City files eviction cases for two Telephone Hill residences, hearing scheduled Nov. 19
- Mark Sabbatini
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Date means three residents at the homes will be able to stay well past Nov. 1 deadline to vacate
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
The city filed eviction cases Wednesday for two residences on Telephone Hill, seeking to enforce Nov. 1 vacate orders for the properties where three people are still living.
An eviction hearing is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 19 at the Juneau courthouse, meaning the occupants will be able to remain at the homes for at least a couple more weeks.
One case is against John Ingalls and Rachel Beck, the other against Joseph Karson.
Karson, Ingalls and fellow Telephone Hill resident Robert Sylvester, in turn, have filed a lawsuit against the city alleging the evictions were illegal. No hearing date has been set yet in that case.
Eviction orders for 13 residences in seven structures were issued by the city as part of a redevelopment plan that involves demolishing the existing homes and building four midrise apartments in the downtown neighborhood. Residents have been renting the homes for decades, since the property was purchased by the state for development purposes in 1984 and then turned over to the city in 2022.
If a tenant refuses to move out voluntarily despite an eviction order, landlords can obtain a Writ of Assistance, which is "a written order from a judge telling a law enforcement official, like a police officer, to perform a certain task," according to the Alaska Court System’s website.
No legal action has been filed by the city against the three people still living in the Edward Webster House on Telephone Hill. Maureen Conerton told the Juneau Independent on Saturday she discussed a move-out date after Nov. 1 since her husband, Jeff Brown, is disabled and a home they have arranged to move to in Auke Bay still needs to have its septic system connected.
City Attorney Emily Wright, in an email Thursday to the Juneau Independent, stated the city manager "is still considering Ms. Connerton's medical request so we were directed not to file" an eviction case.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
