Sorted by date Results 676 - 700 of 701
Community and Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera discussed the status of the development code update during Monday's Borough Assembly meeting. According to Cabrera, the process of updating the development code would probably not be able to be restarted for at least six to eight months. This is due to the backlog of work that was caused by the pandemic and changes in staffing in borough departments Cabrera said. "I don't really want to bring it forward until we can roll it out in an...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter and Hospital Board Chair Jerod Cook met with SEARHC leadership to discuss the future of healthcare in Petersburg. With the rise of discussions within the community about the future of healthcare, these two organizations met to talk about collaborative opportunities. According to Hofstetter, the meeting covered a number of topics, but the focus was on community healthcare. "It's a starting point," Hofstetter said. "I think one of the things we'll...
The Petersburg COVID-19 dashboard is reporting one new case in the past week for a total of four active cases. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' vaccine monitoring dashboard, 65% of Petersburg Borough residents ages 12 and up have received one or more doses. Chief Nursing Officer at PMC Jennifer Bryner said that though there was much interest when the vaccine was first released, the number of people signing up for the vaccine waiting list at the hospital has...
The Petersburg School Board had a work session Friday to outline preliminary ideas for COVID-19 guidelines for when students return. The board considered an assortment of measures ranging from masking requirements and regular testing at school to travel precautions. Though some specific guidelines were discussed, Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter stressed that these early ideas were not set in stone. "These are very rough thoughts," Kludt-Painter said. "These are very preliminary thoughts...
The Petersburg High School cross country team has begun practicing for its upcoming season. "Well we've only been in it for a week, but it's amazing because despite the small numbers, it's a really dedicated group," Head Coach Tom Thompson said. While only a handful of students are currently training with the team because of vacations and fishing, the full team should number anywhere from 12 to 20 students, including three seniors, during the season according to Thompson. "It's a nice group,...
The Borough Assembly meeting due to take place on Monday was cancelled due to lack of a quorum. Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Members Taylor Norheim, Jeigh Stanton Gregor, and Chelsea Tremblay were all out of town according to Deputy Borough Clerk Becky Regula. The agenda for the assembly meeting rescheduled for August 9 at 12:00 p.m. includes a report from PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter and a presentation by Utility Director Karl Hagerman on the Electric Utility Bond Issue. An update on the...
The Federal Aviation Administration's environmental cleanup of a former dump site on Big Level Island is now estimated to cost over $5 million. Located southwest of Mitkof Island, Big Level Island was home to a FAA Station that operated from 1964 to 1995. After its closure, most of the station was demolished and removed, but waste from a dump site near the facility has been deemed a threat to the environment according to the administrative record associated with the Big Level Island cleanup....
Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service's COVID-19 Dashboard. The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are five active cases in Petersburg as of July 28 with 55.0% of the population fully vaccinated. Alaska reported 562 new cases between July 23 and 25, which has also seen the statewide alert level remain high...
The United States Forest Service has ended its comment period for 2023 outdoor project proposals. The comment period, which closed on July 6, allowed for the USFS to receive input from members of the community on what projects they would like to see completed in the near future. There are over a dozen 2023 project proposals listed in the Petersburg District, which includes Mitkof Island, Kupreanof Island, and Thomas Bay, with suggestions for even more given by the community. "We have an...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board reviewed the recent COVID-19 outbreak during their July 22 meeting. Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom presented a report on the increase of COVID cases in July. According to Bacom’s report, the two contributing factors were the arrival of the American Cruise Lines vessel Constellation and the Independence Day celebrations. Four passengers and two crew members from the Constellation with positive tests isolated in Petersburg while recovering f...
The Petersburg Medical Center has begun receiving feedback from the community through the Community Needs Assessment. Conducted every three years, the Community Needs Assessment is required for non-profit healthcare organizations and serves as a way for residents to comment on how their healthcare needs are being met. The survey features questions focused on a range of topics including services the hospital offers, demographic data, and the COVID-19 pandemic. "For me it's actually very good...
A new outdoor shelter was completed at the Clausen Memorial Museum with the help of a community challenge grant from AARP. The Clausen Museum applied for the grant after AARP representatives came to the Petersburg Medical Center before the COVID-19 pandemic said Museum Director Cindi Lagoudakis. "I looked at some of the grant opportunities and I put in a request and it was not originally granted, but they contacted us and they were interested in the bench shelter idea," Lagoudakis said. The...
The window to file for candidacy opened Tuesday in preparation for the fall 2021 borough election. The election, which will be held on October 5, will see seats on the Borough Assembly among many other boards listed on the ballot. In addition to the seats that are held by elected officials, there are many seats that are currently vacant or are held by an appointed board member that will be voted on. Two seats on the Borough Assembly with three-year terms will be voted on which are those...
The Borough Assembly discussed Monday how the most recent COVID-19 outbreak in Petersburg was handled and the resulting communication issues. The outbreak was linked to the American Cruise Lines vessel American Constellation which was docked in Petersburg. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion to review how information was communicated by the various groups involved in resolving the crisis to the assembly. "One of the concerns I had was that, and this is not to blame anybody, but...
The Borough Assembly unanimously approved ordinance #2021-12 which will place the approval of funding the Blind Slough and Scow Bay utility projects on the fall ballot for voter approval. The 5-0 vote saw the next step in the process of approving $7.8 million in revenue bonds to be used for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment Project and the Scow Bay Generation Design Study. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the revenue bonds will help replace virtually all the equipment in...
The annual Paddle Battle raised over $1,500 this year which will go towards helping Petersburg Medical Center employees continue their education. It was a cool 54 degrees on Saturday when the 21 paddlers braved the waters. The first group of participants started from Scow Bay at 8:30 a.m. and were later joined by a second group near South Harbor at 9:15 a.m. The paddlers traveled around Hungry Point and headed south along Frederick Sound to the finish at Sandy Beach Park. The participants who st...
The Borough Assembly discussed the future of the planning and zoning code revisions after a long hiatus during Monday's meeting. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion to find out where the borough is in the process of revising the code and what is next. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said that the people involved would need to regroup because of how long it has been since work was done on the project. "Now that we've had a year off worrying about COVID, let's reopen the file and...
The Borough Assembly discussed the need for more affordable housing to attract young people to Petersburg during Monday's meeting. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion item in an effort to focus the assembly's attention on attracting younger families by having affordable housing and dependable childcare available. "Bottom line is we need more affordable housing in Petersburg," Meucci said. "How can young people move into Petersburg if there's no places to buy or no lots...
The Petersburg Medical Center is advising residents to get tested early if experiencing symptoms amid community spread of COVID-19. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has been updated to reflect that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 22. Seven of these cases are Petersburg residents while one is a non-resident. PMC says that recognizing symptoms early on and getting tested helps their ability to treat COVID-19 illness. Free asymptomatic testing is available and can be... Full story
Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service’s COVID-19 Dashboard. The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 26 with 54.3% of the population fully vaccinated. Alaska had 447 new cases reported between July 21 and 22, which has also seen the statewide alert level r... Full story
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium yards signs have begun appearing around town, sparking discussions within the community about the future of healthcare in Petersburg. The prospect of SEARHC coming to Petersburg has been a topic of the community for a while now as residents look to hospitals that SEARHC operates in neighboring cities as examples for what could happen in Petersburg. Members of the community hope that these yard signs, which have been distributed by the Petersburg...
Businesses across Petersburg are suffering due to the nationwide worker shortage according to local businesses. "If you look, people are trying to hire everywhere," Jim Floyd, the general manager and CEO at Hammer & Wikan Inc., said. Hammer & Wikan stores across town have been affected according to Floyd. The grocery store has limited hours, the deli has limited service, and the hardware store is short-handed but continues to do normal business hours. "The convenience store has to be closed...
The hydroelectric generators at Crystal Lake are in need of an update, according to Utility Director Karl Hagerman. The plant at Crystal Lake was built in the 1920s and though there have been some repairs and updates since then, the last major update happened in 1957 when the current power house was built. The reservoir generates power by using a penstock pipe that runs from the dam down to the generators in the power house at the bottom of Crystal Mountain. The Borough has a permit with the...
Lynne Cox spoke at the Petersburg Public Library Saturday about her experience as a long-distance swimmer and as an author. Cox has traveled the world, setting record times including the world record time for swimming across the English Channel on two occasions when she was only a teenager. Since then, Cox has become an author, citing a lifelong love of reading as her inspiration. "I have always been a reader," Cox said. "I've always loved books and always loved that you could just open a book...
Two previously identified COVID-19 cases in Petersburg have been identified as the Delta variant according to the Petersburg Medical Center. One is a resident of Petersburg and the other is a non-resident. As of July 16, two additional cases have been identified, both of which are Petersburg residents, bringing the total number of active cases up to 13. They have been instructed to isolate and Alaska Public Health will begin contract tracing. Of the 13 active cases, seven are Petersburg... Full story
