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Considering the shallow, rocky waters in the Blind River Rapids, SSRAA production manager Bill Gass was unsure of how successful the beach seine operation to hand deliver king salmon broodstock to Crystal Lake Hatchery would be. But the team of 20 folks, including local volunteers and staff from the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game, successfully captured and transported 146 live king salmon during the first two Tuesdays in July,...
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10 volunteers pulled on their rubber boots and rain jackets last Friday to search Petersburg's beaches for suspicious crab carapaces in observation of European Green Crab Awareness Day. After breaking into four groups, the volunteers combed the waterfronts of the Wilson Creek camp area, Crescent Beach, Greens Camp, and Woodpecker Cove; they found 33 carapaces in total, none of which were green crab. "I think it went well. I think it's good we didn't find any green crab," said organizer and...
Petersburg's tribe plans to add sidewalks to some streets and build a new trail in coming years. The Petersburg Indian Association approved a four-year infrastructure plan on July 17 after finalizing the project list at a public meeting earlier in the month. The tribe will partner with the Petersburg Borough to add sidewalks along residential streets near the Petersburg Community Center. Debra O'Gara is the tribal council president. "Right now, in the middle of winter, it's really dark back...
The window to file for candidacy in Petersburg's municipal election is now open. Folks in town who meet the qualifications for local office can add their name to the ballot by turning in required paperwork to the Borough Clerk's office before the window closes on Aug. 20. A total of 14 seats will be up for election this fall. Each position is for a three-year term. Among the local elected positions will be two seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly, currently occupied by assembly members Bob...
If it passes its final reading at the next Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting, a ballot proposition this fall will ask borough voters to authorize $19.3 million in new debt for the Water and Wastewater utilities. The loans would come from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation revolving loan fund, which provides municipal water utilities with loans for capital projects at 1.5% interest, 20-year repayment. The authorization of the debt would sunset after five years, meaning the util...
An ordinance was introduced at Monday's Assembly meeting to adjust the FY25 budget for known changes. The top item was for Harbor Department disposal of derelict vessels, increasing the budgeted amount from $10 thousand to $250 thousand dollars. The budget increase is described as necessary to take care of removing two large derelict boats currently in the harbor. The budget request coincided with another ordinance introduced on Monday which would amend Petersburg Municipal Code to add a...
Petersburg pays some of the lowest electricity rates in Alaska - 12 cents per residential kilowatt hour compared to the average in Alaska of 24.36 cents - thanks to the abundant renewable energy produced at the Swan Lake and Tyee Lake hydroelectric projects run by the Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA). SEAPA hydro continuously powers the communities of Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan, except once each year when SEAPA schedules a ten-day shutdown at each project to work through a flurry...
Representatives of Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) and the Hutli committee and members of the Séet Ká Kwáan Dancers welcomed the public to witness the unveiling of the story totem pole at Sandy Beach Park on July 5. The totem pole was created by Tlingit carver Fred Fulmer Sr., Saat-Kaa, of Everett, WA - commissioned by PIA for the Hutli project. "Hutli is a Tlingit work roughly translated to Thunderbird and the thundering sound of the wings," Brenda Louise told the sizeable crowd on hand for...
The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church applied for two conditional use permits during the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission's regular meeting on Tuesday. Spearheaded by Juneau architect Rich Conneen - who attended the meeting remotely - both permits were approved by the Planning Commission, giving the church approval to construct a church in the same single-family residential lot it previously occupied, as well as allowing use of the parking lot at 306 N 3rd St. for required off-street...
Petersburg has a tight housing market - last year a survey found the town would need an additional 300 homes in the next decade. But a new local program aims to make it easier for people to add small homes, also known as Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, to their property. The Borough of Petersburg has developed detailed, pre-permitted blueprints that are available to residents free of charge. Community Development Director Liz Cabrera said she hopes it provides people with affordable, doable...
Ordinance 2024-11 — to place before voters an amendment to the borough charter to remove the requirement of voter ratification for future changes to sales tax exemptions — failed in its final reading at the July 1 assembly meeting. Borough Finance Director Jody Tow explained during the prior assembly meeting that, if passed, this change would be helpful during times of unknown state revenues to free up the assembly to act more flexibly and quickly to resolve budgetary issues. Petersburg is the...
A power outage affected downtown Petersburg on Wed., July 10 from around 10:30 a.m. until around noon. The outage was caused by a transformer failing in its vault located in the sidewalk on Excel Street near the Hammer & Wikan Hardware store, Petersburg Utility Director Karl Hagerman told the Pilot. Smoke was observed coming out of the sidewalk vault after the transformer's failure, causing some concern to bystanders. The power went out when the transformer fault tripped the breaker for the...
The Pedal/Paddle battle will be returning for its 10th year in Petersburg, Alaska. After raising $20,400 for education in 2023, the Petersburg Medical Center is aiming higher this time. "Our goal this year is $24,000 because it's 2024, we're shooting big," Community Wellness Manager Julie Walker said. In 2023, PMC gave out four scholarships, three to Petersburg High School graduates and one to a PMC nursing student. However, there's more to these scholarships. "We can offer a lot of money to...
Located midway down the Southeast panhandle is LeConte Glacier. Since the 1980s, Petersburg has sent high school students to LeConte Glacier to measure how it has shifted over time. The late Paul Bowen conducted the first survey in 1983 and it has been a community-driven science study since. On June 14, 2024, a group of 7th-grade students got to go out to LeConte Glacier with Oregon State University scientists. This was somewhat of a rare occurrence as Glaciologist Erin Pettit and Oceanographer...
Several large derelict vessels moored in Petersburg's harbors, have reached a point where they might not survive another winter. Harbormaster Glo Wollen is working with Borough Attorney Sara Heideman to adapt Petersburg's municipal code concerning derelict vessels, before it's too late. Currently, Petersburg's municipal code includes a set of procedures that direct the harbor to impound or auction abandoned or potentially dangerous derelict vessels. The new procedure being developed will...
Petersburg teachers will likely have a contract for the next three years. That's because a deal between the teachers union and the school district met a final requirement on Friday when Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed the state operating budget without vetoing any one-time public education funding. The two groups came to a tentative contract agreement in May that was contingent on Dunleavy approving all $175 million dollars for public education in the state operating budget. That agreement came after...
Alaska's freshly signed capital budget includes state funding for a program meant to encourage land development. It's a single line: Statewide Housing Development, $4 million. But according to Republican Senator Bert Stedman of Sitka, that money could help shake loose some land for much-needed housing. He said there's a lot of land around the state, but it's not getting developed. "The economics don't work, due to the cost of the infrastructure, mainly the roads and the utilities," he said. "So...
Educator, psychologist, and international advocate Dr. Paloma Pavel will be hosting her workshop "Resilience for Community Builders" on Tuesday, July 9 at 2PM at the public library, Based on her experience as the coauthor of "Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty" and editor of "Breakthrough Communities," Pavel invites attendees to learn how communities like Petersburg can build more personal and community resilience. "Part of what we'll be looking at is how [we can] face the challenges...
The Petersburg Hospital Guild is a non-profit organization that was established in 1937. Since the beginning, the Hospital Guild has operated the Charity Box thrift shop – currently located on First Street behind the visitor center and open on Mondays all summer. “We only use it in the summer because it has no heat,” Hospital Guild President Tekla Israelson said. “You couldn’t comfortably work here during the winter.” Every person who works at the thrift store is a volunteer and a member of t...
There are a lot of classic games during Petersburg's 4th of July celebration – log rolling, the money pile, the egg toss. Nathan Lopez runs the main street events on the 3rd, hosted by the Lighthouse Church. He said some events do get changed from year to year. "We had one year where we actually had pies with herring in it," he said. "And then we realized that was a bad decision. I mean, I should have just already recognized that was a bad decision." Side note: the herring was raw. "So it was k...
Petersburg utility customers are being asked to check what material the water service lines connecting to their homes or buildings are made of. This is part of a nationwide service line inventory required because of an EPA rules revision earlier this year. A survey was mailed out along with June's utility bills; it provides illustrated instructions on how to inspect your water service line, what to look for, and how to report the results. Taking part in the service line inventory is a...
Coast Guard Sector Southeast received a call Tuesday morning, shortly before 10:00 a.m., that the Petersburg-based seiner the Pamela Rae was taking on water in Anita Bay, located on Etolin Island near Wrangell. The call came from the F/V Confidence, relaying a call from their sister fishing vessel Barbara which was on the scene and providing samaritan support, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Matt Naylor told the Pilot. The Pamela Rae was taking on water fast and was rolling over. They had...
The Norwegian Resistance during World War II was a dark time for Norway. From 1940 to 1945, thousands of Norwegians fought in this movement against Nazi Germany. The Norwegians gained independence in 1905, but when Nazi Germany invaded, the Norwegians had to do everything they could to maintain their national identity and solidarity. On Thursday, June 27, at the Petersburg Public Library, there will be an opportunity to learn and discuss the Norwegian Resistance when Don Pugnetti Jr. talks...
A ballot proposition on this October municipal ballot will put the question to Petersburg voters whether to increase the amount of sales tax that can be collected on a single purchase from $72.00 to $300.00. At their regular meeting on June 17 the Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed Ordinance 24-10 in its third and final reading to propose the municipal code amendment for this sales tax exemption change to borough voters. Currently in the borough, sales tax liability for any single...
