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WRANGELL - he Southeast Alaska Power Agency held a two-day meeting in Wrangell last week, on June 19 and 20. The SEAPA board of directors consists of five voting community members and their alternates from Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan, which are the three communities the power agency supplies. During last week's meetings, the board agreed to pay the two cities of Wrangell and Petersburg almost $850,000 in a reimbursement package. The reimbursement plan was to pay back the two cities for...
On Monday, the Southeast Alaska Power Agency board of directors postponed a reimbursement plan that would repay Petersburg and Wrangell for their additional power costs over the past few months, but agreed to distribute the funds by June 30. According to Bob Lynn, Petersburg’s representative on the SEAPA board, there was a motion to approve the reimbursement at Monday’s meeting, but the board was uncertain about how to report the reduction in SEAPA’s revenue for tax purposes. Lynn said SEAPA wan...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency, representing the communities of Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan, decided to postpone a reimbursement plan to its two northern communities in their last meeting. Petersburg and Wrangell took on additional costs to keep the lights on in their towns over the past months, which they felt SEAPA should compensate them for. In a brief summary of recent events, Wrangell and Petersburg both receive hydropower from Tyee Lake. Due to dry weather last year, however,...
Don Jarrett of McMillen Jacobs Associates gave the borough assembly a presentation on the status of the Blind Slough Hydroelectric project and recommended a refurbishment of the powerhouse and penstock. McMillen Jacobs Associates performed a condition assessment of the project and came up with a list of recommendations for the work that needed to be done in order to keep the project operational through the remaining term of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license, which is up in 2034....
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency board passed a motion at their regular board meeting on Thursday that would reimburse the Petersburg and Wrangell communities for most of the associated costs for burning diesel generators beginning on Feb. 15 through March 15, 2019. “This is really significant for us,” said assembly member and SEAPA vice chairman Bob Lynn at an assembly meeting on Monday. “This means Petersburg will not have to put a supplemental surcharge for diesel fuel to our rate payers.” According to utility director Karl Hagerma...
The Petersburg Borough began running their diesel generators 24 hours a day on Tuesday as Southeast Alaska Power Agency lake levels drop due to dry weather conditions. As of Monday, Tyee Lake water levels were at 1261.6 feet of elevation and Swan Lake was at 280.9 feet, according to utility director Karl Hagerman. Crystal Lake was just below 10 feet . SEAPA set a draft limit of 1258 feet for Tyee Lake and 280 feet for Swan Lake. Once the two lakes reach their draft limits, Petersburg may have to separate from the inter-connect system and...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency held a teleconference last week, on Feb. 15, to discuss the ongoing power issues in the region. The SEAPA Board of Directors is made up of community members from the three cities: Two directors from Ketchikan, one from Petersburg, one from Wrangell, and a fifth seat that alternates between the cities (which belongs to Ketchikan this year.) The lights are usually kept on in the cities of Wrangell and Petersburg via hydropower from Tyee Lake. However, sometimes power from the lake is sold to Ketchikan, when the...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency board of directors approved an $800,000 rebate at their meeting in Petersburg last month to be distributed among the communities of Ketchikan, Petersburg and Wrangell; however, it may be the last rebate the borough could receive, according to Bob Lynn, Petersburg’s voting member on the SEAPA board. As some of the SEAPA facilities enter their 20-25 year life span, the board will be looking at all opportunities to save and borrow money and look for grant opportunities to replace the aging facilities, said Lynn a...
January The borough assembly received a proposed update to its zoning code that would introduce a new form of affordable housing, an expansion of the historical and industrial districts and the end of a requirement for businesses to include parking downtown. The borough assembly held a work session to discuss a plan to impose restrictions on the senior tax exemption. A possible annual fee to sales tax exemption card holders was agreed upon ranging between $50 and $60. Police Chief Kelly Swihart...
WRANGELL – Ice on the runway caused a minor incident involving an aircraft at the Tyee Lake Hydro Facility. On the morning of Dec. 17, a pilot contracted with Southeast Alaska Power Agency landed at the facility, located at the head of Bradfield Canal, about 40 miles south of Wrangell. The incident occurred around 9 a.m., according to SEAPA chairman Steve Prysunka. The contractor, who wished to not be named, said that the landing was fine, save for a patch of ice on the final portion of the landing strip. He said that the plane was going a...
The borough assembly appointed Bob Lynn as Petersburg’s voting member on the Southeast Alaska Power Agency board of directors and Robert Larson as the alternate member for 2019 at an assembly meeting on Monday. This will be Lynn’s second year serving as Petersburg voting member on the SEAPA board. In his letter of interest, Lynn said he wanted to continue working on a long-term plan to replace the high-cost structural portions of a grid that has reached the end of its life span, a project that began during his first year on the board. He sta...
The Petersburg Borough’s in-kind portion of a feasibility study to determine if the United States Army Corps of Engineers will dredge South Harbor and allow smoother egress increased by $50,000, and was approved by the assembly on Monday. “The money stays with us,” said harbormaster Glow Wollen at the assembly meeting on Monday. “We only use it if we spend it for this project. The borough’s in-kind contributions have increased to $100,000, from $50,000, which the borough has paid $32,349.11 of to date, according to a letter from Amber C....
Southeast Alaska Power Agency presented results of inspections of the Tyee Lake power tunnel and SEAPA’s submarine cables to board members on Thursday in Ketchikan. “Everything really looked good,” said Bob Lynn, Petersburg’s voting member on the SEAPA board. “I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. No obstructions. We don’t have to make any changes or spend any more money.” An inspection of the Tyee Lake tunnel was conducted on Sept. 12 by Hibbard Inshore, LLC for $207,096. A remotely operated vehicle was inserted into the tunnel, which u...
After a dry summer season, Crystal Lake’s water levels are 11 feet below the crest of the dam, according to utility director Karl Hagerman. “We’re having a very, very, very dry summer,” said Hagerman. Since the water level is so low, the hydro dam is unable to produce as much power, said Hagerman. Ordinarily, the borough purchases 75 percent of its electricity from the Southeast Alaska Power Agency. The remaining 25 percent is produced by the hydro dam and diesel generators. The average electricity produced by the borough in the month of July...
Petersburg Municipal Power & Light shut down power on June 19 in order to replace a Southeast Alaska Power Agency transmission pole in Falls Creek. The power was shut off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Twin Creek road and Crystal Lake Hatchery, said Scott Newman, general foreman with Petersburg Municipal Power & Light. Since the transmission pole was owned by SEAPA and not the city, SEAPA sent out their own contractors to conduct the work, said Newman. Petersburg Municipal Power & Light assisted SEAPA with some of the work and with shutting...
WRANGELL — The hunt is on for a whole crop of high-level management positions in different city departments. The City and Borough of Wrangell is in the early stages of finding replacements for the heads of the Nolan Center, Wrangell Municipal Light and Power and Public Works, plus the city’s top accountant and a newly-created maintenance lead position. The tidal wave of turnover started on April 16, when WMLP superintendent Clay Hammer stepped down in order to head projects for Southeast Alaska Power Agency. City manager Lisa Von Bargen rep...
Meeting in Wrangell this week, board members with Southeast Alaska Power Agency approved a municipal rebate and power rates for the coming year. Headquartered in Ketchikan, the organization generates and distributes power for the Gateway Borough, Wrangell and Petersburg. Board membership is split between the three member communities, meeting at regular intervals throughout the year to set rates and direct projects. Pending a successfully completed audit, member communities would split between...
The CEO of Southeast Alaska’s wholesale power provider stopped by an assembly meeting on Monday to update Petersburg on its projects and financial wins so far this year. Trey Acteson, CEO of Southeast Alaska Power Agency, the primary electric provider for Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan, explained multiple ways on how the organization is cutting costs, mostly from fighting strict regulatory proposals. “As many of you know,” Acteson said, “I’m pretty active in that arena.” SEAPA saved $30,000 annually when the Federal Energy Regulatory...
Heed the letters To the Editor: (As submitted to Mayor Jensen and Assembly Members) I recently became aware of your discussions to reorganize Petersburg Power & Light and appoint Karl Hagerman as a part-time Director of Petersburg’s electric utility. I believe this is a very risky and foolhardy move. Let me explain. Petersburg has been extremely fortunate to have had two very capable and highly qualified Power & Light Superintendents over the past 35 or so years. Dennis Lewis was hired in the early 1980s and was followed by Joe Nelson some 20 y...
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...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency governing board earlier this month approved moving forward with a remote inspection of the tunnels underlying the Tyee Lake hydroelectric plant. In his report to the board on February 8, SEAPA power systems specialist Ed Schofield explained a remotely operated vehicle would be needed to perform an inspection of the facility’s water conveyance structures. Unlike the dam at Swan Lake, Tyee is a natural lake which is tapped for the facility. Water is conducted to the powerhouse through an intake in the lake i...
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...
Was last year’s election for naught? We thought voters made their feelings well known by voting Brandi Thynes Marohl and Mark Jensen into their respective positions on the Assembly. Last week’s decision to revisit the Power and Light management plan in a continued attempt to save money is ill advised. Cut corners somewhere else. Many have said, “Everything is going well. We don’t need a high salaried superintendent.” One assembly member even suggested that everyone at Power and Light was getting along well and singing Kumbaya together....
A hydro power agency in Southeast Alaska proposed to cut a customer rebate last week after it increased by nearly $1 million in 2017, but the board shot it down while keeping the possibility of a future slash in play. Trey Acteson, CEO of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, or SEAPA -- which provides most of the power used by Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan -- gave two propositions to its board last Thursday: Give $2.7 million in rebate money back to the ratepayers, or cut it by 30 percent to save for future projects and debt. “I think i...
The borough assembly on Monday appointed two members to the board of an agency that provides about 60 percent of the power used in Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan. The vote on Monday was a redo after the first try in a previous meeting was deemed improper. The assembly had voted with closed ballots, which is only allowed when appointing a vice mayor, said Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson on Monday. In the do over, former Assembly Member Bob Lynn was selected as the voting member to represent Pet...
