Comment on draft recommendations for Marine Passenger Fee proceeds by March 4

The City Manager’s recommendations on how to allocate Marine Passenger Fee (MPF) proceeds are now available. The public has through March 4 to provide comment on the recommendations. Read the draft proposal here.

The Manager’s draft proposal makes recommendations on expenditure of funds that come from the $5 City and Borough of Juneau Marine Passenger Fee, $3 CBJ Port Development Fee, and the $5 State of Alaska Commercial Passenger Vessel Fee. For budgeting purposes, CBJ has estimated that 1 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2023 is anticipated to be $13.8 million.

In December, CBJ solicited project proposals from city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, to be funded with MPF proceeds. The City Manager is recommending 15 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

  • city and visitor services and infrastructure maintenance
  • additional security funding to comply with new U.S. Coast Guard regulations
  • funding for dock electrification, including design funding and a transformer that will allow multiple ships to connect to shore power once available
  • funding for a study on a circulator shuttle bus service
  • planning and design for Marine Park
  • refillable water bottle stations in Downtown Juneau
  • replacing real-time weather monitoring stations for navigation

CBJ is also carrying a negative fund balance of $3.2 million into fiscal year 2023, which was caused by the need to continue essential services during the reduced visitor season in 2021. The Manager’s proposal would eliminate this negative balance.

Submit comments on the recommendations by March 4, 2022 to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce by email, [email protected], or by mail to the City Manager’s Office, attn: Alexandra Pierce, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

All Marine Passenger Fee project proposals and comments will be forwarded along with the City Manager’s recommendation list to the Assembly Finance Committee for review, and then to the Assembly for consideration during the upcoming budget cycle.

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or 907-500-8677.

February 1st, 2022|

Public Health offers free walk-in COVID-19 vaccines & boosters every Wed. & Fri. in February

The Juneau Public Health Center will continue to offer free COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines to individuals ages 5 to adult & boosters for ages 12 to adult every Wednesday and Friday throughout February. Simply walk in from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you prefer to make an appointment, go to juneau.org/vaccine or call 907-586-6000. The Juneau Public Health Center is located at 3412 Glacier Highway, across the street from the Twin Lakes parking lot.

Omicron continues to spread quickly in Juneau. Individuals who are up to date with vaccinations are more protected against infection and, more importantly, against severe illness from COVID-19. The Juneau Public Health Center offers first and second Pfizer doses, as well as Pfizer boosters. If you fall into any of these categories, you are encouraged to attend the clinic:

  • Anyone ages 5 and up who needs a first or second Pfizer vaccine dose.
  • Individuals 12 to 17 who need a booster. Pfizer boosters can be administered at least 5 months after the initial Pfizer series.
  • Individuals ages 18 and up who received an initial Pfizer or Moderna series, and need a booster. Pfizer boosters can be administered at least 5 months after an initial series.
  • Individuals ages 18 and up who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and need a booster. Pfizer boosters can be administered at least 2 months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

For more information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, go to juneau.org/vaccine or call 586-6000.

January 28th, 2022|

Airport testing ends Jan. 31. Here’s where else in Juneau to get a molecular COVID-19 test.

The State of Alaska’s free COVID-19 airport testing program is ending Monday, January 31. After that date, people in Juneau or traveling to Juneau will no longer be able to get a molecular COVID-19 test at the Juneau International Airport.

Here’s a list of other places in Juneau that offer molecular COVID-19 testing:

  • CBJ’s Drive-Thru testing facility, Hagevig Fire Training Center
    • Register online here (for those with connectivity concerns, call 907-586-6000).
    • Open to public for symptomatic or asymptomatic testing
    • Not available for weekly occupational screenings OR to individuals who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 on a molecular test or self-test within the last 90 days
    • Molecular lab test available; results within 24 hours
    • Insurance information is collected if available; no costs are passed on to the patient
  • Capstone Clinic, 9131 Glacier Hwy, Suite 103 (shopping center connected to AIH Alaska Industrial Hardware)
    • Drive-up only 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week. Once you arrive, stay in your vehicle, call 907-694-9523 option 2, and someone will come out to administer the test.
    • Offers symptomatic, travel-related, and asymptomatic molecular testing; results are returned within 2-3 days.
    • Capstone will collect insurance information if available
  • SEARHC’s Ethel Lund Medical Center, 1200 Salmon Creek Lane
    • Call 907-364-4451 to schedule a test
    • Open to public for symptomatic or asymptomatic testing
    • Molecular rapid or lab test available; results within 48 hours
    • Cost: No cost to the patient if they have insurance
  • SEARHC’s Mountainside Urgent Care Clinic, 3225 Hospital Drive, Suite 102
    • Walk-in testing only from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week, call ahead at 907-463-6677. When you arrive, remain in your vehicle, and call 907-463-6677. If you are not already registered as a SEARHC patient, you will need to complete registration when you arrive at Urgent Care and before testing.
    • Open to public for symptomatic testing only, no travel testing or exposure testing. Max of 10 tests an hour, if limit has been reached you might have to wait until they are able to begin running tests again or you are able to also go to ELMC if they have availability.
    • Molecular rapid test available; results within 24 hours
    • Cost: No cost to the patient if they have insurance
  • Juneau Urgent & Family Care, 8505 Old Dairy Road
    • Call 907-790-4111 or make an appointment online here
    • Offers symptomatic or asymptomatic testing
    • Molecular rapid or lab test available; results time varies
    • Depending on type of test and insurance status, cost ranges from free to $275
  • Private provider/clinic
    • Contact your health provider and ask if their office provides COVID-19 testing and what the parameters are for getting tested

COVID-19 testing remains an important tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19. The following people should get tested for COVID-19:

  • People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
  • People who have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 should be tested to check for infection at least 5 days after they last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. The date of the last close contact is considered day 0.

For more information, email [email protected].

January 25th, 2022|

CBJ is distributing CareStart COVID-19 self-tests. They expire June 30, according to the FDA.

The City and Borough of Juneau began distributing the CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test to the general public last week. All 26,000 test kits that CBJ received have a printed expiration date on the box of March 2022. In fact, the CareStart test kits that CBJ received all expire on June 30, 2022. This is based on approval from the Food and Drug Administration to extend the test’s shelf life expiration date from 6 to 9 months.

The CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test is made by Access Bio. The FDA’s approval to extend the shelf life to 9 months when stored at 34–86°F is based on the results of Access Bio’s ongoing stability studies. Access Bio submitted real-time stability data on December 1, 2021, and the FDA granted nine months of shelf-life for the test as of January 20, 2022.

To reiterate: Despite the printed shelf life on the CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test being March 2022, FDA says the test will actually last until June 30, 2022.

These rapid antigen tests can be self-administered at home or anywhere, are easy to use, and return results in 10-15 minutes. CBJ is distributing two free text kit boxes per family from the following locations:

  • City Hall Cash Office
  • All Juneau Public Libraries (Downtown, Mendenhall Valley, and Douglas)
  • Juneau Public Health Center, 3412 Glacier Highway (across the street from Twin Lakes parking lot)
  • Juneau Police Department, 6255 Alaway Avenue

Do not go into any of these facilities if you’re feeling sick, or if you’ve been identified as a close contact and should be quarantining. (If you’re feeling sick, schedule an appointment at CBJ’s drive-thru testing facility online or call 907-586-6000.)

Here’s an instructional video on how to use the CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test, or see the printed instructions that are inside each box.

For more information, contact [email protected].

January 24th, 2022|

COVID-19 update from CBJ Emergency Operations Center

For the past seven days, Alaska Department of Health & Social Services reports 719 new individuals who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 in the Juneau community, which is by far the highest case activity to date. This number does not include people who’ve tested positive through a rapid self-test. There are currently eight people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital. The hospital has been close to full for the past two days and staffing continues to be constrained due to staff being sick with COVID or quarantining.

DHSS also reported two additional deaths of Juneau residents due to COVID-19. A male Juneau resident in his 60s died in November and a female Juneau resident in her 80s died in December. CBJ extends condolences to family members and friends of these two individuals. There are now 20 total COVID-19 deaths associated with Juneau – 19 residents (three died out of state) and one nonresident (individual was diagnosed with COVID-19 in Juneau but death occurred outside Juneau).

The overall community risk level is currently at modified Level 3 High, and has been since January 3. At modified High, masking is required in all indoor public areas regardless of a person’s vaccination status, but all other CBJ COVID-19 Community Mitigation Strategies remain at Level 2 Moderate.

Wearing a well-fitted multi-layer mask is very important. Cloth masks continue to help decrease viral transmission, but higher filtration masks such as surgical masks, KN95, or N95 provide better protection. To minimize risks and maximize protection, especially if you are at risk of severe disease, consider increasing your protection by wearing a N95 or KN95 mask, or a surgical mask plus a well-fitting cloth mask. For more guidance, CDC has a guide to masks.

Testing remains an important tool to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. CBJ offers molecular testing at its drive-thru testing facility. Schedule an appointment online or call 907-586-6000. CBJ is also distributing free rapid antigen self-tests at the City Hall Cash Office, all Juneau Public Libraries, Juneau Public Health Center, and Juneau Police Department. Get tested immediately if you have COVID-19 symptoms; at least five days after a known or suspected exposure to COVID-19; or before indoor gatherings when you will be unmasked with people outside your household, especially if you or someone in your group is immunocompromised or at high risk for severe illness.

Also, as a reminder: If you or your older kid needs a booster, go to Saturday’s (Jan. 22) walk-in vaccine and booster clinic at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The clinic will offer first and second Pfizer doses, as well as Pfizer boosters.

January 21st, 2022|
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