Sorted by date Results 576 - 600 of 736
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report to the Assembly at Monday’s regular meeting: Breakfast with Santa is Sat., Dec. 14 at 9 a.m. for the whole family. The Aquatic Center will be closed from Dec. 14-21 for its annual cleaning. The pools will be drained, the tiles cleaned and the upstairs waxed and buffed. There will still be fitness equipment available downstairs and staff will be bringing some of the equipment down to make sure there’s still enough for use during high traffic times. Public Works is still planning on com...
November 25 Following a call to police, Petula A. Ohmer, 49, was charged with Driving Under Influence. A deceased cat near the roadway was reported by two callers. An officer patrolled an area after receiving a noise complaint. The officer did not identify any noise in the area. November 26 A caller spoke with an officer concerning a custody matter. Police received a report of religious pamphlets on the roadway along Sandy Beach Road. A welfare check was requested by a caller. An officer stood by a disabled vehicle until it was moved from the...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report to the Assembly at Monday's regular meeting: The library landscaping request for proposals is planned for mid-December through January. The North Harbor project letter of completion was received on Oct. 29 and a final payment was made. Last week the abutment was poured and Tamico is currently securing the last girders on the Drive Down Facility Approach Dock. Rock-N-Road Construction has trenched the uplands and is working with...
November 12 An officer responded to a report of a hit deer. The deer was salvaged. A caller reported truancy. Police issued a citation to Troy J. Rogers, 30, for speeding, 40/25 on Haugen Drive. A caller reported a hit and run. A warning was issued to a driver for inoperable lights. Police escorted the driver home and the vehicle is to be parked until fixed. A caller spoke with an officer about assault. Police notified the Department of Transportation about slick road conditions. A caller reported harassment. November 13 An officer responded to...
Petersburg Indian Association recapped nearly a decade of work on roads and trails across Mitkof Island at the Nov. 3 assembly meeting, with Transportation Director Susan Harai presenting a video detailing the tribe’s works. Since 2006, PIA has received more than $10.2 million for the tribal transportation program, working along a master guideline scoped 20 years ahead and more specifically revised for the next five in a Tribal Transportation Improvement Plan. Money is granted through federal transportation allocations divided amongst the t...
Borough Manager Steve Geisbrecht presented the following report to the assembly at Monday’s regular meeting: Medicaid recertification for the Mountain View Manor is approved. We’re good for two more years. Final touches are being put on the ten recently installed windows at Elderly Housing. Liz Cabrera met with Bob Weinstein from Senator Begich’s office on federal issues of interest and arranged for a tour of the Police Department. There was some progress on the dismantling of the Ellingstad/Triem house at 1011 Wrangell Avenue. The roof and a...
City Creek trail will be getting a significant facelift over the building season of 2015, and perhaps on into the next few years, in an effort to make the increasingly popular coastal rainforest sojourn more accessible to residents and visitors of all ages and fitness ― at least on the first leg. The project, funded by a $60,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service grant the borough accepted at its last assembly meeting, won't actually go very far in terms of miles. All told, the p... Full story
Borough residents will have to look elsewhere for school happenings and movie times than the usual spot along Haugen Drive, as, come the construction season of 2015, a large electronic sign advertising events will be relocated about a block away. Rick Dormer, principal of Petersburg High School, said the school and state had something of an understanding on the billboard when it was first installed. "They have a letter saying it's O.K. putting the sign there and using that land," Dormer said,...
Petersburg Assembly members voted, with a few caveats, to express their support to the state for a new ferry service to land in the borough. Despite earlier alternatives offered, the North End Ferry Authority (NEFA) had circled back to Banana Point, submitting a letter requesting the borough’s support of the location to get the project on track to begin carrying passengers in May of 2015. The letter, signed by NEFA Manager Kent Miller, included copies of its land use permits applications to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the p... Full story
Assembly approves PILT payoff, other business by Erik LeDuc The aftereffects of Petersburg incorporating as a borough continue to shake out, with the neighboring City of Kupreanof catching peripheral issues. “Because of the formation of the Borough of Petersburg, the City of Kupreanof no longer receives (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) funding,” Mayor Mark Jensen said. “The city has asked the borough to distribute the equivalent of what they would have received in PILT funds had the borough not been formed.” While no assembly member contest...
When he first took a job with the City of Petersburg, now Petersburg Borough, Leo Luczak didn’t expect to be with it long enough to retire from it. “It was supposed to be full time, temporary for three to four months, and it’s been 28 years,’’ he said. Starting as building inspector, Luczak was quickly fitted for new hats, gaining the titles and duties of Community Development director and supervising a building maintenance crew. The new roles came with new learning curves as well, throwing him headlong into bureaucratic waters he had only... Full story
Petersburg Public Library just finished the grant phase of a project to digitally preserve local Tlingit and borough history, according to Taralee Alcock, Library Director. The grant, obtained from the Institute for Museum and Library services and administered by the Alaska State Library, was for $16,940, which gave the library a "foot in the door'' to begin adding the wealth of local history available to a much greater electronic catalogue than is available at home. "We added 200 photographs...
A Kake-Petersburg Intertie (KPI) project update was given during this week's Southeast Conference held in Wrangell. The KPI includes a proposed electrical transmission line that would connect Kake to a SEAPA (Southeast Alaska Power Agency) substation in Petersburg. Kake, a community of just over 550 people, is situated on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island and is working to find cheaper alternatives to costly diesel, which provides the bulk of their power currently. “The Kake-Petersburg Intertie would transmit power at either 69 or 130 kil... Full story
The 7th annual Rainforest Festival kicks off next week. There are many highlights this year including a portable planetarium for viewing a projection of the night sky indoors and the first ever Rain Forest Run half marathon. The Rain Forest Run half marathon, a 13.1 mile run or walk, will be the first event of the festival. The run will be held on Labor Day, Sept.1, on a course beginning at central Mitkof Island and ending at Sandy Beach Park. "The event was organized by local runners eager for... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly met Monday evening and approved several ordinances and motions. The assembly unanimously approved on the third and final reading the ordinance to increase and restructure electric rates. Mayor Mark Jensen was not present at the first two readings of the ordinance and asked Power and Light Superintendent Joe Nelson to clarify whether the rate increase sought to cover depreciation, build reserves or keep the department balanced. Nelson said the money from the increased rate will be used to cover some of the...
Borough Manager Steve Geisbrecht gave his report to the assembly at Monday's meeting. Replacement lighting at the South Harbor should be completed this week, including installation of the final five new fixtures and the removal of the old fixtures. Planning and design work is beginning on the possible replacement of the aging Cat electric generators. Replacement parts are no longer manufactured, and both units are reaching the end of their useful life. The borough is working with SEAPA and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to deal with...
The Borough Assembly voted unanimously to accept the bid award from Northwood Sand and Gravel to furnish 1000 tons of 3/8"-minus traction sand to the Public Works Department. Public Works Director Karl Hagerman recommended the company's low bid of $36 per ton with a total expenditure of $36,000. The funding for the material was already budgeted by the department. Two bids were received, with Ketchikan Ready Mix bidding $40 per ton. Northwood Sand and Gravel is owned by Steve Nelson and operated out of the Thomas Bay area....
WRANGELL — There's finally a place to put discardable gill nets in Wrangell, perhaps at last solving a problem that has been hassling the island. In a recent survey, Wrangell Cooperative Association's Indian General Assistance Program (WCA-IGAP) found that illegal dumping was residents' number-one environmental concern. Among the items being abandoned, old gill nets were a particularly troublesome issue. “It has been a problem in the past,” said Ruby McMurren, project supervisor at Wrangell Public Works. “Nets were being dumped everywh...
Representatives from the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) visited Petersburg last weekend, toured local art-related businesses and organizations and met with stakeholders about the role of the arts in the local community and economy. Laura Forbes, ASCA's art education program director, and Shannon Daut, the executive director, were on hand Sunday for their first meeting in Petersburg to discuss the programs and support ASCA has to offer as well as to learn more about the needs of the community. “We at the state arts council are e...
Members of the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to write a letter of support for the North End Ferry Authority to use the Banana Point launch ramp as an interim ferry terminal. The North End Ferry Authority is proceeding with plans to restore passenger and vehicle ferry service between Coffman Cove, Wrangell and South Mitkof to begin in spring 2015. Previously, North End Ferry Authority officials were working with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities... Full story
Petersburg Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht presented his report to the assembly at Monday's meeting. Replacement lighting at the South Harbor is finally nearing completion. We plan to remove the last of the old fixtures during the high tide on August 13. The old fixtures are mounted on the pilings, which makes them difficult to access except at a high tide. Power and Light is ordering material and getting ready for the new line extension for the Drive Down facility. The borough is preparing to do a significant amount of right-of-way clearing t...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — In the secluded island village of Angoon in Southeast Alaska, a long-talked-about airport is still in the works. Planning for the Angoon airport -- which in rural Alaska means a single runway and access road — began a decade ago, and despite community support, transportation planners say it will be many more years before small airplanes can land on the island. ``Will I still be alive by the time it actually goes in?'' Sue Bates, co-owner of the Angoon Trading Company, asked jokingly in a recent interview. ``Honestly, I thi...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following during Monday’s assembly meeting: The borough has seen increased littering and other activity in the Frederick Point area. We have assigned officers to extra patrol efforts in the area. Borough staff will meet with architects July 24 to discuss final design concepts for the police and municipal building renovation. Officer Williams is back from maternity leave. She and the baby are doing well and staff is happy to have her back. Assessor Mike Renfro arrived Friday and will be in town f...
It came as no surprise when the first price postings last week tanked for Bristol Bay sockeye salmon to $1.20 a pound, with an extra 15 cents for chilled fish. That compares to a base price of $1.50 a pound last year. The Bristol Bay catch topped 28 million reds by Friday, 11 million more than projected, and the fish were still coming. (Alaska’s total sockeye salmon catch as of July 18 was over 37 million and counting.) Demand for the fish is strong by both foreign and U.S. buyers, but the downward press on prices stems from lots of c...
