News Item – Page 5 – City and Borough of Juneau

Juneau readies for annual Fourth of July midnight fireworks

With just ten days to go, Juneau is ready for this year’s Fourth of July celebrations—including the popular fireworks show. As always, the show will begin at 11:59 p.m. on July 3rd and will last approximately 22 minutes. This longstanding tradition dates back to Juneau’s mining heyday, when July 4th was one of just two holidays at the mines (AJ, Treadwell, Thane)—with the early start date allowing miners to join in the after-dark celebrations ahead of their holiday.

For those of you enjoying the incomparable view of the show from a boat in Gastineau Channel, please be mindful of the 900 foot radius safety zone to be maintained around the fireworks barge from 10 p.m. until after the show ends, at approximately 12:30 a.m. As you may recall, last year’s show was interrupted by a small vessel traveling slowly through the fallout zone, where it could easily have been hit by burning debris if shooting had not been put on hold.

The fireworks display is operated by the Juneau Fireworks Crew, a group of talented licensed pyrotechnic specialists. The core members are State-certified professional pyrotechnic operators and assistants and adhere to rigorous safety standards. These experts spend thousands of hours of volunteer time obtaining all state, federal, and local permits, designing, preparing, and executing the show.

“Juneau’s Fourth of July celebrations are uniquely special, and our midnight fireworks are one of the high points,” said Mayor Beth Weldon. “It’s thanks to the expertise and dedication of our professional crew that the show remains a landmark event that so many residents look forward to all summer, and that it’s safely carried out every year.”

The fireworks show is truly a community event, brought to through the efforts of community businesses and volunteers. This year’s show is made possible thanks to generous donations and efforts from AMAK Towing, Alaska Marine Lines, DIPAC, Trucano Construction Co, Alaska Concrete Casting, AggPro, Breeze In, A-1 Hearth & Stone, Nugget Alaskan Outfitters (NAO), Dahlberg Design, Bluhm Services, and Pyramid Abatement.

Stay tuned for more information from CBJ and JPD about July 4th events, including service interruptions and street closures to support the events.

June 24th, 2025|

Citizen Initiative Petition Status

Initiative Petition Booklets 2021

As of June 20, 2025, the Municipal Clerk’s Office is in the final 10-day check for the 3 citizens petitions circulated by Affordable Juneau:

Charter Amendment Short Title: Mill Rate Cap Amendment

Initiative Short Title: Poll Based Elections

Initiative Short Title: Sales Tax Exemptions

A final certification notice or denial notice will be provided by close of business June 30, 2025.

For Reference: April 28, 2025 Municipal Clerk Letter to Petition Committee which includes the redacted Petition Affidavits & the City Attorney’s legal review memo.

June 24th, 2025|

Register now for Juneau Pools lifeguard training class starting late July

Juneau Pools is hiring lifeguards for both full- and part-time positions—and offering a new training opportunity next month. Registration is now open for the July Juneau Pools lifeguarding class at Dimond Park Aquatic Center. Participants who successfully complete the class will earn an American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification, valid for two years.

Register online via the Parks and Rec registration catalog (under the Juneau Pools tab). Registration closes on Monday, July 21.

The class will take place on Thursday, July 24 through Sunday, July 27. Classes will be held July 24 & 25 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. and July 26 & 27 from 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Class fees are $250 for general participants but free for those who submit an application for employment as a Juneau Pools lifeguard by the end of the course. Both Dimond Park Aquatic Center and Augustus G. Brown Swimming Pool are currently hiring lifeguards in full- and part-time positions, with early morning, daytime, and evening shifts available.

The class is open to a maximum of 10 people.

Prerequisites: Complete a pre-course session in the pool by July 22nd. The pre-course includes a 200-yard swim, brick retrieval from 10 feet, and treading water for 2 minutes. Must be 15 years old by the last day of class.

For more information, contact Dimond Parks Supervisor Seth Cayce at (907) 586-0839 or [email protected].

June 23rd, 2025|

Water and sewer utility rates to increase August 1

Please be aware that water and sewer utility rates will increase by 5 percent, effective August 1, 2025. The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) Assembly approved increases to both water and sewer utility rates in June 2025 following a comprehensive utility rate study and a series of public meetings and community presentations. A detailed table showing the finalized rates is available at bit.ly/CBJUtilityRates.

As a low-density community with a long and narrow footprint, Juneau is a unique place with unique needs. The cost to operate and maintain utility infrastructure is higher than in a dense and compact urban environment, and deferring maintenance and replacement only leads to even higher costs in the future. Significant inflationary cost increases in utility operations and aging infrastructure needs mean that rate increases are now necessary to keep serving our community’s water and sewer needs.

Beginning August 1, residents can expect changes to their billing statements. Bill-pay customers should update their accounts to reflect the new rates to stay current.

Subsequent 5 percent increases will take effect in July 2026, July 2027, July 2028, and July 2029, as approved in Ordinance 2025-27. Revenue generated from utility rates is allocated toward operating and maintaining major water and wastewater infrastructure systems, capital projects focused on addressing failing infrastructure or ensuring regulatory compliance, and debt financing from Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) loans.

June 18th, 2025|

Draft 2025 CBJ and Tlingit & Haida multi-jurisdictional risk assessment open for comment

We are pleased to announce the availability of the Draft 2025 City and Borough of Juneau and Tlingit & Haida’s Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Risk Assessment Update for Public Review and Comment.

This document represents the research and discussions with the planning teams; planning team input received during planning team and public meetings; and comments received from the public to identify the hazards that impact your jurisdiction; how they impact residents and infrastructure; as well as the number of people, residences, and critical facilities at risk.

Download the Draft Risk Assessment here.

All in the community are invited to review the Draft Risk Assessment and provide comments to our contractor via email ([email protected]) by July 1, 2025 to enable the team to respond and incorporate any changes into the document to finalize the entire hazard mitigation plan for review and comment. For multiple comments, please fill out the comment log and send to our contractor to enable the team to track comments.

The entire draft HMP is anticipated to be released for public review in mid-July. Once the plan has been reviewed and finalized it will be adopted by the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly and Tlingit & Haida and then will be submitted to the State of Alaska and FEMA for formal review and approval.

We will be holding a public meeting on June 30, 2025, to present the Draft Risk Assessment and take public comments. The meeting will be held at the CBJ Assembly Chambers from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and will be hosted remotely for those that are not able to attend in person.

Link: Click to join via Microsoft Teams

Meeting ID: 236 777 824 173 5

Passcode: tR2Qn3kW

Dial-in: 1-907-302-3866

Phone conference ID: 674 805 43#

June 17th, 2025|