Funding for a pre-K funding program aimed to help children prepare for kindergarten may be part of the Oct. 2, 2018 municipal ballot.

There will be a discussion on an advisory proposition vote given by the Best Starts for Juneau group on the funding for its program during the City and Borough Assembly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

In the memo given to the Assembly, Best Starts asked if voters support the program that will be primarily funded with property tax revenue “to improve and expand access for all Juneau families to affordable high quality child care and early learning/pre-school.”

The program, the memo states, will cost the CBJ up to $2.8 million by the fifth year of total funding when the program is completely implemented.

During the May 3 Finance Committee, the group from Best Starts presented the program. The group that presented to the committee included Joy Lyon, Executive Director of Association for the Education of Young Children of Southeast Alaska at the City, Ted Wilson, Director of Teaching and Learning Support at the Juneau School District, Brian Holst, Executive Director of Juneau Economic Development Council and Blue Shibler, owner of Discovery Preschool. During the Finance Committee’s May 9 meeting, the city decided not to fund the program which would have been spread over Fiscal Years 2019 and FY 20. The goal of the program is to give child care providers financial incentives. The idea is that the incentives will increase teacher wages, improve learning environments and adopt new curriculum. The program’s incentive awards are based on the number of children in the class and quality level of teaching, based on Learn & Grow, Alaska’s statewide Quality Recognition and Improvement System. Incentives would range between $125-$250 per month per child.

City Manager Rorie Watt said the Assembly has three options on Monday. The Assembly can move it to a public hearing, move it to a committee or do nothing.

City likely to sell lots to Alaskan Brewing Company

After more than a year of interest, it looks like Alaskan Brewing Company will finally be able to expand into four lots currently owned by the city.

Those lots and the proposed sale of them from the city to the brewery is on the agenda for the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly set for 7 p.m. Monday.

The city is selling the four lots, located near brewery’s Lemon Creek location on Shaune Drive, to the brewery for a fair sale price of $2.87 million. Official discussion on the sale of the lots started back in December 2017.

When the sale becomes official, it will allow the brewery to permanently expand. The brewery currently rents part of a building it is buying. In an email sent to the Empire, Andy Kline, Communications Manager for the brewery, said the brewery will utilize the space for offices and storage.

“Our plans are the same as always,” Kline said. “We are thinking administrative office space in the building that we are already renting. Then storage and production capacity in the buildings that are currently used by maintenance and the household waste transfer station.”

The water utility will move to the old Valley Street maintenance shop and household hazardous waste will need to be relocated. The CBJ Committee of the Whole recommended entering a lease agreement with Waste Management to use its Capitol Disposal Landfill at 5600 Tonsgard Court to the Assembly for all-inclusive waste management site during its May 21 meeting.

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• Contact reporter Gregory Philson at gphilson@juneauempire.com or call at 523-2265. Follow him on Twitter at @GTPhilson.

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