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Utility Director Karl Hagerman recently provided an update on the Blind Slough hydroelectric refurbishment and Scow Bay standby diesel generation projects which voters approved to fund with $7.8 million in electric utility revenue bonds during the 2021 municipal election. The current focuses for the hydroelectric refurbishment are on equipment procurements and design. The borough has a contract with Gilkes Hydro to provide components including the generator, the main turbine inlet valve, and...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 5-0 to approve a list ranking its top capital projects for FY24 during Monday’s meeting. Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Thomas Fine-Walsh were excused. The priority list was organized by Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht who presented it to the assembly to amend and approve it. It originally featured the 15 highest priority capital projects for FY24 but was decreased to 13 projects after the assembly removed the Blind Slough hydroelectric refurbishment and the South Harbor dredging projects, which a...
At 8 a.m on Saturday, Andrew Simmonds, 60, entered the chilling waters of Sandy Beach, setting out to prove that age has not slowed him down one bit. His goal-to swim across Frederick Sound to the mainland over six miles away. Though his swim began on Saturday, his journey to that moment began much earlier. Soon after arriving in Petersburg in November, Simmonds, who is a physical therapist at the Petersburg Medical Center, visited Sandy Beach to gaze out over Frederick Sound. There he admired t... Full story
Garbage is in season for bears on Mitkof Island who are finding it as an easy, accessible source of food. From July 27 to August 2 there were 15 reported bear sightings according to Petersburg Police Department reports and Petersburg Area Biologist Frank Robbins says the "common thread" is garbage. "I think people come out of the winter where you don't really have to worry so much about managing their garbage and in the spring and early summer where we generally don't have many bears in town... Full story
Words of advice have been running through Joseph Tagaban's mind ever since meeting his NBA idol Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. "Take small little steps, test yourself and you'll eventually make it," the five-time NBA All-Star and four-time champion told the 15-year-old boy from Petersburg. The advice takes on new meaning since Tagaban recently found out that his fight with cancer is not over as was previously thought. What started as a routine checkup in Seattle last week... Full story
The window to file for candidacy in this year's municipal election opened on Tuesday. According to Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson, this year's election will look similar to previous years' except for the voting location, which will be moved from the gym to the community center's activity room so it does not conflict with the school's use of the space. The municipal election will be held on October 4 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the activity room while absentee voting will run from September 14 to...
A pre-construction conference scheduled for August 2 is set to determine when work on the South Harbor dredge project will begin according to Harbormaster Glo Wollen. The project seeks to dredge an estimated 83,000 cubic yards of material from South Harbor and dig a deeper basin to make stalls more accessible during all stages of the tide. It has received funding from both the borough and the federal government and will be a collaboration between the borough, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an...
Public Works crews continue work to restore areas affected by a landslide which occurred during the weekend of June 25-26 at the back of the Public Works lot. According to Public Works Director Chris Cotta, the landslide happened after a pile of fill and used street sand pushed the blue clay lying underneath the pile out and into the Hammer Slough Creek basin, blocking the flow of the creek. The area where the landslide happened was being used to stockpile fill from a separate project seeking...
A press release Wednesday announced that starting this fall, the Kinder Skog Nature Program will be transitioning from a program under the umbrella of the Petersburg Lutheran Church to a program housed under the Petersburg Medical Center Community Wellness Department. Results from a 2021 local childcare needs assessment and Community Café in January 2022 funded by the Petersburg Community Foundation highlighted the systemic industry challenges facing childcare and early childhood education. In...
The lack of affordable housing was once again at the forefront of the Petersburg Borough Assembly's discussion during Monday's meeting as the body continues to explore ways to tackle the ongoing crisis. Some ideas to alleviate the problem that were discussed included potentially hosting a work session or establishing a task force devoted to the issue, similar to the Early Childhood Education Task Force the assembly established earlier this year. The assembly also voted to approve a letter...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the hiring of Derrick Casey as the new director of Mountain View Manor during Monday's meeting. Casey, who grew up in Petersburg, visited last week to interview for the position and tour the facility. "He's really excited about coming back to Petersburg," Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said. "I think it's kind of a great find, finding a Petersburg person that wants to come back and he definitely fills a need so I think he'll do a good job...
The new U.S. Forest Service Petersburg District Ranger Vernon "Ray" Born introduced himself to the community during Monday's Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting and gave a report on the Forest Service's current and future projects in the district. Born, who came to Petersburg from Bethel where he worked managing the Yukon Delta Wildlife Refuge, succeeded Ted Sandhofer as the permanent district ranger. He is originally from Minnesota where he grew up on his family farm and also served in the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to add 14 projects to its capital project requests list during Monday’s meeting. The requests list is comprised of capital projects that are listed in the state of Alaska’s CAPSIS system used by the state legislature, the congressionally directed spending requests list, and the Alaska Department of Transportation needs list. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said during the meeting that the requests list is being updated much earlier in the year than usual because of increased funding opp...
The Petersburg Medical Center Foundation will host its 8th annual Paddle Battle on Saturday, August 6 with the goal of raising funds to help support education. "I would consider it kind of a revival of the event because the last two years have been pretty quiet as far as the Paddle Battle," said Community Wellness Coordinator Julie Walker. "We've still held the event during the height of the pandemic but it was small and we're really looking to revive the event and encourage more participation...
Petersburg has been hit with below average rainfall this summer according to data collected by the National Weather Service. From June 21 to July 6 Petersburg had just 0.42 inches of precipitation and though that has picked up this past week, the borough is still dealing with the challenges caused by the dry weather. According to Edward Liske, a meteorologist with the NWS in Juneau, the dry conditions have been observed across Southeast and are the product of a high pressure ridge. "Well the...
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...
