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The Southeast Alaska Drift Gillnet and Purse Seine task forces met in Petersburg on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, to review the 2014 season and discuss the 2015 season. On Tuesday, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) biologists from districts around Southeast presented a review of the 2014 season for various salmon species harvested by gillnetters. Justin Breese, ADFG biologist from Ketchikan, reported District 1, Tree Point, had an above average harvest for cohos and pink salmon and a below average harvest for sockeyes and chums.... Full story
The fridge is full of leftovers and downtown is bright with Christmas lights and decorations, two sure signs the holiday season is underway in Petersburg. Friday evening kicked off with two Petersburg traditions, the parade of lights and the tree lighting ceremony. Gloria Ohmer and Don Koenigs were named as the honorary tree lighters for this year's ceremony. Ohmer has been in Petersburg since 1949 when she arrived for a two-week visit from Washington state but never left. "She's gone on to... Full story
The first pieces of the floats have arrived for the Drive Down Dock project, though complete installation is still to come as the modular sections are linked, only slightly impeded by the sudden surplus of snow. Currently, three pieces have arrived, Harbormaster Glo Wollen reported on Monday. “Tamico (Construction) splashed at (Alaska Marine Lines) last night and towed them over to the Martinsen Dock where they are working (on Monday) to bolt them together.” Another 10 sections are to come, with semi-regular deliveries “every couple of weeks...
Some contestants might be in a bit of a pickle as last minute changes are announced to the annual Pickled Herring Contest, to be held this coming Wednesday at the Sons of Norway Hall. “What we’re changing this year is we’re asking people to bring their entries a bit earlier, so we can get the judging going faster so people can eat quicker,” Sons of Norway President Sally Dwyer said. The Sons doors will be open for entrants from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with judging immediately following and the public tasting at 7 p.m. — Dwyer added that contestan...
The ninth annual Devil's Thumb Brewfest and Chili Cookoff was a huge success under different management this year, after the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce passed the mantle for the community event. "They were hoping to be able to find somebody else to take up the torch, and Angela (Christensen) found it in herself to be able to keep it alive," said Eric Castro, who also volunteered to help put on the event. "The community does not want to see this event die." The Petersburg Ski Club also threw...
Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) members compiled work-group draft recommendations for the Tongass National Forest’s timber management plan amendment at their Nov. 19-21 meeting in Sitka. Present at the recent meeting was USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Bonnie; Beth Pendelton, the U.S. Forest Service Alaska regional forester; and Forrest Cole, the Tongass National Forest supervisor. Bonnie emphasized the importance of TAC’s opportunity “to find a solution that works for everybody [so] we ca...
The Nov. 20 edition of the Petersburg Pilot incorrectly identified Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Elders Kettle and Lofton as members of the Salvation Army. The Pilot regrets the error....
Parks and Recreation Director Donn Hayes believes Petersburg should be at its brightest as the year spins towards its darkest day, looking to launch the first of what he hopes will be an annual celebration of light amidst the bleak and black. The Light Bright Dash and Bash will begin at 7 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 20, one day before the winter solstice, he said. Registration is an hour earlier. “We just want it to be fun — we’re having this in the middle of winter,” he said. “We just want people to say, ‘the darkness is not going to affect me;...
The trapping season for marten, river otter, mink and weasel opened December 1 on Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof islands (Unit 4). Unit 4 beaver season opened November 10. The trapping season runs through February 15, 2015 for most species in Unit 4. Exceptions are the marten, mink, and weasel season closure on December 31, 2014 in the north Chichagof Island area and the beaver season which remains open until April 30, 2015. In addition to obtaining a trapping license, trappers must have marten, river otter, and beaver hides sealed within...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ The world's most acidic ocean waters are found during the cold winter months in the Bering Sea, according to a new study. Researchers at Columbia University released a series of maps tracking changes in global marine activity, The Alaska Dispatch News reported The new maps, based on 40 years' worth of measurements, show how acidity in marine waters around the globe changes with the seasons. The Bering Sea has shallow waters, a broad continental shelf and ocean currents that deposit nutrients from around the world....
Petersburg schools will be testing out the idea that less is more when it comes to lighting — and not simply saving a bit on the budget, though that remains a major selling point. “What got me thinking about this was a maintenance directors’ conference I attended up in Anchorage,” Maintenance Director Dan Tate said. “It was environmental design loss prevention, and they showed, very clearly, that you can have a lot of lights on to produce a lot of glare that defeats a security officer’s nighttime vision.” Tate consulted with Petersburg Po...
The Borough Assembly will be taking public comment on whether or not the Borough should bid on three land parcels near Papke’s Landing that will go up for public auction next month by the Alaska Mental Health Trust. The Assembly wrote a letter to Mental Health in August asking them to suspend the sale of three lots at Papke’s Landing because of their importance for public access to the dock and parking area and the possible future expansion of Petersburg’s harbors. At Monday’s regular meeting... Full story
A Petersburg resident will be stepping up to statewide duties, following an October election where volunteer members of District 17 Coast Guard Auxiliary tapped Bruce Jones to take the helm. Initially, he said he had approached the volunteer group as a means to stay occupied during retirement, but quickly found himself again caught up in his work. "I've been working my way up the ranks, from the bottom to the very top," Jones said. "I served a year or so as a flotilla commander, two years as a... Full story
School board members got a brief breath of hope after the Alaska Department of Education reported that Petersburg was No. 1 on its list, as well as Nos. 9 and 33. But that all will still depend on the budget and how far down the list state appropriations would flow, as several large ticket items, including a pair of school renovations for Yukon-Koyukuk and Fairbanks that were billed at more than $10 million each. Petersburg’s first request is much more modest than the item that precedes it — for a boiler rehabilitation. $24,565 was requested wi... Full story
At their next meeting on Dec. 8 the Assembly will vote on a resolution proposed by Bob Lynn to dedicate local funds to proposed capital improvement projects that are headed to the Alaska State Legislature at the next legislative session. Under the resolution, the local pledge of funds would be contingent on the State Legislature’s assignment of Capital Improvement Project grant funds, meaning that funds will not remain assigned to projects that are not given funding by the state during this funding cycle. Lynn said that capital projects with l...
After discussing a draft ordinance to restrict herbicide use within Borough boundaries at Monday’s regular meeting, the Assembly decided to task a revamping of the ordinance to a sub-committee. While the Assembly was primarily concerned about the State’s potential use of herbicides within Borough boundaries, Borough Manger Steve Giesbrecht said that local concern extends beyond the State’s use and includes local residents using herbicides on their property. Several Assembly members said the draft ordinance was too restrictive for resid...
Local poet Lee Ribich's first audience was his family members who received an original poem written by Ribich as an annual Christmas tradition. Those poems and others were eventually combined and became his first published book of poetry in 2011. Ribich's pen has been busy since, with a second book, "The Lines that Connect Us," released in 2012 and "Stones in a River," his most recent work, released this October. As a retired English teacher, the written word has long been a central part of...
Several appointments were made at Monday’s Assembly meeting to fill vacancies on various boards. Marlene Cushing, Kris Thynes and Erin Michael expressed interest in filling the two remaining vacancies on the hospital board. After a vote by the assembly, Cushing and Thynes were appointed to serve. In her letter of interest, Cushing said she will bring her experience serving on non-profit boards and her 30 years of experience as a health care provider to the Hospital Board. Thynes wrote in her letter that the 18 months she worked in the h...
Harbors continue to be relatively free of Steller sea lions as harbor and DOT staff adapt to work within legal conservation lines to discourage the large mammals from loitering on floats about the harbors. There likely won’t ever be a time of living without them, no matter how conscientious people are about disposing of scraps. “I don’t think we’ll ever get away from having animals at our facilities, but at least we can not have them front and center so much of the time,” Harbormastor Glo Wollen said. “We have quite a few that are pretty acti...
Petersburg school board members accepted the renewal of several contracted services, with four invoices totaling $95,698.75. Most of the contracts were for services where, for a variety of reasons, it was significantly more affordable to seek outside services than develop an in-house solution, said Finance Director Karen Quitslund, responding to Board Member Jay Lister’s queries on the services of Haines-based Four Ravens Occupational Therapy, LLC. “We don’t have an occupational therapist on staff, so that’s who we’ve contracted with for stude...
The final details on the remodel of the Stedman Elementary School have officially been scratched off the contractor’s and administrator’s checklists as the school, already long open for children, received its last scrutiny from designers. Tony Yorba of Jensen Yorba & Lott, Inc., the firm that designed the school modifications, was on hand to give a final recap, and answer questions of board members. Though most had finished their lines of inquiry beforehand, Sarah Holmgrain had a few concerns about the building’s protective envelope and the p...
Subscribers, click link below to access a downloadable PDF file of this Holiday Shopper 2014.................................................................................................................................................................................. http://www.petersburgpilot.com/2014HolidayShopper.pdf...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) board members met in Petersburg Nov. 13-14 to discuss the results of their annual audit and other business. Independent auditing company BDO performed this year’s audit, which followed both generally acceptable auditing standards as well as government auditing standards, required because SEAPA received some $5.99 million in state grants of which $1.11 million counted as state expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 2014. BDO’s Assurance Director Joy Merriner was present via teleconference for the... Full story
A recent news release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) outlines an estimated 2015 pink salmon harvest of 58 million fish. “An actual harvest of 58 million pink salmon would be well above the recent 10-year average of 41 million pink salmon and a harvest of that magnitude would be in the top ten harvests since 1960,” according to the release. The release states that the annual forecast was produce in two steps, “1) a forecast of the trend in the harvest, and 2) the forecast trend adjusted using 2014 juvenile pink salmon abund... Full story
Petro Marine Services is proposing to trade property they purchased from the former Union Oil Company for borough owned property they currently lease on which a warehouse and the Southeast Island Fuel gas station is situated. On their end of the deal, there would be no changes, said Bob Volk, plant manager for the company, who brought the idea before the harbor advisory board first, looking to garner some support for the prospective deal. The property to possibly be exchanged is the old Union... Full story
