CBJ staff: Gastineau Apartments demolition may be right time to demolish pocket park

The derelict Gastineau Apartments, July 21, 2015. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
The derelict Gastineau Apartments, July 21, 2015. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)

Demolishing a downtown Juneau eyesore may also be an opportunity to demolish another problematic property, Gunakadeít Park.

“The park itself, I think, it’s no secret, is not a particularly successful park,” said city Engineering Director Rorie Watt, addressing the Juneau Assembly on Monday.

That was an understatement. Litter, fistfights, intoxicated loiterers, open container violations and sundry calls for emergency services are common at the pocket park in the shadow of the Gastineau Apartments.

Watt was circumspect when describing the park’s “long-term disposition.”

“The more we’ve looked at it, we wonder how much of the park to preserve. So, quite frankly, if a contractor has to dance around the park and preserve it, the demolition will go slower and be more expensive,” he said. “And I think there’s a persuasive argument that appears to be lining up that demolition of the park effectively might be the best path forward.”

Gunakadeít Park opened at the corner of South Franklin and Front streets in 1984. It’s been a sore spot for downtown businesses for decades. In 1998, the Juneau Assembly officially banned alcohol from it after police had been issuing drinking citations in or near the park for years.

None of the members of the assembly spoke up in defense of the park.

“I will say that Parks and Rec staff is not particularly attached to preserving the park as it exists today,” Watt said. “It may be property that can end up some time in the future on the tax rolls as a better utilized parcel.”

Watt said the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee is discussing the future of the park at its next meeting, Sept. 8.

Meanwhile, Watt said the city’s contract for the demolition of the Gastineau Apartments will be ready to go out for bid Sept. 9. A contract for $116,000 was awarded last month to Northwind Architects to write the demolition plans.

The city hopes to recoup some of the demolition costs, budgeted at $1.8 million, from the property owners. Watt said the city’s aiming for demolition to be complete by Dec. 31.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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