Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 263
The Petersburg Indian Association held board elections earlier this month, but it took until Tuesday for the results to be certified because of a candidate challenge, according to a press release. The challenge, brought by William Ware, resulted in a challenge committee being formed on Jan. 11. The challenge committee was comprised of one election official, two election committee workers and two PIA tribal members. However, on Jan.15, Ware withdrew his challenge in a letter clarifying the intent of his challenge as regarding the election...
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...
Motivational speaker Michael Patterson traveled to town last week to take part in the Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the Petersburg Indian Association. Patterson spoke to middle school students at the Wright Auditorium on Thursday, and then he took part in an event later in the day at PIA. Patterson started living on the streets at a young age, before he was 10, and he's open about the fact he could die from COPD any day because he smoked cigarettes for decades. A lot of Patterson's...
Susan Harai, engineer for Petersburg Indian Association (PIA), informed the Planning Commission at their Tuesday meeting that a previously proposed trail to connect the Severson subdivision to the fire station was found to be unviable, aside from a 1,400 foot portion that would connect Possum to Queen Street via a raised boardwalk. The trail was part of PIA's long-range transportation plan which includes more portions of trails in neighborhoods in town to supplement the variety of trails built...
Petersburg Borough manager Stephen Giesbrecht gave the following manager’s report to the assembly on Sept. 6: We continue to have wait lists for Elderly Housing and Assisted Living facilities. Medicaid provider certification renewal has been submitted for the Manor. Municipal Building project continues to move forward. Initial installation on jail cells has been completed, and the block wall for the detention area is mostly done as well. Officer Kent Preston resigned, effective 8/28/16, due to a family medical issue. Kent was active in o...
The Summer Reading Challenge at the Petersburg Public Library kicked off this week and excited youngsters are already well on their way to earning prizes. So far, over 100 kids have signed up for the event, and anyone interested is welcome to join the fun. The program is open to anyone under the age of 20, and runs through July 24. Program coordinator Jessica Ieremia says participants earn tickets by reading books, magazines, newspapers, and even comic books count. The tickets then get placed in...
Hana Newman recently received her Girl Scout Gold Award for her project promoting the Petersburg Medical Center's (PMC) new digital mammography machine. Reaching the level of Gold Award takes many years of dedication, and completing the project took a huge investment of time, during an already busy schedule for Newman. "Getting everything together and getting everything organized while collaborating with the hospital took time," she says. "I actually had to stay in town and miss a volleyball...
Scholarships earned by this year's graduates Elks National MVS Scholarship Stuart Medalen Elks Nat'l Foundation Legacy Award Adanna Kvernvik Elks Scholastic Award Kylie Wallace, Stuart Medalen, Chauncy Sandhofer Elks Lodge Technical Grant Award Kirk Evens State Elks Vocational Grant Kirk Evens, Ben Johnson Supreme Emblem Club Tucker Hagerman Moose-Mary Anne Greseth Memorial Kylie Wallace Moose-Ginny Clark Memorial Hannah Pfundt Moose-W.T. Snyder Memorial Chauncy Sandhofer Petersburg Pilot Cody S...
The annual pedometer challenge took place over the Mayfest weekend, and Katie Yeckley, Tobacco Prevention & Control Grant coordinator for the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) ran the event this year. "This is my first year doing this," she said. "The children were so excited to get a pedometer, but even if they didn't do the challenge they were so excited." The competition started last Thursday and ended Sunday night, and logs were accepted through Monday. PIA used grant money to put on the...
Petersburg Parks and Rec is finally getting to upgrade portions of the City Creek Trail and Hungry Point Trail, thanks to a local partnership with the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) and grant funds. Parks and Rec director Donnie Hayes says this has been in the works for nearly 10 years, well before borough formation and Hayes coming to town. "Before my time there had already been discussions between the Petersburg Indian Association and Petersburg Parks and Recreation, about ways that we... Full story
Petersburg Borough staff is moved out of the municipal building and construction workers from MCG Constructors/DCI are ready to move in as the $6.8 million project to remodel the old building gets underway. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said there’s a few items left in the old building such as broken chairs, old computer equipment and police vehicle seats. “The move is pretty much done,” Giesbrecht said. “We’ve got odds and ends from the old building that will probably get trashed. It’s just stuff that no one has any interest in and we don...
The Rasmuson Foundation has chosen a collection of Petersburg artists’ works to put in its newly renovated office space in Anchorage. In its promotion of the arts, the Rasmuson Foundation awards funds through the ‘art acquisition fund’—grants to museums across the state so they can purchase local art to display. Kelsey Potdivan, Rasmuson Foundation program fellow, said about 28 museums across the state are involved in the program and those museums then provide several pieces to Rasmuson to display for 18 months. “The museums that we’ve original...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a $6,639,300 municipal building remodel project bid award to McG Constructors/DCI Joint Venture. The bid included one alternate, a $213,000 south parking lot, that the Borough Assembly removed from the project with the understanding they could include it later. MRV Architects’ Corey Wall answered questions regarding the need for the parking. “The main reason for the south parking lot alternate was to reorient the exit out onto Nordic Drive further south so that it lines directly up with Bir... Full story
Petersburg Indian Association’s tobacco prevention specialist asked the Petersburg Borough Assembly March 7 to ban electronic cigarettes and vapor products from bars and increase the smoke free distance from five feet to 20 feet. PIA’s Katie Yeckley said vapor products may expose non-smokers to harmful chemicals and that the products are not FDA approved. She also said the five-feet distance from building entrances is too short, allowing smoke to still enter public spaces. “As a non-smoker and a mother of young children I find it very diffi...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at Monday’s regular Assembly meeting: There has been increased homeless activity, with squatters in vacant or abandoned buildings. The public is reminded to secure outbuildings. An investigator from the Alcohol Beverage Control Board visited Petersburg last week. The tabletop exercise for the new Emergency Action Plan for our Blind Slough Hydro was held on Thursday of last week Officers Rowley and Preston will be receiving mandatory certification training in Sitka in February. In prepar...
There are many positive and negative aspects to hunting moose in Petersburg, and one of the most notable negatives is dealing with the strict antler restrictions imposed on hunters. At times, it seems like hunters afield are literally rolling the dice when they pull the trigger. If the moose is legal, there is celebration, but if the animal is illegal it leads to a $300 fine. Thirteen moose were killed in the region this season that failed to meet the antler restrictions, and their meat was distributed to charity organizations and those in... Full story
Petersburg Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following at the Borough Assembly’s November 2 meeting: Municipalities across the state are seeing evidence of pressure on courts and prosecutors to reduce pre-trial incarceration. Other chiefs report bail amounts set at arraignment have been significantly reduced and prosecutors have been directed to seek lower bail amounts to lower bed days in the jails. Presiding Judge Stephens has ordered the courts in our region to be closed for additional days to cut costs. This is expected to s...
Two Petersburg-based businesses have been chosen as semi-finalist in the annual Path to Prosperity (P2P) contest put on by a partnership between the Haa Aani Community Development Fund, Inc. and The Nature Conservancy. The annual contest is in its third year and aims to support businesses in Southeast with "innovative sustainability solutions" that will also benefit the local economy and community, according to Paul Hackenmueller, economic coordinator with Haa Aani. Two winners will be chosen... Full story
At least a portion of the Hungry Point Trail extension will be elevated boardwalk, similar to that of Blind River Rapids Trailhead. The Petersburg Indian Association board decided on June 1 to construct the boardwalk trail from 14th Street up to the ball field section of the trail. The decision was a combination of economics, zoning and environmental regulation concerns, Transportation Director Susan Harai said. The Petersburg Planning and Zoning Commission will likely discuss the lower route at its August meeting. It’s in an unplatted s...
The New Old Time Chautauqua (NOTC) group will be parading into Petersburg later this month. The 55 person group includes members from ages one to 74 who volunteer their talents as performers, musicians and educators to bring entertainment to rural communities. Locally, the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) and Petersburg Parks and Recreation have been helping coordinate the group's three-day visit, June 28-30. The opening event is a collaborative potlatch and potluck put on by PIA and NOTC on...
What am I missing? To the Editor: How are . . . 100's of big, blue plastic containers that will continuously need replacing and recycling, or will end up as another huge item in a landfill; a huge truck that will continuously require gas and will end up in a landfill; a specially trained city employed mechanic to maintain the truck; the part time use of two full time city employees with full employee benefits; a baler facility now reduced to fewer hours of use, supervision, and maintenance less expensive and more environmentally friendly than...
