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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The three bronze posts unveiled under sunny skies also double as pillars. They hold up and support the vibrancy and resilience of the Tsimshian, Tlingit and Haida cultures. “We are not just a part of history, we are here and living our way of life,” said Rosita Worl, Sealaska Heritage Institute president, during a Aug. 26 ceremony held in front of the Walter Soboleff Building. “These bronze posts are symbols of our past and symbols of our future.” Each 8-foot-tall post at the corner of Front and Seward streets was carve...
Since the middle of June, the borough's trash baler has been up and running after weeks of repairs shut it down. The baler first stopped operating after the conveyor broke down in April, said public works director Chris Cotta. After about a week, the baler was operating again, but immediately afterwards the processor unit failed. Another five weeks was needed to address the processing unit, said Cotta. "It has been working fine ever since," said Cotta. The baler consists of several components....
Petersburg’s commingled recycling processing fees are going up 50 percent after China closed their market to most American recyclables, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The current rate to process commingled recyclable waste is $32.45 per ton and will increase to $49.84 per ton, said Cotta. Petersburg’s commingled recycle program got most of its funding from the revenue the recyclables generate; however, the market rate has dropped from $136 per ton in March 2017 to $21 per ton in March 2018. The borough pays $126 per ton to dispose of...
To initiate a discussion about banning disposable plastic shopping bags in Petersburg, a sample ordinance was presented to the borough assembly on Monday. "They get into the garbage and the landfill and then into the water," said John Havrilek, who requested the discussion and sample ordinance be presented to the assembly. "We need to be responsible and step up and use something that can be reused again and also be better for carrying our groceries." In the sample ordinance, which is a draft...
The borough assembly voted in favor of nominating assembly member Jeff Meucci for the Southeast Conference board of directors on Monday. "Jeff has entered into his role of the assembly with such a vigor," said assembly member Eric Castro. "I can see [him] carrying that with [him] to the Southeast conference board." Meucci and Mayor Mark Jensen submitted letters of interest to the assembly, which had the option to nominate both Meucci and Jensen. A motion was made to only nominate Meucci. After...
The Petersburg Indian Association's Tribal Transportation Program plans on building a board walk to allow residents of Mountain View Manor to connect to the trail system. "It's nice for people to get out," said Sue Harai, director of the TTP. The raised boardwalk will be 1345 feet long and six feet wide. It will connect 13th Street to the Hungry Point Trail. Funding for the project comes from a federal highway bill called the Fast Act. It sets aside money to provide safe and adequate...
July 19, 1918 The apportionment of men for the draft of August 1 has been announced as follows: Douglas 5, Haines 1, Juneau 20, Ketchikan 19, Petersburg 7, Sitka 6, Wrangell 3, Anchorage 25, Cordova 15, McCarthy 15, Seward 6, Valdez 7. On the next regular draft in September or October the allotment for Petersburg will be 19. July 16, 1943 In considering the question of statehood for Alaska, it is worthy of comment that several states were admitted to the Union having at the time of admission fewer inhabitants than now permanently reside in the...
Petersburg Municipal Power & Light shut down power on June 19 in order to replace a Southeast Alaska Power Agency transmission pole in Falls Creek. The power was shut off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Twin Creek road and Crystal Lake Hatchery, said Scott Newman, general foreman with Petersburg Municipal Power & Light. Since the transmission pole was owned by SEAPA and not the city, SEAPA sent out their own contractors to conduct the work, said Newman. Petersburg Municipal Power & Light assisted SEAPA with some of the work and with shutting...
WRANGELL — The water situation remains well in hand as the traditionally high demands of summer get underway. Public Works director Amber Al-Haddad reported both reservoirs to be in good supply, helped along by rainfall earlier this week. After a hot, dry spell at the month’s start, the upper of the city’s two reservoirs had dropped by around three feet, she said. The change in weather has since brought about a reversal of that. “We’re looking pretty good,” Al-Haddad said. Following an emergency shortage brought about by production difficultie...
The Estate of Molly Parks filed a Wrongful Death claim in Petersburg Superior Court on May 18 against the Petersburg Borough and the driver of the Parks and Rec. van, William “Chris” Allen. Parks, 18, was one of two persons killed on July 4, 2016 following a vehicle collision on N. Nordic Drive. The complaint states that Parks death was a result of Allen sustaining a seizure while driving the Parks and Rec. Dept. vehicle. Parks, Allen, Catherine Cardenas, 19, and Marie Giesbrecht, 19, were assigned to set up rest stations for the 4-mile Jul...
WRANGELL - The glass appears to be on the half-full side for Wrangell's water situation, as the season for peak usage of the resource starts up. "Our outlook is very good right now," reported Amber Al-Haddad, director for Public Works. While reservoir levels have dropped slightly since the spring due to drier than usual weather conditions, raw water reserves are still looking healthy. The city's treated water supply comes from a pair of open reservoirs, with the treatment plant drawing from the...
WRANGELL — The hunt is on for a whole crop of high-level management positions in different city departments. The City and Borough of Wrangell is in the early stages of finding replacements for the heads of the Nolan Center, Wrangell Municipal Light and Power and Public Works, plus the city’s top accountant and a newly-created maintenance lead position. The tidal wave of turnover started on April 16, when WMLP superintendent Clay Hammer stepped down in order to head projects for Southeast Alaska Power Agency. City manager Lisa Von Bargen rep...
The Borough Assembly and Mayor evaluated the manager's job performance and generally agreed he exceeded job performance standards in most categories. In his summary rating he got one vote for improvement needed, one vote for meets job standard, three votes that he exceeds job standards and one vote for outstanding performance. One vote came mid-center between meets job standards and exceeds job standards. The manager was evaluated for work performed between March 1, 2017 and Feb. 28, 2018....
The Petersburg Borough Assembly concurred with the manager's selection of James Kerr to be Petersburg's next police chief. Kerr is currently a sergeant with the department and has worked there since his hire in June 2013. Kerr replaces Kelly Swihart who is leaving his post after five years to seek a job in the Lower 48 to be closer to family. Kerr will assume the new position on July 1 at an annual salary of $96,000. At Monday's meeting, Petersburg harbor moorage rates will go up 9% and various...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska official floated the idea of taxing the state's legal marijuana industry based on the ingredient that produces a high at a meeting Wednesday with industry representatives and regulators. Erika McConnell, director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, mentioned the idea of a tax based on THC content, saying she had heard about the concept at a conference and asked members of the Marijuana Control Board for their thoughts. Board member Brandon Emmett, who works in the pot industry, said he had not e...
With the legislative season wrapping up in May, candidates for Alaska's primaries and general elections have begun preparing themselves for voters' consideration in the coming months. This year House District 35 can expect to see a competitive race for its Republican Party primary in August, with Democratic incumbent Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins running unopposed in his party's primary. District 35 encompasses much of Central Southeast, including the communities of Petersburg, Sitka, Hoonah and...
The Borough's trash baler has not been operational since late April of this year. Trash is being stored inside the baler building and is being shipped out of town in open-top 53-foot long containers, without compaction, according to Public Works Director Chris Cotta. In answering a question from the Assembly, Cotta explained that the baler's conveyor belt had stopped working in April. After the conveyor system was repaired, within a week's time the processor unit in the machine's controller...
The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) celebrated its 20th anniversary during a special event last Wednesday at the Petersburg Borough Chambers. Board members hosted an open house to share information about PMMC's education, outreach, and marine mammal stranding response programs. New members were recruited, and funds were raised through a silent auction and donations. Formed in 1998, PMMC was initially conceived as a resource for researchers studying the area's abundant marine mammals and...
Anchorage, AK – Rasmuson Foundation has named 35 artists in 12 Alaska communities as Individual Artist Award recipients for 2018. This is Rasmuson Foundation’s 15th year of supporting working artists with direct grants. Ten individuals will receive $18,000 Fellowships and 25 artists will receive Project Awards of $7,500. Recipients were selected from a pool of almost 400 applicants. The artists represent all career stages. Their work spans cultures and disciplines, sustaining and expanding on traditional art forms and employing new tec...
Little time to waste To the Editor: One of our most familiar adages has now been updated. It now reads, “There is nothing certain in life except death, taxes, and Global Climate Change.” It is interesting that a little town, one of several dozen along Alaska’s coastline, founded on the ocean’s bounty and dependent on the ocean ecosystem for its prosperity, makes nary a peep in defense of healthy ocean conditions. Neither does it ask or press our Federal Representatives for any positive policies or actions that even begin to mitigate the det...
WRANGELL - Wrangell's water situation seems stable heading into the summer, with both reservoirs "overflowing" according to the latest update from Public Works. A combination of factors led to the enforcement of conservation measures through the month of March, including low precipitation, a lengthy winter and high demand. During the winter, demand by the first week of February had spiked to 1,151,000 gallons per day, which for the previous year was second only to a summertime high the first...
The remodel of the Petersburg Municipal Power and Light building is complete and on Wednesday employees and Billikin Transfer were moving furniture and equipment into the building. The sweeping remodel of the building was completed on schedule. Rainforest Contracting Inc. executed the remodel contract. Karl Hagerman, the utility director, said Wednesday that he hopes the move will be completed by the end of the week. He added that the utility remains open for business during the move. The...
WRANGELL — The city is inching toward a planned purge of the island’s abandoned vehicles and assorted clutter. The unsightly problem has been a longstanding issue in public parking spaces such as at Shoemaker Bay Harbor, with unroadworthy vehicles left there to the elements. But under municipal code junk vehicles on private property are also not allowed, and the rule extends to other collections on display deemed to be a “nuisance” by authorities. This means disused vehicles like cars and boats, rusting piles of scrap or broken equipme...
The Borough’s Enterprise Funds are all solvent and to keep it that way, some rate increases will go into effect this fiscal year. Enterprise operations are carried out by the harbor, water, wastewater, sanitation, elderly housing and assisted living departments, which largely pay their own way from revenue they generate from people using their services. Finance Director Jody Tow noted that the Assisted Living fund is being subsidized by the General Fund for both Bond Debt ($179,606) and Operating Fund transfer ($150,000) this year. That a...
WRANGELL — Sen. Dan Sullivan stopped into Wrangell for a lightning tour Friday, arriving on the morning jet and taking off that afternoon for Ketchikan. His visit to Wrangell was the first since being sworn in, making the community one of his campaign stops in October 2014 while running on the Republican ticket. On a brief break in the session, he had earlier in the week attended training for the Marine Corps Reserves before heading back to Southeast. “I really just wanted to get back to the community and see all you guys, see what the issue...
