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The Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board named a new CEO during its meeting earlier this month while the need for additional generation remained a central talking point according to a report from Vice Mayor Bob Lynn and Utility Director Karl Hagerman. The SEAPA Board selected Robert Siedman as the agency's new CEO, pending contract negotiations. Siedman was appointed as acting CEO at the December board meeting and is set to replace former CEO Trey Acteson who retired from the role at the end of...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an ordinance in its first reading on Monday that would amend the charter to allow borough employees, including those at the school and the hospital, to serve on certain borough boards. The ordinance proposes allowing borough staff to serve on boards and commissions except for those that directly administer their employment. For instance, under the new ordinance a Petersburg Medical Center employee could run for the borough assembly or the school board...
The results of this year's municipal election were certified by the Petersburg Borough Assembly at a special meeting last Friday. Three ballots-two of which had been postmarked by election day and received by the borough and one questioned ballot-were counted during the meeting which brought the total number of ballots cast to 1,194. After the ballots were counted, the assembly voted 5-0 to certify the election with Mayor Mark Jensen and Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor excused. This year's...
The long-awaited unofficial results of the 2022 municipal election were released Wednesday evening after early and absentee ballots were counted throughout the day. According to the unofficial results, Mark Jensen won the mayoral race with 642 votes and will retain his seat. He was followed by Bob Lynn with 363 votes and Jeff Meucci with 177 votes Incumbents Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Chelsea Tremblay both lost their seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly to newcomers Scott Newman and Donna...
The five candidates running for the two seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly participated in a candidate forum on Monday in the assembly chambers hosted by KFSK and the Petersburg Pilot. Assembly Member Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Assembly Member Chelsea Tremblay, Donna Marsh, Scott Newman, and Kurt Wohlhueter were presented with the same questions and were each given one minute to respond in a random order. The first part of the forum saw candidates answer questions asked by members of the media...
Voters will be faced with three ballot propositions during the municipal election on Oct. 4 which, if approved, would amend Petersburg's home rule charter. The three ordinances which sent the three propositions to the ballot were unanimously passed by the Petersburg Borough Assembly earlier this year. During Monday evening's assembly meeting, Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson led a review of the three propositions during a discussion requested by Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor. Proposition 1 would...
Bob Lynn What is your age? 76 What experience do you have? I've had 8 year's experience on the Petersburg Assembly. I have been fortunate to serve as Petersburg Assembly Board representative to Southeast Alaska Power Authority (SEAPA.) In that role I have served as Board Chair and voting member to replace submarine cable serving Petersburg. I have also served 6 years as the Assembly representative to the Hospital Board. Having been an EMT years ago has provided me much needed background to serve...
The period to file for candidacy in this year's municipal election ended on Tuesday, signaling the start of campaign season. The election will feature contested races for mayor, Petersburg Borough Assembly, the Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board, and the Harbor and Ports Advisory Board. Mayor Mark Jensen will run for reelection against two sitting assembly members-Bob Lynn and Jeff Meucci. Meucci ran against Jensen in the 2019 mayoral election, coming up short by 61 votes. Assembly...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 5-0 to approve a list ranking its top capital projects for FY24 during Monday’s meeting. Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Thomas Fine-Walsh were excused. The priority list was organized by Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht who presented it to the assembly to amend and approve it. It originally featured the 15 highest priority capital projects for FY24 but was decreased to 13 projects after the assembly removed the Blind Slough hydroelectric refurbishment and the South Harbor dredging projects, which a...
The window to file for candidacy in this year's municipal election opened on Tuesday. According to Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson, this year's election will look similar to previous years' except for the voting location, which will be moved from the gym to the community center's activity room so it does not conflict with the school's use of the space. The municipal election will be held on October 4 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the activity room while absentee voting will run from September 14 to...
During Monday's meeting, the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 6-0 to appoint Assembly Member Bob Lynn as chair for the next three assembly meetings. The motion was brought forward as Mayor Mark Jensen will be absent fishing and Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor will be attending the meetings remotely if available. Stanton Gregor said Monday that he would prefer having someone in person in the assembly chambers facilitate the meetings rather than him running the meetings over Zoom and he...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed its FY23 budget by a 4-3 margin in its third and final reading on Monday with Assembly Members Dave Kensinger, Jeff Meucci, and Thomas Fine-Walsh voting against. There were no amendments proposed in its last reading but discussion saw similar points of concern raised by opposing assembly members. Fine-Walsh had concerns about how the budget would place “more emphasis on policing than education and housing.” “These are my priorities, these are the priorities of our community as they have been expre...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted in a close 4-3 vote in favor of the borough's proposed FY23 budget in its first reading during the assembly's May 2 meeting. Before the meeting, the assembly held a work session where Finance Director Jody Tow gave a presentation reviewing the budget and department heads spoke on upcoming expenditures. Tow reported that "costs have increased dramatically" throughout the borough, impacting the upcoming year's budget. New contracts with the Petersburg...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly decided not to conduct a Public Safety Advisory Board review of the Petersburg Police Department in a 3-4 vote which would have aimed to gather information on employee retention, position duties, and work schedules within the department during Monday's meeting. The request for a review comes as the police department faces continued issues with understaffing in the police officer and dispatcher positions causing staff to work longer hours in varying roles. The...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly held a work session Monday afternoon to brainstorm ideas for how funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act can be used. The assembly invited representatives of various community organizations to discuss their needs and ideas for how the $634,382 can be distributed. The work session came as a result of numerous discussions at regular assembly meetings on the desire to find ways to spend the money received through ARPA and members of the community reaching...
An officer at the Petersburg Police Department, who was hired on June 22, 2021 as a Police Officer II in probationary status, is no longer employed by the Petersburg Borough after an internal investigation was conducted following a complaint according to Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson, who is also the borough's human resources director. In an interview with the Pilot, Pickle confirmed that his employment with the borough was terminated on January 3, 2022. First reported by the Juneau Empire on Ja... Full story
6 brought with it a new record snowfall on New Year's Day which has the National Weather Service in Juneau and Petersburg Borough staff worried as rain and warmer temperatures are predicted for this weekend. Saturday saw the most snowfall and highest depth ever recorded in Petersburg on January 1 of any year with 17.5 inches of new snow for a depth of 40 inches according to data collected by the NWS. It was just short of the most snowfall ever recorded on a single day in the month of January...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday for a total of 48 active cases. Community spread is rapidly occurring, causing closures and staff shortages, and PMC is asking people to follow mitigation recommendations. 37 of the 48 cases were identified within the past seven days according to the Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard. 93 COVID-19 tests have been sent to a reference laboratory and results are expected in the next 3-5 business days. PMC has moved into red...
A daily record of 3.54 inches of rain fell while hurricane force winds with gusts up to 70 mph dropped trees into power lines, bringing out borough line crews, Alaska Department of Transportation workers, emergency services personnel, borough staff, and volunteers until 2 a.m according to Utility Director Karl Hagerman. Employees and volunteers first responded to a tree in the line at 919 Sandy Beach Road which the crew cleared without damage to the power or telecom lines. Though the trees...
The Borough Assembly approved a new collective bargaining agreement with Petersburg Municipal Employees Association during its meeting on September 7. The contract was approved by a 5-0 unanimous vote and will be in effect from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023. Changes to the contract are mostly associated with wage increases and paid time off, and the cost of the three year contract will be $798,747. Effective July 1, 2020, a 2% increase will apply to Step C for all positions on the PMEA Wage Matrix. Employees reach Step C after one year of...
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases found in Alaska April 30 Between Feb. 1 and March 31, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services identified 152 positive cases of COVID-19 among people in the state who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a report from DHSS. About 74 percent of the vaccine breakthrough cases, or 112 individuals, were among people who had received the Pfizer vaccine, according to the report. Thirty-eight percent of the breakthrough cases had received the Moderna... Full story
The Borough Assembly conducted their third and final reading of Ordinance #2021-12 during Monday's meeting. The assembly voted unanimously 7-0 to adopt the ordinance which added the Electric Utility Bond Issuance matter to the ballot for the election on October 5, 2021. There was no discussion by the assembly prior to the vote. "We had a very good explanation at the last meeting from Mr. Hagerman, so I think we're all up to speed on it," Mayor Mark Jensen said. The revenue bonds, not to exceed...
The Emergency Operations Center has increased the local risk of COVID-19 spread to red, following 13 new active cases identified in the last four days, according to a joint press release from Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The EOC is currently reporting 16 active cases in the community. Of the current active cases, 11 are considered to be community spread, according to the press release. Those infected with COVID-19 are both symptomatic and asymptomatic, and two infected... Full story
A special Borough Assembly meeting to transfer employment of Petersburg Airport greeters and screeners to Petersburg Medical Center was cancelled on Jan. 29 following input from borough staff. The Petersburg Municipal Employees Association allows the borough to hire temporary employees for up to six months, but some of the temporary borough employees greeting and screening incoming passengers at the airport passed that six month mark in early December, said Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson. At the...
The Borough Assembly passed an ordinance in its second reading on Monday that adjusts the fiscal year 2021 budget for known changes, which allocates unused funds from the borough's utility subsidy program to pay first responders and Emergency Operations Center staff with Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Support Act funds through December. The Borough Assembly previously budgeted $500,000 for a one-time $500 utility credit to households that were struggling financially as a result of the...
