Clarise Larson

In this newscast:

• The U.S. Forest Service finalized its plans for an overhaul of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area,
• Scientist in Southeast Alaska are seeking more data to predict landslides with weather stations and a new survey of the island elevation in Wrangell,
• Anchorage homelessness experts and political leaders are pushing a new approach to getting people out of shelters and into long-term housing this spring,
• Gov. Mike Dunleavy allocated $5 million to the city of Wrangell to help stabalize two dams that contain the town’s drinking water.

After nearly a decade, the U.S. Forest Service has finalized its plan to overhaul Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. 

The project has provoked hundreds — if not thousands — of public comments from the Juneau community over the years. 

“I like to see a plan that’s well managed and that listens to residents’ concerns,” said Alexandra Pierce, the city’s tourism manager. “People didn’t want to see motorized boats on the lake and additional visitor center facilities and the Forest Service listens to the public on that, which is a positive thing.”

The finalized plan includes a new welcome center and improvements to the old one. The plan also increases parking, expands trail systems, and adds an amphitheater and new public-use cabins.

The glacier is one of Alaska’s most-visited tourist attractions. Forest Service officials say the improvements will help manage the pressure from Juneau’s rapid growth in cruise ship tourism in recent years. 

When the visitor center was built in the 1960s, the area saw about 23,000 visitors annually. Today, about 700,000 come to the glacier each year. The Forest Service estimates that by 2050, that number could grow to nearly a million.   

But as more and more visitors have been coming to the glacier, the glacier has been moving farther away — a process that’s accelerating due to climate change. Researchers from the University of Alaska Southeast estimate that between 2007 and 2021, the glacier has receded the equivalent of eight football fields. 

In a few decades, it likely won’t be visible from the current visitor center at all. As the Forest Service plan took shape, suggestions for dealing with that included building the new center closer to the glacier’s face or allowing motorized boats on Mendenhall Lake to get people closer. Neither made it into the final plan. 

Pierce said that listening to residents’ concerns about overcrowding while knowing that tourism will keep growing makes managing the area a constant balancing act. 

“I do think that’s a difficult puzzle for the Forest Service to try to solve,” she said. “I think we’re all concerned about the receding glacier and what that means for the visitor experience in our community.” 

According to Tongass National Forest Supervisor Frank Sherman, rather than make drastic changes to get people closer to the glacier, the USFS opted to address more pressing needs like overcrowding, restrooms and the aging visitor center.

Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area is again delaying its opening after this week’s heavy rain and warm temperatures.

Last year, the ski area opened partially on Dec. 3, but this month’s weather has kept that from happening.

Eaglecrest manager Dave Scanlan said on Thursday that temperatures might drop low enough this weekend for snowmaking machines. 

“We’re still on hold waiting for the right combination of natural snow and snowmaking temperatures to really get the lifts turning for the season,” he said. 

Scanlan said there’s just enough of a base of snow for snowshoeing or hiking. He said he’s hoping the area may open its Porcupine lift by Wednesday. 

A project meant to bring dozens of new apartments to downtown Juneau cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when the city planning commission approved a conditional land-use permit for a 72-unit apartment building despite safety concerns from some top city officials. 

Juneau resident Ke Mell told the planning commission she thinks the project will be “a tremendous asset to downtown.”

“I realize there are significant technical challenges and maybe they all haven’t been addressed yet, but I would definitely be very supportive of seeing this move forward,” she said.

Of the eight commissioners, only one voted against the permit. But that decision came after hours of discussion.

The six-story building is set to be located on three vacant lots on Gastineau Avenue, just uphill from the downtown library. Capital City Fire Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge said the department would not support the project due to its location. 

“It is a higher risk of damaging personal vehicles, damaged equipment, getting equipment stuck, not being able to access people having emergencies,” he said. “Landslides definitely, especially this day and age, that’s always a concern.”

Gastineau Avenue is a dead-end street, and there isn’t an easy turnaround point. The project’s site is on a downhill slope toward South Franklin Street on the Mount Roberts hillside. It’s a short walk away from the place where a landslide damaged homes and displaced residents last year. 

Etheridge shared a memo outlining several public safety concerns, pointing to vehicle congestion, limited parking, natural hazards and the lack of easy access. And he said increasing the number of units in the area would only make those problems worse. 

City staff also recommended the commission deny the permit, citing similar concerns. 

The applicant from private development group Gastineau Lodge Apartments LLC, Steve Soenksen, said much of the building will be for workforce housing. Of the new units, 61 will be studios and another eight will be handicapped-accessible. All are slated to be fully furnished and ready by the summer of 2025. 

Only seven parking spots will be constructed for the 72 units. However, that’s seven more than is required per the zoning in the area. The developers say an additional two bike racks will be built nearby. 

Vehicle congestion and lack of parking was a concern for Commissioner Mandy Cole. 

“This design works if people aren’t bringing their cars,” she said.

Commissioner Paul Voelckers voted in favor of the project. He said it should be celebrated for what it will mean for downtown housing. 

“At the end of the day, we all understand and have all been working at some fashion to increase housing downtown for years and years,” he said. “I think this has historically been a successful site for housing.”

The project was granted $700,000 in a predevelopment loan from the city’s affordable housing fund in October 2022. It will still need to go through a building permitting process before construction can begin. 

Fire code requires a second emergency access point. Jill Maclean, the city’s director of community development, said she is unsure what that would be.

Juneau residents have until Jan. 9 to weigh in on a survey seeking input on how to redevelop the city’s four-acre Telephone Hill property.

“We’re trying to figure out what the needs are and how we can use Telephone Hill to fulfill those,“ said Nick Druyvestein, the project’s manager.

The online survey opened Tuesday and includes descriptions of four concepts the city’s design contractors shared with the public this fall. Participants can select their favorite option and suggest improvements. 

All four options include adding more housing to the area. The lowest-density option includes 32 units, while the highest-density option would add 200. The city estimates 17 people live on the hill currently.

Druyvestein said the survey results will be key in directing what the project will look like. 

“What we’re trying to figure out is our needs in Juneau that could be fulfilled with the land on Telephone Hill,” he said. “And then also presenting just our development concepts and getting input based on those.”

The units range from townhomes to apartments and hotels. Some of the designs incorporate public gathering spaces and tree canopies. 

Many residents who live on Telephone Hill have opposed the city’s plan to redevelop the area. At two community events for gathering public input on the project, most who spoke said the city should preserve the existing houses and not add more housing. 

One of the proposed designs does preserve the old houses, but it still suggests developing around them. 

The survey can be found on the city website. Druyvestein said the next step will be to send the findings to the Assembly for further direction. That will likely happen at the end of January.

For Edgar Vera, celebrating Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, or the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, reminds him of home.

“It just makes me really happy to have a little bit of Mexican culture here in Juneau,” he said. “We’re so far away that it’s really special to have a little taste of what home is like.”

On Sunday, he sat in the long wooden church pews alongside more than 100 people at St. Paul Catholic Church. The rhythm of live music echoed off the high ceilings and played intermittently as the priest led Mass in Spanish. A portrait of the saint stood at the entrance. 

Vera moved to Juneau from Mexico City with his family seven years ago. Now he’s a senior at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and captain of the cross-country team. Each year on Dec. 12, his family spends their day commemorating Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico.

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a national holiday in Mexico. It honors the day when Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared before Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant and farmer, in 1531. People of Mexican heritage often regard the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of religious devotion.

Last year, more than three million people in Mexico made the pilgrimage to the saint’s dedicated basilica. This year in Juneau, Hispanic and non-Hispanic residents joined together at St. Paul Catholic Church to honor her. 

The Juneau celebration was held two days before the actual feast day so more people could join in. There was a Spanish mass, a play depicting the story of Juan Diego’s meeting and a dinner full of Mexican staples. 

The Juneau Hispanic Ministry organized the event. The group invites people to learn more about Hispanic culture and traditions. Delores Cervantes, who coordinates the group, moved to Juneau from Mexico in 1995. She said each year the celebration attracts more residents, not just from the Hispanic community, but across all groups.

“It’s very important because this represents my culture, and also brings the community together,” she said. “Our goal is to have more people involved and more people attending our celebration – no matter if you are white, Hispanic, Native – we want them all here.”

Since arriving in Juneau nearly 30 years ago, she said she’s seen a shift in the number of people moving from Mexico to Juneau. U.S. Census data shows that Juneau’s Hispanic population has more than doubled in the past 20 years.

Cervantes said now instead of people coming alone to seek jobs, they’re starting to bring their whole families. 

Alex Vargas did just that. He moved to Juneau in 2014 with his wife and five kids. He serves as the director of music for the church’s weekly Spanish mass. He said moving to Juneau was a big step, but one he’s happy he made. 

“I got used to it so quick. I like the nature, I like the place, I like the weather,” he said. “In Mexico it’s so warm, here is better for me.”

He said having a chance to celebrate his culture with his children is important so that they remember where they come from. He said he’s already excited for next year’s celebration and hopes more people will join in. 

“It’s growing the culture, and the people from Mexico is growing here in Juneau,” he said. “We’re glad that more people came to the church and celebrate this important thing for us.”