City asks Juneau residents for input on Marine Park renovations

Juneau’s Marine Park on Dec. 20, 2022, seen from across Marine Way. Among other changes, the city is considering putting back the crosswalk that was here until 2019. (Photo By Paige Sparks/KTOO)

Juneau’s parks and recreation department is planning renovations for Marine Park, and residents are invited to submit ideas.

An online survey is open through Jan. 10. It asks park-goers and nearby business owners how they use the space, and what they’d like to see there in the future.

Michele Elfers, deputy director of the parks department, said it’s the first step of a public outreach process recently funded by the Juneau Assembly.

“The park is aging, and it gets a lot of different use and more use than it did 20, 30 years ago,” she said. “We’re looking at how we can make it better connected to the seawalk and into downtown.”

Marine Park was first developed in the late 1970s. Since then, it’s become a community gathering place, a first stop for many cruise ship passengers and one of the only waterfront spaces in Juneau accessible by public transportation.

The survey asks residents about their interest in several new amenities, including a large covered gathering space, roller skating areas and BBQ grills.

It also asks if residents would like a crosswalk at South Seward Street. Elfers said the old crosswalk was removed in 2019 because of visibility issues, but city officials are considering adding it back.

“That was keyed in as a really important connection from the waterfront into downtown, and a cultural and historic connection as well,” she said. “Canoes used to come into the waterfront there and then march up during Celebration.”

The department will host a series of public meetings from February to July to gather more input from the community. The online survey closes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

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