FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Construction Accident Shuts Off Sitka Power
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka lost power Saturday evening after a road contractor’s excavator snagged a guy line on a power pole at DeGroff Street and Sawmill Creek Road.
The guy line snapped and potentially came into contact with both the high voltage transmission line and medium voltage distribution line, “potentially resulting in an over-voltage condition,” said Electric Utility Director Bryan Bertacchi.
HIGH LINERS – Linemen work to restore power at the intersection of DeGroff and Sawmill Creek Road Saturday. The city lost power for about two hours when road construction vehicle backed into a power pole guy-wire. (Sentinel Photo by Shannon Haugland)
After power was restored the city received over a dozen reports of damage to electronic equipment at homes and businesses that was caused potentially by the power spike at the time of the blackout. Bertacchi said the city’s electrical generation equipment was also “affected,” and repairs are in progress.
The power went out at 5:33 p.m. and the last part of town was back on line by 9:33 p.m., the electric department said.
The accident happened while a private contractor was working on the Sawmill Creek Road/DeGroff Street project, said Maegan Bosak, community affairs director.
A witness at a nearby home said she saw the excavator snag the guy wire, causing the power pole to sway. There was a shower of sparks and the power went out. The electric department said the pole carried the high voltage transmission line from Sitka’s two hydroelectric plants to the Marine Street substation, and also a distribution line to area customers.
“The electric department has damage to infrastructure we need to focus on, and repair,” Bertacchi said. “Both the Marine Street substation and the Green Lake power plant that went offline have been restored to service. The damage at this time does not appear to be significant, but it does require our focus and attention to repair. Subsequent to that, we’ll be looking at all the data to ascertain more about this electrical fault. The way this happened was different. We need to spend more time and get to the bottom of it.”
City hall and the electric department said they have received calls reporting damage that the surge caused to electronics in homes. Household appliance repair businesses said they got a number of calls from people who said it ruined their heat pumps.
Bosak said the city is telling homeowners and businesses to “make a claim with their homeowners insurance company, and contact the city and let them know what the issue is.”
However, two local insurance offices told the Sentinel that it is not usual for this kind of damage to be covered in a typical homeowner policy.
This afternoon the city updated its original press release about the outage, and encouraged residents to check all life safety devices, such as fire alarms and carbon monoxide monitors.
“Any problems with appliances or other systems should be reported to your homeowners insurance,” the news release said. Those with questions and concerns may call the utility desk at 747-1818.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....