Petersburg’s tribe plans to add sidewalks to some streets and build a new trail in coming years. The Petersburg Indian Association approved a four-year infrastructure plan on July 17 after finalizing the project list at a public meeting earlier in the month.
The tribe will partner with the Petersburg Borough to add sidewalks along residential streets near the Petersburg Community Center. Debra O’Gara is the tribal council president.
“Right now, in the middle of winter, it’s really dark back there, and it can get kind of muddy or slushy, and icy and all that good stuff,” she said. “So I think it’s really public safety why we’re doing that.”
The new sidewalks will start behind the school auditorium on Balder Street and continue along Wrangell Avenue to the Petersburg Community Center. The sidewalk construction project will start next year, and will likely take two to three years. It is estimated to cost more than $800,000.
Petersburg Indian Association added sidewalks to Petersburg’s First Street in 2012, and put in sidewalks on Howkan Street in 2021.
The tribe also plans to build a new trail. The City Creek Upper Loop Trail will connect to another trail they’re currently building – an expansion of the City Creek Trail, which starts at Petersburg’s Sandy Beach Park and continues to the east. The expansion is expected to be completed this fall, with the trail reaching from Sandy Beach to City Creek.
The tribe hasn’t worked out the exact location of the newly approved Upper Loop Trail yet – that requires meetings with the Borough. But O’Gara said the idea is that it will run along a ridge uphill from City Creek Trail and connect to both ends, creating a big loop. Petersburg Indian Association will start the planning and design process this year. O’Gara said it’s possible work could start this year as well, but she’s not sure how long the project will take to complete. It will cost an estimated $280,000.
The tribe will also use money from the program to fund the ongoing tribal bus program. The bus is free for seniors and those with accessibility issues.
The money for the projects comes from a federal program that aims to provide safe transportation and access to tribal lands. The Petersburg Indian Association has been participating in the Tribal Transportation Program for nearly two decades, regularly partnering with the Petersburg Borough and U.S Forest Service on trails, culvert replacement, road maintenance, and recently, cabin repair.
The tribe will get more than $2.5 million from the program over the next four years. That money also pays for maintenance and administrative costs.
The projects were in the previous four-year plan, but O’Gara said the tribe is eager to hear from people with ideas for new trails, or infrastructure improvements.
“You know, somebody throws out an idea, and then that motivates other people to have other ideas, and it gets the creative juices flowing,” she said. “And I think that’s really important.”
O’Gara said those ideas are welcome at the tribe’s monthly meetings.
