Manager – Page 5 – City and Borough of Juneau

CBJ Manager Rorie Watt Named 2022 AML Municipal Official of the Year

City and Borough of Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt has been named 2022 Municipal Official of the Year by the Alaska Municipal League. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated ongoing dedication to their municipalities and have gone above and beyond to make their communities great places to live, work, and play during 2022.

The award was announced today, December 8, at an awards luncheon during AML’s annual Local Government Conference in Anchorage.

“Rorie is one of those rare individuals [who] combine technical aptitude with the ability to relate to people where they are,” Mayor Beth Weldon said at the luncheon. “Juneau has been and continues to be fortunate to have such a long tenured professional who brings a breadth and depth of knowledge to the table that is… becoming increasingly rare.”

Mayor Weldon praised Watt in particular for his significant contributions in tourism management, citing a deep understanding of the complexities of the local environment and an ability to leverage this understanding to communal benefit.

“Local government is one of those things that creeps up on you and hooks you,” Watt said in his acceptance remarks. “We have to think about how we get people involved and incentivize them to join local government. What keeps us here is [that] it is fun and interesting and hard.”

Watt’s career with CBJ spans 29 years and a variety of roles, from seasonal technician to department director. His eight years at the helm of CBJ Engineering included management of the milestone transition to today’s combined Engineering and Public Works Department. He was named City Manager in April 2016.

December 8th, 2022|

CBJ to Accept Marine Passenger Fee Funding Proposals December 1 – January 2

The City and Borough of Juneau will accept public proposals for projects to be funded with 2022 Marine Passenger Fee proceeds from December 1, 2022 through January 2, 2023. This annual process ensures that all members of the community are able to have a say in how fees from the cruise ship industry are reinvested in local business and services.

The Marine Passenger Fee, a $5 fee per cruise ship passenger, was established in 1999 by Juneau voters. The fees are designated to fund projects directly related to the visitor industry that enhance the tourism experience in Juneau and offset community impacts created by the cruise ship industry.

The public, including businesses and the visitor industry, are encouraged to submit project proposals to be funded with MPF proceeds. Projects must address an impact made on the community by the cruise ship industry or an aspect of the tourism experience for cruise ship passengers. For a full description of project eligibility, please see CBJ 69.20.120.

The City Manager will develop a draft recommendation list of projects to be funded by Marine Passenger Fee proceeds, followed by a 30-day public comment period. The draft recommendation and all proposals will available at the Marine Passenger Fee Program website.

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.

Proposals must be submitted by January 2, 2023 to [email protected] or the City Manager’s Office, attention Alexandra Pierce, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or visit the Marine Passenger Fee Program webpage.

December 1st, 2022|

BRH COVID-19 Update: Therapeutics and Testing Transitions Underway

Bartlett Regional Hospital has released the following information about COVID-19 therapeutics and testing via their website:

Starting October 24, the hospital will be closing its monoclonal antibody therapy clinic due to a decrease in demand. Individuals seeking COVID-19 medication should contact their primary care provider to discuss options. The hospital will continue to offer EVUSHELD in Infusion Therapy to prevent infection for moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination.

Starting November 15, given decreasing use the hospital will end its COVID-19 PCR drive-thru testing site and discontinue the testing hotline. COVID-19 testing will continue to be available to patients as a pre-procedure requirement. Laboratory testing continues to be available through SEARHC and Juneau Urgent Care. Antigen test kits are available at no cost at locations around Juneau as well as commercially.

“We feel comfortable taking these steps at this time given the decreasing numbers and need to reallocate resources,” said Kim McDowell, Chief Clinical Officer. “We are cautious about removing mitigation measures given our tight staffing and look forward to changing our testing and masking requirements as community transmission rates drop.”

The hospital is reviewing its COVID-19 policies and plans to make changes to mitigation measures such as required masking and pre-procedure testing as community transmission rates drop.

October 20th, 2022|

Update: Flu Shot Unavailable at October 1 Public Vaccine Clinic

UPDATE: We have confirmed that the flu vaccine shipment will not arrive in time to offer flu shots at tomorrow’s public vaccine clinic.

The City and Borough of Juneau, the Juneau Public Health Center, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and the Juneau School District will communicate broadly with the public about future flu vaccination options once Public Health receives their vaccine shipment. We apologize for the inconvenience.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The City and Borough of Juneau, the Juneau Public Health Center, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and the Juneau School District are sponsoring an updated COVID-19 booster vaccine clinic on Saturday October 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Floyd Dryden Middle School, 3800 Mendenhall Loop Road.

The clinic originally planned to offer both the bivalent COVID-19 booster and flu vaccines. However, due to delays at the manufacturer and in shipping, the flu vaccine has not yet arrived at Public Health. It is therefore possible that that the flu vaccine will not be available at tomorrow’s clinic. Those registered for the clinic have been informed of this possibility via email and will receive a follow-up email by the end of the day today notifying them whether or not flu shots will be available.

Public Health has received the COVID-19 booster from Pfizer-BioNTech. If you have registered for a COVID-19 booster you will still be able to receive your dose at tomorrow’s clinic as originally planned. Please bring your COVID vaccine card with you to your appointment.

For more information, contact the CBJ Manager’s Office at (907) 586-5240 or the Juneau Public Health Center at (907) 465-3353.

September 30th, 2022|

Updated COVID Booster & Flu Vaccine Clinic To Be Held October 1 at Floyd Dryden Middle School

The City and Borough of Juneau, the Juneau Public Health Center, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and the Juneau School District will sponsor an updated COVID booster and flu vaccine clinic on October 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Floyd Dryden Middle School, 3800 Mendenhall Loop Road.

The public clinic will offer the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster from Pfizer-BioNTech for individuals ages 12 years and older and flu vaccine for individuals ages 6 months and up. High dose flu vaccines will not be available at this clinic.

The updated bivalent booster vaccine, recently authorized by the CDC, contains vaccine for both the original strain of the virus and the omicron BA.4/5 variant.

You are eligible to receive the bivalent COVID booster if:

You are at least 12 years of age
You have completed your primary COVID-19 vaccination series (first and second shot)
Your last booster shot was over two months ago

You are eligible to receive the flu vaccine if:

You are at least 6 months of age

Register for an appointment at the clinic at juneau.org/vaccine. Those who need assistance registering can call the Alaska COVID-19 Helpline at (907) 646-3322. Please bring your COVID vaccine card with you to the clinic.

CBJ is aware of a number of other local providers who are offering or plan to offer the updated booster, including Costco, SEARHC, Juneau Urgent and Family Care, the Juneau Public Health Center, Ron’s Apothecary, and Fred Meyer. Appointments for some providers can be made at juneau.org/vaccine; others must be made directly via the provider. Like other COVID-19 vaccines, the updated booster is free of charge.

Visit the CBJ COVID-19 Information home page for information on testing and vaccination in Juneau.

For more information, contact the CBJ Manager’s Office at (907) 586-5240 or the Juneau Public Health Center at (907) 465-3353.

September 21st, 2022|