155 Heritage Way, the current City Hall, Courtesy of CBJ
NOTN- The Juneau Assembly has approved selling City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million, rather than putting the property up for auction with a minimum bid of $2.5 million.
Assembly members on both sides of the debate framed the decision as a test of Juneau’s priorities: shore up depleted city reserves, or lock in a project supporters say will anchor a year-round cultural campus at the gateway to downtown.
“I will start by saying that there are many ways to look at this. What is our ultimate goal? Are we trying to get maximized profit, are we trying to maximize control?” Said Assembly member Alicia Hughes‑Skandijs, “As we move out of that space, I think it is so important for us to think about what we leave in that space. This is a way for us to leverage this opportunity that is going to result in the maximum community good, and is something we can feel good about in completing a beautiful campus with a beautiful mission.”
Public testimony mirrored the Assembly’s split, with longtime Juneau residents and SHI partners urging approval and others warning that bypassing an open bidding process could shortchange taxpayers.
“SHI has a proven track record for designing and building exceptional structures that contribute to the beauty and attractiveness of downtown,” Said Dr. Charles Smith.
Assembly Member Nano Brooks was opposed along with Deputy Mayor Greg Smith and Neil Steininger.
“I’ll object, and it’s a really unfortunate scenario because if we were in a better financial standing a year prior, this would be an easy decision, but we completely wasted all of our savings.” Brooks said, “I believe that we should try and get as much money as possible for the property. In regular circumstances, I wouldn’t see it that way. But this, to me, is viewed as one of the few opportunities that we can recoup some of that much needed reserve funds.”
The measure sets a minimum sale price of $1.5 million and leaves room for that figure to be adjusted in negotiations, according to the city attorney.
Some members argued the sale proceeds could help rebuild reserves or cover looming capital needs; the ultimate decision is reflected well by Assembly Member Ella Adkison, who noted that if the building went up for auction, that would be one-time revenue and would not address Juneau’s ongoing budget deficit.
“I think that we are putting a lot of pressure for our entire budget situation on this one one-time transaction, and I would say that if people on the Assembly were concerned about the state of our fund balance, then we should have made different decisions in our recurring budget process.” Adkison said, “This is not the weight of the entire city’s future, I would rather have this be something our city is proud of, that is year round, that supports cultural education, rather than have a $5 million dollar one time slug of cash to put somewhere. I would have been happy to have more money in our fund balance, but those were not the decisions we made last budget cycle.”
City Hall will remain in its current location until staff relocates to the Burns Building. SHI representatives told the Assembly they intend to demolish the existing structure, clean up environmental issues and quickly convert the lot into landscaped public space while raising funds for a new building.
Photo courtesy of Susan Walker, Juneau Community Collective
NOTN- An Alaska Seaplanes floatplane made an emergency landing in the Mendenhall River this morning, with no injuries reported.
The company says a de Havilland Beaver, tail number N777DH, made the emergency landing at about 11:17 a.m., shortly after taking off from the floatplane pond at Juneau International Airport.
According to a Facebook post, there was one pilot aboard and no passengers. The pilot was unharmed and is now with Alaska Seaplanes personnel.
The aircraft landed safely but later drifted into a floating root ball in the river. Alaska Seaplanes personnel are working to recover the plane.
The company says additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
nn Lind looks out from her balcony on Marion Drive at the Mendenhall River as it rises on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
As the Mendenhall River swells with glacial outburst floodwater, hundreds of people living in the suburban valley below spent Tuesday night and Wednesday preparing to evacuate or hunker down. The National Weather Service predicts the flood will crest Thursday.
On Marion Drive, Ann Lind plans to watch the flood from her second-story balcony overlooking the Mendenhall River.
“I got lawn chairs up there, and we’ll just be sitting there, and that’s where I’ve been every year,” she said.
Lind said her crawl space flooded last year when water leaked through the HESCO barriers and a drainage pipe failed. She said she’s staying again this year to protect the property.
Ann Lind secures sandbags at her house on Marion Drive on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
“Because if I wouldn’t have stayed last year, I never would have known that I was flooding back there, and the flooding would have been way worse,” she said. “Within 30 minutes of me calling for help, I had nine guys and five pumps back there.”
She said she’s more confident her home won’t flood this time after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers placed an industrial-sized pump just beyond her lawn to send water that leaks through the flood wall back into the river.
Although she plans to stay behind with her 17-year-old daughter, she said her other kids and pets will evacuate – heeding official advice.
Downstream from Lind’s place, on Meander Way, Locke Brown said he and his wife are optimistic about flood protection this year. Last year, the pair’s crawl space and garage flooded.
“If we had these pumps on the roads sitting here last year, I think we probably wouldn’t have had any water in the house,” he said.
Locke and Melissa Brown sit on their porch at their home on Meander Way as the Mendenhall River rises on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
They said they’re grateful for the pumps and bolstered flood wall provided by the Army Corps this year — but they’re not taking any chances. They said that once the water rises high up on the barriers, they plan to evacuate to a camper they have set up outside of the flood zone.
Locke is retired from the U.S. Coast Guard and his wife still works for the Coast Guard.
“We’ve made our living saving people when they know they should have left,” he said.
Locke said the prudent thing is to leave since there’s a possibility the barriers could fail.
“It’s one of those unknowns. You just — what do they say? — Prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said. “We just feel like, at this point, we’re just driftwood. Whatever happens is gonna happen, and we’re just gonna have to deal with it when it’s over.”
HESCO barriers installed along the Mendenhall River on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Just a few blocks over, on Gee Street, Benson Bullock said he’s not too worried. He’s patching a pair of waders in his garage, but not for walking through floodwaters.
“Hopefully, if it’s not too crazy, I’ll be going fishing,” he said.
Bullock had a few inches of water in his garage during the catastrophic flood in 2024, but his house has never flooded. Bullock says he plans to put sandbags in front of the garage before the flood crests.
“We have stuff moved and cleaned up,” he said. “We moved my boat, we’ll move my wife’s truck, and we’ll just have my truck here in case we decide to leave.”
On View Drive, many residents say they’re planning to stay to try to protect their property and look out for their neighbors.
View Drive is a forested cul-de-sac that forms a peninsula jutting into the Mendenhall River. It’s been hit the hardest by past floods. For a second year in a row, the street has been left without the protection of the flood wall constructed by the City and Borough of Juneau and the Army Corps. Officials have said in the past that the street has porous soil and have doubts that the homes could be protected.
The Mendenhall River surrounds homes on View Drive in the Mendenhall Valley on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Mandy Mallott lives at the end of the cul-de-sac. She bought the house from a family she babysat for when she was growing up in Juneau. It looks out over Stroller White Mountain, where her father died in 2005.
“It’s a very spiritual place to us,” she said. “It’s a private place, and we’ll do what we can to protect it.”
She and her family spent Tuesday evening moving their belongings up onto shelves in their garage. Last year, she worked with her neighbors to have contractors put up their own HESCO barriers around a few properties, and she said her home didn’t flood.
Mandy Mallott points over HESCO barriers to the Mendenhall River from her home on View Drive on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Although a federally sponsored buyout for her home and others on View Drive might be on the table — Mallott said she’s emotionally tied to the place, and sees a long-term solution designed by the Army Corps as her best option.
“That emergency tunnel fix gives us all a lot of hope,” she said.
Mallott and her family are tribal citizens, and she said she’s grateful for the dozens of sandbags that the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska dropped off on Tuesday.
Residents of the Riverview Senior Living facility were about 50-50 split on whether to evacuate on Wednesday afternoon, said its Executive Director René Bryant. This year, new HESCO barriers are now standing between the Mendenhall River and the two-story assisted living and memory care facility.
She said the roughly 70 residents have a choice whether to stay or evacuate, and they are providing transportation to a nearby emergency shelter at St. Paul’s Catholic Church after an early dinner on Wednesday evening. Bryant said additional transportation to evacuate will be provided Thursday if needed.
“We are respecting everybody’s rights, while contacting family members to make these decisions as well,” Bryant said.
Glacial lake outburst flooding begins on the Mendenhall River below the Mendenhall Glacier on Aug 11, 2026. Officials issued an evacuation advisory for roughly 5,000 residents in the area. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
For questions and resources, call the local 24/7 flood hotline at 907-500-0890.
Alaska’s capital city has issued an evacuation advisory for the densely-populated Mendenhall Valley area on Wednesday as glacial outburst flooding begins.
Officials and the public are closely watching the Mendenhall Glacier, where climate-change driven melting results in water filling an ice-dammed lake called Suicide Basin each year. That lake eventually bursts and billions of gallons of water are released down the Mendenhall River, threatening suburban neighborhoods nearby.
The National Weather Service forecasts the flooding in the Mendenhall River will peak on Thursday morning between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.
“Evacuating is absolutely the best way to keep yourselves, your neighbors, and first responders safe as we respond to this flood,” said Ryan O’Shaughnessy, emergency manager for the City and Borough of Juneau at a news conference on Wednesday.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy, emergency manager for the City and Borough of Juneau, Ginny Nadolny, commander of US Coast Guard Southeast Sector (center) and Sabrina Grubitz, public safety manager for Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (left) speak at a news conference ahead of the glacial outburst flood in Juneau on Aug 12, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Scientists with the National Weather Service estimate the flooding to peak between 16.1 to 16.6 feet. That’s similar to last year’s flood where the river peaked at a record-breaking 16.65 feet.
The scale of flooding is uncertain, and depends largely on whether sand bag barriers erected along the Mendenhall River hold.
In the event that water bursts through the barriers, CBJ will issue an emergency flash-flood alert to all local cell phones, similar to an Amber alert.
Last year, local, state and federal agencies erected the new barriers along the river, where they largely prevented major flood damage. Thirty-five homes were affected by the flood, with six sustaining major flood damage. Some homes had up to five feet of flooding water in living spaces, according to city reports. In 2024, there were no barriers and flooding damaged nearly 300 homes.
This year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local partners worked to fortify those sand bag barriers along the Mendenhall River. In some areas, the barriers were constructed higher, up to 16 feet. They were extended in other areas across 1.8 miles of additional riverbank, said U.S. Army Corps Brigadier General Joseph Goetz at a news conference on Tuesday. The Army Corps has also installed roughly 40 industrial pumps to control seepage, and distributed an estimated 225,000 sandbags.
But this year officials issued an evacuation advisory for an area nearly double the size of last year’s — including roughly 1,900 homes — in case the barriers fail. Officials are calling that a worst case scenario.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy said census data shows the evacuation area includes an estimated 5,000 residents.
“I know this community has experienced this flood before, but we can’t be complacent,” said Ken Murphy, a safety officer with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, on Tuesday. “What happened last year may or may not happen this year.”
Residents are asked to evacuate the area by 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sand bag barriers newly constructed this year in the lower part of the Mendenhall River below Brotherhood Bridge are seen from Meadow Lane in Juneau on Aug 8, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Officials said there is a risk of tree-strikes damaging the barriers and causing major flooding, and urged the public to take extra precautions, evacuate and avoid the river area entirely.
“The risk is real,” Murphy said. “Debris, erosion, unstable banks, changing water levels, and hidden hazards make the river dangerous. If you’re near the river or within the flood zone, you’re in danger. There is no safe reason to approach the water during this event. This is not a normal event, even though it reoccurs.”
Officials said they will be monitoring the river and barriers by livestream cameras and by drone throughout the flood, with emergency crews staged nearby ready to respond.
Residents can monitor Suicide Basin through a National Weather Service monitoring page. Officials recommend signing up for emergency alerts and reviewing Mendenhall River inundation maps. KTOO Public Media has set up several livestreams to monitor the flooding event. There is an emergency shelter at the former Floyd Dryden Middle School staffed by the American Red Cross.
The Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, Alaska’s most-visited tourist destination, surrounding the Mendenhall Glacier and Mendenhall Lake below is closing on Wednesday afternoon.
A joint emergency incident command has been established to monitor and respond to the flood. That includes the National Weather Service, City and Borough of Juneau, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The City and Borough of Juneau are planning to issue a larger evacuation advisory for the 2026 glacial outburst flooding event. (Screenshot of CBJ evacuation advisory map)
Mendenhall overview from the National Weather Service
NOTN- The city of Juneau has entered a heightened state of readiness after officials confirmed just this morning that Suicide Basin is full, meaning the anticipated Glacial Lake Outburst Flood in the Capitol city could happen at any time.
“We call this the set phase, where people should be prepared to evacuate.” Said Mayor Beth Weldon, “But it could still be days, if any. We’re all getting used to this. It could be within 24 hours, or even as much as five or six days until the basin releases.”
Weldon said the timing of any potential outburst flood remains uncertain. The City is in the “Set” phase of it’s ‘Ready, Set, Go’ framework, which means residents affected by the GLOF should stay vigilant and continue to check in with emergency officials, have a go bag packed and be ready to activate a plan of safety.
According to the National Weather Service, in the past it has taken up to 6 days for the main event to start after the basin is full.
City officials urged residents to closely follow evacuation notices and stay away from flood control structures, particularly the Hesco barriers along vulnerable stretches of riverbank.
“Please do not climb up on the Hesco barriers,” Weldon said. “If they fail, it’s going to be catastrophic, and they could fail in a moment’s notice. You will not have time to run or move.”
if you have any questions, you can call the flood hotline at 907-500-0890 for information and updates.
“Everybody, try and be safe, and please abide by the evacuation notice,” Weldon said. “Again, everybody stay safe.”
NOTN- Federal officials say they are preparing both short- and long-term defenses as another glacial outburst flood is expected to hit Juneau’s Mendenhall River in the coming days, continuing a pattern of annual summer flooding that has put homes and lives at risk.
In a briefing Thursday, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has strengthened temporary protections ahead of the anticipated 2026 glacial outburst flood, and they’ve been gearing up to launch an unprecedented effort to drain water from Suicide Basin, the source of the destructive floods.
Sullivan said the Corps and local partners have invested about $45 million to make Hesco barrier floodwalls along the Mendenhall River taller and wider, and deployed roughly 40% of the Corps’ global pump inventory to Juneau as a backup if the river overtops or breaches the barriers.
“The fact that one of America’s capital cities in our country floods every summer at the risk of not only property but lives, you know, these floods are very risky for not just the safety of our own citizens, it’s a huge, unique challenge.” Sullivan said.” “The Corps of Engineers now has deployed 40% of all the pumps in the Corps of Engineers inventory for the world… in Juneau, just in case.”
Telle said the Corps will move quickly after this year’s flood to seek private-sector proposals for a faster, less costly way to evacuate water from Suicide Basin.
“We believe that evacuating water from Suicide Basin is fundamentally the best way to prevent this from happening in the future,” Telle said, ““We have a phenomenon here in Juneau that’s unlike any other in our entire portfolio.”
According to stories by both KTOO and the Juneau Independent, a local mining executive presented ideas that could cut the cost in half of teh proposed Lake Tap solution in half, groups like Juneau Flood Solutions have supported this effort.
Officials warned the public not to be complacent even with higher barriers in place, saying debris impacts remain a major threat and urging residents to treat the coming flood as a serious safety risk.
NOTN- As Suicide Basin nears capacity, the City and Borough of Juneau is urging residents in the flood evacuation zone to finalize their emergency plans.
In an interview with CBJ Emergency Programs Manager Ryan O’Shaughnessy, he said residents are encouraged to know where they’ll go if an evacuation is ordered.
“The basin is is almost full, once the basin becomes full and gets to 1350 ft, folks can expect to get an alert on their phones.” O’Shaughnessy said, “That’ll that loud, sort of jarring alert, a sort of siren that comes out of your phone for just a minute. And that’ll let people know that the basin has become full. And in our Ready, Set, Go framework, we’ve moved from Ready into Set. That means it’s time for folks to have a bag packed, it’s time to make sure your phone is charged, there’s gas in the car, and that you’re ready to go when the basin begins to release.”
We’ve put together the CBJ approved evacuation routes, take note of what’s nearest to you if you are in the evacuation zone.
Residents north of Division Street, please travel north on Riverside Drive, toward Mendenhall (Back) Loop Road and out of the inundation area.
Residents south of Division Street, travel south on Riverside Drive, turn left on Stephen Richards Memorial Drive, towards Mendenhall Loop Road.
On Rivercourt Way, travel south on Riverside Drive, toward Egan Drive
On the west side of the Mendenhall River, travel west on Mendenhall (Back) Loop Road toward Auke Bay (avoid Back Loop Bridge).
West of Brotherhood Bridge, travel west on Glacier Highway toward Auke Bay
An emergency shelter will be available at Floyd Dryden Middle School, and limited space is available there for pets. Juneau Animal Rescue can also help coordinate temporary pet sheltering.
People in the evacuation zone are also being asked to register their vehicles in advance if they plan to use the city’s temporary flood parking areas, which are located at St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church 4207 Mendenhall Loop Road, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church 8198 Keegan Street, Christ Lutheran Church 10300 Glacier Hwy, Juneau Christian Center 8001 Glacier Hwy.
“We’re optimistic, and we have a tremendous amount of confidence in the HESCO barriers, but it’s not something to bet your life on. That’s why we’re really encouraging folks who live in the hazard area to evacuate and go ahead and heed that evacuation advisory when that’s issued.” O’Shaughnessy said.
Officials recommend preparing homes now by moving valuables, as well as items such as oils, paints and cleaning products, into secure waterproof containers at higher elevations.
Residents should also have a go-bag packed and ready in case an evacuation order is issued.
Officials remind residents not to drive or walk through floodwaters and to wait for an official all-clear before returning home after the event. The City and Borough of Juneau has also activated a flood information hotline for non-emergency questions. The hotline currently operates weekdays, with expanded weekend and around-the-clock hours planned once the basin fills and, if necessary, when a flood begins. United Way of Southeast Alaska is also coordinating volunteers and assistance for residents who may need help before or after the flood.
Flood waters are rising at a rate of about 3 feet per day but more information about flood preparedness is available through the City and Borough of Juneau’s flood readiness resources, the National Weather Service or by calling the flood hotline.
NOTN- Sealaska Heritage Institute has released new renderings of a proposed $40 million mixed-use arts and cultural center planned for the current Juneau City Hall site.
The three-story facility would feature Northwest Coast art and cultural experiences, a glass-blowing studio, gallery space, community programming and a possible new home for the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, though no agreement has happened between SHI and the city as of now.
Institute officials say the project would strengthen downtown year-round, create jobs and expand Juneau’s cultural tourism economy. The proposal depends on the City and Borough of Juneau approving the sale of the City Hall property to Sealaska Heritage for $1.5 million.
The Juneau Assembly is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal Aug. 17.
The full press release by SHI can be found below;
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has released schematics of its proposed arts building envisioned for the site of Juneau’s old city hall.
The crown-jewel, mixed-use facility would encompass multi-levels, feature stunning glass walls and be adorned in monumental red formline design — elements that mirror SHI’s Walter Soboleff Building, Atnané Hít (Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus) and its Indigenous Science Building in the city’s designated Heritage Square.
The space would provide authentic educational, cultural and art experiences for locals and visitors, include a Northwest Coast art glass studio and offer space to house the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
The project is part of SHIs efforts to make Juneau the Northwest Coast arts capital of the world, said SHI President Rosita Worl.
“We are thrilled to unveil our latest proposal to bring more Northwest Coast arts, cultural experiences and economic diversity to Juneau and to further enhance the downtown corridor,” Worl said.
The project hinges on whether the city elects to put the project out to the highest bidder or sell to SHI for $1.5 million. If the institute did purchase the land, SHI would have to raze city hall because it’s contaminated with asbestos and other toxins inside and below the dilapidated facility. The city also has delayed maintenance on the building that would cost $13 million to address.
Demolishing the building and decontaminating the site would come with a steep price tag, said SHI Chief of Operations Lee Kadinger.
“The project would require demolition and removal at considerable cost to SHI. The demolition and highly regulated removal and disposal process is estimated to cost in excess of $1 million before construction of a new facility would be possible,” Kadinger said.
The new structure would span roughly 30,000 square feet and encompass three floors. If it were built using today’s prices, it would cost approximately $32 million. Assuming it will take four years to raise capital funds, the price would be closer to $40 million, as costs rise over time, Kadinger said.
SHI would install a nicely landscaped space onsite for locals and visitors while it’s raising capital funds to build the facility, similar to when it filled in the so-called “pit” downtown while the institute raised money to construct the Walter Soboleff Building.
The institute would give the city first right of refusal to relocate the Juneau-Douglas City Museum to the second floor of the building. This would move the museum closer to cruise ship docks.
Through community oriented year-round activities, the facility will help draw locals to the downtown corridor in off-tourism months — and help to revitalize downtown, which is a priority of the City and Borough of Juneau. The institute is also considering setting aside some space for apartments in recognition of the community’s housing needs, as well as its own employees.
Cultural Tourism
The new facility would launch SHI’s planned cultural tourism programming, where visitors and locals would get hands-on experiences in Northwest Coast arts.
The structure would include a glass studio, where the famed Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary would help to establish the program and secure partners who would create an educational structure around glass blowing. This would become a creative space for the community of Juneau — one that could grow to create opportunities for visitors and locals to make their own glass pieces. Singletary would also help create a tiered program to develop skills from beginner to advanced, teaching students to create limited production pieces that could become a cottage industry over time.
The glass studio is based on the wildly successful model created by the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, which draws nearly 100,000 visitors annually, includes a Hot Shop that hosts more than 50 visiting artists each year and has engaged more than 250,000 students through educational programs to date.
The new facility would be across from the Juneau Seawalk and Marine Park and attract more tourists to the core of downtown. The glass studio and a retail gallery for high end art would add to SHI’s monumental art and cultural tours currently offered at the Arts Campus and Walter Soboleff Building.
Community Benefits
While SHI projects and services are structured for tribal members, many of the programs benefit or are available to the entire community. Teacher trainings, lectures, art classes, summer camps, visiting scholars, concerts, academic publications, live streams, traditional ceremonies, First Fridays, Totem Pole Trail tours and Indigenous science workshops are commonly available to the public.
As the glass program grows, the facility would be open to residents who want to learn about the art of making glass and glass blowing.
SHI’s three other buildings also have transformed and beautified Juneau, adding to the visual appeal of downtown, and the plaza has been open to the public for art performances and other activities. The institute’s hope is to retain the city hall site for additional community space.
Economic Benefits
The successful completion of previous SHI capital campaigns has led to significant benefits for Juneau. In addition to its construction projects and their associated employment and economic activity, SHI has provided direct monetary contributions to the Juneau School District and University of Alaska Southeast totaling more than $13,000,000 since 2015, according to a 2025 study by McKenley Research Group, and it plans to continue the educational investments.
Today, SHI employs more than 100 staff in Juneau. An economic impact study by the same firm in 2023 demonstrated that SHI generates more than $30,100,000 in direct and induced economic activity annually in Juneau.
Because SHI’s buildings are staffed and open year-round, they support area businesses as employees patronize nearby establishments. The new building’s employees would help offset the loss of city workers who will move to the area by the Juneau-Douglas Bridge.
As with SHI’s other buildings, the new facility is expected to provide an economic boon during construction, provide new jobs, boost labor income and generate millions of dollars in direct expenditures.
The city will hold a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 17, to take public testimony on the terms of the sale.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a non-profit tribal organization founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goals are to promote cross-cultural understanding by educating the general public about the Indigenous cultures of Alaska. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee, a Southeast Regional Language Committee and an Education Committee.
CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com. Captions from top: The facade of the arts building. The structure as seen from Marine Way. Heritage Square, which currently includes SHI’s Atnané Hít (Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus), Walter Soboleff Building, its Indigenous Science Building and the Sealaska building. Schematics by MRV Architects, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: Media outlets are welcome to use these photos for coverage of this story. For higher resolution images, contact kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.
NOTN- State transportation officials say that the Back Loop Bridge will be closed to all traffic during the anticipated Glacier Lake outburst flood also known as GLOF, while Brotherhood Bridge will remain open to vehicles but closed to pedestrians for safety.
“Much like last year, we’re going to close the bridge that’s on Back Loop when the gauge level on Mendenhall Lake hits 12 feet, or at 8:30 at night if it’s predicted to go over 12 feet overnight.” Said Department of Transportation Incident Commander Travis Eckhoff, “Folks will remember last year during the flood we had some damage to an approach that totally washed the approach out on the east side of the bridge. And so, just for everyone’s safety, we’re going to go ahead and close that bridge once it hits 12 feet, and we’ll open it back up once our engineers have had a chance to go and inspect the bridge to make sure everything’s okay.”
Engineers will inspect the bridge before reopening it once water levels subside.
Eckhoff urged residents to heed evacuation boundaries, avoid driving through floodwater and sign up for alerts at 511alaska.gov and with the City and Borough of Juneau.
Drone flights will also monitor infrastructure during the event.
“When the basin releases we’ll be putting out a temporary flight restriction for a specific area. So we advise you don’t fly your drones in that area. We’ll be posting that on our socials. There will be drones in the sky, monitoring important infrastructure and HESCO barriers.” Echkoff said.
NOTN- Juneau voters will again decide whether to extend the city’s 3% temporary sales tax for another five years, which city staff say is critical to funding basic services.
The Assembly approved Ordinance 2026-13 Monday night, which places the question on the October 2026 ballot. The measure would continue a 3% tax from July 1, 2027, through July 1, 2032.
City Manager Katie Koester told Assembly members that Juneau’s total 5% sales tax is built from a 1% permanent base tax, a 1% temporary capital projects tax, and this 3% temporary levy that has been in place since 1983.
“The temporary 3% tax is used to fund really the bread and butter of city services. 1% is spent on operations, including police and fire, 1% is spent on streets and drainage projects and we’ve added some utility projects to that list as of late to again keep up with those utility projects. Then the other 1% goes to other needed CIP projects, often parks and playground maintenance, there’s some Eaglecrest funding in there.” Said Koester, “The 3% has been around for decades and really is part of how we’re able to provide basic city services. This ordinance puts 3% on the ballot this fall and I recommend the assembly take public testimony and adopt this ordinance.”
The ordinance passed without objection, sending the renewal to voters this fall.
