The Docks and Harbors board unanimously approved its Fiscal Year 2013 Capital Improvement Project list on Thursday. It now heads to the City and Borough of Juneau’s Engineering Department.
The list includes a page of information on each project, listing how many funds the enterprise already has for the projects and how much it’s looking for this upcoming fiscal year.
• The biggest project on the list is for the new cruise ship berths, estimated to cost $47 million for two new floating berths. The project is commonly referred to as 16B.
Docks and Harbors is seeking $4.5 million in state funds from cruise ship impact funds, and $2.6 million in port development fees. It has $16.5 million in state funds and $3 million in local funds already, with $20.4 million more needed (if FY 13 requests are approved).
• The department also is looking for funds for cathodic protection maintenance, which would replace that system downtown and include pile replacement and sheet pile coating. This will cost approximately $500,000 and funds are being sought entirely from marine passenger fees.
• The Auke Bay passenger-for-hire facility is up for funding, which would install a boarding float, gangway and passenger loading zone for cruise ship passengers going on charter tours. The department is asking for $800,000 in port development fees, and needs an additional $4 million for the project.
• The Aurora Harbor rebuilding project also is seeking funding because the moorage facility is “well beyond its design life and in need of replacement.” Total estimated cost is $18 million, with $2 million already allocated from local funds. The enterprise is asking for $2 million from an Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities harbor grant and is vying for $7 million from a potential temporary 1 percent sales tax extension. If funding requests are approved, it would still need $7 million.
• The Auke Bay boat haul-out facility is on the list, seeking $2.3 million from a potential temporary 1 percent sales tax extension. The project would replace the travel lift at Statter Harbor and improve the loading facility — including a washdown pad and water filtering/recycling equipment.
In other business, the board unanimously approved allocating design funds for the Aurora Harbor rebuild. Largely because of funding separation, the project is expected to be completed in phases. Port Engineer Gary Gillette said the first $4 million will go to replacing head floats ‘A’ and ‘B’, the gang ramp and the approach.
Funding received from the state for this project can only go toward construction, so design funds will have to come from the department budget — which is estimated to cost $600,000, including bidding, advertising, administration and other related factors. The design funds will get the project ready to move once the Legislature approves Municipal Harbor Facility Grant funding.
• Contact reporter Sarah Day at 523-2279 or at sarah.day@juneauempire.com.
Still looking...
...for a few million $$ to avoid job layoffs? Surely you can find it here. You scream budget shortfall while you go on with your bloated agenda. Cut services and raise taxes and let the working man go.
I haven't gotten my $25 survey call yet. I must not be one of the Chosen 400 Club members. Where do I sign up with the McDowell Group?
Does anybody know....
There's all this mentioning of local funds. What are they? Is this money that has already been allocated via the assembly? ...is it coming out of their operating funds? ...leftover from prior cip projects?
What are "local funds"?
No earmarks.
Local funds are in the general coffers...taxes exacted from sales tax, property tax, etc. that are allocated by assembly or voter approval. Mostly assembly. Why aren't we all tired of this gouge on the taxpayer? We carry a huge portion of this fluff. Not to mention that the cruise ship dock improvements ($47 million) are on PRIVATELY owned docks! Hmmmmm.
skirkz - I'm amazed
or maybe I shouldn't be, that the private cruise ship dock upgrade is going through. I sent a letter when the first story came out - and frankly, I don't get why there hasn't been a HUGE uproar about this. A&P is a private business, is the city going to pay to re-do their floors and freezers? Fred Meyer is private, should the city pay for all new shelving in there? What's the difference?
Why on earth are my tax dollars going to make whomever owns the private dock richer, by allowing them to not pay their own maintenance? I could use that money to fix up my own place.
Skirkz/Swimmergirl
The docks in question are NOT private,the improvements will be made to the Cruiseship dock & the Steamship dock both of which are owned by the City & Borough of Juneau..get yer facts straight before you spout off on things
Thanks for straightening out the facts.
Does the bottom line change? No. Taxpayers still get a huge project to pay for. And as Engstrom cautioned the assembly, berth contracts with cruise customers should have maintenance costs built into their fees. City owned docks should be self sustaining the same as private owned docks and not subsidized by us. The CBJ wants to ding Juneau residents for a large chunk of the new berths so they can continue to collect revenues from them. What do we get? We get higher taxes, cut services and city workers in the unemployment line. Those facts don't change with who owns the docks. Most of the harbor improvements listed above are proposed to be built by public money to increase revenues from private industry. So we pay an extra 1% sales tax and increased mil rates while the snow piles up as high as the garbage dump.
You're understanding of funding sources is wrong...
Docks and Harbors is an enterprise fund. They do not typically receive money from taxes *except* for some CIP projects that are voted on. The tax payer has the control of supporting or not supporting the projects.
The 16b project is being paid for with state and local head tax money. Huge infrastructure projects like this are never paid for up front, by the time you had the money, the cost to build it would be even higher. The community will benefit from the additional taxes collected from tourists and jobs they create. The improved facilities will also prevent a reduction in the number of cruise ships that visit our city.
Improvements in Aurora Harbor will directly benefit the fishing fleet by upgrading slip size and power availability. D&H has made a consorted effort lately to adress the lack of support for the fishing fleet that has caused many to leave in years past. The new loading facility out in Auke Bay by the ferry terminal is a great example. It's so popular that Wrangle is going to build on too.