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The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two overdue boaters on the shore of Totem Bay on Sunday after their vessel sank. The men, who were staying at the Island Point Lodge, departed the lodge Saturday morning on an 18-foot aluminum vessel and were expected back that evening. After they did not return, Sector Juneau watchstanders received a report of their absence from fellow lodge guests at approximately 6:55 a.m. Sunday. In response, watchstanders launched a Maritime Safety and Security Team Seattle...
The Petersburg Medical Center has reported two positive cases of COVID-19 among Long Term Care residents over the past week. The first case was reported on July 8 and an additional case was identified on Tuesday after a second round of testing. According to PMC, both positive residents have mild symptoms and are being isolated. The hospital reported that it has been in contact with State of Alaska Epidemiology and is currently checking residents for symptoms twice a day and testing residents and staff twice a week. Residents and staff are also...
A car was found overturned in a ditch along Haugen Drive Sunday morning after it crashed according to Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg. The upside down white Volkswagen Jetta was spotted by a passerby off the road near the end of the airport runway at around 5 a.m. on Sunday according to Berg. A fire truck, work truck, and ambulance responded to the scene but did not find any of the occupants of the vehicle. Berg said responders canvassed the area around the crash and found blood on the car. The r...
A candidate up for Mountain View Manor director visited Petersburg this week and held a meet and greet at the assisted living facility on Tuesday. Derrick Casey, who grew up in Petersburg and is a Petersburg High School graduate, interviewed for the position and toured around the facility during his visit. Casey has been in management for over 20 years and got his start in retail before eventually deciding to try something different and begin working as a caregiver for people with dementia and...
The Salvation Army has appointed a new corps officer to Petersburg following the retirement of Maj. Loni Upshaw. Capt. Khamsavart "KV" Saengthasy arrived in Petersburg on June 29 and is currently settling into his new role, learning about food distribution and assistance programs, overseeing the thrift store, and preparing for church services and Bible study. He started with the Salvation Army in Stockton, California in 2014 and was last stationed in Honolulu where he worked as a social service...
After leading the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department for 14 years, Fire/EMS Director Sandy Dixson celebrated her retirement at an event last week in the fire station. Current and former PVFD volunteers, Petersburg Borough Assembly members, borough staff, and other community members gathered to mark the occasion and present Dixson with a plaque to recognize her time with the department. Dixson gave her final address to the assembly during its June 20 meeting where she shared her story and...
Assembly Members Dave Kensinger and Bob Lynn were appointed to help finalize conceptual plans for proposed improvements to the Papke's Landing Marine Facility at the June 20 Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting. The two assembly members will work with Alan Murph of Harai & Associates who came up with the initial conceptual design. The total estimated cost of the project according to the plans presented to the Harbor and Ports Advisory Board on April 15 is $6,410,000. That plan is broken up into p...
During Monday's meeting, the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 6-0 to appoint Assembly Member Bob Lynn as chair for the next three assembly meetings. The motion was brought forward as Mayor Mark Jensen will be absent fishing and Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor will be attending the meetings remotely if available. Stanton Gregor said Monday that he would prefer having someone in person in the assembly chambers facilitate the meetings rather than him running the meetings over Zoom and he...
The final coat of paint was put on the surface of the leisure pool Monday according to Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne. The leisure pool was closed last month after leaks were discovered during the community center's annual closure. It was painted an ocean blue color and will take a week to cure. Parks and Recreation plans to partially fill up the pool with water on July 11 to see if there are any more bubbles indicating a leak. If all is well, Payne expects the pool could reopen...
The Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board unanimously approved its FY23 budget during last Thursday's meeting. According to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter, the hospital faced many challenges and unknowns while crafting its "creative budget" as the healthcare industry comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the budget's total operating revenue of $23,925,927 is 11.1% up from the FY22 baseline, a value based on the hospital's year-to-date financials through March 31, 2022 plus an average over the...
Towards the end of last month, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) held a community tour aboard the cutter Pike to help introduce the latest vessel that will continue the legacy of service in Southeast. Prior to the event, Commanding Officer Jack Loewenstein and Executive Petty Officer Kevin Chapman made sure to get off the ship and meet some people around town while spreading word about the event. "We did the rounds, we ended up walking over to the police station and meeting Jim there, meeting Glo at...
An investigation by the borough into a complaint filed by Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr, alleging that he was the subject of harassment from Assembly Members Jeff Meucci and Dave Kensinger, found that no conduct that met any legal definition of harassment had taken place. The investigation also found that Kerr's comments at a Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on November 17, 2021 were not protected by the First Amendment or the Alaska State Constitution. On Monday, as a response... Full story
A ship named for one of Norway's most famed explorers has been visiting Petersburg for the first time this summer. The MS Roald Amundsen operated by Hurtigruten is the world's first hybrid powered expedition ship and is currently traversing through Alaska, offering passengers a chance to participate in experiments and research among the state's natural environments. Though unable to mark the Amundsen's very first visit to Petersburg in May, representatives from the community including Sally Dwye...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 6-0 to approve three ordinances, which could amend the charter, in their second readings during Monday's meeting. Mayor Mark Jensen was excused. If the three ordinances pass in a third and final reading, they will be included on this year's ballot for voter consideration. Ordinance #2022-08 would allow the extension of utility services to properties outside of Service Area One if requested and paid for by the property owner. It has been referred to as a...
Traveling teams are soon going to receive a new greeting when they enter the Petersburg High School Gym. The Class of 2022 has chosen to make a sign that reads “Welcome to the Longhouse: Home of the Vikings” as its class gift. In a letter to the school board, PHS seniors said the sign would represent Norwegian culture and that funds raised for prom will be repurposed for the project. The sign will hang in the gym above the weight room doors, but it will not formally rename the gym facility and will only be an artistic welcome. Though the des...
Boeing 737-800s are set to begin arriving in Petersburg on Friday on Alaska Airlines Flight 64 according to Chad Dolbeare, Petersburg's new station manager. Dolbeare, who has a degree in aviation administration, became the station manager in March of this year after having worked in the same position for Alaska Airlines in Utqiagvik, Alaska for five years. His job is to provide support to his agents, whether that be by getting supplies, scheduling maintenance, or working with personnel to serve...
A resolution that would temporarily move assembly meetings from Mondays to Thursdays failed after a 1-5 vote during Monday’s Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting. Assembly Member Dave Kensinger voted in support and Mayor Mark Jensen was excused. Resolution #2022-10 would have changed the meeting schedule to the first and third Thursday of each month from July through September. The request was made by Jensen who will be gillnetting from Sunday through Wednesday of each week during the summer, making him unavailable for Monday meetings. Before th...
The deadline to drop off submissions for this year's Pride art show came and went with the beginning of the week and, as of Monday, organizer Annette Bennett was still hoping to get a piece of art done in time. June is Pride month and Bennett helped establish the event in 2019 with the goal of helping increase visibility of the LGBTQ community on Mitkof Island. Bennett feels like COVID disrupting life for many people might have temporarily taken some of the wind out of those sails. But they rece... Full story
Parks and Recreation reopened on Monday following three weeks of cleaning and repairs to the community center. Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne said the annual closure normally lasts two weeks but this year it was closed for three to allow for electrical repairs and the installation of two new boilers. The boilers, which were at the end of their service life and had been affected by a fire in October 2020, were installed earlier than expected which gave them ample time to test the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly and Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board met in the assembly chambers Tuesday afternoon for a joint work session to discuss potential sites for a new hospital building. During the meeting, PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter gave an update on the progress made toward planning and construction of a new building and what the project's next steps are. The assembly and hospital board have both previously agreed on the need for a new facility and passed resolutions in the... Full story
The Petersburg Borough will be restarting its process to hire a new Fire/EMS director according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. Two candidates who were up for the position visited Petersburg last week to meet with community members and conduct their final interviews but neither were hired. According to Giesbrecht, Stephen Jellie was offered the position but wanted to stay closer to his family in New York while Rhys Mateo was not ready to move his family to Petersburg. Giesbrecht wrote the borough feels the community needs a director who...
The Petersburg School Board adopted its FY23 School Operating Budget at the final meeting of the school year Tuesday evening in a 4-0 vote with Member Meg Litster excused. Finance Director Karen Morrison gave an overview of the budget which at this point still has “a lot of unknowns.” The budget has a revenue of $7,962,605 and is based on 413 enrolled students which is below the funding formula enrollment threshold of 425 students. Being below that threshold drops the district down from three school funding to two school funding. As of Jun...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht and the boroughs attorney are set to begin discussions with the Petersburg Medical Center on the possibility of transferring management of the Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility to the PMC following unanimous approval from the Petersburg Borough Assembly. The borough has struggled to hire staff including resident assistants and registered nurses at the manor and sees the transfer of management as one solution to relieve staffing challenges. The manor...
The Petersburg Medical Center is one step closer to "shovel ready status" following unanimous approval from the Petersburg Borough Assembly to begin surveying and evaluating potential sites for a future hospital. The approved process, which will be paid for by PMC through received funding, will help the hospital learn more about the borough-owned properties and see if there is anything at the proposed sites that would prevent building. Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter said during... Full story
School got out last week, but Bridget Wittstock still had one week to go until she ended her final year with the Petersburg School District. She is set to retire after 29 years of service and there will no doubt be a void left that will be difficult to fill. The district recently held a surprise party to recognize Wittstock and, of course, the eventwas catered by Wittstock's mother Julie Dahl and included a song written and preformed by the Luncheonettes. "I cried, it was very touching,"...
