The Juneau Community Foundation said Monday that a mix of private and corporate donations have raised just over $110,000. Alaska Airlines, BP Alaska and, most recently, $25,000 from the Cruise Lines International Association Alaska have helped fundraisers reach the target.
The city’s insurance policy is expected to cover the remaining costs to rebuild. But the actual cost of rebuilding the city-owned playground won’t be known until a revised design is approved. Any expansion beyond the original footprint wouldn’t be covered by insurance and would need to be raised separately.
The original Twin Lakes playground was completed in 2007. It was a community fundraising effort involving thousands of volunteer hours. Volunteers also raised nearly a half million dollars in cash.
The remains of the playground at Twin Lakes steam after a fire was mostly extinguished on Monday, April 24. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
In what could only be described as an ironic and tragic coincidence, last week’s playground fire at Twin Lakes happened on the very first day of a statewide conference in Juneau of Alaska fire and arson investigators.
Juneau Fire Marshal Dan Jager organized the conference that drew 40 students from the North Slope Borough to Ketchikan. Half a dozen instructors from Alaska and the Lower 48 conducted the five-day training session.
After Jager finished investigating the April 24 fire at Twin Lakes, he said a few of the conference’s participants came by to check out the scene and provide another set of eyes.
“It was just basically us having a conversation with them and saying, ‘This is what we’re looking at. What do you see?’ Just kind of comparing some notes,” Jager remembered. “There were just mental notes and observations that they had noticed. The big thing was just kind of having as a peer review. This is what we’re thinking. ‘Does this make sense?’ And, ‘Do you see the patterns that we’re seeing?’”
Jager determined that two 13-year-old boys started the fire that ignited the rubber chip ground cover and eventually consumed the whole playground.
“A couple of us did go out looking at the fire scene — that team concept there, that task force concept — which basically made things a little bit easier for them to go over there and investigate that fire and gather the information that was needed,” said instructor and Salcha Fire Chief Ernie Misewicz. “So, even though it wasn’t planned as part of the seminar, it was a very informative side trip, if you would, for us to be able to see that.”
Jager said the playground fire was just the latest in a string of five fires in April.
“While it seems like it’s unusual because we had especially the first four in four days, it’s not necessarily meaning that it’s unusual,” Jager said.
The first fire in April at the Art Sutch Photography store was determined not to be intentional. But Jager said they’re still investigating three other fires as intentionally set: an outdoor storage shed on Moraine Way, a fence and gazebo on Steep Place, and a dug out bench at the Savikko ball fields.
So far, there doesn’t appear to be a connection between the fires.
“They were different parts of town, different times of day and night,” Jager said. “Typically, if there was going to be some sort of connection, there’s common source of ignition, there’s a common description of a person that people might have seen, there’s a specific time frame, usually.”
After the Twin Lakes fire, Jager credits the community for quickly coming forward with information that helped his office and Juneau police find the two boys responsible within hours.
“I really can’t emphasize enough the importance of the community’s involvement because they see things from different points of view,” Jager said. “Obviously, we can’t be everywhere at once. Just different photos brings a different perspective and helps us.”
Jager said fires usually come in waves. Spring and summer fires are usually started by unsupervised kids getting out of school and playing with fire. Winter fires are usually related to heating issues like misusing heat tape for pipes, boiler or chimney problems, or a space heater igniting a blanket or clothing.
Project Playground meeting moved to larger space in Centennnial Hall. People filing in, including multiple CBJ Assembly members. #Juneaupic.twitter.com/vTBhDXeDxI
Twin Lakes Playground fire scene the day after the fire on April 24th, 2017. A wide fire line is in place around the entire Twin Lakes Playground area. (Photo by Kelli Burkinshaw/KTOO)
The Twin Lakes playground destroyed by arson will be covered by insurance — to a point.
The City and Borough of Juneau says the policy carries a $100,000 deductible that will have to be met.
The city would like to hear from the public on how to proceed, City Manager Rorie Watt said.
“I think the fundamental question really is how does the public want to be involved in the rebuild,” Watt said. “Do people want to replace what was there or are there different ideas? We’ll just have to work through that — I imagine there will be a lot of opinions.”
Donations toward the effort to replace the structure can be made in care of the Juneau Community Foundation which is managing fundraising.
“We were there two weekends in a row in the sideways rain,” Suzanne Dutson said. “Shoveling the shredded tires for the flooring, pitching screwdrivers everywhere and hammering nails and just doing whatever we needed to do to try and help build the playground because it was such a wonderful opportunity for us to do that.”
Monday’s suspected arson led her to create an account on GoFundMe to help rebuild. It spread on Facebook forums and raised $4,625 in less than a day.
Now she’s shutting the page down.
“I’ve been contacted by people saying, ‘You know, we’re losing a lot of this money from fees. Let’s do something else,'” she said.
She’d read the fine print: GoFundMe takes nearly 8 percent. That adds up quickly.
“You know, a woman gave $5 and so that’s $0.40. It doesn’t sound like a lot but I have a business who donated $2,000 and, you know, 8 percent of that … $160 of that is going to GoFundMe,” Dutson said. “We can definitely do better.”
There is an alternative: The City and Borough of Juneau is steering donations toward the Juneau Community Foundation.
“What we offer is a nonprofit receiving the funds,” said Executive Director Amy Skilbred. “Any donations to the Juneau Community Foundation would be tax deductible.”
Dutson said she now plans to transfer the funds she’s raised to the Juneau Community Foundation.
“The GoFundMe was a nice foundation but it’s time to move it forward — to something that will preserve the money and the intent for the money,” she said.
It’s too soon to tell how much it will cost to rebuild and the city is talking to its insurance firm in Seattle.
“We have coverage,” Deputy City Manager Mila Cosgrove said. “We expect some level of reimbursement to cover at least design, cleanup, possible materials, etc. We’re looking to see from them what the actual amount of coverage is.”
The city is holding a meeting at 5 p.m. May 2 at Centennial Hall to discuss how to move forward.
“Let’s pause. Let’s grieve,” said Catherine Pusich, one of the playground’s original grassroots organizers. “Let’s work with the city to find out what we need to do as a community to come together to get our playground back.
Juneau Police arrested two 13-year-olds they say admit to starting the fire.
Capital City Fire/Rescue Fire Marshal Dan Jager said the two teenagers admitted they started the fire with no clear motive.
“They admitted as to how they did that,” Jager said. “Because they are juveniles and it’s still an open case, I’m not allowed to comment on that.”
Jager also noted no accelerants — such as gasoline — were used.
“The material on the playground itself, basically being shredded tires, that in itself is a fuel,” he said. “Between the wind and the fact you had basically the tire material burning, that, once it burns it turns into a liquid, so it’s kind of a petroleum product at that point. That’s really what caused the fire to intensify and spread across the playground as it did.”
The many photos of the early stages of the fire shared through social media were critical in the investigation, Jager said. The images helped narrow down where the fire began and how it spread.
Jager recommends using different materials if the playground is rebuilt.
“Granted, it’s not as soft or easy to land on, but gravel doesn’t burn,” he said. “At least not that easily. Sand, gravel, things like that, stuff that’s noncombustible is the recommendation.”
