Empire Archives is a series printed every Saturday featuring a short compilation of headline stories in the Juneau Empire from archived editions in 1984, 1994 and 2004.
This week in 1984, Gov. Bill Sheffield on Monday afternoon included Juneau in the disaster area he declared in the wake of the Thanksgiving wind storm, opening the way for the city to be reimbursed for some of the estimated $2.4 million it will cost to repair damage caused by wind and waves. In a special meeting today with city staff, City Manager Pat Teague said he would meet with a representative of the state’s Division of Emergency Services to discuss what the state can do for the city and private property owners. The most damage to city property happened at Marine Park downtown. It could cost $930,000 to repair after storm-driven waves undermined one corner of the park and caused it to cave in. The adjacent Merchant’s Wharf received the most private property damage, with early estimates showing costs of $50,000 to repair. Damaged were pilings, fill and pipes. The storm caused for more extensive damage in some other Southeast communities, including destroying or seriously damaging about 20 homes in Tenakee Springs.
Original Story: “City storm damage $2.4 million,” by Betsy Longenbaugh. 11/27/1984.
This week in 1994, Goldbelt Inc. is on line to become a major investor in the proposed Mount Roberts tramway. The Juneau-based native corporation is investigating the feasibility of the project, including background checks on all of the partners of Mount Roberts Development Corp., said Joe Beedle, Goldbelt’s president. The corporation’s board of directors earlier this week voted to continue investigating the project, working toward an investment agreement with the tramway developer, Beedle said. If everything checks out and all permits are granted, Goldbelt may invest up to $4 million in the tram, about one-third of the project’s overall cost, he said.
Today the installation is officially known as the Goldbelt Tram, with the Mount Roberts Development Corp. selling its partnership interest to Goldbelt the year after the tram’s official grand opening in 1997, although it’s still frequently referred to in tour guides and general conversation as the Mount Roberts tram. Goldbelt is also now partnering in another tourism lift operation — a gondola at Eaglecrest Ski Area, with the corporation paying $10 million of the nearly $13 million estimated purchase and installation cost.
Original Story: “Goldbelt set to back tram project,” by James MacPherson. 11/25/1994.
This week in 2004, a coalition of business owners in Haines and Skagway says it can run a ferry system between Juneau, Haines and Skagway cheaper than the Alaska Marine Highway System. The Lynn Canal leg of the ferry system is the most financially successful route in the state and could provide a cheaper alternative to building a road from Juneau to Skagway, according to Skagway business owner Jan Wrentmore, a member of the Lynn Canal Transportation Project. A group of more than two dozen business owners has released a preliminary business plan on the proposed ferry authority, said Wrentmore, owner of the Red Onion Saloon in Skagway. The business plan was written by Kent Miller, an economist in Ketchikan and one of the chief architects of the Inter-island Ferry Authority, which has operated a shuttle ferry between Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island since early 2002. Business owners are concerned about a loss of ferry service in Lynn Canal and the money and travelers it brings to their towns if the state Department of Transportation moves forward with the road project, Wrentmore said. She cited a McDowell Group study from 2003, showing that 40 percent of the Southeast passengers traveled the Lynn Canal route in 2001.
Today the Lynn Canal route is covered with near-daily service by the Hubbard, the newest ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet, although it has had reliability and issues that have disrupted service at times.
Original Story: “Lynn Canal businesses want ferry,” by Timothy Inklebarger. 11/27/2004.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
