Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 5622
Fish and deer carcasses, propane bottles, and glass, all of these nonrecyclable items have shown up in the Petersburg Borough Sanitation Department's comingled recycling bins. Commingled means customers' recyclable materials don't need to be sorted into plastic, aluminum, paper, etc. However, the recycling must be clean and free of food and debris. Glass is not recyclable in Petersburg. But there are glass drop-off locations for the public at the baler and at Public Works. "At 303 South 2nd Stre...
Jill Lenhard moved to Ketchikan last August to take a teaching job at Ketchikan High School, but she – and her husband, music teacher Matt Lenhard – both got caught up in this year's teacher layoffs that impacted public school districts across the state. Fortunately for Petersburg, this meant the perfect candidate was unexpectedly available to fill a new teaching vacancy at Mitkof Middle School. Lenhard had spent over 20 years in Petersburg as a vital component of the school district's Eng...
After nearly two years of litigation, the public records-related lawsuit filed by Don Koenigs against the Petersburg Borough has reached its conclusion. On June 21, 2024 the Superior Court for the State of Alaska ordered the borough to release around 200 pages of records related to the complaint made by Petersburg's chief of police against two borough assembly members. In March 2022, Petersburg Police Chief Jim Kerr filed a complaint with the borough's HR director which included a five-page time...
The Petersburg Borough will enter into negotiations directly with Island Refrigeration LLC for the sale of borough-owned tidelands, the assembly decided Monday. This property at 107A Dock Street is adjacent to a larger parcel the borough approved to sell to Island Refrigeration in April; it was originally part of the young business' plan for the space, which will serve as their new headquarters, but was left out of the initial application process and applied for separately. Another applicant,...
Skyler DuPont, 29, is officially the new executive director at local nonprofit Working Against Violence for Everyone (WAVE). They are entering the role in succession of Everett Bennett, who stepped down from the position earlier this year to work at PIA. WAVE is a small independent nonprofit that provides support and advocacy for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and promotes safe relationships and community in the Petersburg Borough. "The work that [WAVE] does, I love that ......
Beth Flor took her first ever drawing class during her sophomore year of college. She had enrolled in the class because she needed one more credit and she had enjoyed drawing when she was little. That first art class made such an impression on her, she considered changing her major from social work to art. Her art teacher from that class confronted Flor with some tough advice that has stuck with her all these years. She remembers him saying, "You'll never be great, but if you work hard, you'll...
Last Thursday evening, two back-to-back productions of Alice in Wonderland were presented on the Wright Auditorium's stage by participants in the Petersburg Medical Center Wellness Program's ORCA Theater Camp. Director Brad Younts, who pioneered the first ORCA Theater Camp last summer, had twenty-three kids sign up this summer, so many that he divided the kids into two camps, ages 6 – 9 and 9 – 15, and brought a colleague with him to help, co-director Amaya Hudson. Welcoming the audience, You... Full story
Last Tuesday twelve Petersburg youth, ages 12-15, paddled away from Blaquiere Point, the southeast tip of Mitkof Island, on a four day, three night ORCA Kayak Expedition with Onward and Upward. Three Onward and Upward instructors traveled to Petersburg to lead the trip along with Katie Holmlund, Youth Program Coordinator for Petersburg Medical Center and the co-founder of Kinderskog. "Amanda Mantovani was our lead instructor. She used to work for Alaska Crossings down in Wrangell and has led...
Last year, Dr. Jennifer Hyer took a sabbatical from her full-time role at PMC as a primary care physician and her family embarked on a global sailing adventure - a "lifelong dream" in the making. And now, despite being thousands of miles away at sea, Hyer is able to continue serving patients in Petersburg through remote telehealth consultations. Petersburg Medical Center is embracing telehealth services so patients can access specialized care in a remote setting. Telehealth appointments are...
Considering the shallow, rocky waters in the Blind River Rapids, SSRAA production manager Bill Gass was unsure of how successful the beach seine operation to hand deliver king salmon broodstock to Crystal Lake Hatchery would be. But the team of 20 folks, including local volunteers and staff from the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game, successfully captured and transported 146 live king salmon during the first two Tuesdays in July,...
10 volunteers pulled on their rubber boots and rain jackets last Friday to search Petersburg's beaches for suspicious crab carapaces in observation of European Green Crab Awareness Day. After breaking into four groups, the volunteers combed the waterfronts of the Wilson Creek camp area, Crescent Beach, Greens Camp, and Woodpecker Cove; they found 33 carapaces in total, none of which were green crab. "I think it went well. I think it's good we didn't find any green crab," said organizer and...
Petersburg's tribe plans to add sidewalks to some streets and build a new trail in coming years. The Petersburg Indian Association approved a four-year infrastructure plan on July 17 after finalizing the project list at a public meeting earlier in the month. The tribe will partner with the Petersburg Borough to add sidewalks along residential streets near the Petersburg Community Center. Debra O'Gara is the tribal council president. "Right now, in the middle of winter, it's really dark back...
The window to file for candidacy in Petersburg's municipal election is now open. Folks in town who meet the qualifications for local office can add their name to the ballot by turning in required paperwork to the Borough Clerk's office before the window closes on Aug. 20. A total of 14 seats will be up for election this fall. Each position is for a three-year term. Among the local elected positions will be two seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly, currently occupied by assembly members Bob...
If it passes its final reading at the next Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting, a ballot proposition this fall will ask borough voters to authorize $19.3 million in new debt for the Water and Wastewater utilities. The loans would come from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation revolving loan fund, which provides municipal water utilities with loans for capital projects at 1.5% interest, 20-year repayment. The authorization of the debt would sunset after five years, meaning the util...
An ordinance was introduced at Monday's Assembly meeting to adjust the FY25 budget for known changes. The top item was for Harbor Department disposal of derelict vessels, increasing the budgeted amount from $10 thousand to $250 thousand dollars. The budget increase is described as necessary to take care of removing two large derelict boats currently in the harbor. The budget request coincided with another ordinance introduced on Monday which would amend Petersburg Municipal Code to add a...
Petersburg pays some of the lowest electricity rates in Alaska - 12 cents per residential kilowatt hour compared to the average in Alaska of 24.36 cents - thanks to the abundant renewable energy produced at the Swan Lake and Tyee Lake hydroelectric projects run by the Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA). SEAPA hydro continuously powers the communities of Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan, except once each year when SEAPA schedules a ten-day shutdown at each project to work through a flurry...
Representatives of Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) and the Hutli committee and members of the Séet Ká Kwáan Dancers welcomed the public to witness the unveiling of the story totem pole at Sandy Beach Park on July 5. The totem pole was created by Tlingit carver Fred Fulmer Sr., Saat-Kaa, of Everett, WA - commissioned by PIA for the Hutli project. "Hutli is a Tlingit work roughly translated to Thunderbird and the thundering sound of the wings," Brenda Louise told the sizeable crowd on hand for...
The question of whether to approve a multi-million dollar bond for "critical major maintenance and safety capital improvements" at the school may come before voters this fall. Petersburg Borough Assembly heard an ordinance introducing the proposed bond at their meeting on July 1; a public hearing about the bond proposal ordinance will take place during its next reading. The bond amount initially described in the ordinance included $4.5 million dollars to cover the borough's share of the state...
The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church applied for two conditional use permits during the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission's regular meeting on Tuesday. Spearheaded by Juneau architect Rich Conneen - who attended the meeting remotely - both permits were approved by the Planning Commission, giving the church approval to construct a church in the same single-family residential lot it previously occupied, as well as allowing use of the parking lot at 306 N 3rd St. for required off-street...
Petersburg has a tight housing market - last year a survey found the town would need an additional 300 homes in the next decade. But a new local program aims to make it easier for people to add small homes, also known as Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, to their property. The Borough of Petersburg has developed detailed, pre-permitted blueprints that are available to residents free of charge. Community Development Director Liz Cabrera said she hopes it provides people with affordable, doable...
Ordinance 2024-11 — to place before voters an amendment to the borough charter to remove the requirement of voter ratification for future changes to sales tax exemptions — failed in its final reading at the July 1 assembly meeting. Borough Finance Director Jody Tow explained during the prior assembly meeting that, if passed, this change would be helpful during times of unknown state revenues to free up the assembly to act more flexibly and quickly to resolve budgetary issues. Petersburg is the...
A power outage affected downtown Petersburg on Wed., July 10 from around 10:30 a.m. until around noon. The outage was caused by a transformer failing in its vault located in the sidewalk on Excel Street near the Hammer & Wikan Hardware store, Petersburg Utility Director Karl Hagerman told the Pilot. Smoke was observed coming out of the sidewalk vault after the transformer's failure, causing some concern to bystanders. The power went out when the transformer fault tripped the breaker for the...
The Pedal/Paddle battle will be returning for its 10th year in Petersburg, Alaska. After raising $20,400 for education in 2023, the Petersburg Medical Center is aiming higher this time. "Our goal this year is $24,000 because it's 2024, we're shooting big," Community Wellness Manager Julie Walker said. In 2023, PMC gave out four scholarships, three to Petersburg High School graduates and one to a PMC nursing student. However, there's more to these scholarships. "We can offer a lot of money to...
Located midway down the Southeast panhandle is LeConte Glacier. Since the 1980s, Petersburg has sent high school students to LeConte Glacier to measure how it has shifted over time. The late Paul Bowen conducted the first survey in 1983 and it has been a community-driven science study since. On June 14, 2024, a group of 7th-grade students got to go out to LeConte Glacier with Oregon State University scientists. This was somewhat of a rare occurrence as Glaciologist Erin Pettit and Oceanographer...
Several large derelict vessels moored in Petersburg's harbors, have reached a point where they might not survive another winter. Harbormaster Glo Wollen is working with Borough Attorney Sara Heideman to adapt Petersburg's municipal code concerning derelict vessels, before it's too late. Currently, Petersburg's municipal code includes a set of procedures that direct the harbor to impound or auction abandoned or potentially dangerous derelict vessels. The new procedure being developed will...
