Community invited to Overstreet Park ribbon cutting July 3

The City and Borough of Juneau is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mayor Bill Overstreet Park on July 3 at 5 p.m. The park, which is connected to the Seawalk, is located at the ends of W 8th and W 9th streets near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge.

The Mayor Bill Overstreet Park features Tahku, a humpback whale fountain; restroom facilities; a picnic shelter; benches and tables seating; paved walkways; and educational signage. Speakers at the ceremony will be Bill Overstreet Jr., Whale Project committee member Laraine Derr, Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch, and City Manager Rorie Watt.

The park was officially named for the late Mayor Bill Overstreet in July 2017. Overstreet was a longtime educator in Juneau, serving as a teacher, a principal, and eventually superintendent of the Juneau School District. He was first elected to the Juneau Assembly in 1973 and then served as Juneau mayor for three terms in the 1970s and 1980s. As Mayor, he traveled the state, playing a crucial role in fighting the capital move vote in the 1982 election. After his time as mayor, Overstreet was tapped to be Alaska’s trade representative in Japan during Governor Bill Sheffield’s term and as Deputy Chief of Staff doing Governor Walter Hickel’s second term. Overstreet, who served the community of Juneau and the state of Alaska in numerous other capacities, passed away in 2013. He was a member of the Whale Project committee and is credited with being the first person with the idea to place a full-scale humpback whale statue on Juneau’s waterfront.

Parking for the event will be available at the Alaska Department of Labor lot adjacent to the park.

For more information, contact the Parks & Recreation Department at 586-5226.