Author: kfskadmin

The architect for Petersburg’s new library project has finished the schematic design for the building. The cost estimate for the facility has gone up substantially in the past year but library supporters are hopeful they can raise the needed funds without a local bond measure or tax increase. The schematic drawings include more precisely refined floor plans and three-dimensional renderings.

2009 marks the 100th year for the Salvation Army in Petersburg and supporters will celebrate a century of service to the community this weekend.
This is also one of the busiest times of year for the charitable and religious organization, which has been short-staffed in Petersburg due to the illness of local salvation army captain Vicki Jackson.
The Army’s many services for the needy include a food pantry as well as holiday meals and gifts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The church also offers youth programs, administers distribution of u-s-d-a commodities and provides energy assistance in Petersburg. One of its major, annual fundraising efforts – the kettle campaign – is coming up soon as well. The salvation army was originally founded in England in 1865 by a former Methodist minister named William booth. It grew into an international organization that provides aid to people around the world. Matt Lichtenstein spoke with local salvation army assistant Jess Franklin and Advisory Board member Neva Christiansen about the organization’s services and needs today, as well as its beginnings in Petersburg a century ago:

The competition is over for a federal permit to study a proposed hydro-electric power plant in Thomas Bay near Petersburg. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday awarded a preliminary permit to the city of Angoon for Ruth Lake, a high mountain lake on the mainland near Petersburg. Angoon was one of four applicants for the permit and the commission used the results of a random drawing this summer to choose Angoon over competing applications from Wrangell and Petersburg.

Fire protection in Alaska’s remote communities depends on a relatively small group of local residents, who devote a lot of their free time to staying prepared for the worst. That particular public service is typically limited to people over 18-years old. But last winter, Petersburg’s fire department began signing-up high school students for its new Junior Firefighter Program. The young recruits train alongside adult volunteers and they respond to emergenciess when the siren sounds. It’s an effort to boost the department’s ranks, as older and more experienced members retire or leave town. Matt Lichtenstein recently spent an evening with the Fire Department and its youngest volunteers:

The Thomas Bay Power Authority is considering a resolution aimed at bringing Petersburg and Wrangell closer together on hydroelectric development. The two communities have been at odds over the issue of public versus private projects. The Power Commission discussed the resolution this month, but postponed action.