Kavitha George, KTOO

In this newscast:

• Juneau legislative candidates answer voter forum question
• Juneau Composts! might be getting a new site near the Home Depot in Lemon Creek

Juneau Composts!, the city’s only composting service, might be getting a new home in coming months at a city-owned gravel pit in Lemon Creek.

The company’s owner and sole employee, Lisa Daugherty, currently maintains her compost pile on a property out at 25 mile.

“There’s no composting option unless you do it yourself, and I think a lot of people think that you can’t do it in Juneau because it rains and because we have bears,” Daugherty said over the phone. “People are kind of wary about doing it at home, or maybe they just don’t even have the space or time to do it, and so I kind of had my compost system dialed and thought ‘well, jeez, I should share this.'”

Daugherty currently picks up food scraps from households and businesses around Juneau and brings them back to her property to compost. Right now she collects from about 160 customers, but she said that the new site will allow her to accommodate more compost material.

“The main difference is that it’s a central location, so I’m going to be able to change how I run my business,” she said.

That means customers will also be able to drop off compost on their own, which they can’t do now. At the new location near the Home Depot, Daugherty also says it will be easier to obtain wood chips and other carbon material, an essential ingredient for compost piles.

“I’m hoping just by being able to secure extra yard debris and things like wood chips in the centralized location, then I’ll be able to process more food scraps,” she said. “Because now I can’t really accept huge generators — like I couldn’t take Costco or Fred Meyers or things like that. Just because, you can’t just pile food scraps in a pile and say it’s compost. You know, you have to mix it with other things.”

So far, the Juneau Lands & Resources Office and the Assembly Lands Committee have supported Daugherty’s idea. Lands & Resources manager Greg Chaney says the next step is an Assembly vote at their Nov. 5 meeting.

“I’m expecting that this will be well-received by the Assembly,” Chaney said. “It meets Assembly goals of trying to reduce input into the landfill.”

Right now, Juneau’s landfill is only expected to last another 20 years, so the need for waste reduction is pressing.

“We’re creating a way to use a waste product that now goes into the landfill,” Chaney added. “We’ll be able to turn it into good topsoil, and that topsoil can then be distributed to gardeners and landscapers. So we can extend the life of the landfill, and that’s a good thing. Everybody would agree.”

If the Assembly votes to proceed, the city’s Planning Commission will draft an ordinance to specify the terms of the lease, and that will go back to the Assembly for final approval. If everything goes well, Chaney says, Juneau Composts! could be at its new site by next spring.

The application process is somewhat arduous, he said, because the Assembly wants to make sure city property is being leased responsibly. But he also seems to think Daugherty’s chances look good.

“She’s very motivated,” Chaney said. “Which is one of the reasons why we’re excited to be working with her. It takes a lot of energy to get something like this off the ground, and it takes a special kind of person that wants to oversee a composting facility make sure it runs right.”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated incorrectly that Daugherty does not currently accept yard waste. The photo caption has also been updated to clarify that it was taken in August of 2017, not this year.

A new medication-assisted treatment clinic called Ideal Option opened near Nugget Mall earlier this month. Existing addiction treatment facilities in Juneau are encouraged that there is a new player in town to help tackle the substance abuse problem, but Ideal Option is different in a few ways.

For one, it’s a for-profit company, and was advertised on Instagram and Facebook prior to opening. Also, Ideal Option doesn’t currently offer in-house counseling — and that has some in providers in the community worried.

“To be frank with you, the addiction problem we have is significant,” said Bradley Grigg, chief behavioral health officer at Bartlett Regional Hospital. “Having multiple providers in our community like we already do is essential to ensuring that people get served and people have options.”

Ideal Option in Juneau is part of a chain of medication assisted treatment clinics. There are more than 50 locations in the lower 48, as well as branches in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, and Wasilla. The Juneau facility offers a wide range of treatment services, but currently does not offer in-house counseling.

Counseling is not a mandated part of treatment. Addiction specialists say it’s best to start a new patient on medication, even if they don’t want counseling, and hopefully add it in later. But Grigg and other health experts say it is an essential part of helping facilitate recovery.

Jeff Allgaier is the CEO of Ideal Option. He recognizes that there’s suspicion around medication-assisted treatment, including the perception that it just replaces one drug with another, as in the case of Suboxone treatment for opioid addiction. But he says Ideal Option clinics follow the most up-to-date professional practices put out by the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“Our goal has always been to try to follow the most up to date evidence-based guidelines, and not sway from it,” Allgaier said over the phone.

At their clinic near the Nugget Mall, Ideal Option staff seem eager to start helping Juneauites struggling with addiction. Sarah Martin, who works as a medical assistant, moved down from Kenai to help open the Juneau clinic.

“The company in general, what they’re doing is just amazing,” Martin said. “I love it, I’m like ‘Yeah I’m gonna go open this clinic, yeah I want to go work in this clinic,’ just because new patients are my favorite. I love getting people in… the excitement of ‘I want to get better,’ and we can offer that for them.”

Each visit to Ideal Option starts with a urine test, processed by an Ideal Option lab, to ensure patients are taking their medication and no other drugs. Martin says providers then work with their patient to determine appropriate medication dosages.

“It’s all exactly what you need, there’s no set standard of ‘Oh you only get this,'” she said. “It’s whatever the provider and the patient decide what’s best for each person.”

In addition to individualized medicated treatment, CEO Allgaier says every Ideal Option location offers case management services to help patients with things like finding legal services, housing and employment.

James Belardi is a new patient at the Juneau clinic. He said staff told him, “if I’m having problems in certain areas of my life, then we’ll address those problems with them, and they’ll help me work through anything that I need to.”

Belardi says he’s been in and out of emergency rooms and treatment facilities for years, where he faced judgment for his addiction, but Ideal Option feels different. For him, the Juneau clinic’s staff are a welcome change from the stigmatized attitudes he’s faced elsewhere.

“They all wanted to get to know me,” he said. “Which is cool, because I’m not used to that, you know. Usually we’re looked down upon by society. I don’t know, this has just been great. I’m usually real shy, and I come in here and I’m really comfortable.”

As far as counseling goes, Ideal Option clinics in other states have integrated departments they call Ideal Balance to provide behavioral health services, and they’re working with the state to bring that to Alaska. “If I could add it tomorrow, I would,” CEO Allgaier said. “But there are hoops that you have to go through.”

Unlike medical practices which employ individually licensed providers, a counseling agency has to be licensed as a unit, under the company’s name. That process could take two to six months, according to Ideal Balance’s executive director Penny Bell. In the meantime, the clinic is referring patients out to the community for counseling — but this approach has other providers in Juneau concerned.

Registered nurse Claire Suzanne Geldhof says that it’s a big ask to send someone struggling with addiction to a second appointment for counseling.

“It seems like very fragmented care,” she said. “I think it’s in the client’s best interest to receive a robust model under one roof, if possible, like many other options are in Juneau.”

Geldhof organizes regular meetings for the multiple addiction treatment facilities in town, including Rainforest Recovery, JAMHI, SEARHC, and Front St. Clinic. Despite her reservations, she says she’s still looking forward to building a relationship with Ideal Option.

“I’m not trying to shun them by any means,” she said. “I think that something new like this just requires further conversations, and I’m eager to talk more and figure out different ways that we can work together.”

Other providers in town have also expressed plans to reach out to Ideal Option to collaborate in addressing Juneau’s opioid crisis.

Last month, Sealaska Corporation’s board of directors announced their endorsement of Bill Walker and Byron Mallott for governor and lieutenant governor. The board also donated $100,000 to Unite Alaska, a political action committee supporting the Walker-Mallott ticket.

The announcement was met with emoji-laden condemnation from shareholders on social media, so I asked around in the community to see if the sentiment was shared offline.

The most common response I got from shareholders in Juneau was “no comment.” But of those who did agree to talk, almost all disapproved of the decision, and for a wide range of reasons.

“It’s fine in my world if they want to donate out of their own pockets, which is what I do if I so choose for a particular candidate,” an elder named Evelyn Myers told me over the phone. “But they’re using corporate funds, they’re using shareholder funds. … It just seemed excessive, to me.”

“There’s quite a few shareholders that disagree with what they did and are actually not voting for Walker-Mallott,” shareholder Mabel Lee said.

“I don’t think they should be joining any politicians,” shareholder John Ross told me. “They could do it verbally, financially — I don’t think they should.”

While concerns differed in some of the details, many shareholders oppose the board’s decision for a few common reasons. One was the feeling that shareholders should have been consulted before the endorsement and donation were made.

“If you’re part of Sealaska shareholders, it involves everybody. To have them do stuff like that, without telling the shareholders anything, it just wasn’t right,” shareholder Royal Jackson Jr. told me at a Get Out The Native Vote event last week.

Another common perspective was shareholder opposition to Sealaska showing support for any political candidate. In the past, the board has endorsed other candidates, including Lisa Murkowski for Senate in 2010 and 2016, and Mallott in his 2014 bid for governor. The 2014 Mallott endorsement also came with a $50,000 donation to Mallott-One Alaska, a political action committee that supported his run.  For many, this most recent decision appeared to represent the board’s political interests, and not those of the more than 22,000 Sealaska shareholders.

“Shareholders aren’t homogeneous,” shareholder Brad Fluetsch said over the phone. “We have Republicans, we have Democrats, we have Green Party, we have Libertarians. You know, just about every political party in Alaska, Sealaska has shareholders who hold that perspective. Why is the board using shareholder money to fund their political view?”

Speculation about favoritism, and even nepotism, popped up in shareholder comments as well, since Mallott is a former board member and former president and CEO. His son, Anthony Mallott, is currently president and CEO.

The board declined requests for an interview, but defended its decision in an email as “a way to share its perspective on broad issues facing Alaska Natives and support candidates that work to advance their goals.” In a separate emailed statement, Sealaska board chair Joe Nelson also cited Walker’s establishment of Indigenous People’s Day and signing the Alaska Tribal Child Welfare Compact last year as examples of the administration prioritizing Native issues.

I did hear a few voices of support from shareholders who agree with the board that electing Walker-Mallott is in the best interest of Alaska Natives.

“My support is for the previous governor, and I support them,” shareholder Deena LaRue said last week. “I guess my opinion is that I appreciate the efforts of Sealaska to keep them moving forward.”

But even though the decision aligns with her political views, LaRue said shareholders should have been consulted before the endorsement and donation were made. “I think that because I am a Sealaska shareholder, I didn’t have any voice in that decision-making, and I think that kind of money, for a corporation, should have been considering the shareholders of that corporation.”

Some shareholders felt the money would be better spent on scholarships or dividends.

In its statement, Sealaska said it “respects all shareholder positions and political views and encourages them to add their voice by voting in the general election.” The election will be held Nov. 6. Until then, Sealaska says shareholders can get more information directly from the corporation by visiting its website or reaching out by mail.

Editor’s note: Byron Mallott resigned as lieutenant governor Tuesday, effective immediately. 

A 53-year-old Juneau man named Ricardo Willard was found dead in Gastineau Channel Sunday afternoon, close to the U.S. Coast Guard Station, according to the Juneau Police Department.

“There was nothing suspicious, no signs of injury, no obvious signs of foul play,” said JPD Officer Nick Garza. “At this point, we’re not sure how Mr. Willard ended up in the water, but at this point we don’t have any reason to believe that foul play was involved.”

According to police, a pedestrian walking on the path on Egan Drive across from the Prospector Hotel saw the body floating about 50 feet from shore between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. The pedestrian notified police, who arrived on the scene with Capital City Fire/Rescue (CCFR). CCFR declared Willard dead at the scene. Officer Garza said JPD was in contact with the Coast Guard to request assistance recovering the body, but ultimately JPD recovered it themselves.

JPD is unsure of how Willard ended up in the water, and had no missing person reports on him prior to the discovery. Garza said his body is being sent to Anchorage Sunday evening or Monday so a medical examiner can complete an autopsy.

“The medical examiner’s office, post-autopsy, might give us a clearer picture on what happened. We’ll be awaiting that information and the results of the complete investigation,” he said.

Willard’s family, who live in Juneau, have been notified.

The unofficial results from Tuesday’s election are in, and in the Juneau Assembly races, three races have clear winners, and one is too close to call with about 2,500 ballots still to be counted.

Carole Triem, Michelle Bonnet Hale and incumbent Loren Jones secured their seats. One other seat will likely go to Wade Bryson or Garrett Schoenberger. Bryson held a 122-vote lead over Schoenberger in that race.

Areawide

The areawide seat, vacated by mayoral candidate Norton Gregory, is a one-year position.

Carole Triem, the youngest candidate in the race, won her seat with a total of 3,842 votes. The 30-year-old is an economist for the state of Alaska. She focused her platform on promoting livability for young families in Juneau by prioritizing childcare funding and affordable housing in the City and Borough of Juneau budget. During the race, she also promised to address the opioid epidemic’s impact on crime, and to make sure police and fire departments are fully staffed.

Her opponent, Tom Williams, is the financial officer for Ward Air, Inc., a charter plane service. He advocated for CBJ budget reform, promising to study city issues like the lack of affordable child care, and public safety concerns to decide how best the spend city money.

Assembly District 2

Five candidates — Garrett Schoenberger, Don Habeger, Emil Mackey, Michelle Bonnet Hale and Wade Bryson — ran for two open seats in District 2. Hale received the most votes with 3,381, earning her a full three-year term.

Hale used to be the director of the Division of Water for the state. She supports reducing Juneau’s debt by evaluating the city’s expenses and spending on the programs that need money most — the Best Starts early childhood education program and affordable childcare in particular.

Wade Bryson holds a narrow lead as the runner up, with 2,274 votes. Garrett Schoenberger was close behind with 2,152 votes. With about 2,500 early voting, absentee and other ballots still to come in, this race is too close to call. The winner will finish out the final year of what would have been Beth Weldon’s first term. Weldon resigned to run for mayor.

Bryson, a local small business owner, is strongly in favor of addressing Juneau’s opioid epidemic by stopping the flow of drugs into the city, which he said would lower crime rates. He also supports providing affordable childcare and assistance to families buying a house for the first time, in order to bolster the economy and the school district.

Schoenberger ran on a platform that stressed public safety as his number one priority for the city. He believes in using available resources to ensure the police and fire departments are fully staffed and able to retain their employees. As a real estate developer, he also comes prepared with several ideas for how to make affordable housing more accessible to residents — for instance, property tax abatement and incentivizing developers.

Assembly District 1

Loren Jones, the only incumbent in the crowded race, ran unopposed for the District 1 seat. He said this will be his last term on the Assembly, and will continue working on projects like the Best Starts program, making affordable housing more accessible through tax incentives, and public outreach to reduce crime.

Official results are expected to be certified next Tuesday. The new Assembly members will be sworn in at City Hall on Oct. 15.