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Earlier this month, Gov. Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 105 into law, which improves transparency in healthcare costs. “Healthcare costs are a critical issue in Alaska,” said Walker in a press release from Aug. 7. “Trying to keep costs sustainable is an important issue for individuals and families, but also for businesses and our economy. Seeking care is often hard enough – our medicals bills shouldn’t hurt, too.” Under the new bill, healthcare providers and facilities will have to publicly post the costs of their most common procedures,...
At a meet in Sitka, the Petersburg High School cross country team had two girls come in the top five and one boy come in 9th over all. Maia Cowan came in 2nd in the girls 5k run at 19:31:43, and Kendra Coonrad came in 5th at 20:59:96. In the boys 5k, Tolin Billy Eddy came in 9th at 17:37:24. "It's pretty impressive to be all ranked so high up there right now, so they're doing a good job," said cross country head coach Tom Thompson. The girls team came in 2nd with a combined score of 74 points....
This week, the students in the nursing program at the Petersburg Medical Center began their second and last year in the program. "Nursing school is stressful no matter where you go," said Rosa Niemi, a registered nurse staff generalist and adjunct faculty with the University of Alaska Anchorage. "They seem to be doing really good. They are a close knit group." The program is with UAA. Half of the course is done online through teleconferencing, readings and group projects. The other half focuses...
Petersburg Medical Center's first month into the 2019 fiscal year saw a 6 percent increase in net revenue, but a decrease in days cash on hand. "The month of July was a decently good month," said CFO Doran Hammett. The budget for the net operating revenue was set at $1,221,250 for the month, but the hospital came in at $1,299,357, which is a 6 percent increase. The increase in the net operating revenue is attributed to the amount of money brought in by inpatient care, said Hammett. The...
Petersburg Medical Center will partner with Petersburg Mental Health Services to bring mental health counseling to the Joy Janssen Clinic beginning in September. “We’re looking forward to working with the hospital on it and we think it’s a great deal for the community,” said PMHS financial officer Kathy O’Rear. Building off a strong working relationship, PMHS will send Pat Feffa one day a week to PMC to begin an effort to have mental health to be a part of primary care, said O’Rear. By having a professional available at the hospital to...
On Friday, Beth Flor kicked off her art show, Beyond Realism, with a reception at Firelight Gallery & Framing to display her pieces painted over a two-year period. "[Painting] makes me focus and takes me out of myself," said Flor. "It's not that I relax, it's that I focus. You escape into the work." The subject matter for half of the pieces are white sheets. Most of them were painted in Mexico. At first, she was inspired by the shapes and forms her white sheets took while she was changing them,...
Three teachers, a counselor and four paraprofessionals join the Petersburg School District this year. Mikalai Potrzuski will be teaching 7th grade geography, 8th grade US history and 6th, 7th and 8th grade PE. Shannon Vandervest-Whitacre will be teaching first grade after she substituted in the spring. Timothy Shumway is the 6th, 9th and 11th grade language arts teacher. Jenna Turner will be joining the district as the middle school and high school counselor. Heidi Cabral will be a middle... Full story
On Monday, the borough assembly approved the filming of a reality TV show focusing on the Petersburg Police Department, pending the approval of the borough’s attorney. Engel Entertainment, a production company based in New York City, may begin filming this fall before the end of the year, said Engel Entertainment vice president of development Kara Smith. The goal of Engel Entertainment is to show its viewers several police forces throughout Southeast Alaska, focusing on police officers who have moved to Alaska from the lower 48 and their t...
In the summer of 1992, the Student Conservation Association sent six interns to Kupreanof Island to build a fish pass. Two of the interns, Lane Bagley and Chuck Najimy, soon became fast friends. Twenty-six years later, their sons, with the SCA helped rebuild the same fish pass that their fathers built. Like their fathers, Steven Bagley and Cal Najimy created a bond over the weeks from working, living and fishing together. Plus, both had grown up hearing the same stories about their fathers’ t...
Family and friends of John Pickens, as well as members of the United States Forest Service and Student Conservation Association, gathered on Kupreanof Island to honor the late Pickens and the work done to rebuild the Mitchell Creek fish pass on Saturday. The USFS has been planning this event since last year, but only in February did it start to get some traction, said Eric Castro, a biologist with the USFS and one of the main coordinators of the event. Approximately 40 people were provided...
Eighteen of the 20 public seats up for election in borough elections have been filed for candidacy. Petersburg will hold its annual municipal election on Oct. 2 from 8 A.M. through 8 P.M. in the activity room of the community center. Residents will be voting on who will fill the 20 public office seats up for election and one proposition. The first day that residents could apply for candidacy was July 24, and the last day to file was Aug. 2. Candidates have until Friday to withdraw from the...
In response to Ocean Beauty announcing that they’ll be closing their plant in Petersburg, the borough assembly discussed a draft letter in response on Monday. In the draft letter from Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton-Gregor to Ocean Beauty on behalf of the Petersburg Borough Assembly, Stanton-Gregor expressed appreciation for informing the assembly of its decision, as well as the impact the move will have on the local economy. “While this is most unwelcome news to our community and it will be difficult for us to replace the lost revenue, emp...
The borough assembly, on Monday, failed to approve the funding of assembly member Jeff Meucci’s travel to Southeast Conference to advocate for himself and Petersburg in September. Meucci was chosen by the assembly at the Aug. 6 assembly meeting to be Petersburg’s nomination for a vacant seat on the Southeast Conference board of directors. “He has multiple times been against assembly travel and suggested skyping and different things,” said assembly member Brandi Marohl. “To me, it seems like now there’s a personal interest. His view points on t...
After a dry summer season, Crystal Lake’s water levels are 11 feet below the crest of the dam, according to utility director Karl Hagerman. “We’re having a very, very, very dry summer,” said Hagerman. Since the water level is so low, the hydro dam is unable to produce as much power, said Hagerman. Ordinarily, the borough purchases 75 percent of its electricity from the Southeast Alaska Power Agency. The remaining 25 percent is produced by the hydro dam and diesel generators. The average electricity produced by the borough in the month of July...
The U.S. Forest Service is rebuilding the Mitchell Creek Fish Pass on Kupreanof Island, which was originally built in 1992, to ensure that the self-sustaining coho salmon population continues. "This fish pass is the only one of nine on the Petersburg Ranger District to have been built specifically to increase local sport fishing opportunities," said Paul Robbins Jr., public affairs and partnerships officer with the United States Forest Service. Demolition of the previous fish pass began in early...
With a total estimated cost of approximately $3.5 million, the Petersburg School Board approved its project priority list for the 2020 through 2025 fiscal years on Tuesday. The Department of Education requires school districts to submit a 6-year capital improvement plan before Sept. 1 of each year for statewide ranking for the distribution of possible funding. For the duration of the six fiscal years, beginning in 2020, the school board has laid out its priority projects with each year taking on a different project. Four projects will focus on...
The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center is hosting a summer science camp this week to expose middle school aged kids to the scientific jobs available in the community. "We're excited," said Sunny Rice, Petersburg Marine Mammal Center board member and marine advisory agent with the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences/Alaska Sea Grant. "It'll be fun. It's always lots fun. Lots of energy. It's good to expose them to things they might want to do later on in life." Although, the summer camp is...
The Petersburg School Board on Tuesday approved seven changes to its policy and one change to its bylaws, which changes future board meeting times. “If we’re going to have a focus on kids and have kids at our board meetings to do presentations, I know that sometimes our board meetings can get a little late in the evening during the school year,” said school board president Mara Lutomski at a board meeting in June. “I also would prefer to be done a little bit earlier.” Board Bylaw 9320 will now have board meetings beginning at 6 P.M. on the seco...
Ocean Beauty Seafoods has announced that they'll be closing their facility in Petersburg to focus on their Excursion Inlet facility. "They have been removing equipment out of the building for a few years, the can lines, the ice machine, so it's been coming." said Mayor Mark Jensen at the assembly meeting on Monday. Ocean Beauty Seafoods made the decision to close the facility after reviewing their options, according to their release. Since the facility was primarily a cannery and had limited...
Since the middle of June, the borough's trash baler has been up and running after weeks of repairs shut it down. The baler first stopped operating after the conveyor broke down in April, said public works director Chris Cotta. After about a week, the baler was operating again, but immediately afterwards the processor unit failed. Another five weeks was needed to address the processing unit, said Cotta. "It has been working fine ever since," said Cotta. The baler consists of several components....
Petersburg’s commingled recycling processing fees are going up 50 percent after China closed their market to most American recyclables, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The current rate to process commingled recyclable waste is $32.45 per ton and will increase to $49.84 per ton, said Cotta. Petersburg’s commingled recycle program got most of its funding from the revenue the recyclables generate; however, the market rate has dropped from $136 per ton in March 2017 to $21 per ton in March 2018. The borough pays $126 per ton to dispose of...
To initiate a discussion about banning disposable plastic shopping bags in Petersburg, a sample ordinance was presented to the borough assembly on Monday. "They get into the garbage and the landfill and then into the water," said John Havrilek, who requested the discussion and sample ordinance be presented to the assembly. "We need to be responsible and step up and use something that can be reused again and also be better for carrying our groceries." In the sample ordinance, which is a draft...
Petersburg will hold its annual municipal election on Oct. 2 from 8 A.M. - 8 P.M. in the activity room of the community center. Residents will be voting on 20 public office seats up for reelection and one proposition. “We are getting some interest, but we have a lot more we need,” said Borough Clerk Debra Thompson in reference to the number of individuals who have filed for candidacy. The first day that residents could apply for candidacy was July 24, and the last day to file is Aug. 2. The last day to register to vote is Sept. 2. Voter reg...
The borough assembly voted in favor of nominating assembly member Jeff Meucci for the Southeast Conference board of directors on Monday. "Jeff has entered into his role of the assembly with such a vigor," said assembly member Eric Castro. "I can see [him] carrying that with [him] to the Southeast conference board." Meucci and Mayor Mark Jensen submitted letters of interest to the assembly, which had the option to nominate both Meucci and Jensen. A motion was made to only nominate Meucci. After...
The Petersburg Indian Association's Tribal Transportation Program plans on building a board walk to allow residents of Mountain View Manor to connect to the trail system. "It's nice for people to get out," said Sue Harai, director of the TTP. The raised boardwalk will be 1345 feet long and six feet wide. It will connect 13th Street to the Hungry Point Trail. Funding for the project comes from a federal highway bill called the Fast Act. It sets aside money to provide safe and adequate...
