Eagle Crest board lays out staffing, wage and capital requests as Assembly readies budget process

Mike Saitre, president of the Eagle Crest board, told the Juneau City and Borough Assembly on March 5 that the small ski area is an important community asset but is struggling with staffing, low snowpack and deferred capital needs as it prepares to expand toward year‑round operations.

"We have to pay our people more, we need more staff, and we have capital needs," Saitre said, describing a season marked by mechanical problems, a late opening of most of the mountain and additional costs tied to snowmaking and equipment repair.

The board and staff provided a financial and operational briefing that highlighted three linked problems: insufficient pay that hampers recruitment, unfilled positions that limit programming and maintenance, and a backlog of capital projects the board says it cannot complete at current staffing levels. The board intends to present specific funding requests during the city’s formal budget process beginning in April.

Why it matters: Eagle Crest is owned by the city and borough and is a revenue‑generating recreational facility that the board and Assembly say has a path to greater self‑sufficiency if it can expand summer operations (in part tied to the planned gondola). But board members said they need interim operating and capital support to stabilize the ski area while the longer‑term plan is implemented.

Key details the board presented

- Staffing: Current…