Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 205
January The assembly approved of a COVID-19 dashboard which tracked cases in the community. Local businesses received a total of $15.08 million in aid in the first round of COVID-19 aid released through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. PMC vaccinated approximately 350 residents aged 65 or older at a vaccine drive in the community gym. PMC was given permission by the borough to apply for a second PPP loan totaling $1.8 million. PMC applied and received a loan of...
Petersburg residents took up shovels, flashlights, and rain boots Tuesday in a day that saw freshly fallen snow followed by a power outage and a broken water main flooding the streets of town. 8.5 inches of snow fell Tuesday, setting a new record for most snowfall on December 21 of any year. So far, Petersburg has accumulated a total of 74.3 inches of snow this winter according to the National Weather Service, well above the average for this point in the season of 21.3 inches. While people outsi... Full story
The Borough Assembly passed Ordinance #2021-18 in its third and final reading which will increase electric utility rates to account for an increase in Southeast Alaska Power Agency rates and the cost of debt service for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment and the Scow Bay Standby Diesel Generation projects. The ordinance was proposed following the results of a rate study conducted by D. Hittle & Associated and passed unanimously in its first two readings. Utility Director Karl Hagerman...
The Borough Assembly held a discussion during Monday's meeting to figure out how the borough should spend funds received through the American Rescue Plan and considered a future work session on the topic. The borough received $634,000 in funds, $20,000 of which has already been spent on finishing the deck out the deck project at Mountain View Manor. Representatives from childcare programs in Petersburg wrote letters to the assembly requesting ARPA funds to recoup losses caused by the COVID-19...
An unexpected, strong weather system sent high winds tearing through Wrangell, snapping three Southeast Alaska Power Agency poles which blocked the highway at City Park and knocked out power to most of Wrangell for much of Tuesday and Wednesday. Petersburg buildings, businesses, and homes also went dark Tuesday afternoon from approximately 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. At 2:19 p.m., Utility Director Karl Hagerman reported that Petersburg was running on diesel generators while awaiting a report from...
The Borough Assembly voted to approve the first reading of Ordinance #2021-18 which aims to cover the utility revenue requirements and update language in the borough code during its November 17 meeting. The increase to electric rates is based on the results of a rate study conducted by D. Hittle & Associates. The rate study concluded that an increase in revenues is required to make up for the debt services associated with the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment and the Scow Bay Standby...
During Monday's meeting the Borough Assembly listened to a presentation by John Heberling on the Petersburg Municipal Power & Light 2021 electric rate study conducted by D. Hittle & Associates. The rate study proposes increases to electrical rates for all classes of customers in Petersburg with the full rate adjustment being made over the span of two years. The study identified future energy issues and how they would impact the forecasted cost of energy to Petersburg. The two major factors...
The Borough Assembly walked through each of the six maps being considered by the Alaska Redistricting Board during Tuesday's meeting and discussed each map's affects on Petersburg. The districts are redrawn every decade based off data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Each of the 40 districts must be socioeconomically integrated, reasonably compact, contiguous, and have an approximately equal number of people. This year that number is 18,335 per district. Members from the Alaska...
Theodore Merwin Smith, 84, died on October 3, 2021 at the Petersburg Medical Center in Petersburg, Alaska. He was born in Seattle, Washington to Ben and Margit Smith on April 5, 1937. He graduated from Petersburg High School in 1955 then went on to two years of college. He decided to join the Navy in 1957 where he served aboard the USS Dynamic and later the USS Lawrence. He was married to Lynn on Aug. 1, 1959. They were blessed with the birth of their daughter Renee Sept. 5, 1960 and son Rory... Full story
Utility Director Karl Hagerman gave a report on the Southeast Alaska Power Agency's recent board meeting to the Borough Assembly Monday. Hagerman stood in for Assembly Member Bob Lynn, Petersburg's voting member of the SEAPA Board, during the SEAPA meeting as Lynn was on vacation. Hagerman reported that the submarine cable project was complete and successful. SEAPA saved $2.2 million in contract costs by negotiating an assumption of risk related to weather delays for a cost per day of $258,000....
Hurricane force winds with gusts up to 70 mph dropped trees into power lines, bringing out borough line crews, public works employees and emergency services personnel on Friday night. According to a report from Utility Director Karl Hagerman it started with a tree in the line at 919 Sandy Beach Road across the street from the Bible Church. The crew was able to clear it without damage to the power or telecom lines. Many other trees at this location came down but they did not reach the road. The decision was made to close the road to traffic...
Voters will decide the future of Crystal Lake hydroelectric power in Petersburg on October 5. Proposition 1 aims to raise an amount not to exceed $7.8 million in electric utility revenue bonds to refurbish the Blind Slough hydroelectric plant and add additional standby diesel generation at Scow Bay. Though the borough will incur long-term indebtedness for a term not to exceed 25 years, supporters of the proposition say the upgrades are necessary and will benefit Petersburg. The plant was built...
We encourage voters to vote YES on the $7.8 million bond issue proposed by Petersburg Power and Light to pay for back-up diesel generation and the refurbishment of the Crystal Lake hydro plant. Petersburg has enjoyed the benefits from the construction of the Crystal Lake hydro project that was built by forward thinking residents in the 1920s. The current operation, that was last upgraded in 1957, generates power at 1.3-cents per kilowatt hour. It’s a bargain rate compared to anywhere else in Alaska or the Lower 48. The project will enable f...
Hurricane force winds with gusts up to 70 mph dropped trees into power lines, bringing out borough line crews, public works employees and emergency services personnel on Friday night. According to a report from Utility Director Karl Hagerman it started with a tree in the line at 919 Sandy Beach Road across the street from the Bible Church. The crew was able to clear it without damage to the power or telecom lines. Many other trees at this location came down but they did not reach the road. The... Full story
Utility Director Karl Hagerman gave a presentation during Monday's Borough Assembly meeting on the electric utility bond issue. The bond issue would provide funding for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment project and for the Scow Bay Generation project. Hagerman's presentation was comprised of two main focuses: what would happen if no action was taken on the bonds and what would the impacts of the increased rates be. "I did get a hypothetical from Assembly Member Kensinger, and I had...
The Borough Assembly unanimously approved ordinance #2021-12 which will place the approval of funding the Blind Slough and Scow Bay utility projects on the fall ballot for voter approval. The 5-0 vote saw the next step in the process of approving $7.8 million in revenue bonds to be used for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment Project and the Scow Bay Generation Design Study. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the revenue bonds will help replace virtually all the equipment in...
The Borough Assembly agreed to engage with Stradling, Yocca, Carlson and Rauth (Stradling) for counsel services regarding a possible bond issuance that would fund upgrades to the Blind Slough Hydroelectric project and purchase additional standby diesel generators at their meeting on June 21. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the cost of Stradling's services are unknown, but he estimates the total cost to be about $25,000. The borough will not be billed for Stradling's services until...
On July 1, Southeast Alaska Power Agency will begin an eight day process of removing a damaged submarine cable and replacing it with a new triple conductor cable between Woronofski and Vank islands. Site preparation is expected to begin on June 1, with the removal of the faulty cable taking place one month later on July 1, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson at a Borough Assembly meeting on May 17. Crews will then begin laying about 3.5 miles of new cable. The manufacturing and the installation of the...
Above average snowpacks at Tyee and Swan Lakes and a slow temperature warm up in the region will likely keep Southeast Alaska Power Agency's hydroelectric facilities adequately supplied with water through the summer months. As of the Assembly Meeting on May 17, the water level at Tyee Lake was at approximately 1,350 feet, and Swan Lake was at about 315 feet of water, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson. Tyee Lake can handle another 40 feet of water before SEAPA will have to begin spilling water; Swan...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency will likely have to raise rates to pay off bonding for the replacement of a damaged submarine cable, said SEAPA board voting member Bob Lynn at a Borough Assembly meeting Monday. At a recent SEAPA board meeting, board members discussed bonding as a way to pay for the approximately $14 million replacement submarine cable. SEAPA has to pay Sumitomo, a Japanese firm, for the cable at one time, but $14 million is nearly all SEAPA has in financial assets, said Lynn. The...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency could replace a damaged submarine cable that is used as a backup cable to provide Petersburg with power as early as this summer, according to SEAPA Board of Directors Chairman Bob Lynn at the Borough Assembly meeting on Jan. 19. Sumitomo, a Japanese firm, was contracted by SEAPA to construct a cable to replace a damaged submarine cable between Woronksofski and Vank islands for approximately $14 million. The cable was expected to be delivered in late July and...
Last year it may have seemed like a record breaking amount of rain fell on the city. After all, Petersburg had the wettest summer on record, and heavy showers in December caused parts of the borough to flood. According to Meteorologist Caleb Cravens with the Juneau Weather Service, the total amount of rainfall in 2020 was just about normal. "Overall, it may seem like it was a wet year, but it was just those summer months that were above normal that made everyone thinks it was super wet," said...
WRANGELL - The Southeast Alaska Power Agency provides power to the communities of Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan. CEO Trey Acteson said they have not had a rate increase in over 23 years, holding steady at 6.8 cents per kWh. However, due to anticipated costs in the near future, he reported that they are expecting a necessary rate increase sometime next year. "It is still a little early in the process to provide a firm number on any potential rate increases, but I can assure you the SEAPA Bo...
The Petersburg Parks and Recreation Aquatic Center suffered a catastrophic failure to its boiler breakers on Oct. 16 at approximately 8:30 P.M. that resulted in a fire and a city-wide brownout, according to a press release from borough officials. Parks and Rec. is working with Petersburg Municipal Power & Light and Mattingly Electric to determine the cause of the failure and restore power to other mechanical and lighting systems in the facility, according to the release. The borough consulted...
A contractor at Southeast Alaska Power Agency's Tyee Lake hydroelectric facility accidentally entered an incorrect control system input, resulting in a power outage in Wrangell and Petersburg Saturday morning, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson. SEAPA staff were conducting a training session associated with recent control upgrades when the error was made. Tyee Lake generation was lost at 9:15 A.M. on Sept. 26, said Robert Siedman, an electrical engineer with SEAPA. Power was restored 25 minutes later...
