The Juneau Assembly has decided to postpone a vote on whether to disempower Eaglecrest Ski Area’s board of directors for at least six months.
That’s after recent news that a preliminary cost estimate for the installation of the city-owned ski area’s controversial gondola puts the project’s total cost at $37 million. When the city purchased the gondola in 2022, the project was estimated to cost under $10 million.
Mayor Beth Weldon originally proposed an ordinance to reduce the status of the city-owned ski area’s board from an empowered board to an advisory board in February. At the time, she cited recent leadership turnover at the mountain and ongoing financial issues.
But at a meeting on Monday night, the mayor asked the Assembly to push back voting on the topic for six months, as the board faces major decisions in the coming months that could drastically change the ski area.
“There’s just a lot going on, and I don’t think now is the time to tackle this issue with the board, since we’re tackling so many other issues,” Weldon said.
Right now, as an empowered board, Eaglecrest’s board has its own set of laws, rules and responsibilities. If it became an advisory board, members could only make recommendations to the Assembly. It would lose the authority to establish policies or make decisions without Assembly approval.
The Assembly decided Monday that the vote on disempowerment will be pushed until late September. However, some Assembly members, like Christine Woll, said delaying the decision could also cause issues.
“I’m not opposed to postponing this. I agree, I don’t think we’re ready to make this decision to disempower them,” she said. “But, I do worry that this hanging out there is going to have impacts on their ability or inability to hire a GM.”
The ski area is currently in the middle of hiring a new general manager. Its previous manager resigned in January after less than two years in the role. He did not give a public reason for his departure.
The city is currently also in discussions with Goldbelt Incorporated, a local Alaska Native corporation. The city is asking for a larger investment in the gondola project. Goldbelt invested $10 million in the gondola in 2022 in exchange for a revenue-sharing agreement.
The Assembly will discuss the results of those discussions, along with a final estimate of the gondola’s installation cost, at an upcoming Assembly finance meeting on April 1.
