"My mission is to hold Juneau’s elected officials accountable for their actions and how their decisions impact the lives of the people they represent. It’s rooted in the belief that an informed public has the power to make positive change."
When Clarise isn't working, you can find her skijoring with her dog, Bloon, or climbing up walls at the Rock Dump.
In this newscast:
The Juneau Assembly has offered grants to residents looking to build accessory dwelling units, often called mother-in-law apartments, since 2015. The goal was to promote housing construction in Juneau, especially for long-term rentals.
Last summer, they boosted the funding for that grant program. Now, it’s been six months since the Juneau Assembly approved 16 grants amounting to $13,500 each for residents who want to build accessory dwelling units on their properties.
Members hoped the grants would incentivize people to construct more housing. But the city’s housing and land use specialist, Joseph Meyers, said only one person has applied since the size of the grant more than doubled.
“You know, we are advertising it, and we’re putting it out there. I’ve had a couple of inquiries,” he said. “So there’s some interest, it might just be that there’s not a ton of knowledge of the program.”
The previous version of the grant only offered $6,000. So far, 44 residents have used the grant funding since it began in 2015. In total, it’s estimated there are more than 800 accessory dwelling units in Juneau.
In August, the city boosted the program to adjust for inflation and the rise in construction costs.
Meyers said the cost of building additions like accessory dwelling units can be spendy — upwards of $100,000 in some cases. He says the city grant won’t cover the entire cost of adding a unit — but he says it’s a start.
“The price of putting in an accessory dwelling unit has always been a little bit expensive. We really wanted to try to be able to cover more of the cost or to try to provide more for people to develop more units,” he said.
Assembly member Michelle Bonnet Hale supported increasing the grants back in August. Now, she said she is not sure why people aren’t biting at the opportunity, but one reason could be the high cost of construction.
“It’s just a drop in the bucket. Right? I mean, it depends if you’re just like converting a room or converting something above a garage or something — that’s one thing. But if you’re actually building something, that’s just a drop in the bucket,” she said.
Hale said restrictions may also dissuade people from building more housing. Accessory dwelling unit grant recipients can’t use the unit as a short-term rental for at least five years.
According to the 2023 economic indicator report from the Juneau Economic Development Council, renters in Juneau pay an average of about $1,400 per month.
On the flip side, the average rate for a short-term rental in Juneau is about $5,600 per month. That’s according to data from airDNA, a company that tracks short-term rentals in cities around the world.
The city has sent out press releases and social media posts about the program. But Hale said they’ll need to do more to promote it if they want more people to apply.
City leaders said there are 15 grants now available. More information is available on the city’s website.
Free public Wi-Fi downtown, increased bus service to the Mendenhall Valley and studying Juneau’s humpback whales are among the projects that could be funded by the fees paid by cruise ship passengers each year.
City Tourism manager Alix Pierce said residents have until March 25 to give feedback on those proposals.
“That helps the Assembly make their final decision on this budget and how we ensure that these funds that are designed to be used for improvements for visitor services and passengers can be leveraged to benefit the community as a whole,” she said.
The city collects a $5 fee from each cruise ship passenger that comes to Juneau. Those fees can go toward funding projects that serve visitors and ease tourism impacts on locals.
With 1.65 million passengers expected to visit Juneau this summer, city leaders expect the fees will generate $21.5 million in revenue.
Every year, the city asks Juneau residents to submit proposals on what projects they want to see funded.
Other proposed projects include funding boosts for police and ambulance support along with bigger infrastructure investments — like Marine Park improvements and putting $5 million toward offering more shore power for cruise ships.
Most projects that are funded by marine passenger fees are downtown, near the waterfront area. Other parts of town are eligible — like the Mendenhall Valley near the glacier — but they need to be popular with visitors.
In a 2019 settlement agreement with Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, limits on how the city uses the funds were put into place, and some projects require approval by the tourism industry.
“We can do activities that serve the visitor industry, within mapped zones — and then outside of those zones, we need to negotiate with the industry on how we use these fees,” Pierce said.
The public comment period on the proposed projects closes March 25. After that, the Assembly Finance Committee will review the proposals, public comments and the city manager’s recommended list. Then, the Assembly will decide which projects to fund during the spring budget cycle.
People can submit comment to Pierce at alexandra.pierce@juneau.gov or by visiting the Marine Passenger Fee Program website.
With 1.6 million passengers coming off cruise ships in Juneau last summer, private tours to popular attractions like the Mendenhall Glacier sold out halfway through the season.
That meant many visitors opted to ride city buses instead. Juneau residents felt the impact of that — when buses were too full, drivers had to pass people by.
Deputy Mayor Michelle Bonnet Hale said she rode a city bus last summer during a busy day to understand the gravity of the situation.
“It was really, really bad, and the drivers felt horrible having to leave locals behind, who are then missing their jobs and coming in late because they couldn’t catch a bus,” she said.
According to data compiled by bus drivers, between early May and late July last year, nearly 400 passengers were left behind at bus stops, seven of which were people in wheelchairs. And that usually happened on days with more ships in town.
At an Assembly committee meeting on Monday, members voted to move forward with a plan to implement a “tripper bus” service for the 2024 summer season. It’s essentially an extra bus that would follow the buses that already go from downtown to the Mendenhall Valley near the glacier.
Juneau tourism manager Alix Pierce says the trippers would run on peak summer days when regular buses are overloaded with visitor passengers. She says the extra service is meant to ensure local passengers aren’t left behind at stops.
“The tripper service is an attempt to solve the problem that is before us. We have too many people riding the city bus in the summer and we’re skipping people at bus stops,” she said.
Pierce said the tripper service would run between May 1 and Oct. 1.
It’s anticipated to cost the city about $900,000 to run it fully, or it can be scaled down. Pierce said the city hopes to pay for it with the money collected annually from cruise ship passengers. That will be up to the Assembly to decide.
Pierce says a more descriptive plan for the service will appear at an upcoming regular Assembly meeting and will be open for public comment before approval.
The Assembly also discussed implementing a circulator bus to distribute visitors more evenly across downtown, but ultimately decided against it after learning about the city’s “Ride Free Zone.” It’s a route for locals and visitors that hits four stops downtown and doesn’t require bus fare. Most Assembly members didn’t know it existed.
The Juneau Assembly unanimously approved more than $3.1 million in loans last week toward two local housing projects.
The money comes from the city’s affordable housing fund. The first loan approved was for $900,000 and will go toward building 18 one-bedroom apartments on Cordova Street in West Juneau. The second loan is for $2.2 million and will help build 48 apartments at the Chilkat Vistas subdivision in Lemon Creek.
Mike Heumann, the developer for Chilkat Vistas, said without the city’s loan, he likely would have built condos rather than apartments.
“Apartments don’t pencil out, and that’s why no developers build them in this town. But, with this money, you guys make it possible. It’s the only way it’s going to happen,” he said.
Coogan Alaska, LLC, the developer of the West Juneau project, agreed that the apartments built would rent at or below $1,400 per month, adjusted for inflation annually for the term of the loan.
Heumann agreed to similar terms for 14 of the Chilkat Vista apartments. He also agreed that 31 units would be available to people who make 80% or less than the Juneau Area Median Income, at a monthly rent of about $1,700 or less for an efficiency unit.
As of 2023, people making $68,480 or less would be eligible to rent those apartments.
Neither developer can use the apartments as short-term rentals until their 10-year loans are repaid.
The Assembly recently received public backlash after a project that received a loan from the affordable housing fund announced its units would be condominiums sold at market rate.
Joshua Adams, a local landlord in Juneau, testified at the meeting last week and argued that the two projects needed more guardrails to ensure they remain affordable.
“We are not going to solve the housing crisis by more building of overpriced housing — it’s like building boutique hotels to alleviate homelessness,” he said. “Juneau residents don’t need more housing, they need housing to be more affordable.”
He said the projects the affordable housing fund supports are often geared toward seasonal workers rather than low-income residents who live in Juneau year-round.
The new chief of the Juneau Police Department, Derek Bos, just finished his first week on the job after moving to Juneau from Colorado in late January.
The new chief sat down with KTOO to discuss police accountability, hiring and recruitment issues and his priorities for the department.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Clarise Larson: So, when did you get here? And, what are your first impressions of Juneau?
Derek Bos: You know it’s a very warm, small-town feel, welcoming community — I haven’t met a stranger yet. You know, everyone has been quick to offer advice and help, so it’s been great.
Clarise Larson: What are your top priorities as you begin your position with this department?
Derek Bos: For me, priority number one is just learning. I would say the second priority, which is equally important if not more so even, is staffing. We’re definitely at a critical level for staffing. Specifically with patrol and dispatch. So, we have a great team – we just need more of it.
Clarise Larson: You applied to be Petersburg’s police chief in 2018, and were a candidate for the role in Wrangell in 2019 before landing the Juneau position. What drew you to Alaska?
Derek Bos: Several people have asked me already, you know, ‘You wanted to move to Alaska, but anywhere? Southeast is different,’ and the answer is we’ve always wanted to live in Southeast Alaska. Not just anywhere. You know, Southeast Alaska, to us, the snow for example, it’s what we love. But, it’s not the bitter cold of Fairbanks. Shoutout to those people, they’re brave — I’m not doing that — that’s a little cold. But, just the perfect mix of climate, outdoor opportunity, living by the ocean, and yet you have mountains. So, Southeast really to my family and I is the perfect location from every aspect.
Clarise Larson: The Juneau Police Department has struggled with staffing shortages in recent years. And, as of today, the department reported being down 14 sworn officers. Do you think the challenge of hiring and retaining officers is different here than in the lower 48?
Derek Bos: Absolutely, I think I would be remiss to say it’s not. But at the same token, I think we face the same issues that have created the staffing shortages. For example, housing, the cost of housing, has been a big challenge here. But that’s also something you see in pockets in the lower 48, so there are similarities. But, much more unique to Alaska I think is just a smaller workforce in general and everybody needs employees. So, we just have a smaller pool to attract and pull from whether we’re competing with private industry or other parts of the city or state. There’s just a smaller workforce. So, that’s a very unique challenge. And I think it’s a tough sell to bring people from out of the area up here. Obviously, I love Alaska so far, but there’s a lot of people where it might not be for them.
Clarise Larson: What’s your philosophy on building relationships with the community and how do you think that impacts the work you do?
Derek Bos: Really, I’ve changed my philosophy over the past few years. And, I think it’s taking a step back from the institutional level and saying ‘The police department needs a relationship with the school district.’ It has to be more on the individual level. So, the relationships have to be built between the individuals in the community and the individual officers. I can’t shake the hand of everybody in the city of Juneau — it’s just physically not possible. But, the department on the whole, we can. So, really my philosophy on relationships is to encourage the officers to get out and build friendships, built relationships with the community members.
Clarise Larson: Much of the national conversation around policing in recent years has increased focus on police accountability. Things like the use of force, body-worn cameras and the racial makeup of departments have been publicly scrutinized. How does that factor into your leadership choices here in Juneau?
Derek Bos: We do have to respect people’s rights, we have to be careful with investigations, sensitive to victims. But, at the same token, there is very little that we do that needs to be a secret. I have no problems being open with the community as much as possible. You know, there are certain times where during an active investigation we absolutely can’t say things to protect victims and to protect suspects and suspect’s rights even. But, that doesn’t mean we need to be closed-mouthed, and it doesn’t mean we need to be secretive. And, I think that’s step one in accountability, is not even the body cameras or some of the other elements there. But, just being open and honest with our community really helps us be accountable. When we pretend like we have secrets, which we don’t, it looks bad. And, so people even look and say, ‘Well, something is not right there,’ and whether there is or isn’t, it gives a negative appearance. So, I think that open frank honesty with the community is step one of accountability. And, that’s back to the leadership piece of that – I think that’s what I look for in my leaders. We have nothing to hide, so let’s be open and honest with our communities. Let’s talk to people, let’s take on those hard questions and answer them, rather than dodge them.
