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In January The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously voted 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. The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved an ordinance in its first reading that would rezone a lot located at 10 N. 12th Street for commercial use. The rezoning was requested by the Petersburg Indian Association ahead of their prospective purchase of the lot, which h...
From atop the helicopter pad at Five Finger Lighthouse station, visitors experience a nearly unobstructed 360-degree vista of Alaska's Inside Passage. The air is rich with the scent of saltwater, the calls of the island's abundant birdlife, and echoes of humpback whales breathing and breaching in Stephens Passage throughout the summer feeding season. A narrow path leads between the station's 120-year-old boat house and carpenter shop and gently traverses the less-than-three-acre island's green... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a declaration of disaster emergency at Monday's assembly meeting in response to the COVID-19 outbreak across the country and state. Additionally, the assembly approved an emergency ordinance that would allow the assembly to declare a quorum by calling into an assembly meeting instead of being present. By declaring a disaster emergency, the borough is putting itself in position to better receive state and federal emergency funding should the borough requir...
The Five Finger Lighthouse Society went into detail on their plans for the future of the Five Finger Lighthouse at a presentation last Thursday and gave an overview of the lighthouse and its history. The non-profit organization, which took over the lighthouse from the Juneau Lighthouse Association last year, looks to preserve the historic value of the lighthouse, make access to the island easier for visitors and educate the public on the lighthouse's significance. The Five Finger Lighthouse was...
The Juneau Lighthouse Association, which operates and maintains the Five Finger Lighthouse, has changed its name to the Five Finger Lighthouse Society and is currently revamping the organization and the lighthouse. FFLS is now based out of Petersburg and is recruiting members to join the organization and volunteers to help work on the lighthouse. Jeff Erickson, secretary of FFLS, said the infrastructure of the lighthouse needs to be rebuilt. Additionally, he said he would like to improve the liv...
Researchers at a lighthouse near Petersburg have been conducting behavioral studies of humpback whales, trying to understand their diverse communication system, and this summer the humans are ready to talk back. Dr. Fred Sharpe, a research biologist with the Alaska Whale Foundation and part-time Juneau Lighthouse Association keeper of the Five Finger Lighthouse in Frederick Sound, gave a talk in Petersburg to about 100 people last Thursday. Sharpe has spent 30 summers at the lighthouse and was...
January Public Works rolled out the borough's highly anticipated blue cart recycling program. The borough received $820,117.61 from the annual raw fish tax. Dave Zimmerman was hired as the new Tongass National Forest Petersburg District Ranger. The assembly continued discussing the reallocation of the Kake access road funding. Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins took part in a budget crisis presentation at Sons of Norway Hall. The visit was the first of many by representatives throughout the...
Humpback whales swimming the northeast region of Fredrick Sound during summer months do their best to attract spectators, but a recent grant is helping researchers add streaming whale songs to the tourism experience. Thanks to a Scenic Byway grant allotted to the Juneau Lighthouse Association, whale-watchers visiting the Five Finger Lighthouse now have the option to listen live underwater. A hydrophone connected to a swinging mooring is outfitted with a converted whitewater kayak, which...
