Собрание города Джуно рассматривает передачу управления спортивными объектами сторонним организациям

Juneau Assembly looking into third-party management of rec facilities Published 5:30 am Friday, September 4, 2026 The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) continues to explore various management options for its Parks and Recreation facilities. During the Aug. 31 Assembly committee of the whole, CBJ staff discussed the potential risks and benefits for alternative management scenarios at certain facilities. City manager Katie Koester presented a memo from Parks and Recreation director Marc Wheeler which highlighted two main issues for any potential third-party arrangements — high capital costs of maintenance for facilities, and balancing public access and affordability with operational realities. “This was a conversation that came up in our budget discussion, and the Assembly wanted to look at what it would take and what it would look like well in advance of having to make those decisions acknowledging that it would take a lot of time,” Koester said. According to Wheeler, retaining the facilities with public ownership and management would allow CBJ to provide services to the community at reasonably accessible rates and schedules, while giving up control would undermine CBJ’s ability to protect these public benefits. Mayor Beth Wilson proposed directing staff to bring third-party management options back for further discussion at the Assembly’s November retreat, describing it as a “really tough” issue. “Director Wheeler kind of took the wind out of my sails about third-party management,” she said. “I appreciate our finance director [Christine] Woll saying we better get on this sooner rather than later, so I’m hoping November is soon enough.” Wilson added that the upcoming election plays a big part in the decision-making process, and said that third-party management does not sounds like an option at this time. A report from Wheeler identified potential alternative management scenarios at a number of facilities. The report said the Augustus Brown Pool and Dimond Park Aquatic Center are some of our most highly subsidized in the Borough, recovering roughly 25% of their costs with revenues. “They both have large fixed operating costs and require technical expertise to manage complicated mechanical systems. Both pools have significant deferred maintenance needs – in particular, DPAC will soon require a multi-million dollar fix to its air handling system to maintain operations,” according to the report, pointing out these facilities have also undergone the most serious consideration of management by an outside nonprofit. Wheeler said when CBJ took ownership of Dimond Park Field House it required significant deferred maintenance expenditures and the addition of an elevator. “There are a number of youth and adult user groups who use the facility. None of these organizations has the professional staff or organizational bandwidth to manage the facility,” according to the report. “The facility has some of the lowest operating costs and some of the highest cost-recovery – roughly 45%. The facility continues to have large unmet deferred maintenance needs, and we are currently investigating which part of the building envelope needs repair (turf field, roof, or potentially both).” He said the Jensen Olson Arboretum has legal restrictions that impact the prospect of third-party management, prohibiting operation by a for-profit organization. The Eagle Valley Center requires some of the least amount of General Fund dollars for its operations,” according to the report. “The building has some significant deferred maintenance needs (will be needing a new roof at some point). It is also sited within the confines of one of our most-used and beloved natural area parks.” He said Southeast Alaska Independent Living currently has an agreement with CBJ to operate the adjacent ropes course, and has significant professional staffing and “may have the bandwidth to operate the facility given its current operations there.” Treadwell Ice Arena has the highest percentage of cost-recovery of any of the sports facilities – roughly 49%. “A number of youth and adult user groups use the facility. None of these groups have any professional staff or organizational depth to manage the facility,” stated the report. The overall budget would benefit if CBJ is able to secure adequate management without needing general fund support, but if the assembly wants to pursue a third-party model for any facility, it would likely take significant time to sort out the details of a transfer, according to Wheeler. “In the meantime, we must care for our existing staff and facility users to ensure continuity of operations and employee stability,” Wheeler added.