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Juneau resident
selected to compete in Winter Olympics
Juneau's Joe Thompkins will participate in the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake
City next month.
That according to Bob Janes, Senior, of the Juneau Lions Club which sponsors
Thompkins as part of its disabled ski program. He says Thompkins, who is a paraplegic,
was selected to participate in the mono ski event of the Para- Olympics. He says
this will be the first year that the Para-Olympics will be part of the regular
Winter Olympic games.
Janes received a call from Thompkins in Utah with news of his selection. He says
Thompkins selection achieves the second of his two dreams. The other was to make
the U. S. Disabled Ski Team which he did a couple of years ago.
Testimony calls for
more test flights as part of heliport study
About 50 people showed up at the Assembly Chambers over the lunch hour yesterday
for the first of two public hearings on future heliport sites.
The City and Borough of Juneau's top recommendation south of town is Dupont. The
top location north of town is an area beyond Montana Creek.
A handful of the 50 audience members testified yesterday. Those included members
of the West Mendenhall Valley Neighborhood Association who questioned the value
of the noise study paid for by the city and completed this spring. They
recommended that testing be expanded from a single helicopter test conducted in
last spring to a multiple aircraft test flying various routes in all types of
weather.
Planning and Policy Committee Chair Dale Anderson responded by saying that
representatives of the flightseeing industry have told him informally that
multiple flight tests are a possibility.
Anderson says selection of alternative heliport sites is still in the early
stages and there are many questions yet to be answered, including possible road
extensions, positioning of support equipment and finally just how much the
heliports will cost to build.
The second public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m., January 17th in the Assembly
Chambers. The Assembly will accept written comments until January 25th. Comments
on the report's findings will be included in the final version of the Heliport
Study, according to Anderson.
Term limit proposal for CBJ enterprise
boards goes to Assembly
The Human Resource Committee has moved on to the full Assembly a resolution that
imposes a three term limit for seats on Juneau's Enterprise Boards.
The proposal grandfathers in all sitting members of the Enterprises Boards. If
the term limits take effect, all board members would be able to serve three
terms from the date the resolution became effective.
An amendment proposed by Randy Wannamaker and approved by the committee, allows the Assembly
to keep certain people on the boards if there are no qualified applicants.
For example, the Hospital Board has a requirement that at least one doctor has a
seat on the panel. If no other doctors apply for the term limited seat, then the
Assembly could vote to retain the incumbent.
The resolution will now be considered by the full Assembly, who could accept,
alter, or kill the proposal.
Transit plan and police site enhancement
funding approved
The Assembly approved the two ordinances that were up for public hearing and
action at last night's meeting.
One includes a state grant of over $61,000 for preparation of a transit
development plan over the next five years.
The other appropriates two federal grants totaling $55,000 for enhancement of
the police station site. That work consists of filling a pond on the site and
building a trail system that will include a bridge to an island in the pond.
Ice rink name and Pocket Park restrooms
on Parks and Rec agenda
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee considers two actions tonight.
The first item concerns naming the Douglas ice arena, usually referred to as the
Treadwell Arena, which is the name requested by the Douglas 4th of July
Committee.
CBJ Parks and Recreation Director Kim Kiefer says the covered ice rink has never
been officially named. The committee is expected to recommend the name Treadwell
Ice Arena to the full Assembly.
The other item concerns downtown public restrooms The Assembly Public Works and
Facilities Committee is proposing two restrooms to be located at Pocket Park.
Under the proposal, they would be maintained on a two hour cycle.
The committee will be taking public comment on the idea at tonight's meeting
which gets underway at 6 o'clock in room 224 at City Hall.
High school exam progress among School
Board agenda items
A light agenda awaits the Juneau School Board as the school district returns
from its winter recess.
Superintendent Gary Bader says the board is scheduled to hear a report on
education programs conducted during the winter break.
It will receive an assessment update on the progress of students retaking the
High School Graduation Qualifying Examination.
The board is also scheduled to hear reports concerning updates related to the
social studies and math curricula and the accreditation of high school.
The board meeting begins at 6 in district offices on Glacier Avenue.
New subdivision proposal requires
sidewalks
A proposal before the Juneau Planning Commission this evening calls for amending
the land use code to allow an alternative subdivision roadway standard that
calls for sidewalks.
Community Development Director Dale Pernula says the proposal would change the
residential street standards in very low density subdivisions which generally
have lots larger than 12 thousand square feet. It would narrow the width of
streets from 28 feet with curbs to 22 feet without curbs, but adding a sidewalk
requirement.
The commission meets this evening beginning at 7 in the Assembly Chambers at
City Hall.
B-P to reduce jobs in Anchorage
B-P is making a major cut in its Anchorage workforce. Company official Ronnie
Chappell says about 120 B-P workers, or 20 percent of the Anchorage staff, will
lose their jobs over the next three months. In addition, about 75 contract
positions are likely to go.
B-P is focusing on finding oil in or near existing fields, and some projects are
winding down anyway. On the North Slope, Chappell says the number of maintenance
and operations workers should actually rise this year.
Governor Knowles calls BP's staff reductions and retreat from development of
frontier fields disappointing for Alaska and disheartening for those employees
and contractors directly affected.
He added that he disagrees with the company's approach on frontier development
and remains bullish about Alaska's oil and gas potential.
Senator Frank Murkowski says the company's decision demonstrates the need for
the state to diversify its economy and develop all of its resources in an
environmentally sound manner.
He also says its absolutely imperative that the federal government allow for
more exploration and development on federal lands in the state, including ANWR.
Legislative leaders assess challenges of
upcoming session
The Alaskan public has to see spending cuts before there is any support for new
state revenues. That's the prediction of Senate President Rick Halford, as he
prepares for the session to convene in Juneau next week.
Halford and House speaker Brian Porter provided the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce a preview of the session yesterday.
Dominating all other issues is the looming gap between what the state earns and
what it spends. Halford says the Governors' proposed budget would only make it
worse, since it seeks 200 million dollars in additional spending. He says there
is not an option to cut back.
Halford says the fiscal gap is made worse by a "credibility gap" with
the public. One solution, he says, is letting the public vote on spending
issues, such as statewide bonds for education, transportation, or other
projects.
Halford says a hiring freeze may be necessary this year to pay for essential
services. That would also prove to the public that state spending is heading the
right direction, he says, and could increase support for revenue measures.
Speaker Porter observed that some Alaskans support targeted taxes, on cruise
ship passengers or alcohol, for example. But he says it would take a broad
approach to fix the gap.
On another matter, Halford is optimistic that this session could see a
compromise to the subsistence dilemma, based on a "local preference"
as an alternative to the rural priority in federal law. Speaker Porter, too says
there is probably a better chance of solving the dilemma this year than any time
in the last 20 years.
The legislature reconvenes next Monday.
Tustemena ties up in Juneau
An Alaska Marine Highway vessel made a rare stop in Juneau today, and, even
rarer, in downtown Juneau.
Its the Tustemena, according to Mike Wilson who is the Port Steward for the
system. He says the Kennicott in undergoing maintenance in the shipyard and was
unavailable. He said the trip was scheduled several months ago to haul
legislative vehicles and staff in advance of the start of the session Monday.
One step in Princess - Royal Caribbean
merger okayed
Princess Cruises has won approval from German authorities for its planned merger
with Royal Caribbean Cruises. Germany's cartel office approved the merger
yesterday, after deciding there was no danger that it would strengthen a
dominant position in the German market.
British officials are expected to announce a decision on the proposed merger
later this month. The U-S Federal Trade Commission is also reviewing the deal,
but hasn't said when it expects to make a decision.
The merger would form the world's biggest cruise ship company, overtaking
Carnival Corporation. Carnival has made a hostile takeover bid for Princess, but
Princess has rejected that bid. And it's urging its shareholders to do the same
when they meet next month to consider the merger with Royal Caribbean. All three
companies operate in Alaska waters.
Princess says it expects to complete the merger with Royal Caribbean by the end
of June.
Golf course project updated on Capital
Chat
An update on the golf course proposed beyond the end of the North Douglas
Highway was presented on KINY's Capital Chat this morning.
John Barnett is President of Totem Creek Corporation, the non profit
organization spearheading the project.
He says they thought they were home free last August after they submitted a
revised plan to the city. But the Alaska Department of Fish and Game brought up
concerns with stream setbacks to protect fish runs. It had signed off on the
project two years earlier.
He adds that they have made progress by narrowing down potential problem areas.
He attributed some of the original concerns to mapping problems.
Peter Metcalfe, vice president of Totem Creek, and Tom Koester, president of the
Juneau Golf Club, joined Barnett on the program. All three said that after
initial problems, they are pleased with the how the city is now handling the
permitting process for the project.
Atlantic salmon escape from British
Columbia farms
Storms are being blamed for the release of thousands of Atlantic salmon from two
British Columbia fish farms last week.
An undetermined number of fish escaped from a fish farm at McIntyre Bay in
Clayoquot Sound on December 31st. Two days earlier, eight thousand fish escaped
from containment nets near Tofino.
The fish farms were operated by Pacific National Aquaculture. Provincial
Fisheries Minister John van Dongen says the company may be penalized if
investigators determine the company violated regulations.
Grandson of one of Juneau's founder
passes away
Funeral services were held in Juneau this afternoon for the grandson of the
town's co-founder, Richard Harris.
Thomas N. Harris died on January 2nd in Eugene, Oregon. He moved there from
Juneau last year after suffering a stroke. He was 84 years old.
He trolled commercially with his father before becoming a carpenter. Prior to
his retirement, he was the business agent for the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 2247. Among other affiliations, he was a
member of Goldbelt and Sealaska.
Funeral services were scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Alaskan Mortuary.
Students charged with school vandalism
in Anchorage suspended
Two Anchorage teens are on emergency suspension after being charged with causing
more than 100-thousand dollars in damage to the new Dimond High School.
The two teens, whose names have not been released, were arrested and charged
days after the December 30th vandalism spree.
UAS career meetings
set for tomorrow
Career information meetings for those interested in UAS Computer Information and
Office Systems, Power Technology and Construction Technology programs are
scheduled tomorrow.
That according to Karen Schmitt who is Dean of Career Education for the school.
She says Computer Information and Office System faculty will meet with the
public from noon to 1 p.m and from 7 to 8 p.m. in Room 210 of the Whitehead
Building on the Auke Lake Campus.
The Construction and Power Technology meetings are from 4 to 7 p.m. in the
Marine Tech Building across from the high school.
© Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News)