Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 2016
A potential Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) wholesale rate increase has been deferred by at least a year due to record high power sales in Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell this spring, according to Vice Mayor Bob Lynn. “It’s a record, I mean it’s about 5% above any previous sales that we did this past winter, which is pretty significant,” Lynn said during his July 3 report to the Petersburg Borough Assembly about the latest SEAPA Board meeting The SEAPA Board last approved a wholesale rate increase in December 2022, raising the pri...
Following an executive session during Monday’s Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting, the assembly voted 6-0, with Mayor Mark Jensen excused, to approve the new collective bargaining agreement between the borough and the Petersburg Municipal Employees Association. The new CBA will run from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. The biggest change from their last agreement is the introduction of a new wage matrix, which eliminates step increases and replaces them with a longevity pay system. According to the agreement, employees will receive a p...
Alaska State Rep. Rebecca Himschoot visited Petersburg last week to meet with constituents as part of a tour around the Southeast communities she represents in the Alaska House of Representatives. Himschoot, a career educator and former member of the Sitka Assembly, finished her first legislative session in May after being elected to the House last year. She represents House District 2, which spans from Prince of Wales Island to Yakutat and includes Petersburg, Sitka, Kake, and Craig. "It was...
WRANGELL – Wrangell’s borough-owned hospital property on Bennett Street has been vacant since March 2021 and on the market for about a year. Though the borough has received one development proposal for the land, it is contracting with a realtor to attract more buyers and expand its options. At its June 13 meeting, the Wrangell assembly approved a contract with Petersburg-based real estate agent Anchor Properties to try selling the 30,000-square-foot building and 1.94 acres of land. Assembly Member Jim DeBord was the only opposing vote. The app...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an ordinance in its first reading that would rezone 43 undeveloped lots located at the planned site of the new hospital during its meeting on Monday. The assembly voted 5-1 in favor with Assembly Member Donna Marsh opposed and Mayor Mark Jensen excused from the meeting. The 43 lots are currently zoned as single-family residential, multi-family residential, commercial, and open space-recreational, but would have to be rezoned to public use ahead of the...
The Planning Commission voted against recommending that the Petersburg Borough Assembly approve the Petersburg Medical Center's application to rezone 43 undeveloped lots on the proposed site for the new hospital facility at its meeting on Tuesday. The 43 lots are owned by the borough and are located north of Haugen Drive and behind the Elizabeth Peratrovich Building. They are currently zoned as single-family residential, multi-family residential, commercial, and open space-recreational, but the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed an ordinance that will raise the amount that sewer utility rates will increase by in FY24 during its June 5 meeting. In May 2022, the assembly voted to increase sewer utility rates by 3% annually from FY23-FY26, but this new ordinance will double the planned rate increase in FY24, raising rates for one year by 6%. According to an annual rate review of the utility, the 6% raise is needed to keep up with increased costs and expenses to the...
The last year has been filled with many trials for Joseph Tagaban, but with each step he is proving that he has the courage to keep marching on. "Overall, feeling really good," Joseph said while resting in the comfort of his own home on Monday. "I have weekly labs, like with the doctor, and then we're also meeting with the doctor every week or so discussing about how I'm doing, you know, updates and then any changes to medications like that, but overall, I'm feeling really great." After...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed the borough's budget for the next year in its final reading during Monday's meeting. The final version of the FY24 budget fulfills the Petersburg School District's request to increase local funding to $3 million, up $1 million from last year. The district has been advocating for a bump in funding at the local level and from the state as it faces inflation, higher utility costs, and the implementation of the Alaska Reads Act next school year. "I...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to create a new utility assistant director/project manager position during Monday's meeting. The assistant director would work under the supervision of Utility Director Karl Hagerman who plans to retire in the next few years. The addition of the position intends to mitigate the impact of Hagerman's retirement on the borough and ensure his successor has a smooth transition into the role. Hagerman has worked for the borough for 31 years and became...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously during Monday's meeting to accept a proposal from Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) to perform a review of the borough's hiring practices and safety programs. APEI, which is also the borough's insurance carrier, will conduct the review free of charge and will report its findings back to the assembly in 60 days. The move comes after community members pushed for a third-party investigation into the borough's policies in an effort to prevent...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will hold the third and final readings of two ordinances that could affect local harbor operations at its meeting next Monday. Ordinance #2023-07 would limit the amount of moorage space than can be used by live-aboards and increase fines for wake violations while Ordinance #2023-09 would codify harbor parking enforcement. Both ordinances were unanimously approved by the assembly during their first and second readings last month. The Harbor and Ports Advisory...
Donald Reyes Kaansh'aawu E'esh was born on March 19, 1936 in Petersburg, Alaska, to Elias C. Reyes and Mary P. Reyes. On April 18, 2023 he joined his beautiful wife, Mary Reyes Sa'Yeak in heaven. Don spent most of his life in Alaska living in Juneau and Petersburg. He played basketball throughout his school years and graduated from Petersburg High School in 1954. He traveled to Kodiak, Alaska where he enlisted in the U.S. Marines. As Sergeant Donald Reyes he traveled all over the U.S and other...
The Petersburg Borough is rolling out a survey this week that asks community members what their housing needs are now and in the future. The survey was created by Agnew::Beck Consulting, which has experience administering similar surveys in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and reviewed by the Housing Task Force and the Petersburg Borough Assembly. "They're trying to find out from us what we need in housing ... one of the main sources of data they're going to have is what we tell them,"...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the borough's FY24 budget in its second reading during Monday's meeting with three amendments added. The first amendment, proposed by Assembly Member Jeff Meucci, increased funding for Mountain View food service from $25,000 to $42,800 using general fund reserves. The increase was requested by the program to help meet the rising costs of food, inflation, and an increase in deliveries to five days a week, which started during the COVID-19...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved an ordinance in its second reading Monday that could allow federally recognized tribes to purchase borough-owned land for less than their assessed value. Currently, if the assembly determines it to be in the borough's best interest, borough property may be sold below assessed value to state and federal agencies, nonprofit entities, and for purposes of economic development. If the ordinance passes, it would add federally recognized tribes,...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly adopted the millage rate for the next year at its meeting on Monday. The assembly resolution, which was unanimously approved, set the millage rate for Service Area 1 at 10.84 mills-down from the last three years at 11.5 mills. Outside of Service Area 1, the millage rate will remain at 4.2 mills. According to Finance Director Jody Tow, the lower millage rate will help offset the increases to assessed residential property values, which rose by about 15% in...
Over five years of preparation is set to finally pay off at the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Plant as site work for the refurbishment project nears. The project aims to keep Blind Slough, which provides approximately 25% of Petersburg's power, operational and possibly increase generation while keeping utility costs low for local customers. "It's a great project for Petersburg and the longevity of this little hydro project is amazing," Utility Director Karl Hagerman said. "We're approaching 100...
With education funding undecided, Director of Finance Karen Morrison reported to the Petersburg School District Board during its meeting on Tuesday about possible budget scenarios for the next school year. The need for an increase in funding both at the state and local levels has been driven by inflation, rising utility costs, and the implementation of the Alaska Reads Act as well as the end of the district's hold harmless provision and COVID-19 funding going away. Earlier this month, the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a fuel adjustment charge for the annual Southeast Alaska Power Agency shutdown during its meeting last week. SEAPA is scheduled to shut down its hydroelectric power supply to perform maintenance to Tyee and Swan Lakes from May 31 to June 9. During those 10 days, the borough will run its diesel plant, which the fuel adjustment charge looks to offset the high cost of doing. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the adjustment will take...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly discussed potentially hiring an independent specialist to review the borough's current hiring practices and safety policies during Tuesday's meeting. Over a dozen people spoke and even more crowded the assembly chambers, filling it so much that some had to stand along the perimeter, to show support for a review. The assembly ultimately voted to direct borough staff to contact Alaska Public Entity Insurance-the borough's liability carrier-along with The Safety...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously during Tuesday's meeting to approve the borough's FY24 budget in its first reading. No amendments were made to the budget, though some are expected to be introduced in successive readings. During the meeting, Assembly Member Dave Kensinger proposed an amendment to increase the funding for Mountain View Food Services to $43,000, though it failed in a 3-4 vote with Assembly Members Kensinger, Jeff Meucci, and Scott Newman in support. The proposed...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an extensive resolution during its last meeting that will move the Petersburg Medical Center new facility project one step closer to shovel-ready status. The resolution, passed in a 6-1 vote with Assembly Member Donna Marsh against, approved the North Haugen site as the location of the future hospital and authorized the PMC board to proceed with a preconstruction services contract with Dawson Construction. The new facility project was made the borough's...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed a supplemental budget during its April 17 meeting that includes spending for dredge projects, attorney fees, and more. The FY23 budget revision was amended in its final reading to increase the South Harbor dredge project budget by $1 million, bringing the borough's total budgeted amount up to $2.1 million. The project, which has removed approximately 29,351 cubic yards of material so far, has faced difficulties removing hard blue clay from the...
We are in need of a neutral third party To the Editor: I am writing today in response to last week’s Guest Editorial, a report submitted by Assembly Member Fine-Walsh on Petersburg Borough Human Resources Practices and Procedures, and to underscore the need to employ a neutral third party to daylight gaps in our Borough’s policies and protocols in regard to human resource management, safety, and communications. I appreciate the effort taken to review what actions the Borough of Petersburg has made since the crash that killed Molly Parks and...
