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The borough assembly approved an amended version of the capital projects list for the 2020 fiscal year on Monday that lists the replacement of the E911 system as the borough’s first priority. On the list are capital projects from every department in the borough and how much each project costs. Those projects that were approved by the borough will be put on its capsis list, which is a list that goes to the state legislators. When oil prices were high and the state had plenty of money to fund capital projects, an online system called capsis w...
January The borough assembly received a proposed update to its zoning code that would introduce a new form of affordable housing, an expansion of the historical and industrial districts and the end of a requirement for businesses to include parking downtown. The borough assembly held a work session to discuss a plan to impose restrictions on the senior tax exemption. A possible annual fee to sales tax exemption card holders was agreed upon ranging between $50 and $60. Police Chief Kelly Swihart...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An additional $30 million in public money is needed to install crew quarters on Alaska’s two new ferries, the Alaska Marine Highway System said. Adding crew quarters will allow the ferries Tazlina and Hubbard to be used on longer routes than originally planned, the Anchorage Daily News reported this week. The new ferries were designed for specific roles, but cuts to ferry service means the ships will need to enter general service. With the state’s budget constraints, two older ferries will likely be taken offline as th...
The United States Government shut down at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 22 after the Senate failed to come up with an agreement on a spending deal, which resulted with interruptions in the operations of government agencies, including the United States Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the United States Forest Service. Despite falling under the Department of Homeland Security, one of the agencies that were impacted significantly, the USCG will continue to provide essential services, including search and rescue...
During this holiday season, the Salvation Army brought in $14,241.55 in donations through the red kettles with the proceeds going to services for the community and the Salvation Army Church's yearly budget, according to Salvation Army Major Loni Upshaw. "Considering the economy is down and everything, I think we did pretty well," said Upshaw. Over ten organizations around town volunteered to collect donations for eight hour shifts beginning with Pioneers of Alaska on Dec. 3 and ending with...
Data has come to light that shows Petersburg Medical Center’s medicated-assisted treatment program, or MAT, is helping those with opiate or substance abuse issues save money and manage their problem by being seen in the clinic instead of the emergency room. “You want them coming into the clinic, because it’s a scheduled appointment,” said PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. “There’s better case management. They’re managing their issues and health issues more.” The MAT program helps those with opiate or substance abuse problems by providing medic...
The borough assembly passed ordinance 2018-21 on Dec.17 in its first reading which allocates $400,000 from the sanitation fund and $200,000 from the Motor Pool to replace the borough’s baler. Last month, the assembly had voted to completely replace the baler after public works director Chris Cotta suggested it be replaced because of deteriorating parts that included the belt conveyor, control system and wear surfaces on the rams, hopper and baler chamber. Recently, the borough’s baler has been experiencing issues with its hardware, Cotta rep...
To give back to a community that supports them year round, Petersburg High School held their second annual Day of Giving where students in the high school volunteered around town on Friday. "A day like this shows we hear you, we feel it," said PHS principal Richard Dormer. "You support us and this is at least one small thing." Throughout the day, students and staff rotated between three time slots. Students chose from about a dozen activities to fill each slot. Some of the activities where stude...
On Dec. 17, the borough assembly approved ordinance #2018-18, which is the borough’s updated development code, in its third reading after approving and denying amendments to the updated code made by community members. The assembly went through each of the 19 amendments to the updated development code one-by-one and voted either to approve or deny the change to the code. A recommendation from staff and borough attorney comments were featured on the amendments to help assembly members make a decision. Amendments one through three all passed as t...
The Petersburg School Board awarded the food service renovation bid to Jay-Brant General Contractors based out of Homer and transferred $300,000 from the allocated capital funds to the food service renovation. Jay-Brant General Contractors had the lowest bid out of three other bidders at $1,473,322. The state has the project on its capital projects list and will be funding 65 percent of the total costs, according to the school board. The food service renovation will build a full commercial...
Petersburg Medical Center CFO Doran Hammett gave his financial report for the month of November on Thursday to the hospital’s board of directors that showed the hospital’s net operating revenue for the month was above what was budgeted but a decrease in operating cash on hand. “We had a consistently good year so far,” said Hammett. “The volumes have continued to be up. Revenue is up.” For November, PMC’s net operating revenue was set at $1,243,250, but the hospital brought in $1,382,848 in operating revenue. Hammett credits the $139,598 increas...
Hilary Hunter hosted her first solo art show titled Vita Gasy at FireLight Gallery and Framing on Friday showcasing photos and art from her two years living in Madagascar. Growing up, she was around people who had volunteered with the Peace Corps and was interested in living abroad. She was accepted with the Peace Corps, but due to her dietary requirements and inability to speak a second language, Hunter was eager to go whereever they could send her. She ended up teaching English in Madagascar...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -Iditarod Trail Committee CEO Stan Hooley said Thursday he is leaving the post he held since 1993 to take on a new opportunity outside the state. The 61-year-old Hooley says he's not at liberty to say what the opportunity is until January. Hooley says his resignation has nothing to do with the Iditarod coming off a difficult time for race organizers, who have faced the loss of major sponsors, financial hardships and the first-ever dog doping scandal. Earlier this month, race officials cleared four-time champion Dallas...
The borough assembly voted on Monday to continue moving forward with negotiations for a possible land swap with Petro 49, Inc. after new information regarding costs to the borough were revealed. In the land swap, the borough would acquire land owned by Petro 49, Inc. that includes a warehouse that could be utilized by the harbor department. A roof inspection by Curtiss Improvements of the warehouse, showed that although it appears to be in good condition, there is some rust and maintenance issue...
It is better to give than receive, is an old adage, and an especially poignant one this time of year. One that Marlena Erickson took to heart as the organizer of Petersburg's First Annual "Adopt a Grandparent" drive. Erickson was inspired by a friend of hers in California who had done the same thing for senior citizens in her area. The people of Petersburg make a strong effort to make others feel loved and included, said Erickson, but this time of winter can be a really hard time for the...
Beginning in January, adrenaline junkies heading to Alaska for heli-skiing can now launch off a boat moored at the foot of untouched mountains in Petersburg. After three consecutive bad winters, Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA) has secured a two-year permit with the U.S. Forest Service to operate in Petersburg and partnered with a boat to offer Inside Passage heli-skiing. “It’s a new way to generate interest in the Southeast region,” co-owner Scott Sundberg said. The last few seasons in Haines have been tough because of an incre...
The borough assembly approved an amended fiscal year 2020 budget policy and community service grant application. A decision on the fiscal year 2020 capital projects list was postponed until January and the manager’s addendum to the budget policy, a document with suggestions on how to balance the budget, was also postponed until a time to be determined. Assembly member Bob Lynn made two amendments to the budget policy, which is a document that outlines how each department head will put their budgets together. One was a request for the a...
In their first game of the season, the girl's junior varsity and varsity basketball teams played close games against Metlakatla over the weekend at home. The varsity team lost both their games, and the JV team won their game on Saturday and lost their Friday game. "It was a very good weekend for us," said head coach Dino Brock. "It gave us a lot of information of where we are and where we need to be. Metlakatla's competitive and plays hard and I thought that we matched that." On Friday, the...
District ranger Dave Zimmerman has taken a position at the forest service regional offices in Juneau working in forest management after serving two and half years in Petersburg. While the United States Forest Serves goes through a competitive hiring process for a new district ranger, Ted Sandhofer is acting district ranger in Petersburg, according to forest service affairs and partnerships officer Paul Robbins, Jr. Zimmerman is the region ten forest product group leader in Juneau, which is a lateral move within the forest service. The position...
On Dec. 11, the Petersburg school board renewed Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter's contract for another three years beginning July 1, 2019 and ending June 30, 2020. "I think she has provided some really great leadership as she has grown into this role," said school board president Mara Lutomski. The 260-day contract includes 40 days off. During fiscal year 2020, or the first year of the contract, Kludt-Painter will be paid $130,000. Her salary increases to $135,000 in the second year and...
WRANGELL – Two dogs were found dead near Spur Road on Dec. 11. Wrangell resident Melvin Gadd found the dogs. He was driving down the trail off of the spur road, and stopped to clear some brush away from the road, when he found them. He said that the bodies were fairly decomposed. He guessed that both animals were less than a year old. Gadd notified the police about the dead dogs, and they are investigating the situation. The news of the dead dogs spread through town quickly, by word of mouth and via social media. Rumors spread on Facebook s...
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) has teamed up with the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) to offer training scholarships to Bristol Bay fishermen that want to teach marine safety and cold-water survival skills. Three scholarships are available to attend AMSEA’s Marine Safety Instructor Training (MSIT) in Seward, April 23 -28, 2019. The scholarships cover tuition, transportation, food, and lodging. To be considered for the scholarship, you must fish commercially, be based in Dillingham or N...
The Salvation Army will be distributing approximately 65 Christmas food boxes to families and individuals that signed up to receive one on Friday from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M. Each box will have enough food for a Christmas dinner and include a turkey. In November, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts went door-to-door collecting non-perishable food items that were used in Thanksgiving food boxes and this year’s Christmas food boxes. Hammer & Wikan Grocery Store and Petersburg-Wrangell Insurance held their third annual food drive to help fill the Christmas food...
WRANGELL – Ice on the runway caused a minor incident involving an aircraft at the Tyee Lake Hydro Facility. On the morning of Dec. 17, a pilot contracted with Southeast Alaska Power Agency landed at the facility, located at the head of Bradfield Canal, about 40 miles south of Wrangell. The incident occurred around 9 a.m., according to SEAPA chairman Steve Prysunka. The contractor, who wished to not be named, said that the landing was fine, save for a patch of ice on the final portion of the landing strip. He said that the plane was going a...
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