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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...
A 59-year-old Petersburg man was injured Sunday afternoon in the borough rock quarry after handling what explosive experts have identified as Tovex - a commercial grade explosive typically used for blasting in quarries, mines and road construction. An individual called 911 around 1 p.m. reporting the injured man lying outside of the Petersburg Medical Center Emergency Room and informed dispatchers he could have been injured by dynamite, a Petersburg Police press release states. "The injured pers... Full story
July 9 A caller reported a possible trespass. A caller reported a vehicle going into a ditch. A caller reported credit card fraud. A caller reported a boat on fire near the ferry terminal. The fire department was paged. Police received a report of a disabled vehicle. A caller turned in found medication. A caller reported a vehicle blocking a driveway. July 10 A power outage was reported. Police gave a warning to an individual for lane travel. Police arrested Anthony E. Green, 23, for Driving While License is Canceled, Suspended or Revoked....
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following information during the last Borough Assembly meeting: Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart and Giesbrecht met with community stakeholders regarding transient/homeless issues. The group discussed potential problems and solutions and is gathering more information. Swihart assisted Superior Court Judge Trevor Stevens and staff with a security assessment of the courthouse. There were several highlights from the recent Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) Board meeting in Wrangell. Official...
WRANGELL — Thomas Bay Power commissioners voted 5-0 to support the handover of Tyee Lake to the Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA). The special meeting, held June 5, was the commission’s first in at least two months and drew Petersburg commissioners as well as the Petersburg mayor to the borough assembly chambers. Critics of the transfer have said the handover would essentially put borough resources in the hands of an unelected bureaucracy. Supporters generally say the transfer will limit the liability Wrangell faces in connection with Tye...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following during the last Borough Assembly meeting: New ordinances have been forwarded to the court for inclusion in the Courtview and TrACS systems. This will allow the court to recognize the revisions and ultimately allow for more efficient processing of citations. Preparation for the annual FERC inspection of Blind Slough has begun and includes installation of a flange and plat over the low-level outlet to facilitate the FERC mandated operation of the outlet valve. The valve hasn’t been o...
Petersburg's Public Works Department has turned to the state for assistance in an accidental spillage of waste. The Wastewater Utility transports and buries piles of solid waste at the borough's landfill. This week, while digging a hole with an excavator, Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said, sludge setting to the side to be buried slid down a hill to a creek that runs to the Sandy Beach Park area. Hagerman said the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has been notified, and that the borough will be working with DEC to...
Repair work on the Rasmus Enge Memorial Bridge is running ahead of schedule. The anticipated $80,000 repair job began April 1 and was expected to take eight weeks to complete. Assistant Director of Public Works Chris Cotta said an Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) bridge inspection report determined that around 75 stringers needed replacement. “We won’t know the exact number until we get done with it,” Cotta said. “We’re going by ADOT inspections and our own observations. I’m guess... Full story
The Petersburg Borough recycling program has saved the borough $8,500 in solid waste disposal costs since the program began in February but the program still needs to see an increase in customers to pay for itself. In order for the recycling program to break even, 40 percent of Petersburg solid waste customers need to be recycling. Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said, although recycling rates fluctuate widely from week to week, the diversion rate is averaging around 27 percent when... Full story
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report during the last borough assembly meeting: Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart testified before Alaska Senate committees last week in reference the municipal remodel and drug trends in Southeast Alaska. The work on the Rasmus Enge Memorial Bridge project has commenced. The bridge has been closed to through traffic during the project and we will try to accommodate bridge residents and businesses as much as possible. The street crew will be sweeping and washing streets from 6:00 a.m. to...
Thank you Petersburg Indian Association To the Editor: Without the foresight and initiative to begin a voluntary curbside recycling program many years ago, many things would not have happened in Petersburg. Many different tribal members would not have had jobs over the years, faithfully picking up recycling from environmentally aware volunteer recyclers on a weekly basis. As the Borough introduces and welcomes Wes and Angie Davis, owners of Ruger’s Trucking, as our new recycling collection contractor I want to recognize and thank PIA, and t...
Higher than expected recycling collection contract bids have forced the Public Works Department to exceed its budget this year by $43,000. The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously Monday night to award the $80,400 annual collection contract to Ruger’s Trucking. Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor asked how soon the unanticipated budget shortfall would be corrected. “If we approve this contract, what is the vision to narrow that deficit as much as possible or make this potentially profitable,” Stanton Gregor asked. Karl Hager...
During the Borough Assembly’s March 3 meeting, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following: Interest in Losing Big has increased this year and continues to be a great program for our community. Just short of 400 votes were cast through the competition—triple what we typically had last year. The Parks and Recreation Department is beginning plans for the whale observatory. Staff is looking at rock needs, plants and shrubbery clearing over the next year, and is working with Public Works on the project. The Parks and Recreation Dep...
Alaska seafood is free of radiation stemming from Japan’s 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster. That was the take home message from the Alaska Dept. of Conservation to the state Senate Resources Committee at a recent hearing. Citing information from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Pacific states including Hawaii, California, Oregon and Washington, as well as Health Canada, “all have demonstrated there are no levels of radiation that are of a pub...
Petersburg residents who utilize the landfill for commercial salvaging will still be able to take scrap metal after assembly voted down a proposed change that would have eliminated for-profit salvaging. Public Works Director Karl Hagerman made the change as the borough updated its sanitation ordinance. “The department, while we’re very supportive of the salvage program in general, has seen operational problems with commercial salvage for-profit,” Hagerman said during a public hearing on the salvage program last month. “The salvage program was d...
The borough manager reported the following information during his bimonthly report to the assembly. North Harbor main floats one and two are in place. Workers are busy driving the piles to grade as well as laying the waterline so the large fingers can get attached to the north side of float one. Anchor Electric is working long hours and is ahead of schedule. TAMICO, PND Engineers and Harbormaster Glo Wollen attended the pre-construction meeting for the drive down dock. Activity should begin within the next couple of weeks. Sgt. Kerr is back...
With less than two weeks to go before the borough’s recycling program begins, more than half of residential customers have signed up. As of Tuesday morning, 630 people signed up for the program, roughly 57 percent of total residential customers. According to a report Public Works Director Karl Hagerman presented to the borough assembly in October, the community needs to increase its recycling rate to at least 30 percent—roughly 760 tons of material—to pay for the program. The more the community recycles, the less the borough has to pay for s...
