Author: kfskadmin

The legislature approved just under 17 million dollars in funding for Petersburg area projects before adjourning over the weekend. The money is included in the 2-point-7 billion dollar capital budget. The spending plan will now come under close scrutiny by Governor Sarah Palin, who has vowed to make some cuts. Matt Lichtenstein has a look at the Petersburg projects awaiting her approval.

The cruise ship season in Petersburg will start may fifth with the arrival of the 150-foot Sea Lion. Almost 15 thousand people are expected to visit Petersburg on small cruise ships this year. That’s up just slightly, 2 to 3 percent, from last year. However, business is still down from 2006, when the “sheltered seas” was taken out of service. The Cruise West-Alaska Sightseeing boat used to dock in Petersburg overnight. Up to 70 passengers stayed in a local hotel and were fed and entertained by local businesses four nights a week. Matt Lichtenstein asked Viking Travel’s Dave Berg for a preview of the upcoming cruise ship season and his expectations for visitors on the Marine Highway.

The Petersburg Indian Association is offering the city another option for relocating the library, museum or other local functions that are in need of new buildings. PIA representatives made the offer at the April 7th council meeting.

Petersburg’s harbor rates are going up again. The city council gave final approval to a six and a half percent moorage rate increase at the April 7th council meeting, though not without some objections and debate.

GCI contractors are slated to begin work this month on the overland infrastructure Petersburg needs to link-up with a new fiber-optic communications cable. A ship will begin laying GCI’s cable this summer along 750 miles of seabed between Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Angoon and Juneau. The 30-million dollar link will be the second cable into Juneau but the first such connection of its kind for Petersburg and the other communities. The smaller towns currently rely on mountaintop microwave repeater sites for data transmission. According to the company, the cable will allow for more reliable and substantially faster internet speeds as well as digital television and phone service. As part of the project in Petersburg, GCI has moved its local headquarters up to the Hammer and Wikan center. Matt Lichtenstein asked local GCI technician Perry Allen and for an update on the fiber-optic project.