The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a wishlist of community projects during their first meeting of the year on Jan. 6.
Every year, the Alaska Legislature puts together a capital budget — money to fund big ticket projects around the state. And every year, the Petersburg Borough requests some of that money for local projects, and names its top ten priorities.
Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor said he isn’t very optimistic the projects will receive large amounts of funding, but he likes the list of priorities.
“In the event some of these monies become available, I think they fit the needs of our community quite well,” he said.
The borough has a list of nearly 70 projects this year — most of which are unfunded and carried over from past years of making the annual requests.
Some projects are already underway, but not fully funded, like the Petersburg Medical Center’s new hospital. That project still needs $67 million for the main hospital building. It kept its top spot on the borough’s priority list for the third year in a row.
“The one I really like is seeing the medical center at the top of that list,” assembly member Stanton Gregor said. “That is our largest capital need, and community need as well. So I’ll be voting yes.”
Vice Mayor Donna Marsh is not a fan of the new hospital project, but she supports the overall list.
“I think there are so many other valid projects that we need funding for and assistance with. So I, myself, will vote yes,” she said.
Two new potential projects on the list include a dock south of town for small cruise ships and safety upgrades to the elementary school’s drop-off zone.
Other requests in Petersburg’s top ten include $1.8 million for a new accessible ramp at Petersburg’s South Harbor, $4 million for repairs to the aquatic center, and $350 thousand for safety gear for the fire department — as well as $2 million for the disinfectant study and engineering for upgrading Petersburg’s wastewater plant system.
But being on the borough’s list does not ensure a project will receive capital funding — even if it’s highly ranked. Last year, the Petersburg Medical Center’s new hospital project was the borough’s top priority, but it didn’t make it into the Legislature’s budget.
And projects that are initially included in the capital budget may get struck down by the governor’s veto pen. This year, the borough is also prioritizing a $2 million request for facilities at Banana Point — a frequently used place for launching boats near the southern part of Mitkof Island. It initially made it into the capital budget last year, but was vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
It’s also possible for projects to get state funding without being named a borough priority. Last year, a $30 thousand request for a new boardwalk at the town’s shooting range made it into the state’s capital budget and avoided the governor’s veto pen, but it was not a top priority on the list.
Assembly member Bob Lynn said, although it’s uncertain what will get funded through this annual process, he’s in support.
“What we have here,” he said, “is a pretty good ranking and a pretty good list.”
Petersburg’s assembly took less than five minutes to discuss and unanimously approve the capital projects list, with a 7–0 vote. Mayor Mark Jensen said that, in previous years, assembly deliberations over ranking project priority took a long time.
“Okay, we approved the capital projects list,” he said after the vote. “That was a lot less painful than in the past.”
Brief chuckles followed his remark.
Shortly after, the assembly unanimously approved a separate priority list for requesting federal funding —or earmarks— as well, which consists of some of the same projects.
