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WRANGELL - The city has lowered its alert stage level for water conservation, dropping from its red-level Stage III stance to an intermediate Stage II. Citing dwindling supplies at its reservoirs, on March 13 City Hall had urged residents to dial back their water usage with the Stage III announcement, jumping from a lesser Stage I. The designations were composed by the Borough Assembly last year in an attempt to organize response measures in the event of a shortage. This followed a water crisis...
WRANGELL — In a special meeting of the City and Borough Assembly on March 15, members finally moved ahead toward replacing Wrangell’s water treatment plant. The outdated plant has had a number of production problems over the years, starting not long after its construction in 1999. Reliant on a combination of ozonation, roughing and slow-sand filtration before disinfection, high sedimentation from its two water reservoirs has made treatment a time consuming, inefficient process. Poor filter performance has subsequently been impacting water qua...
March 14 — An officer responded to a reported sound of gunshots south of the South Harbor City Dock. The officer determined the sounds were caused by a vehicle backfiring continually. An officer responded to a report of an individual going through dumpsters and making a mess at the drive down dock. The individual cleaned up the area and departed at the instruction of the officer. Officer responded to a report of gunfire at 1103 S. Nordic Dr. It was verified that the same vehicle was backfiring. An officer responded to a report of gunfire on Lum...
A story last week said the Petersburg electrical reorganization of the public works and power and light departments would save the borough about $105,300 in salary and benefits. The precise amount is $105,103....
WRANGELL — City Hall jumped a notch on its alert level Tuesday, declaring a Stage III water shortage watch. The third stage is the most severe in Wrangell’s water shortage management plan, adopted last year by the Borough Assembly. The city was previously on a Stage I alert due to dwindling supplies of raw water in the treatment plant’s two reservoirs. In its notice to the public, Public Works explained that Wrangell has received no considerable rainfall over the course of the past month. Precipitation has mainly been in the form of snow,...
The Petersburg assembly gave its final approval of a reorganization of borough departments on Monday, coming after a petition to reject it was signed about 270 times by 270 residents. In a 4-2 vote, the assembly finalized the borough manager’s revise leadership of the electric utility. Those against the reorganization circulated a petition over the weekend that received 272 signatures in support of appealing the decision. “That’s a pretty good percentage of the 1,110 people that voted in the last election,” said Mayor Mark Jensen, who has opp...
In one of the most confounding and complex moves ever attempted by a manager, the Borough Assembly approved Steve Giesbrecht’s plan to reorganize the Power and Light and Public Works Dept. leadership. The fact that it required changes to six ordinances, as well as ignored credible and often eloquent testimony by knowledgeable people in the electrical field, along with the public opposing the measure, reveals the manager’s stubborn pursuit to save perhaps $100,000 per year in a department that operated efficiently and productively for over 40...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Moose thrive in Alaska's largest city with little to fear from natural predators such as wolves or bears, but getting an accurate count of the largest member of the deer family remains a challenge for the state wildlife biologists who must manage their numbers. Traditionally, aerial surveys are performed from low-flying aircraft after there's snow on the ground when spotters can distinguish between male moose with antlers and cows without them, but flight rules from...
A petition that circulated in Petersburg last week is catching some fallout after three borough employees reportedly used city equipment to seek signatures during work hours. In an assembly meeting on Monday, member Jeff Meucci read from an email written on Friday by the borough manager, which addressed a public appeal petition of the electrical reorganization. “This is clearly the right of persons involved,” reads the email from Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. “However, it has been reported t...
The Petersburg assembly again approved restructuring leadership of two departments in the borough, introducing the ending to a contentious debate since last spring on who should head the electric utility. The assembly chambers in Petersburg on Monday was full, mostly with people in the electrical field waiting to testify against a plan to have the public works director assume leadership of the power and light department. The plan was approved 4-3 in its second reading after eight audience...
Feb. 21 — There was report of overnight parking on Haugen Drive. The owner moved the vehicle. A canine was found in traffic and brought to the police department. The owner was contacted, and the dog was fine. A license was issued and paid. A civil complaint was reported on Lumber Street. A complainant was referred to court regarding property ownership. Feb. 22 — There was a parking in a snow dump complaint. An officer was contacted and the owner is moving the vehicle. An officer provided traffic control for a citizen moving an oversized tra...
Twelve Petersburg community members were heard at an assembly meeting on Monday opposing the borough's plan to reorganize leadership of the electric utility. The plan, introduced by the borough manager in May 2017, is not to hire an electrical superintendent with experience in the field. Instead, to cut costs and focus on managing a team, the assembly voted Monday to reorganize departments. The public works director, Karl Hagerman, with 25 years as a municipal employee, would assume the role of...
Experience Matters To the Editor: It is my understanding that the borough assembly wants to combine PMP&L and Public Works. There is a big difference in the management of the electrical industry and the management of the public works. Both are important departments, each providing a service to the community. I agree with those who contend that experience matters when it comes to selecting a replacement for the Superintendent of PMP&L. The experience goes beyond just managing employees. That in its self is a task, especially if you don't have...
Citizens Expect Integrity To the Editor: Recently the citizens of Petersburg voted to define the eligibility of seniors to receive sales tax exempt status. This definition was that all citizens of the Petersburg Borough age 65 years or older qualify for sales tax exemption. No place on the recent ballot was there wordage of a fee requirement for an exemption card. Nor was there wordage stating that the seniors of the community are a burden and must pay for an exemption the voters determined they had already earned. Earned, as beneficial,...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The synthetic opioid fentanyl is an escalating problem in Alaska, and it’s leading to a significant increase in deaths, state authorities said Tuesday. “It is a scary problem,” Alaska State Trooper Capt. Michael Duxbury said at a press briefing on the state’s opioid crisis. “Fentanyl is by far the biggest concern.” Jay Butler, the state’s chief medical officer, said 2017 statistics have not been finalized, but there were at least two dozen fentanyl-related deaths, compared with five or six such deaths the previous year....
The Petersburg borough assembly on Monday was nearly split when it voted in favor of a plan to reorganize the electric utility and public works department. The assembly, voting 4-3 in the first reading each time, moved forward with six ordinances needed to shake up the electric utility and public works department. The reorganization, proposed last May by the borough manager, is to make the current public works director the electric utility director, a plan chosen in favor of hiring a superintendent. The utility director would also oversee...
The former Petersburg Municipal Power and Light superintendent addressed the assembly on Monday to offer an experienced perspective on the borough’s plan to reorganize the electric utility and public works department, and why he opposes it. Joe Nelson, who was the electrical superintendent in Petersburg for about 14 years until he retired last summer, said he wanted to clarify a few things after a special meeting on Friday. The meeting was to discuss the borough manager’s plan to reorganize the electrical departments -- a plan that has gai...
Experience always matters Despite the borough assembly vote, I strongly support advertising for a successor for Joe Nelson, PMP&L’s former electrical superintendent. The demands from an ever-expanding residential/business/tourism customer base, plus SEAPA/Crystal Lake hydro are too important to relegate to a 1/2-time Public Works-PMP&L reorganization scenario. Relevant technical experience always matters. Suzanne Wood...
Eight current Petersburg Municipal Power and Light employees are in opposition of the borough’s plan to reorganize the public works and electric utility departments, according to a letter given to the Pilot. In a letter addressed to members of the borough assembly, dated January 27, eight power and light employees ask that the borough continues to search for an electric superintendent that has experience in the industry. Advertising for the position was canceled after the assembly recently voted in favor of the borough manager’s plan to reo...
A special assembly meeting is scheduled Friday at 5 p.m. in Assembly Chambers to discuss the borough manager's proposed reorganization of the electric utility and public works departments. In its last meeting, the assembly voted in favor of the proposed reorganization, which would move Karl Hagerman, public works director, to electric utility director, while promoting Chris Cotta to Hagerman's current position. Scott Newman, acting superintendent of power and light, would return as foreman. The...
As discussion continues on the Power and Light reorganization, it’s important to quantify the savings and identify where they will be placed within the borough budget. Saving money in the Power and Light Dept. will not help the borough’s general fund. It will only bring savings to the Power and Light fund. The funds cannot be transferred to the general fund on an ongoing basis. Since the PMP&L fund is a self-supporting enterprise, it operates independent of the borough’s general fund. In other words, it pays its own way, as do the sanit...
The borough manager hosted a second public meeting last Thursday to hear ideas on how to decrease costs and increase revenue for Petersburg. The manager, Steve Giesbrecht, recommends the assembly take the public's suggestions, review them, and make a list of the top five or 10, he said. "The Assembly could then instruct us which ideas they want implemented," Giesbrecht said. "Using this process, the Assembly could work through the entire list." At the meeting, people filtered in for two hours...
WRANGELL — Following a clean bill of health from contaminants testing of dredge material at Shoemaker Bay, the harbor restoration project looks to be continuing on schedule. Department of Transportation and Public Facilities match grant funding in the amount of $5,000,000 was approved for the project in this year’s budget, enabling replacement of the harbor’s aging float network. The wooden float structure is in a deteriorated state, with one of its five finger piers currently unusable. Wrangell Harbor Department’s plan will be to replace...
The borough’s highest electrical job once again could go to Karl Hagerman, who had pulled his name from consideration in October following the election and scrutiny of his qualifications. One assembly member and an empty search for someone else made him reconsider. In a meeting on Monday, the assembly voted 5-2 in support of making Mr. Hagerman utility director of power and light, a title comparable to electrical superintendent. The move revisits Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht’s idea to reorganize power and light and public works, which he...
The Peterburg assembly narrowly struck down a resolution to repeal a federal ruling that limits development on national forest land, a decision it made after hearing public testimony from seven people on Monday. The resolution Monday supported an end to the 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects social and ecological value and characteristics of roadless areas from construction and reconstruction, along with certain timber harvest activities, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The borough said this resolution was brought to...
