Community must plan and prepare for growth
Vantage Point by Robert Hale, publisher of the Juneau Empire.
Some thoughts about Juneau's downtown this weekend as I, like hundreds of thousands of Floridians, try to reason with hurricane season.
The final sightings of cruise ships this tourist season will be in two weeks and I'm going to miss the vitality that our downtown displays when the big boats are in port.
The last of the cruise ship visits will be on Thursday, Sept. 23 (the Serenade of the Sea from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. and the Infinity from 8 a.m.-10 p.m.); Friday, Sept. 24 (the Volendam from 2:30 p.m.-11 p.m.); and, finally, the Star Leo on Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Early last May I wasn't sure whether I'd grow tired of the daily crowds during my first tourist season in Southeast, but what may have felt like tourist overkill to some I actually came to enjoy - a lot. The vibrancy of this downtown could never grow old for me, I don't think. The vibe of a city that has stuff going on is hard for me not to be drawn to.
Whether in a restaurant, in a shop or just hanging out with tourists at Marine Park, I found it a pleasure to talk about Juneau with people not just from every state in the union, but from about every country on the planet. The great thing about that is that most of them tend to think Juneau is one of world's great locales and one at which they invariably marvel, especially when the weather's suitable. Better still is getting to live here.
On a somewhat related note, the future and the viability of the central business district is something that is - and has been - an issue that the Juneau Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Association are trying to get their hands around. Economic development is on the minds of both entities, as it is on that of the Juneau Assembly. Parking remains a thorny issue, as does taxation (the business personal property tax), along with the right guiding concept for how growth and development can occur in the downtown sector.
As Juneau's downtown evolves over the next several years, city and business leaders have the opportunity to guide development with an eye toward making it not just the jewel of Southeast, but of all Alaska. And nothing, perhaps, would aid that process more than if the Alaska Committee and Gov. Frank Murkowski's administration succeed in their efforts to have a new capitol built here in the next few years. In fact, I think success there would ultimately bode far better for Juneau than would a road to Skagway.
Last week's news that the city and the Juneau School District are planning for more parking and high school sports fields is good for downtown. The plans call for adding some 54 parking spaces between Juneau-Douglas High School and the district's central office on Glacier Avenue, in addition to a new 155-by-300-foot playing field between Augustus Brown swimming pool and the Marie Drake building.
The parking should help not only during school hours, but during those times when community events and arts and culture offerings are being held at the high school auditorium.
Our community should continue to plan for and be prepared for growth - whether it be from the seasonal influx of tourists or from increased student enrollment in our schools. To ignore the growth because some of us don't want it to happen would be akin to our friends in Florida ignoring the repeated hurricane warnings they've had this year.
• Robert Hale is editor and publisher of the Juneau Empire. He may be reached at robert.hale@juneauempire.com.