Author: kfskadmin

A bill expanding the state forest in Southeast Alaska cleared the Senate Resources committee this month. Industry members and representatives from Southeast communities voiced support for the additional timber lands, although some members of the public want the legislation to require local processing of logs from state forest lands.

Work on a 50-year plan for power generation and transmission line needs in Southeast Alaska is getting underway. The Alaska Energy Authority awarded a contract for the Integrated Resource Plan to the Kansas City–based engineering and consulting firm Black and Veatch late last month, according to Dave Carlson, C-E-O of The Southeast Alaska Power Agency. SEAPA owns and operates the hydropower and transmission facilities that provide electricity to Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan. The organization will play a role in the regional planning effort. SEAPA recently had a business meeting in Petersburg and Matt Lichtenstein took the opportunity to speak with Carlson about the 50-year planning project

Residents of Port Protection were able to extinguish a fire at the Wooden Wheel Cove Trading Post in driving snow and wind Saturday night.
The grocery store, fuel stop and fishing buying station is owned by Jack Mason and is the center of the community of about 70 people on northern Prince of Wales Island. The fire burned a generator shed and warehouse at the store, however a couple dozen residents from Port Protection and neighboring Point Baker were able to stop the fire and keep it from destroying other buildings.
Port Protection resident Litzi Botello said the fire was discovered smouldering in the generator shed around 7 o’clock Saturday evening. Botehlo says several people had some minor burns and inhaled noxious smoke from the fire but she reported no major injuries. She thought the Wooden Wheel would stay open and continue buying fish despite the fire. Joe Viechnicki spoke this morning with Botehlo about the blaze.

Petersburg parents who spoke at a community meeting last week said “no” to moving the sixth grade back to the elementary school and they emphasized the need for a principal in the middle school. The district held the forum to talk about the future of the middle school Wednesday. Nobody at the meeting spoke in favor of a 6th grade move, including the administrators, who said they raised the issue because they had earlier heard from parents who supported it. Still, the board is scheduled to consider a 6th grade move at its March meeting. Meanwhile, the administration reassured parents that either way, the district would have a staffer in place who was dedicated to overseeing the middle school.

State labor officials will hear from both sides on one particular issue in the year-long dispute between the city of Petersburg and its main employees' union during proceedings now set for this spring.