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We are ecstatic that the U.S. Coast Guard will operate another cutter out of Petersburg after the Anacapa is taken out of service. True, it’s a smaller vessel than the Anacapa, with a smaller crew, but we’ll take it. The Coast Guard’s Petersburg operations make a huge impact on our economy. The payroll alone is significant. Then start adding in lease payments to the borough for the mooring facilities, housing for families, supplies and goods — often purchased locally, fuel purchases and all manner of repairs and the sum starts to become...
I’ll keep this brief since a reporter shouldn’t be near an op-ed page. I wrote a few stories for the Pilot over an 11-month period and now I’m leaving, back to my home state, Michigan, where I will be editor of a newspaper. My departure is not because I don’t like the Pilot or the town. This newspaper is full of people with character and grit and love. Petersburg is lucky to have it. I’d like to stay, but this opportunity presented itself. Thank you to those who read the newspaper. You fight the good fight just by glancing at it. Also, to...
Great emergency services team To the Editor: Years ago I was a member of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. I remember some big fires downtown where everyone in the department was on the fireline for days. Here the community jumped out to help move hoses when asked and then stepped back from the scene until their help was asked for again. (The new police chief from down south was shocked that there was no need for crowd control.) I remember stopping at the fire hall during those events to change out of my soaked bunker gear into...
To your good health To the Editor: April 14th is the Petersburg Health Fair. The medical technologists performed testing on close to 600 people this year. Thank you to the laboratory personnel who more than quadrupled their workload over the past month. Thank you to the many hospital and volunteer hands involved as well, from scheduling lab tests, managing payment records, reviewing results, calling people back about abnormal results and handling all the paperwork that is inevitably created. Without everyone’s dedication and hard work, this e...
Since June 2017 this newspaper has received three price increases totaling $167 metric/ton from our Canadian newsprint supplier. This newspaper, along with other Alaskan publishers, purchases their newsprint from Canadian manufacturers because there are not enough U.S. paper mills to meet the demands of the newspaper industry. The Trump administration has levied a 22% tariff on newsprint imported from Canada based upon the complaint of a single paper mill (North Pacific Paper Company) that is accusing Canadian mills of engaging in dumping...
You deal poison, you get locked up To the Editor: I would like to congratulate our police chief, his officers and staff and all the agencies that coordinated with the Petersburg Police that assisted in arresting the meth producers and dealers this past week. These arrests are long overdue and very welcome. What a great resignation present for our chief. I wish you were staying. I do have two questions/concerns. The first is why are these people not in jail? They were let out with minimal or no bail. This sends a really bad message to other...
Be considerate To the Editor: I quit trying to walk the Hungry Point Trail a while back because I was afraid that if I lost my balance on the ice or snow, I’d fall into a dog pile. This morning between Hungry Point and the top of 14th Street, I counted 27 dog piles, and those were just the ones I had to avoid stepping in. I’m sure there were more, but I wasn’t looking for them. None of these are Daisy’s: she gets walked on a leash, and I always carry a plastic bag (they hardly take up any room in a pocket) and clean up after her. It only ta...
Forensic accounting essential To the Editor: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" We’re all familiar with this thought experiment in observation and perception. So what if an investigation by the Washington Office (WO) visits the Petersburg, and Thorne Bay Ranger Districts and concludes in a report never intended to be made public, that thousands of trees fell in our public forest illegally? Does it make a sound in local newsprint when finally revealed? Not a peep was heard from the Pet...
Stop selling To the Editor: Thank you for printing our recent letter calling for local stores (one in particular) to stop selling assault rifles. We were perplexed by the editor’s note that followed our letter and wish to correct the record. You stated that local stores do not sell automatic weapons, implying that assault weapons and automatic weapons are the same thing. They are not. While there is no universal definition of assault weapon, the term commonly includes both automatic and semi-automatic weapons. The Adams Arms 5.56mm F...
In one of the most confounding and complex moves ever attempted by a manager, the Borough Assembly approved Steve Giesbrecht’s plan to reorganize the Power and Light and Public Works Dept. leadership. The fact that it required changes to six ordinances, as well as ignored credible and often eloquent testimony by knowledgeable people in the electrical field, along with the public opposing the measure, reveals the manager’s stubborn pursuit to save perhaps $100,000 per year in a department that operated efficiently and productively for over 40...
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...
Petersburg residents, along with other Alaskans need to participate in the larger debate on gun violence and steer clear of the knee-jerk reaction, to simply restrict gun sales. We suspect that gun violence that could be perpetrated on most Alaskan communities would make use of a privately owned weapon, not one recently purchased from a firearms dealer or merchant. In some gun violence cases, as mentioned by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, we’re paying a price caused by the, “hardening of our culture,” over the last 40 years from the influence of vi...
Experience Matters To the Editor: It is my understanding that the borough assembly wants to combine PMP&L and Public Works. There is a big difference in the management of the electrical industry and the management of the public works. Both are important departments, each providing a service to the community. I agree with those who contend that experience matters when it comes to selecting a replacement for the Superintendent of PMP&L. The experience goes beyond just managing employees. That in its self is a task, especially if you don't have...
Teen issues statement on harassing game charge To the editor: Dear Community of Petersburg, I very much regret many of my recent decisions, totally wishing I could turn back the clock and and have acted differently. I’m learning the hard way that life simply doesn’t work that way, and that other people and living beings were harmed by my behavior. I feel ashamed of myself, and want to do whatever it takes to change. My commitment to myself, my family, and my community is; to be better, to be more thoughtful and kind, to help rather than hur... Full story
Citizens Expect Integrity To the Editor: Recently the citizens of Petersburg voted to define the eligibility of seniors to receive sales tax exempt status. This definition was that all citizens of the Petersburg Borough age 65 years or older qualify for sales tax exemption. No place on the recent ballot was there wordage of a fee requirement for an exemption card. Nor was there wordage stating that the seniors of the community are a burden and must pay for an exemption the voters determined they had already earned. Earned, as beneficial,...
Experience always matters Despite the borough assembly vote, I strongly support advertising for a successor for Joe Nelson, PMP&L’s former electrical superintendent. The demands from an ever-expanding residential/business/tourism customer base, plus SEAPA/Crystal Lake hydro are too important to relegate to a 1/2-time Public Works-PMP&L reorganization scenario. Relevant technical experience always matters. Suzanne Wood...
As discussion continues on the Power and Light reorganization, it’s important to quantify the savings and identify where they will be placed within the borough budget. Saving money in the Power and Light Dept. will not help the borough’s general fund. It will only bring savings to the Power and Light fund. The funds cannot be transferred to the general fund on an ongoing basis. Since the PMP&L fund is a self-supporting enterprise, it operates independent of the borough’s general fund. In other words, it pays its own way, as do the sanit...
To the Editor: With tough economic times come difficult decisions. Some services may be reduced, we must stretch the dollars that we have, and in some cases, we might have to pay a little more to keep things going. That being said, the last group of people who should bear this increase in burden are the members of our elder community. The proposed $100 fee assessed to seniors who want a tax exempt card is, for lack of better words, wrong. While there are those in the community who can afford to maintain a residence in town and a winter home...
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....
When ownership of a newspaper or broadcast outlet changes, it’s big news. It’s the lead story of the day. Everyone wants to know who the new owner is, and what changes will be made to the organization. In the case of KSTK, Wrangell’s public radio station, the proposed ownership change was advanced with barely a whisper to the public. With approximately 234 letters mailed to active supporters and bits of information shared with a few others, minimal notification was made of changes that were coming to Wrangell’s station. This newspaper stumble...
I am writing in support of the Alaskans for Integrity ballot initiative. I am one of three statewide co-chairs for this initiative and I am excited to share why this initiative is as good as — maybe even better — than sliced bread. When I first showed up in the legislature, there were some things that didn't make sense to me. Like why there's a culture of lobbyists wining and dining legislators over 25-dollar-an-entree meals at downtown Juneau restaurants. Why city or borough elected officials are required by state law to adhere to a far mor...
Lack of support from KSTK public radio listeners and businesses in Wrangell may bring ownership changes to the station. A public notice published in last week’s Wrangell Sentinel foreshadows the transfer of radio station assets to CoastAlaska in Juneau. CoastAlaska provides administrative support and other services for seven Southeast public radio stations including KSTK. Reductions in grant revenue and local donations, has made the station’s financial situation untenable. We’re not convinced that moving the station’s operations to CoastAl...
Pay present debts first To the Editor: A recent news story mentioning an upcoming study to be done by BDO (I think these are the letters for the company doing the study) concerning building vs remodeling our hospital has me very concerned. This company, supposedly did a study for our neighbors in Wrangell and came to the conclusion that Wrangell could afford to build a $52 million new hospital. Unless I'm not hearing news correctly, I thought that the Wrangell Medical Center has had to go to the Wrangell Assembly for over $250,000 in loans to...
Do the job To the Editor: I have been on the Petersburg City council for years dating back to the late 90s. That was a time when the timber industry was in its last gasp for survival, which for the most part died. There was a lot of disagreement and discussion with meetings that went past midnight on many occasions. The thing I remember most about those times was that no matter how much we might have disagreed over resolutions, ordinances or appointments, there was always the willingness to get the subject on the floor for discussion and...
End confusion To the Editor: So there is no confusion over the marijuana excise taxes that have been paid: Since July of this year, The 420 has paid in over $9,200 in excise taxes for product that was brought into town from elsewhere. The 420 has also paid over $12,000 in sales tax revenue. We have a great relationship with the financial office and things have gone very smoothly since the onset of business. I felt that the comments from Judy Tow, amid the article about Morgan, lead people to assume the money was all from Morgan’s business when...
