Corps of Engineers cancels press briefings previously offered after this week's closed-door flood solution meetings

Meetings discussing preferred alternatives for long-term flood solution proposals remain closed to media and public, with USACE Alaska District now directing queries to federal headquarters

Dave Hanna asks questions and gives suggestions to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Branch Alaska District at a meeting at Thunder Mountain Middle School on July 30, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Independent)

By Jasz Garrett

Juneau Independent

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held its first full-day meeting of three this week to discuss five options for a long-term flood solution in Juneau.

Press briefings were planned with "subject-matter-experts" at the end of each day's meetings at The Huddle inside the Mendenhall Mall, according to a USACE email. But in an email on Monday morning, John Budnik, Public Affairs Specialist for the USACE Alaska District, notified Juneau media that USACE was no longer available to take questions or provide a debrief.

"Due to circumstances beyond my control, I must cancel USACE's availability after each day of the Mendenhall GLOF Charrette," Budnik wrote.

"The reason why we're limiting the availability of the public, including the media, is we don't want anybody in the room to feel inhibited because they're going to be on the record," Budnik previously told the Independent.

Questions from the Independent about the media cancellation and more information about the charrette directed to USACE headquarters did not receive a response by the end of Tuesday. A written report summarizing the meetings is scheduled to be released publicly by the agency in January. The last closed-door meeting this week will be on Thursday.

• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.