclusion of a COVID dashboard on the borough's website. The item was requested by Assembly Member Jeff Meucci who said that the assembly needed to have more communication about COVID available to be prepared if the school system or the hospital...
Tongass Botanicals & Soils has started a composting program to reduce the amount of waste in Petersburg that is being shipped to landfills. Carrie Martinsen, who runs the composting operation, began a bucket pickup in June to collect food scraps and other biodegradable waste from the community. "The more I got into it I was like oh this sounds like a really good plan and then talking with the city here they're like we've been wanting somebody to do this for a really long time," Martinsen said....
The Borough Assembly voted on Ordinance 2021-13 during Monday's meeting, which allows assembly members to be counted for the purposes of determining a quorum if they are communicating via teleconference. The vote was 5-2 during the ordinance's first reading with Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Bob Lynn voting against. The ordinance revision was requested by Assembly Member Dave Kensinger after the meeting on August 2 was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. With the progress that...
OBI Seafoods announced the production of 100,000 cases of pinks on Monday at about 11:30 a.m. by blowing the steam whistle at the OBI plant in Petersburg. "It's a morale boost for the employees and it lets the town know that the fish are coming through," said OBI fleet manager Don Spigelmyre. Spigelmyre complimented Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game managers for working with the processors by opening-up good areas for fishing. "We'll likely get to the numbers predicted by ADF&G and we hope to even...
Utility Director Karl Hagerman gave a presentation during Monday's Borough Assembly meeting on the electric utility bond issue. The bond issue would provide funding for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment project and for the Scow Bay Generation project. Hagerman's presentation was comprised of two main focuses: what would happen if no action was taken on the bonds and what would the impacts of the increased rates be. "I did get a hypothetical from Assembly Member Kensinger, and I had...
In the story about PMC’s discussion of the rise of COVID-19 cases in July from the July 29 edition of the Pilot, it was stated that positive COVID-19 cases from the American Cruise Lines vessel Constellation were linked to positive cases among Petersburg residents. Though there were cases among Petersburg residents and there were cases among people from the Constellation in July, a link between the two groups has not been established....
The Borough Assembly unanimously voted to approve Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht's contract extension request during Monday's meeting. The vote, which was 7-0, came after the assembly entered into an executive session to discuss the new contract. Assembly Members Taylor Norheim and Jeigh Stanton Gregor joining the meeting over the phone and Zoom respectively for that portion of the meeting to cast their votes. Giesbrecht wrote a letter to the Borough Assembly, dated July 7, proposing a new fiv...
The details from the International Bureau of Electrical Workers collective bargaining agreement with the Petersburg Borough were released Tuesday. The IBEW contract was approved by the assembly during their July 19 meeting and will run from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024. Though much of the deal remains the same, some changes have been made including to wages and paid time off. In the new agreement, eight additional days of accrued paid time off have been added and are spread out over the PTO...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter gave a report to the Borough Assembly during Monday's meeting. The discussion focused on PMC's communication with the community about releasing COVID information and the construction of a new hospital. Hofstetter said that the Emergency Operations Center is missed because there is no longer a structure in place for communication about COVID. He would also like to see information again be made available on the borough's website to help inform the...
Eight non-residents on a private boat tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after arriving in Petersburg according to the Petersburg Medical Center. The non-residents notified PMC of their symptoms upon arrival and all passengers tested positive. Those onboard the boat have begun isolating and are not at risk of spreading COVID to the community. According to the PMC COVID-19 Dashboard, there are nine active cases in Petersburg and a third death has been reported although details about it have...
The Borough Assembly unanimously voted to relinquish a parcel of land containing a Federal Aviation Administration site at Frederick Point during Monday's meeting. The FAA site, which measures 3.5 acres, is included in the list of municipal land selections according to Community and Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera who recommended that the borough relinquish the property due to contamination at the site. "It's on the DEC Contaminated Sites List and it has high levels of arsenic which...
The Borough Assembly discussed an engineering services proposal for projects at Papke's Landing and Banana Point during Monday's meeting. The proposal, submitted by Harai & Associates, Inc. would determine cost estimates to make repairs and upgrades to the floating breakwater at Banana Point and the new trestle, improved launch ramp, and other amenities at Papke's Landing. According to the proposal, both sites are in need of repair and would be considered as two separate engineering projects....
The Petersburg School Board held discussions about what protocols should be enacted for the upcoming school year during Tuesday's meeting. The talks were a continuation of those held during a work session on July 30 where the board tried to determine what guidelines best fit the Petersburg School District while weighing potential risks such as the spread of the delta variant. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter said that two of the main points of the discussion would be masking and travel...
The 2021 Rotary Rubber Duck Race was held on Saturday underneath the Hammer Slough Bridge. 742 ducks were purchased by members of the community, which helped raise $5,500 according to Dave Berg. It was the most ever sold by the Petersburg club, last year the club sold about 550 rubber ducks. Berg said the funds raised will go towards local, state, and international projects including Youth Exchange. The festivities started around 1:00 p.m. with hotdogs, beer, and wine being sold next to the...
Community and Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera discussed the status of the development code update during Monday's Borough Assembly meeting. According to Cabrera, the process of updating the development code would probably not be able to be restarted for at least six to eight months. This is due to the backlog of work that was caused by the pandemic and changes in staffing in borough departments Cabrera said. "I don't really want to bring it forward until we can roll it out in an...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter and Hospital Board Chair Jerod Cook met with SEARHC leadership to discuss the future of healthcare in Petersburg. With the rise of discussions within the community about the future of healthcare, these two organizations met to talk about collaborative opportunities. According to Hofstetter, the meeting covered a number of topics, but the focus was on community healthcare. "It's a starting point," Hofstetter said. "I think one of the things we'll...
The marine work is done and all that remains are the final shoreside connections and testing, and a new undersea power cable between Woronkofski and Vank islands will be ready to carry electricity. The cable repair barge that pulled up the broken line and laid down 3.5 miles of new cable has left, with the onshore work expected to take until about mid-August, Trey Acteson, chief executive officer of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, said July 29. At its deepest, the crossing is about 700 feet,...
The Petersburg COVID-19 dashboard is reporting one new case in the past week for a total of four active cases. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' vaccine monitoring dashboard, 65% of Petersburg Borough residents ages 12 and up have received one or more doses. Chief Nursing Officer at PMC Jennifer Bryner said that though there was much interest when the vaccine was first released, the number of people signing up for the vaccine waiting list at the hospital has...
The Petersburg School Board had a work session Friday to outline preliminary ideas for COVID-19 guidelines for when students return. The board considered an assortment of measures ranging from masking requirements and regular testing at school to travel precautions. Though some specific guidelines were discussed, Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter stressed that these early ideas were not set in stone. "These are very rough thoughts," Kludt-Painter said. "These are very preliminary thoughts...
The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation named Joyce Cummings second in mortgage originators in Southeast Alaska. Cummings was among two other First Bank mortgage originators receiving honors. Sarah Griffin from Ketchikan placed first and Rocky Elerding , also from Ketchikan, placed third in the Southeast Alaska ratings for its 2021 fiscal year. "When a homebuyer chooses AHFC for their home loan, dollars stay in Alaska to help Alaskans," AHFC's Directors of Mortgage Operations Jan Miyagishima...
The Borough Assembly meeting due to take place on Monday was cancelled due to lack of a quorum. Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Members Taylor Norheim, Jeigh Stanton Gregor, and Chelsea Tremblay were all out of town according to Deputy Borough Clerk Becky Regula. The agenda for the assembly meeting rescheduled for August 9 at 12:00 p.m. includes a report from PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter and a presentation by Utility Director Karl Hagerman on the Electric Utility Bond Issue. An update on the...
