Sorted by date Results 826 - 850 of 1808
Over the past 10 months, the Petersburg Borough Assembly has debated the necessity of filling a vacant position in the Police Department. Assembly member Meucci has asked for a discussion multiple times but the Assembly has not wanted to discuss this important issue. This position became open when an existing Sergeant was promoted to fill the open Captain position when Captain Hamilton retired in late 2018. While we in the Police Department understand the concern over the budget, our overriding...
While last week's unfounded account that the visiting cruise ship Le Soleal discharged sewage into Frederick Sound gave anti-cruise ship groups a reason to oust the ships from Borough area waterways, Petersburg needs to make sure they are a part of the solution for keeping our waterways clean. We hope the assembly will discuss and plan to construct a waterfront pumping station that will allow boats of all sizes to discharge sewage into the Petersburg's wastewater system. It would be a good use...
PVFD strive to be ready for anything To the Editor: Some of the amateurs on the borough assembly criticize the Volunteer Fire Dept. for the fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical equipment equipment the department has on hand to deal with emergencies that other people run away from. The Kevlar protective vests were bought with Association, not public, funds. Those members of the assembly ought to draw up in public a list of just what sort of emergencies they think PVFD should be ready...
Sea otters are considered by many people to be an adorable animal, an important part of the ecosystem, and also a nuisance that is threatening other marine life populations in Southeast Alaska. In Wrangell, many people have talked about the need for better population control when it comes to otters. The Wrangell Borough Assembly talked about loosening restrictions on hunting the creatures last September with Sebastian O'Kelly, a federal lobbyist. Back in May, fifth-grade student Brody Knecht...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will hold their second meeting of July this evening, July 18, at 6 P.M. and will discuss the vacant police sergeant and EMS coordinator positions, as well as two ordinances. The borough's 2020 fiscal year operating budget funds both the police sergeant and EMS coordinator position, but an amendment was made to the budget to not fill either of the positions until the borough was sure it had the funding. Police Chief Jim Kerr will request authorization to advertise...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter has been in town for just over a year, and said he has accomplished everything he had set out to achieve during his first year on the job. He came to PMC from the Norton Sound Health Corporation in Nome where he was vice president of hospital services for about six and half years, but he had been working in the Nome area for almost 20 years. Hofstetter was one of four finalists who applied for the position last year, but he was ultimately offered...
The borough assembly approved a resolution on Friday increasing the millage rate in service area one to 12.3 mills in response to Gov. Mike Dunleavy's decision to veto 50 percent of the School Bond Debt Reimbursement funding. The millage rate is the amount per $1,000 of a property's assessed value that is used to calculate taxes within the borough. Resolution 2019-11 increases the previous millage rate of 11.45 mills by .85 mills for property owners for in service area one. Residents outside of...
Who benefits? To the Editor: How can it be that we are knee-deep in tourist effluent and Medicaid is being cut? Why isn't the State Treasury fat with income from the tourist industry? Southeast Alaska is being exploited by tour ships. We need to, A: set a limit on the number and size of tour ships allowed in state waters; B: issue permits with contractual obligations; C: get compensated for their use of the state resources, including monitoring costs. Is anyone in the state taking any action...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will be holding an assembly meeting on Thursday at 10 A.M. to discuss and possibly pass a resolution setting a supplemental millage rate for the 2020 fiscal year that began on July 1. The millage rate is the amount per $1,000 of a property's assessed value that is used to calculate taxes within the borough. The meeting was originally supposed to be held on Friday, but it was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. The next meeting wasn't going to be until July 18, but...
At their meeting last Friday, the borough assembly approved 13 goals and objectives for Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht to work on in the upcoming 2020 fiscal year. The 13 items are a result of the manager's recent performance evaluation. Some of the goals and objectives have comments from Giesbrecht that go into further detail to better capture the assembly's intentions. A motion was made to adopt Giesbrecht's comments into the document. Giesbrecht said that he could get each of the items done...
On Friday, the borough assembly approved one of two resolutions that set the millage rate at 11.45 mills for service area one. The millage rate is the amount per $1,000 of the property's assessed value that is used to calculate taxes within the borough. The mill rate reflects a scenario where Gov. Mike Dunleavy does not veto the state legislators' 2020 fiscal year state budget and funds the state's portion of the school bond debt reimbursement. If the governor does veto the budget, the assembly...
A request for proposal was awarded to Eaton Corporation on Friday by the borough assembly for the supply, integration, training and support for a fully functioning radio frequency meter reading system not to exceed $113,034.38. The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system will replace all the meters in North Boat Harbor and some of the meters in the Middle and South Boat Harbors. The radio frequency meters will eliminate the need for a meter reader to go down to the harbor when a visiting...
The borough assembly on Friday voted in favor of moving assembly meetings in July and August from their usual Monday dates to Thursdays to have a better chance of a quorum. "I think if we moved it to Thursday and had better odds, I don't see a problem with that," said Assembly Member Brandi Marohl. Assembly meetings are usually held on the first and third Mondays of the month at 12 P.M. and 6 P.M. respectively. The meetings in July and August will fall on the Thursday after the first and third...
The borough assembly and borough department heads conducted an annual performance evaluation of Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht that found that the manager generally exceeds or meets expectations. The performance evaluation is a way to increase communication between the borough assembly and borough manager regarding Giesbrecht's goals and accomplishments. During the performance evaluation, assembly members and department heads are presented with different columns within categories that relate...
The borough assembly adopted the 2020 fiscal year operating budget in its third reading on Monday after making 11 amendments to it since the assembly received the proposed budget on April 1. Expenditures in the general fund total $9,467,855, but is balanced out by $9,533,511 in revenues. The total amount of excess of revenues over expenditures is $65,656. The current 2019 fiscal year budget has a total of $9,466,759 in revenues and $9,446,352 in expenditures. During the assembly meeting on...
Mayor Mark Jensen requested a discussion on the Petro 49 land exchange during Monday's assembly meeting to hear Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht's input on the matter, since the manager wasn't present at the previous assembly meeting. "I have no intention of asking to have the action that was taken at the last meeting rescinded," said Jensen on Monday. "I just wanted a little bit of clarification for myself." At the assembly meeting on May 20, the borough assembly voted in favor of directing...
The Planning Commission approved an updated zoning map for service area one at their meeting on Tuesday, which will go before the Petersburg Borough Assembly for three readings. The commissioners heard a final six amendment requests to the zoning map before it was approved. A lot on Scow Bay and at 211 Mitkof Highway were zoned as light industrial, or what was previously known as C2 commercial. Lots at 708, 710, 712 and 804 S. Nordic Dr. were rezoned from industrial to light industrial. A...
An ordinance allowing the use of fireworks within service area one three days out of the year was passed by the borough assembly in its third reading on Monday. Ordinance #2019-04 allows residents to light fireworks on their property on July 3 and 4 and Dec. 31 from 12 P.M. to 1 A.M. Those who light fireworks within service area one outside of the three dates stated in the ordinance can face up to a $500 fine. The ordinance will also allow special permits for the use of consumer fireworks with p...
Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested a spreadsheet of what services are provided to individuals living within service area one, outside service area one and at Frederick Point and what their millage rate is. During a discussion item that was requested by Meucci, he said that he wanted to have a better understanding of services provided by the borough. He wanted to compare the services offered within service area one, outside of service area one and at Frederick Point. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said that it is difficult to give an outlin...
Although Alaska Airlines is expecting to bring upgrades and improvements to its terminal in Petersburg through its 2020 Great Land Investment Plan, the airline company will not be increasing the number of available parking spots at the airport. According to a map provided by Lynette Campbell, chief of aviation leasing with the Alaska Department of Transportation, Alaska Airlines leases DOT land that is directly under the terminal, which extends to include several parking spots in front of the...
Petersburg’s Alaska Airline terminal is a busy place. Since 1998 departures from the facility have increased by 31 percent, from 34,376 to 49,521 in 2018. Even infrequent travelers take note of the crowded terminal on heavy travel days. Parking spaces expand along both sides of Haugen Drive and passengers and those transporting their guests move outside to escape the packed terminal. The trek between available parking spaces to the terminal grows longer. While Alaska Airlines has expanded terminals in Kodiak, Cordova, Yakutat and Kotzebue, f...
Outliers feel like second class citizens To the Editor: The Pilot must have misquoted the Honorable Councilmember Jeff Meucci. "I just don't think community members should be paying for roads that aren't part of the borough". I cannot think of a more divisive, condescending or astonishingly uninformed comment by a community official. Just extrapolating from that comment; all of us outside service area one are not community members even though we pay taxes to the borough? The roads outside...
The borough assembly passed the borough's proposed budget for the 2020 fiscal year at an assembly meeting last week after making two more amendments to the budget. The assembly voted on four amendments, but only two were passed. As approved in its second reading, the budget will allocate $4,000 to the City of Kupreanof and will include the health insurance savings of $200,000 for using the same insurance provider as the Petersburg Medical Center. Both amendments were proposed by Vice Mayor...
A motion to rescind the assembly's previous approval of the purchase of a $179,250 excavator failed in a 6-1 vote during an assembly meeting last week. At their May 6 meeting, the borough assembly approved the award of a request for proposals to NC Machinery for a used Caterpillar 320 excavator. According to Public Works Director Chris Cotta in an email to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht, the borough's fiscal year 2019 motor pool budget included $182,000 for the purchase of an excavator to...
The borough assembly amended Ordinance #2019-04 to allow fireworks in service area one during two days of the year in the ordinance's second reading last week. The ordinance, which would fine individuals up to $500 for lighting fireworks in service area one, originally included language that allowed fireworks to be lit legally in service area one on July 3 and 4 and December 31, and during a certain time of the day; however, a motion to amend the ordinance to not allow fireworks in service area...
