The updated concept for a new arts facility in Juneau would expand Centennial Hall and could help boost the city’s economic recovery.
Public works director Katie Koester says the project is still in its early stages, but that it may serve as a community center, conference hall and performing arts center to replace the current Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC).
“The JACC would be demolished and Centennial Hall itself would be expanded and take on all those functions,” Koester said.
Koester says the concept is a different vision from the $4.5 million proposal for a standalone facility that voters rejected to fund in 2019.
This one serves a broader purpose. Koester wrote in a memo that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting job losses also gives the community an opportunity to address the city’s economic concerns.
The Juneau Public Works and Facilities committee met on Monday to discuss asking the assembly to spend $75,000 to pay an architect to further develop the concept, create a timeline and cost estimate, as well as finalizing the design.
Koester noted that the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, Travel Juneau and the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, who had opposed the previous ballot measure, are all on board.
City manager Rorie Watt also says he’s for it, too.
“My take is, is that at this point in time, given that we have those three organizations working together collaboratively and agreeing on the process forward, that I definitely support the concept,” Watt said.
But assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs, who’s also part of the public works committee, had some reservations.
“I have real concerns about this just because it feels like a little bit of a slap in the face of voters who fairly recently and fairly decisively if I remember, voted against a new JACC,” she said.
If the plan does move forward, it would still be up to voter approval. Koester says a question could be on the ballot as soon as Oct. 2021.
“It is not a commitment to the project, it’s really a commitment to exploring that concept with some more, you know, resources and just being able to do some public outreach,” she said.
The committee agreed to ask for approval of the $75,000 at the next assembly meeting on Dec. 14.
