Petersburg to receive Papke's Landing dock, tidelands from state

Petersburg Borough is awaiting transfer of a deteriorating state dock and 8.8 acres of tidelands at Papke's Landing, a boat launch on Wrangell Narrows used by local boaters. The transfer will shift costs, staffing, and enforcement responsibilities to the borough for a remote site that needs repairs.

The borough is waiting for a formal letter from the Alaska Department of Transportation to transfer dock ownership before the Department of Natural Resources conveys the tidelands, the harbor master told the Harbor Advisory Board Thursday night. The application for the tideland conveyance is ready. The harbor master said he had not been prompted on the exact timing and did not know when the transfer would occur.

Alaska News previously covered the borough's pursuit of the Papke's Landing transfer in January 2024, when the borough sought public comments on proposed improvements to the marine facility. Concept drawings prepared for the borough in November 2023 outlined capital work on the boat launch, dock, trestle area, and parking, anticipating changes following the transfer from state agencies.

The harbor master called the transfer "a ball of worms." Harbor Board Chair Dennis Cardenas said if the borough has to monitor the remote site, "that'll be extra cost. We'll have to have another employee, we'll have to have more equipment, snow blowers or power washers, I'm not sure, but at least snow blowers and another vehicle."

The dock is in "horrible shape," Cardenas said. He has a family cabin across the way and sees "everything that goes on at Papke's." People tie things up and park there, he said, and "there's a lot of that that'll have to be dealt with." During the meeting, Cardenas noted that people can tie things up and park there legally, and that is happening frequently.

The borough can't keep harbor staff without vehicles in town, Cardenas said, so the department will need new equipment to reach the site. Board discussion suggested Papke's Landing could warrant a dedicated future meeting because of expected public interest and operational questions.