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Juneau assembly votes on Eaglecrest and View Drive Buyout program

NOTN- The Juneau Assembly has voted to unwind its controversial gondola deal at Eaglecrest at tonight’s assembly meeting.

Members approved the ordinance to enter negotiations to terminate the revised revenue sharing agreement with Goldbelt and stop the mounting 7% interest charges on the gondola investment.

A follow-up measure, appropriates $12.2 million to repay Goldbelt’s $10 million, plus interest. Both votes passed 8-1, with Assembly Member Nano Brooks in opposition.

Finance Director Christine Woll argued that continuing to delay would only add nearly another $1 million in interest.

“I think we’ve been over where we are with the project and why we can no longer afford to move forward.” She said, “I think we should continue to talk to Goldbelt about the future of Eaglecrest. I think there’s plenty of things that we’ve discussed that could be mutually beneficial in a future partnership, but there is a lot to figure out if that goes forward, and I don’t know why we would do that while there is interest continuing to accumulate. By my math, it would be almost another million dollars if we were to spend a year going down that road, and we would be doing it under duress, because we want to do it quickly.”

The Assembly also took a major step toward buying out the repeatedly flooded homes along View Drive in the Mendenhall Valley.

Members approved $558,000 from the general fund to plan a buyout program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The money will pay for backdated appraisals and cost estimates to demolish homes and restore the land to a natural state.

“Each individual homeowner would have a decision to make as to whether or not they would participate in the buyout program.” Said Deputy City Manager Robert Barr, “There would be a real estate transaction that would occur, NRCs would pay 75% of that appraised value of the house. They will also pay 75% It’s a little bit more complicated than that, but in general, they would also pay 75% of the project costs to demolish and return those properties to that natural state.”

Residents could also publicly testify, using their time to warn city leaders against deep cuts to recreation and to question the future of Telephone Hill development.

Public testimony in the hour prior to the passage of terminating the gondola deal, focused on Eaglecrest and the city’s budget shortfall. Supporters called Eaglecrest a cornerstone of Juneau’s livability and a key reason families stay.

“I came to Juneau in 1971 when I was 23. I learned to ski and met my husband at Third Cabin before Eaglecrest. When we had children, skiing became something of a family thing we did on Sundays, because it was much cheaper on Sundays. And Eaglecrest has always been more affordable than any area down south. Our kids grew up skiing, and I really attribute those years at Eaglecrest with helping our children grow up with grit, a love for the outdoors, learning time management when they started traveling with the ski team, and having a sport that helped to create healthy adults.” Said longtime skier and testifier Sharon Denton, “I honestly can’t imagine a winter in Juneau without Eaglecrest. I thank you for funding to keep it going next year, but we have to look further.”

Several speakers also challenged the city’s approach to Telephone Hill.

Larry Talley and Mary Alice McKeen cited the city’s own market analysis, arguing the proposed housing project would require tens of millions in subsidies and a per-unit funding gap far above Juneau’s normal affordable housing support.

“From what I know, the proposed development on Telephone Hill of 155 units with 25 affordable is not financially feasible. The first question in the City Manager’s Telephone FAQ was, ‘why is CBJ moving forward with evictions and building demolition without a developer in place?’ And the answer was, quote, ‘Telephone Hill has been carefully analyzed through the market analysis, and the Assembly has chosen to develop the property.’ She did not cite any specific numbers or pages from that market analysis.” Said McKeen, asking of the RFQ, “How many units will be built if the development plan goes forward as proposed? How many units will be affordable? And the most important question, How much public subsidy will be required? The maximum subsidy in the Juneau Affordable Housing Fund is $50,000 If the gap for this project is greater than $50,000 the project should not go forward.”

Separately, the city is actively working to craft next year’s budget, as well as Eaglcrest’s budget.

The city must finalize the budget by June 15, there will be another opportunity for public testimony on June 8.

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Public defends Parks and Rec services, option to ‘keep Eaglecrest warm’ presented at assembly meeting

Juneau residents pack Assembly Chambers to give public testimony on CBJ’s proposed Budget cuts, photo courtesy of CBJ.

NOTN-Residents packed a special Assembly meeting last night to oppose proposed cuts to city recreation facilities, warning that closures would damage public safety, youth development and the community’s quality of life.

“‘I’ve got some serious questions about the budget as proposed and how it actually balances livability.” Said one testifier, Brock.

The hearing focused on the city manager’s draft budget, which lists possible reductions to parks and recreation services, including the closure of one of Juneau’s two public pools, the Treadwell Ice Arena, and the Dimond Park Field House. City officials have emphasized the list is preliminary and intended for discussion, not a final set of cuts.

“Speaking in favor of the Juneau Douglas City Museum, my wife and I volunteer there, as do many, many other people, thousands of hours a year.” Said one testifier, Ed, “We provide a lot of information for visitors, capital tours, walking tours, the museum itself. When you lose a museum, you lose history. When you lose your history, you screw up the future.”

Speaker after speaker, including parents, children, seniors and former officials, urged the Assembly to keep the facilities open.

“‘Name me a better return on investment for the well being of Juneau than our pools in a community like ours, surrounded by water and defined by our connection to it. Access to safe, welcoming aquatic spaces is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Public Pools provide a place where people of all ages can come together, stay active and build community on any given day. Young children are being taught how to swim. Senior citizens are participating in low impact exercise. Athletes are using the gym. Parents like me are maintaining social connections. It is a shared space that strengthens the fabric of our town. For family, these pools are essential.” Said Connor, testifying in support of Parks and Rec.

Residents urged continued funding for the field house and ice arena, saying they are heavily used indoor venues that provide affordable recreation during long, dark winters.

“I’m here tonight as a social worker and advocate, and most importantly, a mother, because the people most affected by these proposed cuts are often the least able to attend in person late at night meetings.” Said Joanna, testifying on behalf of Parks and Recreation programs, “The proposed elimination of community services is not a minor budget adjustment. These are not luxuries. They are essential public infrastructure. What is most disappointing for me personally is not just the threat of cuts, but the lack of thoughtful understanding behind them.”

Some residents accused city leaders of, what they characterized as poor fiscal decisions, including spending on a new city hall and the troubled Eaglecrest gondola project.

“Mayor, City Manager, you’ve got to listen to the public. I was someone that worked for you that told the truth. I tried to go to a November assembly meeting. You made me leave.” Said KC Kregar, who has previously been trespassed from City Hall, according to a story by KTOO, he also came to discuss safety issues at Eaglecrest. “You’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a now dead gondola project. You spent millions of dollars of the community’s money not having a plan, and now you think this community is going to accept you taking away their recreational facilities.”

Some also warned that reductions to core services could drive working families away and erode trust in local government.

“Yes, our community faces some difficult decisions. But our solutions cannot be simply to take an ax to all the things that make this community wonderful.” Said Cheryl.

A few days prior to the special assembly meeting, Assembly member Nano Brooks posted to his Facebook with his own reduction proposals.

“It breaks my heart to see people pleading for recreation facilities. People are sad, people are scared and you all deserve better.” He wrote.

An assembly finance meeting took place directly following the swathes of public tesimony.

Members reviewed two lean budget options for Eaglecrest Ski Area, both designed to avoid another year of deficit spending.

At the Assembly’s request, the Eaglecrest Board and staff returned with a “bare minimum” budget built around the ski area’s traditional $930,000 general fund subsidy, and a separate, broader budget that would need about $1.68 million from the city but is the lowest level board members say can realistically support operations next winter.

Board members said the $930,000 option technically balances on paper but would cut staffing by 56%, trim operating days from about 86 to roughly 66, and shorten hours to 9 a.m.-3 p.m. all season and eliminate in‑house food service. Eaglecrest staff warned that would leave the mountain unable to reliably open lifts, respond to breakdowns or maintain safety.

Acting general manager Erin Lupro said the higher-subsidy plan still cuts staffing around 44% and keeps shortened hours, but preserves just enough capacity to run the hill, pursue a private food-and-beverage concession and continue long‑range planning the Assembly has requested.

In a split decision, the Finance Committee directed staff to calculate the cost of effectively mothballing Eaglecrest, which essentially means keeping facilities maintained but not operating, while leaving enough staff to plan for a future relaunch. Some members opposed even studying closure, but others said they need those numbers before deciding on any subsidy level.

“At some point, we’re going to be moving some stuff, we’ve got a long list for final decision.” Said Finance Chair Christine Woll, “I move that we direct somebody, and I would think this would be city staff and Eaglecrest staff, to work together to bring us back the cost for keeping Eagle Crest warm. When I hear that we can’t operate Eaglecrest at the same level of taxpayer funding that’s been going into Eaglecrest, I just have to know what the cost, if we were to not operate Eaglecrest, but maintain our infrastructure so that when a new plan for Eaglecrest arises, we can pick it back up. I think that will be expensive, but it’s hard for me to imagine justifying spending twice as many dollars of taxpayer support on Eaglecrest, given all of the feedback that we’ve gotten.”

No final decisions were made. Eaglecrest’s budget, along with youth grants and other items, remains on the committee’s pending list as the Assembly continues work on the fiscal 2027 budget.

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Public hearing set for Juneau budget tomorrow night

NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly will hold a public hearing tomorrow on its proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, including property taxes, school funding, a multi-year capital improvement plan, Eaglecrest and the Gondola Project.

The special Assembly meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and it will be followed by the Assembly Finance Committee. Residents may testify in person or via Zoom.

At the hearing, Assembly members will take testimony on several key ordinances, including a measure setting the 2026 property tax rate to fund the FY27 budget.

According to the agenda, officials will also consider a $551.2 million operating budget for city and borough services, along with a separate $97.2 million budget for the Juneau School District.

In addition, the Assembly will review a resolution adopting the city’s capital improvement program for fiscal years 2027 through 2032, which outlines infrastructure priorities and planned project spending.

Another resolution would set aside up to $2.3 million from the city’s restricted budget reserve to cover an anticipated operating deficit at Eaglecrest Ski Area.

Separately, the Assembly is expected to introduce an ordinance to begin terminating a revenue-sharing agreement with Goldbelt Inc. tied to the proposed gondola project at Eaglecrest. City officials say the project is no longer financially feasible after cost estimates rose to more than $37 million, up from initial projections of about $10 million.

This is still up in the air, but under this agreement Juneau would be required to repay Goldbelt’s $10 million investment plus interest if the deal is terminated. Repayment would include general funds and previously allocated project money.

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‘Not to panic’ City Manager prepares public for tough budget talks

NOTN- Juneau’s city manager is urging residents to stay engaged and, not to panic as the Assembly prepares to confront a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall that could reshape what services the city provides.

“I think the message I want for the public is definitely be engaged, because, you know, this is where some of the real conversations start to happen, but not the panic. Because the silver lining to this exercise is we, everyone from staff to the assembly, and hopefully the public is learning a lot more about what our city does and the valuable service we provide and who we provide them for. And we should be doing that level of deep dive in our budget process.” Katie Koester said.

Koester said the Assembly’s Finance Committee will meet today to review $2 million to $4 million in potential service reductions, part of a broader effort to address an estimated $12 million budget gap over the next two years.

“The estimated gap we have is $12 million but we don’t really know that, so the assembly is trying to take a measured approach, over two years. They know that there’s going to be some cuts that impact services, so individually, they came up with $2 -4 million in service productions, and they’re looking at that collated a list (this) evening, so it will be the first time some people see, their favorite services, or their favorite things on a list.” Koester said.

The Juneau Independent has published a story detailing some of those potential cuts which can be read here.

The list of possible cuts will be presented publicly tonight.

She also cautioned against alarm, saying the process has forced the city, the Assembly and hopefully the public to take a deeper look at what the city does, who it serves and what those services are worth.

Koester said the priority is to avoid ‘nickel-and-diming’ every program and ending up with a city that does many things poorly.

“I think what we can not afford to do, and I think the assembly sees this, is to do a lot of things really poorly, right? The assembly is really trying to take a look at what things should we be doing? What things should we not be doing? and making sure that the services that we do provide, we continue to provide well.” She said.

Alongside potential cuts, the Assembly will also examine foregone revenue, areas where the city may not be collecting as much as it could under current policy.

That includes a fresh look at some sales tax exemptions and other practices that may be limiting the city’s ability to raise money without new tax hikes.

“I certainly think the future is bright, with a lot of development, with the coming of the Coast Guard and all of those things, right? We have more people. We have more economic activity that provides more tax revenue for services, more dollars circulating in our economy.” She said, “Those are all good things, because another thing that the assembly is looking at on (today) is foregone revenue. They’re taking a fresh look at just how we do things and why we do things.”

Still, the immediate focus will be on the detailed, sometimes uncomfortable budget work now beginning in public.

The Assembly is expected to continue its budget work in the coming weeks, with more public discussion as members narrow down which services to preserve and where to look for new or previously overlooked revenue before the budget is due in June.

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Assembly moves to terminate Revenue Sharing Agreement with Goldbelt on Gondola Project

NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau is moving to terminate its revenue sharing agreement with Goldbelt, as discussed at a Committee of the Whole work session Monday night, over the proposed gondola project at Eaglecrest.

Mayor Beth Weldon said the Assembly’s Committee of the Whole voted to end the existing Revenue Sharing Agreement (RSA) with Goldbelt, citing mounting interest costs and concerns over the city’s fund balance.

At Monday night’s meeting City Manager Katie Koester introduced the Gondola issue, saying, “We have a 99% designed gondola, and all the parts and pieces for this mountain, and marketing that to an outside investor is certainly something that this body has expressed interest in. As a reminder repayment on May 1 is a little over $12 million. We have about $3.3 million left in the project account. However, there’s lots of moving pieces and encumbrances, and I’d like to leave at least, you know, half a million dollars in that account to cover some of those.”

“Goldbelt still wants to negotiate, but in the meantime, the revenue sharing agreement that we have keeps collecting interest, so we moved an ordinance to terminate the RSA with Goldbelt forward to the full assembly, accompanied by an appropriate ordinance for 9.5 million from fund balance and 2.7 million in the remaining gondola project. So we’re going to terminate the RSA agreement, but that doesn’t mean that we still won’t negotiate with Goldbelt or another entity to move forward.” Weldon said.

The city is advancing an ordinance to appropriate $9.5 million from its fund balance and $2.7 million from remaining gondola project funds. Those dollars would be used to satisfy the city’s obligations under the RSA.

“There was quite a bit of conversation that this will take our fund balance down considerably, but we have yet to do all of our work, and so we’re working on trying to put stuff back in the fund balance, and we have a ways to go.” She said.

The refund to Goldbelt could go out soon after the Assembly’s next regular meeting, Weldon said. “it will come in our next assembly meeting, if that passes, it will go through.” She added.

Weldon said she has already submitted budget-cutting ideas to help replenish reserves, though it will be up to the Assembly to decide what to adopt.

The gondola was one of three major financial and development topics discussed at the Assembly Committee of the Whole work session, alongside Telephone Hill development and child care funding.

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Gondola reversal puts Eaglecrest, Juneau budget under strain

NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau is scrapping its participation in the long-planned gondola project at Eaglecrest ski area after costs ballooned from single-digit millions to an estimated $37 million, leaving the city on the hook to repay Goldbelt during an already tight budget season.

Finance Committee Chair Christine Woll said the Juneau Assembly voted Wednesday night to move forward with pulling out of its agreement with Goldbelt, which had helped finance the project. The city expects to repay about $12 million that Goldbelt invested, roughly $9 million of which has already been spent.

“We knew that increases at Eaglecrest were going to be significant over time, just because of aging infrastructure, and we knew that the public tax dollars probably couldn’t sustain paying for those increases at Eaglecrest.” Woll said, “So the vision was that by installing a gondola that could help take advantage of summer revenue from our visitor industry, we could
provide a more reliable, non-taxpayer dollar-funded income stream at Eaglecrest, but for a price tag that big, it no longer becomes something that the city has funds to invest in.”

The gondola was originally projected to cost about $7 million, later revised to around $9 million when the city and Goldbelt signed their deal, Woll said. The latest estimate, about $37 million to install, pushed the project far beyond affordability for the City.

“It’s just terrible, what a waste of money, but we’re gonna have to figure out how to pay it back.” Woll said.

The decision to cancel the project now leaves Eaglecrest in a precarious financial position. Its future budgets had assumed new income from gondola operations during the summer months.

Woll said the Assembly has directed Eaglecrest to return with a much-reduced operating budget that fits within the traditional taxpayer subsidy the ski area receives.

The gondola reversal comes as Juneau is just beginning to create it’s annual budget for FY 27.

“Ultimately, the assembly is going to have to make some hard decisions about service reductions. We’re aiming to make about $2 million more in cuts before June, when we have to pass the budget.” Said Woll.

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City Assembly meeting packed with tense testimony on Budget, Flooding and Telephone Hill

Monday night’s assembly meeting, as seen on CBJ’s livestream

NOTN- Packed public testimony at a Juneau Assembly meeting Monday showcased public tensions over the city’s budget, flooding, and looming cuts.

The public comment period stretched nearly 2 hours before the assembly could continue its regular agenda.

While much of the evenings testimony focused on budget pressures and big upcoming projects, one resident voiced their gratitude to the assembly for holding public comment saying, “I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to the assembly and to say that, you look at any scale of global events, down to national events, down to local events, there’s a lot to be fearful of and a lot to be anxious about. That being said, it’s too easy to displace that on, what you can yell at your local assembly.” Testifiers said social media can further exacerbate tensions, “Huge thanks to you guys, I know you have tons of stuff on your plate, and I know that it seems like you can’t catch a break, because I feel like, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

Multiple residents demanded the city halt or delay demolition of historic homes on city owned Telephone Hill, which the city hopes to redevelop for potentially, over 150 housing units.

“The CBJ is facing a $10 to $12 million budget shortfall. This will affect everyone in Juneau. It doesn’t make sense to spend $5.5 million on the discretionary demolition of Telephone Hill when there are so many pressing municipal needs.” Said Maureen Conerton, “Many Juneau residents have valid concerns and have testified against this project. including a former administrator, judge, an architect, a retired project manager, in addition to the more than 1000 Juneau residents who signed the Stop the Bulldozers Petition that was presented to you last fall.”

Juneau currently has a housing shortage. In an assembly meeting at the end of February, Finance Chair Christine Woll noted that demand is sure to rise with the arrival of Coast Guard personnel in the coming years.

Some speakers said they support building more housing in Juneau, especially downtown, but oppose the current Telephone Hill plan.

Others voiced concern for escalating cost estimates for the gondola project at Eaglecrest Ski Area, saying the price has ballooned far beyond early figures.

“I disagree with what’s been said about social media, I mean, that is the way a lot of people on short notice communicate.” Said Shannan Greene, she mentioned comments in articles by KTOO and the Juneau Independent and encouraged the Assembly to view them as public testimony as well, “This is an example of informal but honest public testimony from your everyday citizens. These are the people who are growing increasingly frustrated with your decisions.”

Residents spoke on flooding in the Mendenhall Valley and said the city has been too slow to address recurring flooding and erosion.

“Residents in the valley are left dealing with flooding, higher costs and the feeling that our concerns are always pushed down the list.” Said Amy Miller, “It isn’t frustrating, it’s driving people away. I’ll be honest with you, myself and many of my friends and neighbors are actively planning to leave Juneau as soon as we can, not because we don’t love this community we do, but because we no longer feel like the city is working for the people who live here, if the city continues to treat the valley’s flooding as a problem to study instead of a problem to solve.”

The Army Corps of Engineers recently, and without explicit reason, pulled back from pursuing the Lake Tap enduring solution, which had its own federal timeline.

The project was endorsed by Tlingit and Haida, the USDA Forest Service and Alaska’s Delegation, city leaders have been ‘Deeply concerned’ about the Army Corp’s shift in priorities.

City Manager Katie Koester said new federal discussions later this month could reshape the city’s strategy.

“We are very much committed to an enduring solution and committed to working on developing and furthering the lake tap.” She said, “We have received great news that Secretary Adam Telle and a large delegation of his high up staff will be traveling to Juneau at the end of this month, and as part of that, we anticipate new information and new strategy.”

Assembly Member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs said because Assembly rules limit speakers to two minutes and do not allow any back-and-forth, some of the most productive conversations happen informally. “You pour out your heart for two minutes, which is a very short time, or you’re trying to identify to someone you’re upset. When we’re in that process, we can ask clarifying questions, but we don’t engage. So the best follow up steps are the conversations that happen in the room, in between, on the breaks, things like that. So I was able to get some contact information and follow up with some folks and I think that happens pretty commonly, that it’s those one on one interactions.”

Concern also came from social service providers, who said potential cuts of up to 30% to city‑supported grants would shrink or shutter essential programs.

Leaders from the Southeast Alaska Food Bank, school counseling programs, the Glory Hall shelter and housing project, youth and senior services, mental health organizations and Alaska Legal Services all reported record demand and rising costs.

“I want to first off, take this opportunity to thank the assembly for the investment that they have made in our organization over the last couple of years. But with that in mind, I want remind you all that we work as social service organizations, many of which are present in the room tonight in partnership with the city. And we’re concerned to hear that the assembly is considering a reduction of investment in the social services block grant, what that would amount to is a reduction in services.” Said Dan Parks, speaking for the Southeast Alaska Food Bank, “I can only speak for our organization, but demand is at record highs. A couple of years ago, when I started with the food bank, we were serving about 300 individuals a week. Now we’re serving about 500 through our public pantry. We’re seeing more and more people slip from what used to be called the middle class into poverty. We also know that hunger doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s an indicator, a canary in the coal mine, if you will, of other social ills.”

They told the Assembly that fewer local dollars would mean fewer meals, beds, and legal and mental health services, pushing more people toward homelessness, emergency rooms and law enforcement.

Hughes-Skandijs said the Assembly welcomes the surge in civic participation, even when emotions run high.

“We welcome, public engagement. We always want more of that.” She said, “We want people to come and talk to their local officials, and we want to know how people are feeling. A room charged with emotion is sometimes going to be because there’s just so much happening. If someone’s brave enough, and we want them to be brave enough,this is where they should be. It’s their local government. And so we want them to get involved.”

This article has been edited to correct the spelling of Shannan Greene’s name and to adjust misleading language on Social Media in early testimony.

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Eaglecrest’s future tied to Gondola plan as budget pressures continue

Photo courtesy of Eaglecrest

NOTN- Leaders of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area told city officials last night they are facing mounting financial and maintenance challenges, even as they press ahead with plans for a gondola and expanded summer operations to make the resort self-sustaining.

Meeting jointly with the Juneau Assembly, Eaglecrest board members and managers described aging infrastructure, declining season-pass sales and heavy reliance on city support that now pushes the ski area into a negative fund balance.

Board chair Brandon Cullum said the ski area is still recovering from a string of poor snow years, lift problems and price increases that have shaken public confidence.

“I think that the idea of restoring confidence is key,” Cullum said. “It may not be any one thing, but we’ve lived through a bit of a perfect storm here.”

Eaglcrest officials told the city that Eaglecrest opened 61 days so far this season, compared with 86 budgeted days, and has recorded about 305 inches of snowfall. While recent storms have helped, operations remains vulnerable to the inconsistent weather and equipment failures.

Aging lifts are at the top of the worry list. Many of Eaglecrest’s chairlifts are older models, built by a company that shut down in 2003.

“We’ve worked really hard through the summer, through the fall and even through this winter, things are costing us a little bit more, and we are trying to be mindful and responsible on what we’re focusing on.” Said Acting general manager Erin Lupro, “We have some aging infrastructure at Eaglecrest, between lifts, buildings, even our parking lot with those fun little dips that you experience in the upper lot. One of the things that I definitely lose sleep about is the lifts.”

Board member Jim Calvin walked officials through the financial trends, saying season-pass prices have risen sharply in recent years while adult, teen and youth pass sales all declined.

“We would achieve a break-even status in FY 32 or 33 again, under a certain set of assumptions about the gondola being built and being online.” Calvin said

Offcials said the ski area’s long-term strategy hinges the gondola and developing summer attractions aimed at Juneau’s roughly 2 million annual visitors, most of them cruise passengers. He said, expanded summer business could eventually eliminate the ski area’s need for general fund subsidies.

Until then, Eagle Crest is drawing heavily on city support.

Staffing is another challenge.

Officials said the mountain has the equivalent of just over seven full-time positions vacant, representing about 22 individual jobs, including three year-round posts.

The looming decision, board members acknowledged, is what happens if the city decides not to proceed with the gondola, or no longer allows Eagle Crest to operate with a negative fund balance.

“With the maintenance requirements, with our operating cost, with revenue where we anticipate it to be, to not carry a negative fund balance not only hobbles our ability to position ourselves for summer operations, but it hobbles our ability to contemplate winter operations,” Cullum said. “It’s definitely a question of whether we could continue to operate.”

Board members said they will provide the Assembly with a prioritized capital project list and are seeking to hire a professional mountain recreation planner to craft a detailed strategic and business plan for Eaglecrest’s future.

The Assembly is scheduled to receive a separate, in‑depth presentation on the gondola project April 1.

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City leaders discuss changes to Eaglecrest board at meeting Monday night

Screenshot
Committee of the Whole, Monday Jan. 26

NOTN- The major topic discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting last night was proposed changes to governance at Eaglecrest Ski Area, which has struggled for years with operational instability and deferred maintenance.

Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon said she introduced an ordinance that would shift the Eaglecrest board from an empowered governing body to an advisory role under a newly established City and Borough of Juneau Eaglecrest Recreation Area Department. The change would give the city more direct oversight over operations and capital investments.

“My ultimate goal is to try to save Eaglecrest. If anybody knows my history, both my kids grew up in Eaglecrest. In fact, my youngest son continued ski racing in college.” She said, “Eaglecrest is a great place to learn how to ski, but they have struggled with operational instability and management challenges for many years. So this tells me there’s a structural problem.”

She emphasized that the proposal is not a reflection on the current board, but rather an effort to ensure the ski area’s long-term survival.

“Currently, the board that we have is a very strong board, but despite having more year-round staff than ever before, Eaglecrest has still struggled with basic ski operations, amplified by long-term neglect of equipment and deferred maintenance.” Said Weldon, “And I think in order for Eaglecrest to survive, it needs a little shake-up, and the only shake-up we can really do is to have more city oversight.”

Without additional city control, Weldon warned, major repairs may not be financially feasible.

A joint meeting is scheduled for early March between the city’s Committee of the Whole and the Eaglecrest board to address these proposals and gather further input.

“We’re going to have a joint meeting where we’ll sit and talk to the Eagle Crest board, and then I think a couple weeks later, it’ll be back in front of the Committee of the Whole and we can decide what we change.” Said Deputy Mayor Greg Smith, “I’ve heard a lot about it. It shows how much people care about Eaglecrest.”

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Eaglecrest updates operations; snow challenges, leadership changes and deepening deficits

Photo courtesy of Eaglecrest Ski Area

NOTN-Eaglecrest Ski Area officials say the resort continues to operate even with the extreme winter weather, closures, infrastructure problems and leadership turnover.

One of the most significant operational challenges for Eaglecrest has been a major water system failure beneath Fish Creek Lodge. Officials said the break was caused by aging infrastructure, not freezing, but repairs were complicated when a separate heating-system water line was damaged during initial work.

Contractors are now scheduled to install a supplemental water line, with hopes of restoring service next week. Water testing will be required before potable use can resume.

Mountain operations crews are continuing grooming and trail preparation as the snowfall allows, though mechanical issues with snowcats have slowed the progress.

Contractors are on site assisting with repairs. Plans are also being developed for snowmaking improvements and the possible return of night skiing.

According to the managers report released after the meeting last night, Eaglecrest has seen access improvements. For the 2025-26 season, the City and Borough of Juneau assumed responsibility for maintaining Fish Creek Road.

City crews are currently widening the road to improve traffic flow to the ski area.

Despite the continuous operational hurdles, the report discussed strong participation in snowsports programs. The ski area hosted three holiday camps with 125 students and launched its first multi-week programs in early January.

Thursdays meetings also brought notable leadership changes.

First reported by the Juneau Independent, General Manager Craig Cimmons resigned, after taking up the position on September 30 of 2024.

Board chair Hannah Shively stepped down for health reasons. Erin Lupro, a longtime employee and former acting general manager, was appointed interim general manager, with Cimmons assisting in the transition for up to 30 days.

Eaglecrest has faced financial strain as well, including a reported 40% drop in season pass sales and major projected deficits in the years leading up to the proposed gondola project.

On January 5, a report was presented during a Special Finance Committee Planning Meeting that shows Eaglecrest is facing mounting budget deficits.

Eaglecrest entered the current fiscal year with a budget deficit of $691,600, with the lowest previous fund balance in fiscal year 2006.

Under the current projections, the report estimates the fund balance could reach between negative $2.5 million and negative $3.0 million at the start of fiscal year 2027.

The mountain’s long-term financial planning is tied heavily to the proposed gondola project, but the first potential gondola related revenue is only expected in the final two months of fiscal year 2028.

Officials said additional updates on operations, infrastructure repairs and leadership transitions will be shared as the season continues.

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