Tourism – Page 5 – City and Borough of Juneau

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|

Submit public comment on proposed waterfront change allowing new cruise ship dock

The City and Borough of Juneau is considering a change to the Long Range Waterfront Plan that would allow for the creation of a cruise ship dock facility at the Subport in Downtown Juneau. The amendment is the first of several permitting decisions the Juneau Assembly and Planning Commission must make regarding Norwegian Cruise Lines’ proposed development at the Subport. Read the amendment and supporting documents, and submit public comments by email through Monday, January 31, to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected]. More details can be found at juneau.org/tourism.

CBJ held a public meeting on the proposed amendment January 11. Staff made a presentation and answered questions from the public. If you missed the meeting, you can review the presentation slides here. They explain the Long Range Waterfront Plan, the draft amendment, and the next steps in the process. Following the public comment period that ends January 31, the proposed amendment would go through the Juneau Assembly public process, likely in February.

The Long Range Waterfront Plan was developed in 2004. The proposed amendment pertains only to the tidelands portion of “Area B – Subport” and is based on a recommendation of the Visitor Industry Task Force.

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

January 12th, 2022|

Jan. 11 public meeting on amending Waterfront Plan to allow for subport cruise ship dock; submit comments by Jan. 31

The City and Borough of Juneau is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, January 11, at 5 – 7 p.m. to discuss amending a portion of the Long Range Waterfront Plan pertaining to the subport in Downtown Juneau. The proposed amendment would allow for the creation of a dock facility capable of accommodating one large cruise ship as well as docking facilities for U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA vessels. Join the January 11 meeting 5 – 7 p.m. online https://juneau.zoom.us/s/83746838175 or call 1-253-215-8782 with Webinar ID: 837 4683 8175. CBJ staff will give a presentation followed by a Q&A session.

The language of the proposed amendment to the Long Range Waterfront Plan will be available at the January 11 meeting, and then available online January 12 along with the slide presentation. CBJ encourages the public to review the materials and submit comments on the amendment via email through Monday, January 31. Email comments to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected].

The Long Range Waterfront Plan was developed in 2004. The proposed amendment pertains only to the tidelands portion of “Area B – Subport” and is based on a recommendation of the Visitor Industry Task Force.

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

January 5th, 2022|

Public can submit proposals for Marine Passenger Fee proceeds starting Dec. 3

Every year, the City and Borough of Juneau asks city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, for project proposals to be funded with Marine Passenger Fee proceeds. This year, proposals can be submitted December 3, 2021 through January 3, 2022.

Juneau voters in 1999 passed a proposition that assigned a fee of $5 per cruise ship passenger. The fee assists in funding projects or operational services that provide services to cruise ships and passengers, and mitigate community impacts created by the cruise ship industry.

Proposals must be submitted by January 3, 2022 to [email protected] or the City Manager’s Office, attention Susan Phillips, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

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. 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 Susan Phillips in the City Manager’s Office at 586-5240 or [email protected], or go to the Marine Passenger Fee Program webpage.

December 2nd, 2021|

Alexandra Pierce will be CBJ’s new Tourism Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau is pleased to announce that Alexandra Pierce will be the new Tourism Manager. The position reports to the City Manager and is responsible for tourism planning, management, industry relations, and internal tourism coordination. Duties include collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, recommending policy decisions to the City Manager and Assembly to proactively advance the community’s goals on tourism, public outreach, among other responsibilities.

“These are hard issues and Alexandra has the smarts, professional experience, and personal skills necessary for success,” City Manager Rorie Watt said. “Hiring a Tourism Manager and beginning to consolidate how CBJ deals with tourism is a main recommendation of the Visitor Industry Task Force. We’ve obviously been derailed by COVID-19, but with a likely robust cruise ship visitation in 2022, we need to make progress on those issues.”

Pierce will begin the new role in late December. She’s currently the Planning Manager for CBJ’s Community Development Department and has been since 2019. In this role, she manages the Planning Division, and oversees current permitting and long-term area and comprehensive planning. She served as staff to the Visitor Industry Task Force; and maintains relationships with community tourism, economic development, and business organizations.

For more information, contact the City Manager’s Office at 907-586-5240.

November 22nd, 2021|