Katie Anastas

The Juneau Assembly narrowly voted against leasing the West Douglas Pioneer Road to iRide Alaska for guided electric bike tours on Monday. But they may reconsider the vote at their next regular meeting, thanks to a rare move by one member.

Some North Douglas residents spoke against the tours, saying the road is one of the last spots left for locals during tourist season. Wayne Carnes asked the Assembly to prioritize local users of the road.

“While my property taxes are skyrocketing, somehow the tourists seem to be more important,” he said. “Over the past several years, I’ve had to give up areas in the summer to avoid the masses.”

iRide Alaska hopes to offer e-bike tours Monday through Saturday, three times per day, from May 1 to Oct. 1. Each tour would have 10 people. 

Company representatives said they picked that location because of its distance from Juneau residents’ homes. They said the road’s width made it possible for ten people to ride e-bikes without interfering with other cyclists, runners or walkers. 

Assembly member Wade Bryson voiced strong support for the tours. He said the size of the tours, local ownership of the company and their willingness to not offer tours on Sundays made it a good addition to Juneau tourism.

“I don’t think we could have had better applicants and a better tour at a better time,” he said. “They’ve done everything we’ve asked, including taking a day away.”

Assembly member Michelle Hale said she supported iRide Alaska’s idea, just not right now. 

“I think we have a responsibility as an Assembly to weigh this in a much larger context,” she said. “We are facing 1.6 million possible tourists this year, and we are facing a community that is worried and very exasperated with the amount of tourism everywhere in the community.” 

The Assembly passed amendments that would officially limit tours to 10 people and require iRide Alaska to notify the city manager of any accidents or injuries to people or pets.

Ultimately, the ordinance to lease the road to iRide Alaska failed, with four members voting in favor and five voting against it.

But in a rare move, Assembly member Bryson gave notice of reconsideration. That means the Assembly will have the opportunity to vote on the lease again at its next meeting on May 8.

During the meeting, Bryson said he is a partner with Juneau Bike Doctor, but Assistant Municipal Attorney Sherri Layne did not think there was a conflict of interest.

The headline and story have been updated. The Assembly will have the opportunity to vote on the lease again at its next meeting, but only if at least five members vote in favor of reconsidering it.

The Juneau School District and its teachers union reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement Friday night.

“It’s been a big relief for both sides,” said Juneau Education Association President Chris Heidemann.

The teachers’ previous contract expired in June 2022, and the union declared an impasse with the district in January. One major concern for the union was the district’s proposed cuts to monthly contributions to health premiums.

Heidemann said the details of the tentative agreement will be made public once it’s sent to union members later this week. Then, members will vote on whether to ratify it.

“We feel like there are enough wins in this contract that members should get a chance to voice their opinions on it,” Heidemann said.

Last week, the Juneau Education Association directed teachers to work only during paid hours and not take on any extra duties before and after school.

“I’m pretty convinced that that pressure was part of the reason why we were able to move to a tentative settlement so quickly,” Heidemann said.

Superintendent Bridget Weiss said she hopes this helps teachers enter the summer with a sense of closure and higher morale.

“We were highly motivated, like the union was, to get this to this point,” Weiss said. “We really value the work that teachers have done, in particular over the last few years.”

Once union members ratify the contract, a school board vote will follow.

Rorie Watt is resigning as Juneau’s city manager at the end of September.

Watt has been city manager for seven years, a period when Juneau experienced rapid growth in tourism interrupted by the pandemic and began its economic recovery. He’s worked for the city for 30 years total.

“Not many people are lucky enough to be manager of their home town and it will soon be time for me to pursue other life interests,” he wrote in a letter to the Juneau Assembly. “CBJ is a fantastic team of employees and I am most proud of the strength of the organization.”

Watt wrote that Human Resources Director Dallas Hargrave and Deputy Manager Robert Barr will help the Assembly hire a new manager.

Watt’s resignation comes nearly two months after the city’s finance director, Jeff Rogers, announced he would leave his post.

Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area lost an estimated $50,000 in revenue during the winter season because of unfilled staff positions. That’s according to Eaglecrest General Manager Dave Scanlan.

“This was probably our most difficult year yet for recruitment,” Scanlan told the Juneau Assembly Finance Committee on Wednesday.

He said Eaglecrest lacked key staff this season, including ski instructors, cashiers and lift operators. They also started the season without a supervisor for the rental and repair shop.

“We literally were starting the season with one person to run the rental shop and nobody to mount or repair skis,” Scanlan said.

Eventually, they hired five people to work the job for three hours a week each. Scanlan said the lack of affordable housing and the high cost of living seemed to be the main barriers for all workers.

Eaglecrest offered some incentives for employees this season. They gave $2 per hour bonuses to those who worked between Nov. 21 and Jan. 29. They also offered one free meal a week for employees who worked at least two days per week.

Now, Scanlan said, he’s looking to the international workforce. He said Eaglecrest is considering using the H2B visa program to hire workers. He’s also exploring a partnership with an Australian ski area to see whether they could share seasonal ski workers.

“You’ve got to think outside of the box,” Scanlan said. “Who likes Alaska? The Aussies like Alaska.”

Scanlan proposed raising prices by 10% next year, which would generate about $121,000 more in revenue than this year. He said Eaglecrest charges less than similarly sized ski areas in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

Eaglecrest is requesting additional funding from the Juneau Assembly to help cover rising costs. It includes $16,300 for new dependent care assistance and deferred compensation programs, part of a city-wide effort to recruit and retain employees.

The Assembly will consider the total request of $125,500 as part of its budget cycle over the next several weeks.

Angie Flick is the City and Borough of Juneau’s new finance director.

Flick has worked in the finance department as treasurer since February 2022.

“I feel like I’ve got a good, well-rounded view of financial operations for a local government, given my past history and what I’ve learned here in treasury,” Flick said in an interview.

Flick previously worked for Maricopa County in Phoenix, Arizona, as a budget supervisor, strategic planning administrator and finance systems administrator. She said she’s looking forward to helping the Juneau Assembly and the city manager work on issues like housing and tourism.

“I think what’s great about a finance department is we’re a central organization that underlies everything that the city does,” she said. “I can help tie departments together, tie issues together, and work through some of the financial landscape that is unique to government.”

Flick replaces Jeff Rogers, who announced his resignation in February. At an Assembly Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night, Rogers said Flick stood out in a pool of strong internal and external candidates.

“She has really been incredible to work with,” Rogers said. “She’s been a leader in the department.”

Flick’s first day on the job will be Monday, April 17, though Rogers will work alongside her until he leaves in June.

The Juneau teachers’ union has directed its members to work to contract. That means they’ll work only as much as their contract requires — not before and after school or during lunch breaks.

The move comes a day before the union and school district are set to resume negotiating a new contract.

“It’s one of the few things we can do to shine a spotlight on exactly what the school district is getting from us on a daily basis, and what it looks like when we start to pull back,” said Juneau Education Association president Chris Heidemann.

Heidemann said he thinks almost all of the union’s more than 300 members are participating.

“We wanted to put a little bit of extra pressure on the district to settle a fair contract, and it seemed like it was the right time to move forward with some action,” he said.

The teachers’ previous contract expired in June 2022. Heidemann said the union is asking members to work this way for the rest of the school year or until they reach a tentative agreement with the district.

For students, the decision means they won’t have access to teachers for extra help outside regular class time. Heidemann said teachers have also given up their planning periods to work in other classrooms amid a shortage of substitutes. The union is asking teachers to stop doing that, too.

Heidemann said parents should know their kids are “still getting excellent instruction” — just not the additional support teachers usually provide for free.

“The reason we do this is to highlight the amount of free labor that the system is kind of built upon,” Heidemann said. “Most teachers arrive on a normal day well before their contract starts, they often work through their lunch or work with students during their lunch, and they often stay well beyond their contract time at the end of the day, working with students who need extra help.”

School board president Deedie Sorensen said she understands how much work that is.

“I’m a retired school teacher, so I have a very robust idea of how much school teachers do outside of their school day,” she said. 

Sorensen said she hopes the union and district will reach an agreement with the help of a mediator.

“During the course of the school day, my expectation — and I’m sure everybody’s expectation — is that teachers will be doing their jobs,” she said. “Because working to rule doesn’t say you don’t do your work.”

Superintendent Bridget Weiss was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.