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The Petersburg High School and Mitkof Middle School bands are preparing for the Petersburg School District's upcoming winter concert with a new director at the helm. Charlie O'Brien moved from Chicago to Petersburg in November to serve as the school's band director after previous director Matt Lenhard moved to Ketchikan. O'Brien began his musical journey in the fifth grade when he started playing the trumpet before switching to the euphonium in seventh grade. Over the years, he also learned to...
The Alaska Housing Finance Corp. is continuing its monthslong program of sending out rental and utility assistance payments - including over $800,000 to households in the Petersburg Borough as of last week - drawing on federal pandemic relief aid allocated to the states. As of last Friday, Alaska continued among the leaders nationwide in distributing the aid to households hurt by a loss of income due to the pandemic. AHFC reported it had sent out almost $193 million in payments, about 80% of...
The Petersburg Public Library is showcasing a 50-year retrospective of Polly Lee's ceramic art this month. The art was originally scheduled to be shown in November, but since the recent COVID-19 outbreak closed the library, the show was extended. Polly started creating ceramics in 1955, cutting clay from the banks near the big dip with her husband Eldor Lee. "She and my dad would go out and get buckets of clay and try and use that and so there's a few pieces in the show that feature those early...
The Borough Assembly held a discussion during Monday's meeting to figure out how the borough should spend funds received through the American Rescue Plan and considered a future work session on the topic. The borough received $634,000 in funds, $20,000 of which has already been spent on finishing the deck out the deck project at Mountain View Manor. Representatives from childcare programs in Petersburg wrote letters to the assembly requesting ARPA funds to recoup losses caused by the COVID-19...
Petersburg is planning how potential funds from the $1 trillion infrastructure deal could be used and has some projects in mind according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. President Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill earlier this month which passed in the House of Representatives in a 228-206 vote with the support of 13 Republicans and a majority of Democrats and in the Senate with a 69-30 vote. According to the Department of Transportation, it is the largest long-term...
The 2021-2022 Southeast Alaska sea cucumber season is expected to surpass the current three-year rotation's harvest record according to Whitney Crittenden, an assistant area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Ketchikan. As of November 24, 1,677,032 pounds of sea cucumber have been harvested, while the guideline harvest level (GHL) for the region stands at a record 1,872,800 pounds. This season has the highest region-wide GHL ever seen for the current rotation, de...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported a declining number of cases this week with with only 27 active cases of COVID-19 and 43 tests pending results. According to the Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard, PMC has recorded a 9.4% positivity rate over the last seven days, and, as of Wednesday evening, there are no longer any healthcare workers currently infected. Although the PMC staffing level are still classified as inadequate and the hospital's medevac capability remains limited. "While this is very...
An unexpected, strong weather system sent high winds tearing through Wrangell, snapping three Southeast Alaska Power Agency poles which blocked the highway at City Park and knocked out power to most of Wrangell for much of Tuesday and Wednesday. Petersburg buildings, businesses, and homes also went dark Tuesday afternoon from approximately 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. At 2:19 p.m., Utility Director Karl Hagerman reported that Petersburg was running on diesel generators while awaiting a report from...
Though the call for adventure never ceases, even the crew of the Endeavour needs to take time to rest and take stock of the year's expeditions. Captain Bill Urschel, his wife Patsy, and their dog Bella live aboard the ship in North Harbor and are wintering in Petersburg for their second year in a row. The Endeavour, named for the ship Captain James Cook commanded on his first voyage of discovery, is a 72-foot U.S. Army T-Boat built in 1954 that has seen many names and many places over her...
Petersburg generally saw average temperatures and precipitation over the summer compared to historical data according to records collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). From June through August of 2021, the average temperature was 56.37 degrees, one degree higher than the average from 1991-2020 of 55.37 degrees. The summer temperature peaked at 77 degrees but failed to reach 80 degrees for the third year in a row. According to NOAA, June recorded an average...
The United States Forest Service announced plans Monday to improve three sites within the Tongass National Forest's Petersburg Ranger District. According to decision memos released by the USFS and signed by Petersburg District Ranger Ted Sandhofer earlier this month, the three sites include the Blind River Rapids, Crane Lake Trail, and Ohmer Creek. The first memo authorized the construction of a replacement shelter at Blind River Rapids and the addition of a picnic table. According to the memo,...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking to repeal the 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule which could restore protections to roadless areas within the Tongass National Forest according to an announcement from November 23. The 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule, approved under the Trump administration on October 29, 2020, allowed for road construction and timber harvesting in the Tongass which was previously protected by the 2001 Roadless Rule according to the USDA. The repeal comes as the department...
The Petersburg School District updated its testing protocols Friday, Nov. 26 to allow students identified as close contacts at the school to continue attending in-person classes, according to an announcement from Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter. Changes were made to the COVID-19 guidelines after a firmware update from the CUE molecular test manufacturer caused performance irregularities. According to the announcement, the district will be suspend the use of CUE tests and introduce new...
Long-term and short-term parking at Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport will require payment beginning December 1. DMC Enterprises LLC, composed of equal partners Derek Lopez, Michelle Lopez, and Chadam Lopez, applied for and received a land use permit from the state of Alaska for the airport parking lot and will begin charging customers depending on how long their vehicles are parked. Their idea began in March when they purchased the former Pacific Wings building where Alaska Seaplanes is now...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported 10 additional cases of COVID-19 Tuesday for a total of 68 active cases. According to the Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard, there have been seven healthcare worker infections and PMC inpatient utilization is at 50%. The PMC staffing level is currently labeled as inadequate and the hospital's medevac capability is limited. The Petersburg School District, which is not currently in session because of Thanksgiving, reported 21 cases among staff and students in the...
Petersburg's annual Parade of Light and Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place on Friday. The parade portion of the event was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Administrator Mindy Lopez, but it returns this year and will feature beloved characters spreading holiday cheer. The parade will start at 5:30 p.m. near Trading Union and will head south along Nordic Drive towards the municipal building. 15 minutes before the parade,...
The Borough Assembly voted to approve the first reading of Ordinance #2021-18 which aims to cover the utility revenue requirements and update language in the borough code during its November 17 meeting. The increase to electric rates is based on the results of a rate study conducted by D. Hittle & Associates. The rate study concluded that an increase in revenues is required to make up for the debt services associated with the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment and the Scow Bay Standby...
After a delayed opening due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, local artist and teacher Ashley Lohr's show "Wander" opened Saturday at the Clausen Museum. The show is Lohr's 13th solo exhibit at the museum and features a diverse array of enamel jewelry, paintings, and digital artwork. With more time due to the pandemic, she had the opportunity to try different things with her art and take on new styles. "The title is wander because I kind of let myself wander in different mediums this year," Lohr...
The Borough Assembly held a special meeting shortly before its regular meeting November 17 to consider Resolution #2021-16, authorizing the sole source purchase of two replacement boilers for the aquatic center. The boilers, which were installed in 2006 and are used to heat the air and water in the center, are nearing the end of their service life according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht as fuses are blowing out and the boilers are having problems keeping temperature. Giesbrecht said they...
The 2022 pink salmon harvest is forecasted to be in the weak range in Southeast Alaska with an estimate of 16 million fish according to a report from NOAA Fisheries and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. According to the report, the 2022 forecast is approximately half of the 10-year average harvest of 34 million pink salmon but is higher than the 8 million predicted in 2020, the last even year harvest. Southeast Alaska Pink and Chum Salmon Project Leader Andy Piston said trawl surveys...
As the holiday season approaches, the post office continues to shorten the hours of its service window after facing staffing issues. The window's hours were cut in half this week, now only being open from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, causing increased wait times as lines grow longer. The Borough Assembly held a discussion about the issues at the post office during its meeting on November 17 which was asked for by Assembly Member Dave Kensinger....
The Borough Assembly approved a change order during its November 17 meeting for repairs to the motor pool shop which was damaged in a fire in August of 2019 and the borough is in the process of rebuilding. According to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht, the changes to the project are mostly covered by the borough’s insurance and are related to either fire damage or fire codes. Included in the order are additional asbestos tile removal, the repairing of fire damaged x-bracing, and shim crane r...
The Borough Assembly discussed providing guidance for volunteer projects on borough property during its November 17 meeting. Assembly Member Bob Lynn requested Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht draft a document outlining requirements for future projects during the previous assembly meeting. The discussion of a need for the standards stemmed from the assembly's decision to distribute up to $20,000 to pay for the Deck Out The Deck project at Mountain View Manor after funds were needed for...
The Petersburg School District updated its testing protocols Friday, Nov. 26 to allow students identified as close contacts at the school to continue attending in person classes according to an announcement from Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter. Changes were made to the COVID-19 guidelines after a firmware update from the CUE molecular test manufacturer caused performance irregularities. According to the announcement, the district will be suspending CUE tests and introducing new quarantine...
The Borough Assembly passed Ordinance #2021-20 during Wednesday's meeting which amended the previous emergency masking ordinance brought about by the increase of COVID-19 cases in Petersburg. The language of the new ordinance was heavily changed during its discussion so that it would not require businesses to deny admittance to offenders of the ordinance and would not introduce a fine structure for violators. The new ordinance only added a requirement for masking in communal spaces such as...
