Mayor Bruce Botelho used the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly meeting Monday evening as a venue to commend four Good Samaritans who rescued a 63-year-old man from drowning at Aurora Harbor last month.
Juneau residents Jerry Burns, John Feller, and Bert and Crystal Fawcett responded to pull Bruce Denton, also of Juneau, out of the water Aug. 27 before Capital City Fire/Rescue arrived on the scene. Denton had struck his head and fallen into the water while rowing into harbor.
Botelho called the four citizens’ response “acts of heroism.”
“I commend you for all your quick thinking and actions, which saved a life,” Botelho said.
Denton was also present at the meeting to thank his rescuers and urge attendees to take classes in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which was administered to him before CCFR arrived.
“These guys saved my life,” Denton said, adding, “They’re going to be special to me forever.”
Due to a spelling error on one of the certificates Botelho said had been made for the Good Samaritans, Botelho said, they will be given to them at a later date.
The Fawcetts are moving to Anchorage this month, but the mayor said the city will find a way to get their certificates to them regardless.
The Assembly also considered an ordinance requiring that rental garbage cans be labeled with the renter’s address.
Assemblymember Ruth Danner asked who would be responsible for labeling the cans.
“The renter’s responsible for labeling the can, and not the can itself, because they don’t own the can,” replied City Manager Kim Kiefer. “But what Arrow (Refuse) recommends is putting something like a luggage tag on the can so there is an address there.”
On a motion from Botelho, the effective date of the ordinance was changed to be 60 days from its adoption. The Assembly subsequently adopted the ordinance.
The Assembly also signed off on Docks and Harbors’ plan to increase potable water fees at the Cruise Terminal and Alaska Steamship berths from $3.35 per 1,000 gallons to $4.67 per 1,000 gallons, the first such increase in more than seven years.
Monday’s meeting was the last Assembly meeting scheduled before the Oct. 2 municipal election. However, its Oct. 8 scheduled meeting is between the date of the election and the date results are expected to be certified.
Tentatively, new members of the Assembly are set to be sworn in at a special meeting Oct. 15.
Botelho and Deputy Mayor David G. Stone are termed out and will not be part of the 2012-13 Assembly, nor will Danner, who declined to seek reelection.
• Contact reporter Mark D. Miller at 523-2279 or at mark.d.miller@juneauempire.com.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated Bert Fawcett's name.
Comments (5)
Add commentGarbage Can Labels
I would think a decision to require us to label our cans deserves a headline of its own. Hiding that decision at the end of this story is not the way to get the word out.
Sally
It's always been that way. Name and address. The difference is that Arrow doesn't want you using a magic marker on THEIR cans like you were supposed to do on your own cans.
Mikey
I appreciate your response but must not have made my point clear. Having lived in Juneau for 40 years, I am well aware that we have been required to put our house number on our cans (names, however, have never been required). My point was more that burying the passage of a new ordinance, or the amendment of an existing ordinance, in an article about honoring local heros does not seem an effective way to get the word out.
My other concern with labeling is the suggestion that we use a luggage tag to label the rental can. I have already seen the latch on one rental can broken and a mailbox destroyed by the fancy new robotic? arm on the trash truck (separate incidents on separate streets on separate days). How many luggage tags am I going to need this winter? It is bad enough that we cannot use bungie cords to secure the lids on these new-fangled cans, thus making us liable for a fine for unsecured trash. Now we have to worry about keeping a luggage tag attached to the can as well. Surely the serial number clearly printed on each can could be (or already is) attached to a particular account at Arrow Refuse and JPD can get that information if needed.
Sorry Sally Silly Me
I did miss your point. However, I think the headline was misleading: perhaps it should have said "Here's what happened at the Assembly meeting last night". It did, after all, contain details of several items from the agenda.
You make a good point about the serial numbers, but it's probably easier for JPD to read an address from a can than it is for them to have to call Arrow Refuse. Have you ever tried to get anyone at Arrow to answer the phone? I have, and they don't.
I own a laminator, so I'll use it to produce a luggage tag for my can. I wonder how others will do it.
From a 33 year resident. I got here as soon as I could. :-)
Mikey
Thanks for the idea. I think there are places in town who could laminate a few tags for me. I know what you mean about Arrow not answering their phones.