Even with the fresh snow on Sunday, there is no missing the sign that says drivers have to pay to park at the Petersburg airport.
Wrangell residents have long complained that Petersburg enjoys more than its share of perks - a Coast Guard station, more state and federal offices, more ferry service last winter.
But now, Wrangell has something Petersburg doesn't have: Lots of free parking at the airport.
Starting Dec. 1, Petersburg travelers who park at the airport but can't find one of the limited free spaces in front of the Alaska Airlines terminal will be charged $7 per day to park in an area nearby that used to be free. A private operator signed a five-year land-use permit with the state this year for the parking area just across the driveway from the terminal.
The Wrangell parking lot, across the access street from the airport, is on state land, with no private involvement and no fees.
"There are no plans in the works for someone to lease the parking lot in Wrangell," Sam Dapcevich, state transportation department spokesman emailed Nov. 30.
The switch from free to paid parking in Petersburg goes back to March, when DMC Enterprises, of Petersburg, comprised of Derek, Michelle and Chadam Lopez, purchased the former Pacific Wings building where Alaska Seaplanes is now located, and later learned that they were short of parking for tenants, employees and customers, according to Michelle Lopez.
New federal regulations require a distance of six feet from the airport fence, cutting into the parking area around their building.
"Looking at the parking available near the airport through a new set of lenses, we realized that there was a way to expand available parking to our existing tenants, as well as offer a more reliable and secure parking area for the community," Lopez wrote.
The partnership applied for and received a land-use permit from the state for the vacant property that had been used for free airport parking and began charging customers last week. According to the state's online lease notice, the Lopezes will pay just over $2,200 a year to lease about 13,000 square feet.
Parking will be free for the first hour, then $1 an hour for the next five hours, and $7 per day after that. Monthly and annual rates are available, too.
The business owners are looking to make improvements to the lot by installing security cameras and regularly monitoring the area, they said.
"Parking at the Petersburg airport has been an issue for at least the last two decades," Lopez wrote. "It's not uncommon for derelict vehicles to be stored or abandoned at this site."
Though signs indicated that parking is restricted to seven days, Lopez wrote that vehicles are frequently parked there beyond the limit, even for years.
Before parking at the airport, customers will have to register an account online. Then, after arriving at the airport, they can scan a QR code at their parking space or go online to register their vehicle for parking.
Lopez wrote they anticipate people will either love the new system or hate it, but that 90% of the feedback they have received so far has been positive.
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