Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 5622
A new ordinance being considered by the Petersburg Borough Assembly proposes adding a new section about "inactive vessels" to the municipal harbors section of borough code. Adopting the new language would impose certain requirements —including storage fees, a marine condition survey, and proof of insurance— on vessels that don't leave their moorage stall in the harbor for 12 consecutive months or longer. The ordinance aims to encourage active, regular use of vessels that are moored in bor...
American Cruise Lines —operators of a small cruise ship that frequents Petersburg during the summer— is working with the borough to design and potentially build a dedicated cruise ship docking space at the end of Dock Street. Having a guaranteed place for the cruise line to dock could help the harbor department to better manage vessel congestion in the inner harbor. Splitting the cost with American Cruise Lines (ACL), the borough has hired PND Engineering for conceptual drawings to assess wha...
A borough-owned parcel near Sandy Beach will undergo a rezoning process before it is auctioned for sale. The Petersburg Borough Assembly weighed an application to purchase the vacant 2.3-acre lot at 1020 Sandy Beach Road and, with a contested vote, decided the parcel should be rezoned prior to selling it. Rezoning the lot would make it eligible for developing more single-family homes and align it with the zoning in the surrounding neighborhood along Sandy Beach Road. Now the parcel will be sent...
The U.S. Forest Service Petersburg Ranger District is temporarily moving office operations to Scow Bay while the downtown headquarters is renovated. Work on the downtown office —including a complete renovation of the interior of the building— is estimated to start in January 2025 and could last two years. Until then, the Harris Building —at 123 Scow Bay Loop Road— will be the de facto Petersburg District office location where the public can meet with USFS staff. Work at the downtown office site...
On October 31, a Petersburg jury found a resident guilty of sexually assaulting a woman. The verdict comes down after an investigation that was set back for several years by the pandemic and backlog at the state’s only forensic lab. 31-year-old Kelsey McCay now faces up to 99 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman at a party in the fall of 2019. Over the course of the two-day trial, the jury heard from the victim and several witnesses. They deliberated for less than half an hour before returning their guilty verdict. The case was p...
Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) filled two positions in October, hiring Jalyn Pomrenke to the Tribal Administrator position and Hillary MacDonald as Director of Finances. "I am excited to have this opportunity to listen to and uplift the voices of tribal citizens in Petersburg," Pomrenke said in a message to the Pilot. Born and raised in Petersburg, Pomrenke has a career in residential property management and real estate, working at Petersburg Properties LLC and at PIA in her previous role...
Petersburg Borough is set to request over $3.5 million in state loans to help fund the long-anticipated vessel haul-out and work yard project at Scow Bay. The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution on Oct. 21, authorizing the loan application to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) for the Scow Bay infrastructure project. It passed unanimously in a 6-0 vote, with assembly member Bob Lynn excused. The borough will apply to ADEC's revolving fund program for...
An updated set of procedures for future sales of borough-owned tidelands could be codified this November. The Petersburg Borough Assembly is considering a new ordinance that would update municipal code to clarify the process of selling borough-owned tidelands and establish that such sales would be considered at no less than the appraised value —rather than the assessed value— of the land. The ordinance would add not one, not two, but three new sections under the Tidelands chapter of borough mun...
A century-old technology has been added to Petersburg's fire hall for emergency communication when all else fails. Amateur radio —or ham radio— is a form of two-way radio communication that allows specially licensed operators to communicate over long distances using radio frequencies reserved for non-commercial use. Think walkie-talkie, but much more powerful. Depending on the equipment and frequency range, ham radio operators can communicate with neighboring communities, countries on the oth... Full story
Faced with increased operational costs from inflation and higher utility expenses, paired with rates that are several years out-of-date, the financial sustainability of Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility is under review. A new ordinance brought before the Petersburg Borough Assembly this week would increase and establish certain charges for residents. Among the changes, the ordinance would install a one-time "Community Facility Fee" of $2,000 for new residents moving into the facility...
Artists, foodies and nonprofits: the time is nigh. Petersburg's 49th annual Oktoberfest Art Share returns this Saturday at the Petersburg Community Center. Oktoberfest is sponsored by the Muskeg Maleriers, who have facilitated the event for over four decades. Originally founded by the Petersburg Arts Council, the event is an art-focused opportunity for folks to sell and share homemade crafts with the community. Jewelry, glasswork, woodwork, photography, knit creations, original paintings, toys,...
Nearly 100 high school musicians from Southeast Alaska were in Petersburg to celebrate the 50th annual Southeast Honors Music Festival. It's also the first time Petersburg has hosted the event since 1974. "I think it's really cool that we're bringing it back [honors music festival] for its 50th and I think it's a testament to the music directors and administrators throughout Southeast Alaska that have kept it going," Petersburg High School Music Director Chelsea Corrao said. The festival began...
Weeks after returning from her home state of North Carolina, aiding communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, Petersburg nurse Laura Holder still feels a tightness in her chest — not only from processing the experience, but from the week of breathing toxic dust and mold at the scene. Based out of West Yancey County Fire Department, an ad hoc hub for rescue operations in the region, she spent the week working alongside hundreds of emergency responders, volunteers, and good Samaritans from near a... Full story
Growing up in Petersburg, Heather Conn remembers holding weekend school sessions inside a little schoolhouse her father built along the side of their home on Tango Street, with her brothers and kids from the neighborhood in attendance. Conn wanted to be a school teacher her whole life and had even considered aiming for superintendent at some point. She achieved a dream in 2019 when Conn became the school principal at Petersburg's Rae C. Stedman Elementary school, after years in special and...
Three Petersburg High School students were recently selected to the All-State Music Festival Ensemble. Petersburg senior Eleanor Kandoll and juniors Canek Sosa and Heidi Brantuas were selected to represent Alaska at the Music Festival from Nov. 21-23, in Anchorage. Kandoll was selected for the Clarinet section. "Honestly, I was mostly relieved because I've been an All-State twice before, I would've been very disappointed if I hadn't been [selected]," Kandoll said. "It's a wonderful experience -...
Upgrades are in the works for a few amenities at Sandy Beach recreational area, including a year-round restroom, parking improvements, and the ongoing extension work on City Creek Trail. Sandy Beach is a place for all sorts of recreational happenings. The beachfront park and picnic area includes a few shelters, benches, firepits, barbecues, a playground, as well as a totem pole and four informational signs at the plaza installed this summer. Visitors also park at the Sandy Beach area to access...
Petersburg School District has secured a total of $973,816 in grant awards this fiscal year, so far. The special revenue includes four new grants, and more funding is "definitely" anticipated in addition to the almost million dollars already awarded to the district. The district faces ongoing challenges due to inadequate state funding, including budget cuts for this academic year. PSD has had to get creative with pursuing grants, an undertaking that requires "a lot of extra work on our staff..."...
Starting next month, Coby Holder, 22, will be the new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Coordinator for the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, a position that has been vacant since late May when Joshua Rathmann moved away. Holder, a Petersburg resident, has volunteered at fire departments for the past three years — one in Petersburg, and the two prior in Wrangell. During his time volunteering for the department in Wrangell, Holder "fell in love" with EMS responding — even though he admittedly...
Proposition 2 failed in the regular municipal election last week by an official total of five votes. The Petersburg Borough Assembly certified the election results in a special meeting Oct. 4, when outstanding ballots were counted toward the final tally. Julie Spigelmyre won the contested Library Board seat with 567 votes total; incumbent Gina Esposito had 554 votes and was not reelected. Proposition 2 failed with 516 votes in favor, and 521 votes against it. Prop 2 would have increased the...
A $900 thousand grant from the Denali Commission will help fund a borough project at Banana Point to replace the floating breakwater, reviving an undertaking years in the making. The boat launch at Banana Point is critical transportation infrastructure - but its existing breakwater system has deteriorated and no longer protects boaters as desired. There is a required 10 percent borough match tied to the grant -meaning if all the funding is spent, the borough would contribute $90 thousand....
Echoing a previous attempt that fell through last year due to cost, Skylark Park LLC recently reprised their request to purchase parcels owned by the Petersburg Borough. Skylark Park LLC filed to purchase the same parcels of borough property that they pursued last fall. The original effort to purchase these parcels did not proceed for Skylark LLC last year. At the time, Petersburg municipal code had no mechanism for the borough to sell parcels at less than assessed value for housing or large...
The preliminary results of the Petersburg 2024 Municipal Election are in. When the voting window closed Tuesday evening, 1,051 voters had cast their ballot. There are outstanding ballots that will be counted when the election results are certified this Friday. Those votes could potentially change the outcome for Proposition 2 and one contested Library Board seat. Among the five candidates who ran for the two three-year terms on the borough assembly, incumbent Bob Lynn received the most votes...
The EMS branch of Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department is trying out a new response system that no longer holds EMS responders to a fixed schedule. Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins told the Pilot that it was difficult to get volunteers to commit and sign up for consistent 12-hour shifts; he said there was conversation about changing the shift schedule to more than two shifts in a day, but there was not a consensus among the group to agree on a change. Ultimately, Hankins said EMS...
Wikan Enterprises, Inc. is still on the market. Owners John and Sheri Wikan plan to retire on Oct. 18, John's 75th birthday. The Wikans are looking for a successor to continue their diesel marine engine parts and repair shop that has operated out of Petersburg for over three decades. "Our intention and goal with the sale is to find somebody that can continue the business so that our fishermen have service. That's what we want," Sheri told the Pilot. "But with that being said, if we can't find so... Full story
Petersburg's public safety advisory board wants the state of Alaska to initiate a safety standard for motorized rental boats. At a meeting in mid September, board members said lodges near town let tourists use skiffs without making sure they know what they're doing. Vice Chair Mark Tucillo said he doesn't want people to die because they don't know how to operate a boat. "I think it's the right thing to do," he said. "To say 'You should have training before you get in a watercraft and go off on...
