Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 2016
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht received mostly positive marks as part of his 2022 Performance Evaluation, which was approved by the Petersburg Borough Assembly during its Feb. 6 meeting. The evaluation was filled out by assembly members who judged Giesbrecht in various categories. Giesbrecht scored highly-mostly receiving scores of meeting expectations or exceeding expectations-in communication, planning, and managing resources. Assembly Member Donna Marsh wrote that she appreciates the manage...
Reads Act funding and PFD taxation To the Editor: I met with Representative Himschoot on Super Bowl Sunday to chat about the Alaska Reads Act. I pointed out that parts of the Act include unfunded mandates and she agreed. In discussion, I realized there are three logical sources from which the funds can be had: Permanent Fund, State Income Tax or local sources. Representative Himschoot did not endorse any of my funding suggestions, but she did point out that it would be unfair for a state mandated program to require local funding. I pointed out...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly gave approval to the Housing Task Force to continue working on three ideas to potentially expand local housing opportunities during Monday's meeting. With the assembly's support, the task force will continue pursuing the possibilities of creating a Petersburg Land Trust, identifying easily developable lots, and finding a new area in Service Area 1 suitable for manufactured homes. The assembly's decision does not ensure that these ideas are going to come to...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Southeast commercial Chinook troll fishery during Monday's meeting. The resolution of support comes in the wake of a judge's recommendation to suspend the fishery as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), a Washington-based nonprofit conservation organization. Western District of Washington Magistrate Judge Michelle Peterson's report and recommendation concluded that the National Marine...
Last Tuesday Humanity in Progress held the sixth annual Project Connect Resource Fair in Petersburg, an event that takes place in conjunction with the Point in Time Count, a nation-wide survey that happens on the same night each year "...to try and get a community understanding, in a certain point of time, of homelessness and housing insecurity," founding member Ashley Kawashima explains. The data collected from individuals experiencing housing or food insecurity is a vital tool for successful s...
This summer's commercial Chinook trolling fishery is in jeopardy following the recent release of a judge's recommendation to suspend the fishery as part of an ongoing lawsuit, leaving Southeast trollers in uncertain waters. Western District of Washington Magistrate Judge Michelle Peterson's report, released in December 2022, concludes that the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS), also known as NOAA Fisheries, violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act...
SITKA – After hearing comments Tuesday night on the “existential threat” facing the Southeast troll fishing industry, the Sitka Assembly gave unanimous approval to a resolution and a financial contribution to help the Alaska Trollers Association fight a lawsuit by a conservation group against a federal fisheries agency. “I hope we have a unanimous decision because if the resolution is going to have any effect, we have to have real solidarity,” Assembly member Thor Christianson said prior to the vote. ATA Request and Resolution The resolutio...
Thank you, thank you, thank you To the Editor: Mike and I are so incredibly humbled by and grateful for the outpouring of support, generosity, thoughts, and prayers after our house fire. It has been said many times that this community rises to the occasion to help each other, but to be the recipient of such support and generosity—there are not enough words to express how much we appreciate everyone and everything that has been done for us. Although our home and possessions are a total loss, we are extremely lucky to live in such an amazing c...
During Tuesday's meeting, the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 4-2 in favor of conducting a housing needs assessment with Vice Mayor Bob Lynn and Assembly Member Donna Marsh opposed. The housing needs assessment, which was recommended by the Housing Task Force, was proposed to evaluate local housing needs, provide recommendations for improving the housing situation, and help secure grant funding. The estimated cost of the assessment is $55,040 and will be paid for with funds received through...
The Petersburg Borough is pursuing the possibility of constructing a new float and dock at Papke's Landing with the help of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to keep the facility operational while the borough pursues full ownership. The Petersburg Borough Assembly has approved conceptual plans for an eventual major improvement project, but the rapidly declining state of the facility and delays to obtaining ownership have users of the facility questioning if it will...
The Local Emergency Planning Committee held its first meeting since April 2020 last Thursday where new and returning members were admitted to the committee to discuss the current state of emergency preparedness in Petersburg. According to Fire/EMS/SAR Director Aaron Hankins, the LEPC is a congressionally mandated program whose mission is to gather information on hazardous materials in the region, making them known to the public and planning for spill response, and to review and recommend local...
During its Jan. 3 meeting, the Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved an ordinance in its first reading that would tie the service rates for self-pay residents at Mountain View Manor Assisted Living to the maximum service rates allowed for the facility under Medicaid. Medicaid raises per day services rates for Medicaid Residential Supported Living annually, but those increases have not been adopted by the borough. That is because the service rates charged for Medicaid RSL cannot...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously voted during Monday's meeting to award the construction contract for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric refurbishment project to McG/Dawson Joint Venture for an amount not to exceed $5,744,000. McG/Dawson's contract bid was evaluated by an engineering team led by Don Jarrett, P.E. with McMillen and was recommended to the assembly by both McMillen and Petersburg Municipal Power and Light. The project received four contract bids ranging from $5,744,000 up...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved an ordinance in its first reading during Monday's meeting that would rezone a lot located at 10 N. 12th Street for commercial use. The rezoning was requested by the Petersburg Indian Association, which filed an application to purchase the 0.31-acre lot from the borough in September 2022. PIA has stated that it is only interested in the lot, which is currently zoned as an open space, if it is rezoned for commercial use so that it matches an...
Wrangell — The borough’s target date is 2024 for the sale of the first 22 residential lots in the proposed subdivision of the former Wrangell Institute property upland from Shoemaker Bay. The assembly last month approved $2.2 million for installing utilities and putting in streets across a portion of the 134-acre property, which the borough acquired in 1996. “Our goal is to start construction this fall,” Borough Manager Jeff Good said last week. “That’s our target right now.” The borough is moving closer to receiving its U.S. Army Corps of...
WRANGELL — The borough is about to begin the five-year, state-mandated process of updating its wastewater treatment plant. Borough officials are currently searching for sources of funding for what will likely be a multimillion-dollar project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues permits to wastewater treatment plants across the nation, regulating the amount of pollutants they are allowed to release into the water. Historically, the Wrangell treatment plant has received a waiver allowing it to discharge wastewater that has not u...
January Petersburg experienced record snowfall on New Year's Day with 17.5 inches of new snow on the day, bringing the total snow depth to 40 inches according to the National Weather Service. The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution requesting a discussion with the U.S. Postal Service about providing additional services in Petersburg following continued issues with staffing, irregular hours, and long lines. All-purpose vehicles became legal to drive on roads in Alaska, including in...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board approved a wholesale rate increase at its Dec. 8 meeting, raising the price to 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour-a 0.25 cent increase-beginning in January 2023. According to Vice Mayor Bob Lynn and Utility Director Karl Hagerman, who reported on the SEAPA Board meeting at last week's Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting, the decision to raise rates followed a review of a rate study completed this year. A draft of the rate study, which was presented at the last...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an Education Incentive Program, which looks to support child care professionals and improve retention in the field, during Monday's meeting. The assembly voted 6-1 in favor of the trial program with Assembly Member Donna Marsh opposed. The Education Incentive Program will award bonuses ranging from $2,000 per year to $5,000 per year to child care educators and is structured in three tiers based on their level of education. The hope is to encourage local...
The case of the purloined judgeship To the Editor: In 1982 our former Representative, Ernie Haugen, persuaded the Alaska Legislature to create a new judgeship and designated its vicinage in the Petersburg-Wrangell region to serve our neck of the woods, but there was a catch. Before passage of the bill, the Senate added a rider to the bill, a Letter of Intent stating that the new Superior judgeship could be authorized only on the condition that Petersburg’s old District Court judgeship be decommissioned. The deal was like giving up an old F...
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Rep. Elect Rebecca Himschoot held two joint public office hours in Petersburg earlier this week to meet with community members ahead of the legislative session starting next month. The pair were at Glacier Express Cafe Monday afternoon and Salty Pantry Tuesday morning. Kreiss-Tomkins, who currently holds the Alaska state House seat representing Petersburg and Sitka, announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election after having held a seat in the...
The construction of a new public use bike track is on the horizon following the passage of a resolution by the Petersburg Borough Assembly. On Monday, the assembly voted 6-0, with Assembly Member Scott Newman excused, to approve the use of a small portion of a borough-owned parcel across the street from Sandy Beach for a non-motorized bike park. Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne said Pat Blair of Wheelhouse Bikes and Sig Burrell of Rock-N-Road came to her with the idea of developing...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is expected to take a look at adopting a trial program to support local child care providers in Petersburg at its next meeting. The Education Incentive Program, modeled after the Hiring, Educating, and Retaining Teaching Staff (HEARTS) Program implemented in Juneau, aims to increase retention, encourage child care professionals to continue their educations, and improve quality of care. The program would award tiered bonuses every six months to child care educators...
WRANGELL – Wrangell vessel owners who already shuttle passengers and freight around southern Southeast said they would be willing to contract with Wrangell Borough for service to Petersburg and Coffman Cove, rather than see the borough subsidize a return of the more expensive Inter-Island Ferry Authority. Zach Taylor, who operates the 38-foot catamaran Island Cat, and Eric Yancey, who operates the 75-foot landing craft Rainforest Islander, have expressed their willingness to contract with the borough to provide regular service between the c...
