Juneau committee forwards $730,000 plan for Dunsookaheenie playground to assembly

Chair Wall opened the meeting’s single agenda item by putting the focus plainly: "That brings us to our sole agenda topic tonight or today, Dunsookaheenie Playground." The Joint Assembly JSP Facilities Committee voted to forward Option 1 — $660,000 for the playground project plus $70,000 for perimeter fencing, a total of $730,000 — to the full Assembly and the Assembly Finance Committee (AFC) to be placed on the pending list for the budget process.

The committee’s action was taken so the Assembly would have a proposal to consider during next week’s line‑item work on the budget, Chair Wall said. The motion was made by Mayor Weldon, who moved "option 1 to the full assembly, with the dollar amount, dollars 660,000 for the total project, plus $70,000 for the fence. So a total of $730,000." No formal roll‑call vote was taken; an objection for the purpose of comment was raised by Mister Steininger and then withdrawn, and Chair Wall noted no remaining objections before the motion was advanced.

Why it matters: the committee framed the recommendation as a way to give the Assembly a concrete funding request for inclusion in the City and Borough of Juneau’s budget. Staff presented the two options in the committee memo as costed alternatives that reflected prior public discussion and earlier estimates. Director Koch summarized the process and earlier numbers, saying the options were developed from public meetings and prior discussions and anchored in figures the Assembly had previously signaled comfort with. Director Koch also clarified one detail about site coverage: "Through the chair, mayor, you are correct. That playground will not be under the the covered area." That means the new playground equipment would be outdoors adjacent to existing covered play areas rather than under them.

Project options and cost context: staff told the committee earlier estimates ranged widely — including a Corvus estimate of about $1.8 million, a December PWFC figure of roughly $575,000, and other previously discussed footprints near $880,000. The Option 1 proposal the committee advanced funds the playground surfacing and site work but not the playground equipment package; staff described a model where the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) would do surfacing while the school district and other funders could support equipment purchases. Committee members were told the perimeter fence is estimated at about $70,000 and that cost is not included in the $660,000 playground figure unless the committee explicitly adds it, as Mayor Weldon did in the motion. Staff said the fence cost could be covered either by adding it to a CIP playground allocation or by using Juneau School District deferred maintenance funds.

Discussion and concerns: Mister Steininger said he was uncomfortable with the committee prescribing playground features rather than providing a sum of money for the school district to prioritize, describing the motion as "backseat driving" of the district’s decisions; he removed his objection after placing the concern on the record. Miss Sorensen urged that perimeter fencing be included and said the district should use deferred maintenance and other funding sources as needed. Chair Wall and staff noted the committee’s role is to forward a recommended funding level for Assembly consideration, and the Assembly retains authority to change funding amounts or not fund the project.

Next steps: the committee’s recommendation will be placed on the AFC pending list; Chair Wall said the Assembly would likely act next week on line items and the final budget would be passed a few weeks later. If other facilities issues arise between now and October, Chair Wall invited members to request additional meetings.

Ending: With no further questions, the chair closed the committee’s consideration of the playground and adjourned the meeting.