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Hill above downtown "destabilizing"
Residents fear worst, city watches closely
The H&H building site on the hill adjacent to South Franklin Street is destabilizing the hillside. That concern was brought to the Assembly's attention last night during the public comment portion of the meeting by a resident of the area. Page Bridges told the panel that there are cracks in walls of the houses immediately above the construction site and she fears that the hill will give way. CBJ Engineering Director John Stone told the Assembly that an engineer hired by the contractor and city engineers are monitoring the hillside on a daily basis. Stone says they've measured about an inch of settlement at the Knudson Apartments. If the movement picks up substantially, they may be faced with a failure of the hillside, according to Stone, although he was quick to add that it appears fairly stable. He says the hillside is moving slightly, but no faster than it has been the past two weeks. Stone says the most prudent course of action is to complete the installation of the sheet pile wall to protect the hillside. The contractor is in the process of installing the building foundation and a sheet pile retaining wall and that the pile driving of soil anchors and de-watering is causing some settling of the hillside. There are two houses immediately above the construction site and the 14 unit apartment building is above the houses. Stone says if it appears the hillside has become extremely unstable and is a threat to public safety, they are prepared to take action to evacuate people and try to minimize any property damage. He says the contractor expects to finish installing the required eight soil anchors in the next four or five days. And then a concrete retaining wall will be constructed. Meanwhile, City Manager Dave Palmer says project developer is liable for any impacts or adverse effects for adjacent property as a result of the work.
People playing car stereos that can be heard more than 30 feet from their vehicle between the hours of 10:00pm and 9:00am are now subject to being ticketed by police. And if police make a second visit to a loud party, the person responsible for the noise can be held financially responsible with a $100 police service fee. The Assembly approved the ordinance unanimously at last night's meeting.
City Manager Dave Palmer informed the Assembly last night that the State Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has agreed to plow the Auke Rec Road for remainder of this winter. Palmer says by next winter the city will have two new plows that can be positioned to take care of the city's portion of the road. In other action, a measure authorizing the sale of four lots in the S'It'Tuwan Subdivision for the High School Home Building Project was approved.
The Docks and Harbors Department will submit for the second time its Douglas Boat Harbor (left) Expansion project for review by the Planning Commission tonight. When the plan was first submitted about a month ago, commissioners expressed concern about the drainage plan and property line issues. PortDirector Joe Graham says they have addressed those concerns. He says they're expecting the commission to make some recommendations and give them the go-ahead for the first phase of the project. That work entails about a two and half acre fill along the Dock Street Causeway and along some Front Street private property which will provide parking for boat trailers and vehicles. A staging platform for a new double lane launch ramp is also part of the plan. Graham says the initial phase is expected to get started in late June and be completed by November or early December at a cost of about $5-million. The project is funded by a sales tax passed by voters in 1998 which accounts for about $3-million and another $2-million from Docks and Harbors Department reserves. Phase two, which has yet to be funded, is the reconstruction of Savikko Road. Graham says that project could get started in about a year and half to two years .
A steering committee is being formed to update the Juneau Area Off Road Plan. The plan was created about 15 years ago, according to Ron Marvin who's with the Juneau Ranger District of the US Forest Service. The plan specifies areas that are open to off road vehicles. Marvin says since the plan was first formulated, the capabilities of all terrain vehicles have evolved. But he adds that the major development though was the closing of the Dredge Lake area to all terrain vehicles when there was no suitable area to replace it. The committee will look at different areas that might be opened to off road vehicles. It will consist of representatives of the State, Forest Service, the City and Borough of Juneau, ATV riders, the Nordic Ski club, the snowmobile club and the general public. Marvin says they plan to have a list of recommendations by June to send out for public comment. Anyone interested in representing a user group or the general public, should contact Marc Scholten at 790-7494 by February 1st.
The City and Borough of Juneau is hosting a public information meeting tomorrow evening to present design plans for the reconstruction of Gastineau Avenue. The plans cover about 1,800 feet of Gastineau Avenue from 2nd Street, south to the former A-J Mine mill site. Construction is scheduled for 2001 and 2002. Wednesday's meeting is at Centennial Hall from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
Bills introduced to move legislative sessions from Juneau will be a topic of discussion when the Alaska Committee conducts its meeting tomorrow morning. Juneau Mayor Sally Smith (right) says the city is taking the bills seriously, not so much because they're expected to pass, but to learn what the community can do to be a better capital city, so it's not an issue next year. A possibility, she says, is to construct a new capitol building and lease it back to the state. She points out that several years ago Juneau secured land on Telephone Hill for construction of a new capitol and that the site is still available. In response to an idea put forth by Juneau Valley Representative Bill Hudson that the city consider participating financially in the remodeling of the Capitol Building, Smith says that's a state, not a city responsibility. She says that would be a difficult line to cross, although there are things that could be done. The Mayor says that could include working with the state to develop a mall from the new administrative building in the old Capital School to the capitol. The Alaska Committee meeting begins at 7:00 tomorrow morning in the offices of the Juneau Economic Development Council on Willoughby Avenue.
Phillips Alaska has postponed an offshore exploration well in the Beaufort Sea. That came because the company did not have a key state ruling in time to complete the controversial well this winter. The North Slope Borough government is objecting to the project. The borough says Phillips' plan a temporary ice road planned for the frozen Beaufort Sea could buckle from winds and currents. Phillips also faces a legal challenge from Inupiat Eskimos who live on the North Slope and from environmentalists. Phillips also needs permits from the state Division of Governmental Coordination. Those permits were delayed because the agency's offices at the Court Plaza Building in Juneau were soaked by a fuel spill and because it lost workers needed to review the projects. With critical winter construction days passing, Phillips with partner Chevron and Alberta Energy decided last week not to pursue the exploration well. Dawn Patience of Phillips says the company wants the state to focus on permitting other exploration work. Phillips plans a busy drilling season and is seeking permits for at least a dozen exploration wells.
A four-star general in the Air Force will take the top job at the AlaskaRailroad. General Patrick Gamble was named yesterday as the new president and chief executive officer to replace former Governor Bill Sheffield, who's retiring. Gamble was head of the Air Force's Alaska Command until 1998 and is currently serving as Commander of all Air Forces in the Pacific.
An acting regional director has been named by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the region that includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Tammy Doherty is a 17 year veteran of the agency. She was selected as the Deputy Regional Director in Region 10 in December of 1999.
Alaska Senator Stevens has secured funding for a new Veterans Administration medical clinic for the Kenai Peninsula. The outpatient clinic will serve about a thousand veterans and should open later this year. Stevens says veterans no longer will have to make the drive to Anchorage just to see a doctor. The Alaska Republican says it will be much easier for veterans in Homer and other communities around the peninsula to get their medical care at Kenai. Stevens says the clinic was necessary because there weren't any federal health care facility partners in the area with which to develop an agreement to cover veterans care.
The state ferry Kennicott will be the site for part of the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association's annual Ecotourism Conference next month which wraps up at Juneau's Baranof Hotel. When the meeting begins February 26, it will be aboard the ferry as it stops in Haines and Skagway en route to Juneau for the last two days of the meeting. Executive Director Sarah Leonard (right) said on KINY's Capital Chat this morning that she hopes many of the organization's 300 members attend. The keynote speaker in Juneau will be Megan Epler Wood who is the Executive Director of the International Ecotourism Society. Luncheon speakers will be Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer and Debra Williams, the executive director the Alaska Conservation Foundation. In addition, Leonard says there will be a good assortment of detailed business seminars during the conference. Leonard adds that the public is welcome to attend. Registration and conference information is available by visiting the association's website, here.
A disabled freighter is undergoing repairs in Dutch Harbor. Crews are hoping to complete engine repairs by tomorrow on the 595-foot, Malaysian-flagged freighter that lost power and began drifting in the Bering Sea last week.
A Fairbanks man experienced a snowmachine ride that he won't forget for awhile. State Troopers say 35 year old Darrin Freeman fell into a crevasse on a glacier in the Summit Lake area Sunday. The crevasse was about 20 feet long and 50 feet deep. His snowmachine fell all the way to the bottom. Freeman was able to jump free and hang on to a small ledge about 15 feet down. His companions were unable to pull him out without risking him falling to the bottom. A medical officer with the 68th Medical Air Ambulance Company from Ft. Wainwright was lowered to the top of the glacier, but could not reach Freeman. Additional attempts were hindered due to snow conditions. Ultimately, he was hoisted from the crevasse by the rescue helicopter. Freeman was not injured, according to Troopers.
The Klondike 300 Sled Dog Race has been canceled because there is too little snow and standing water on the trail. The 300-mile race from Big Lake is a qualifier for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Organizers say ten mushers were entered for Saturday's race.
The sun returned to Barrow today after an absence of more than two months. But Barrow's "day" was short one -- just an hour and 24 minutes. The sun peeked above the horizon at 12:58pm for the first time since November. It set again at 2:22pm.
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