Juneau Assembly approves $20.6 million transfer to buy and renovate Burns Building amid Telephone Hill debate
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Summary
After extensive public comment opposing Telephone Hill demolition and urging alternatives, the assembly voted 7–1 to approve Transfer T2606, consolidating funds and enabling purchase and renovation of the Burns Building with a recorded purchase price of $9.3 million and $2.7 million set aside for maintenance.
The Juneau City and Borough Assembly on Jan. 12 adopted Transfer Request T2606 by a 7–1 roll-call vote, moving $20,586,040 from various capital-improvement accounts into a municipal building CIP to consolidate funds for the planned purchase and renovation of the Burns Building.
Miss Huskandi moved the transfer and the city manager recommended approval, saying the transfer consolidates the city hall and new city hall CIPs into the municipal building CIP and brings additional monies to the Burns Building purchase and renovation account. Manager Kester reported the Burns Building purchase price is $9,300,000 and an additional $2,700,000 is proposed for a maintenance fund, for a total of $12,000,000 toward purchase and immediate needs.
The transfer drew several amendment attempts and lengthy debate. Assemblymember Huskandi proposed deleting a $525,000 allocation for the Lemon Creek multimodal path from the transfer and directing the manager to backfill that work from the general fund; that amendment failed on a 4–4 vote after roll call. Assemblymember Brooks later proposed a larger amendment to reduce the transfer amount by pulling funds from specified CIPs; after extended debate that amendment also failed on roll call.
Public testimony before the vote was heavily focused on Telephone Hill. Speakers asked the assembly to pause demolition and pursue alternatives, citing preservation, access and affordability concerns. Larry Talley urged the city not to spend $9,000,000 to demolish housing and offered three alternatives to create housing with the same funds; Mary Alice McKean said a local architect had submitted a design yielding 87 units, not 155 as previously described, and asked the city to compare demolition against less-destructive options. Other speakers — including Joshua Adams, Catherine Fritz, Susan Clark, Paige Bridges, Bruce Simonson and others — raised safety, historical preservation, access (3rd Street), parkland and process concerns.
Assembly members who opposed amendments argued the renovations are necessary to make the Burns Building safe and functional for employees; those in favor of amendments cited fiscal restraint and neighborhood investments. After roll call the recorded vote on T2606 was: Miss Hughes Candice (yes), Mister Brooks (no), Mister Steininger (yes), Mister Kelly (yes), Deputy Mayor Smith (yes), Miss Wall (yes), Miss Adkisson (yes), Mayor Beth Weldon (yes). The motion carried 7 yays and 1 nay.
The assembly also adopted several ordinances and appointments that evening, including returning $200,000 to the marine passenger fund (Ord. 2025-01BX) and amending the commercial passenger vehicle fine schedule (Ord. 2025-44). The assembly adopted the FY 2027 CBJ legislative capital priorities list and discussed governance changes at Eagle Crest.
What comes next: the transfer allows the manager to move forward with Burns Building acquisition and renovation work; the assembly discussed companion ordinances to finance and backfill CIP accounts, and staff said follow-up ordinances will be brought to finance for introduction.
