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

The State of Alaska is preparing to hand Petersburg Borough a deteriorating dock and an 8.8 acres of tidelands.

Papke's Landing — a state-owned boat launch on Wrangell Narrows, a dozen miles south of Petersburg along the Mitkof Highway — is queued for transfer to the borough, the Harbor Advisory Board discussed Thursday night.

The site is one of the primary public access points on the Wrangell Narrows, used by fishing boats and recreational users and recognized by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game as a regulatory posting point alongside Petersburg's main harbors and boat ramps.

The handoff is procedural in sequence: DOT must transfer the dock first, then DNR can convey the tidelands. The borough is waiting on DOT's letter, with no firm date set.

Taking on the site won't be cheap. Cardenas said the harbor department would need at least another employee, another vehicle, and equipment including snow blowers to maintain a remote facility. People are tying up boats and parking at Papke's legally and frequently, he said, which will require active management once the borough owns it.

The harbor master summed it up in three words: "a ball of worms."