Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 1808
James Kerr v. Borough of Petersburg has been scheduled for a six-day jury trial in the Juneau Superior Court beginning on March 18, 2024, according to court records obtained by the Pilot. Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr, through counsel, demanded a jury trial on all claims in the case in a request filed in the court last December. Kerr is suing the Petersburg Borough for allegedly defaming him and portraying him in a false light in a statement released by the borough in response to a public records request filed by KFSK last year. T...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a resolution at its July 17 meeting to extend utility connections to three residentially-zoned borough-owned lots. The decision comes as the borough continues to address the ongoing housing crisis in Petersburg in a bid to make the lots more affordable for a possible future sale. The three parcels that will see the utility connection stubs installed include 1200 Lake Street, 200 Aaslaug Street, and a 8,862 square foot lot near Hungry Point. The assembly approved the use of up to $100,000 from...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted to implement a new pay schedule for the borough’s 14 department heads based on their longevity during last week’s meeting. The assembly voted 4-1 in favor of the change, which will cost approximately $139,000, with Assembly Member Donna Marsh opposed. The new schedule mirrors the longevity pay schedule that was introduced for borough employees as part of the recently approved collective bargaining agreement between the Petersburg Municipal Employees Association and the borough. The change aims to incentiviz...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly, acting as the board of adjustment, approved an application for a preliminary plat and vacation of certain rights-of-way at the future site of the new hospital on Monday, which had previously been denied by the Planning Commission. The Petersburg Medical Center appealed the decision after the Planning Commission voted against the application, claiming that the commission's decision was made in error, will have an adverse effect, and should be modified. The...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously on Monday to renew its contract with Republic Services for solid waste transportation and disposal, which includes new terms that significantly raise service fees and could require the borough to secure its own fleet of shipping containers down the road. The new agreement, which goes into effect on Sept. 1, will increase the borough’s base rate for transport and disposal of municipal solid waste from $128.76 to $172.86 per ton, an approximately 34% bump. Public Works Director Chris Cotta w...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly recognized Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department staff and volunteers during its meeting on Monday for their efforts to fight the fire that ravaged the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church on July 6. The fire, which was ruled an accident and was the result of maintenance work, raged for 10 hours, covering Petersburg in smoke and warranting response efforts from the PVFD, EMS, Search and Rescue, the Petersburg Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S....
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a bid award for a project that would replace approximately 200 feet of sewer lines beneath the Community Center during its July 3 meeting. The project will close half of the Community Center while the floor is ripped up and the main sewer line and lateral lines are replaced. The Community Center has been experiencing sewer problems for the last couple of years, such as toilets not flushing and water fountains draining onto the floor,...
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...
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 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...
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...
