Sorted by date Results 526 - 550 of 717
Mayor Mark Jensen and Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht announced at Monday’s Assembly meeting that Petersburg Public Schools will be granted Secure Rural Schools funding for this academic year and next. The two-year funding extension was included as a provision in the US House’s Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which was signed by President Barack Obama late last week. “They put in the bill we will get within 45 days so we will actually get it prior to this year end and that will go into the fund that the Borough has set a...
The Borough Assembly voted 5-2 in favor of delaying the purchase of a new sanitation truck for the recycling program. Though the Assembly approved the transition to a cart-based system on March 16, an as-yet unresolved citizen initiative to retain the blue bag system for two more years gave several assembly members pause on moving forward with the truck’s purchase. Angela Davis and Wes Davis filed an application for initiative petition with Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson on March 31, which outlined a two-year, blue bag program with a c... Full story
Long time Petersburg resident John Johnson, 79, passed away in Fulshear, Texas, April 1, 2015. John Webster Johnson was born December 4, 1935 to Joe and Cora Johnson in Petersburg, Alaska. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Blashke Island just south of Petersburg. In 1938, they moved to West Petersburg where his Dad worked at the Yukon Fur Farm. They remained there until 1941 when the family purchased their own mink farm which they operated until 1954. Catching fish for mink feed and... Full story
Angela Davis and Wes Davis and ten other sponsors may be asking for your signature on a petition for a resolution to retain the blue bag recycling program for at least two more years. The Davis’s—owners of Ruger’s Trucking, the current recycling contractor–filed an application for an initiative petition with the Borough clerk on Tuesday, and it is currently under review by Borough attorney Jim Brennan. If approved by the attorney, the Davis’s would have a limited time to collect 255 signatures, which would then bring their proposed resolutio... Full story
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...
The borough will transition to a cart-based, in-house recycling program. The assembly passed an ordinance 5-2 at Monday's meeting that budgets for the switch. Sixteen residents spoke on the issue-the vast majority of who were in favor of keeping the current system-as part of an extended comment period before the vote. Many speaking against the changes to the blue bag program cited their satisfaction with the current collection system. "I think Ruger and PIA (recycling contractors) did a good... Full story
Former borough worker and Motor Pool Advisory Committee member Ray Pederson, age 71, has been described as a "great guy" who will be missed by many. "He was just a one of a kind, larger than life type of person," his daughter, Camie Rae Pederson said. A memorial service will be held for Ray on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the high school gym with a celebration of life following in the upstairs of the Elks Lodge. Ray was found unresponsive in the sauna at the Community Center on March 11 shortly before... Full story
Share your opinions on recycling To the Editor: If you are a participant of the blue bag recycling program, then please be aware of the changes being presented. The borough assembly is very close to deciding whether or not to take over the program and turn it into a cart-based system. We signed up for the present program because it is not only a worthy program, but it is designed to be very convenient. The borough assembly proposes a system that is inconvenient and, in my opinion, will be a costly mistake. This program needs to appeal to those...
The assembly continues to be divided on changing the current blue bag recycling program to a cart-based system that would also bring collection in-house. The ordinance containing the budget item for the sanitation department narrowly passed its second reading at Monday’s meeting with members Bob Lynn, Kurt Wohlhueter and John Havrilek opposing. The sanitation fund is one of two enterprise funds that are not currently meeting their reserves goal. The budget policy approved by the assembly last November established that reserves should equal at l... Full story
She's got just a few weeks left in the office, but they're going to be busy ones for former Petersburg Borough Clerk Kathy O'Rear as she prepares for retirement. "We've always got a ton of work to do here," she said. Debbie Thompson was sworn in as clerk Monday, and O'Rear's last day will be March 31. Until then, she'll be assisting Thompson in the transition. O'Rear became Petersburg's clerk in August 2000, and was a city clerk in East Jordan, Mich., for 16 years before that. "We had come up he...
The Salmon Project, a Kodiak-based non-profit that explores Alaskans’ relationships with wild salmon, will be holding a book drop at the Petersburg Public Library this weekend. Some 1,250 copies of David Montgomery’s book ‘King of Fish’ will be given away as part of the statewide campaign, which will then head to Sitka, Cordova and other communities in Alaska. “When we do book drops our first step is always to go into a community with a large number of books and try to get them in people’s hands,” said Executive Director Erin Harrington. ...
February 5 A single vehicle rollover accident with injuries was reported. PVFD and EMS responded. A caller reported loud noise was preventing them from sleeping. An officer responded and spoke with both parties. February 6 A parking violation related to snow removal was reported. A driver reported an individual almost caused a collision on a slippery road. An intoxicated individual walking into traffic on Mitkof Highway was reported to police. After receiving a call of an individual being rear-ended, police issued a citation to David F. Evens,...
After no assembly members made a motion to change the funds appropriated in the community services portion of the Borough's draft budget for 2015-16, Friday's special meeting turned into a series of presentations by stakeholders primarily representing Petersburg Public Schools. Assembly member John Havrilek made a motion at last Monday's regular assembly meeting to hold a discussion about the proposed funding for the schools and for Petersburg Mental Health, both part of the community services budget. He said he hoped to reduce the amount...
The assembly was divided on a proposal to transition to an in-house, cart-based recycling program this summer. The transition comes with a $285,000 price tag, which would cover the one-time cost of purchasing 96-gallon carts and the purchase of another collection truck. Bringing the program in-house would save the borough $66,000 a year in expenses related to the current recycling program, which includes a contract with Ruger’s Trucking for curbside pick up as well as the continual purchase of blue bags. The ordinance, including the p... Full story
Finance Director Jody Tow presented highlights from the operating budget for fiscal year 2015-16 at Monday's regular assembly meeting. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht included a letter with the budget that gave an overview of the borough's financial position. Giesbrecht said that the budget is balanced, but decreased funds from the State and Federal governments are anticipated and the budget reflects that with an overall 1.5 percent decrease from the FY2014/15 budget. Though there will be no ch... Full story
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report to the Assembly at Monday’s meeting: A new chemical pump for the pool will be installed to adjust the reliance on CO2 and lower the overall chemical usage. The property assessor will be in Petersburg on Feb. 3; property assessments will go out at the end of the month. There was a major update to the utility bill online payment program which requires customers to re-register their online accounts. Customers will now have the ability to add multiple utility accounts to one online a...
Though many of the thirty individuals who showed up at the public meeting held last Wednesday to discuss the Kake-Petersburg Intertie (KPI) expressed their support for the project, a spirited discussion also ensued about the various components included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the environmental review process. The review process is required under NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) for any projects that will have a...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht’s report was read by Borough Clerk Kathy O’Rear at Tuesday’s Assembly meeting. The first reading of the budget ordinance is tentatively scheduled for March. Assembly members will see the Borough budget for 2015-16 by Feb. 2 with review meeting scheduled for later that week. A special meeting to give an overview of the budget to the Assembly and community is being recommended, with the opportunity for additional meetings by formal request of the Assembly is needed. After reviewing sampling and testing infor...
January 7 Public Works was notified of slick road conditions reported by a caller on Lyons Rd. A caller reported an individual was yelling at an employee at the ferry terminal. January 8 An officer was notified of a caller’s report of harassment. A caller reported a phone call threatening their arrest if the caller did not call the number provided. An officer spoke with an individual regarding possession of a weapon. January 9 A driver was escorted by an officer to a location to park their vehicle due to inoperable taillights. An individual w...
December 30 A caller requested extra patrols on Lumber St. A caller reported a noise complaint where an individual was turning music up and down. Upon patrol of the area, an officer did not hear any noise. A subsequent caller reported a noise disturbance in the same area. Upon patrol an officer discovered loud music and the suspect agreed to turn it down. December 31 The Public Works crew responded to a report of icy road conditions. On a traffic stop a driver was issued a warning for speed. A warning for speed was issued by an officer to a...
January More than 600 Petersburg residents signed up for the borough's recycling program. The Petersburg Land Selection Committee requested the borough pursue legislative action regarding the State's calculation of land entitlement for the Petersburg Borough after the committee's determination that the State's selection of land was inadequate. The Petersburg School Board approved a $2.3 million exterior wall renovation project for the Rae C. Stedman Elementary School. Petersburg School District... Full story
December 23 A caller requested extra patrols at Magill’s Tailer Court. Police received a request for a welfare check on an individual. An ambulance was dispatched for an individual who had collapsed and was having a seizure. A caller reported harassment. December 24 An officer received a second-hand report of an individual driving under the influence. December 25 A caller asked for information regarding housing assistance. December 26 A caller reported concern about not being able to contact an individual A dispute was discussed between p...
The Friends of the Library will begin holding monthly used book sales at the Public Library beginning Jan. 3. The mini book sales will be held the first Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will provide readers with more opportunities to purchase used books throughout the year, while also offering more opportunities for folks to donate salable books year-round. Sue Paulsen, the event’s organizer, said that the monthly sale will be in addition to, rather than in replacement of, the popular annual two-day used book sale organized by...
The U.S. Forest Service will soon be accepting comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Kake-Petersburg Intertie, a proposed electrical transmission line that would connect Kake to a SEAPA substation in Petersburg. The proposed project would bring cheaper power to Kake whose 550 residents are currently using costly diesel to power their homes and businesses. "In 2011, the full retail cost of power in Kake was 62 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), more than five times the... Full story
Though 97 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with Petersburg’s commingled recycling program, Public Works staff have also been alerted to possible improvements – including a switch to a cart-based program and bringing collection in house – after reviewing the results of a community survey that wrapped up last month about the program. At Monday’s Assembly meeting, Public Works Director Karl Hagerman presented the results of the survey, which was intended to help the department assess community satisfaction, cost effecti... Full story
