Dzantik'i Heeni playground funds OK’d after Assembly ponders delaying decision until after election
- Mark Sabbatini
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
City leaders again say non-essential items may not be affordable if voters approve tax-cutting ballot measures
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A much-discussed playground at the Dzantik'i Heeni campus was debated by city leaders as something that may not be affordable if tax-cutting ballot measures are approved by voters in the election now underway, but the Juneau Assembly on Monday ultimately approved $735,000 for site preparation work.
The playground is a top priority of the Juneau School District and many city officials, who note Dzantik'i Heeni is the only campus with elementary students that lacks a proper playground. Also, there are no public parks in the Lemon Creek neighborhood where the campus is located.
The funding approved by the Assembly does not cover playground equipment. School board members at a meeting Wednesday discussed how to raise those funds.
Warnings about cuts to non-essential programs and services have been widely voiced by many city leaders due to the three propositions on the Oct. 7 election ballot. Proposition 1 lowers the cap on property taxes, Proposition 2 exempts food and utilities from sales taxes, and Proposition 3 implements a seasonal sales tax with a higher rate during the tourism season.
About $1 million in revenue would be lost if Proposition 1 passes and up to $11 million lost if Proposition 2 passes under a status quo municipal budget of roughly $200 million, according to the city’s election website. Proposition 3 was placed on the ballot by the Assembly to essentially offset the revenue loss from Proposition 2, although advocates on both sides have said there is a good chance voters will pass both tax-cutting measures and reject the one that increases taxes.
The city is already withholding 60% of grant funding awarded to community organizations pending the outcome of the election, and Assembly members have stated programs such as parks, libraries and Eaglecrest Ski Area could see significant cuts if only the first two ballot measures pass. Those concerns were again invoked at Monday’s Assembly meeting when member Neil Steininger proposed tabling the Dzantik'i Heeni park funding until the next regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 27
"We have already sent out notices to other community partners that we're restricting the amount of money we're providing them until we see the outcome of those ballot measures, and I just think it would be prudent when we're talking about dollar value this large to wait until we have a better understanding of the revenue available to the city before it makes this commitment," he said.
Furthermore, Steininger noted the state board of education is scheduled to discuss a proposal at a meeting Oct. 8-9 that could put strict limits on how much funding the city can provide the school district, which district officials have stated could result in $8 million or more of lost revenue each year for non-instructional purposes including recreational programs.
Assembly Member Christine Woll asked if delaying the playground funding for a month would affect the project. District Superintendent Frank Hauser said the delay would make it more difficult to raise sufficient funds by December or January, when the district hopes to order equipment so it arrives in time to be installed next summer.
Among the Assembly members expressing opposition to the delay was Maureen Hall, who said discussions about the proposed playground have been "going on very intensely for quite some time."
"We don't need to be the ones to hold up this very well thought-out and needed project," she said.
Steininger, in response, said he felt he had made his point about the impact the ballot measures will have on city spending and withdrew his motion to delay the funding, which was unanimously approved by the Assembly.
The next steps in the playground project were discussed by Juneau Board of Education members at a Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday.
The school board last month voted to accept $30,000 of donated equipment ("musical elements and two gaga ball pits") from the Juneau Rotary Clubs that will be installed by their members as soon as this fall. Kristy Germain, the school district’s director of operations, said Wednesday the hope now is to raise at least $300,000 to install two large composite structures with slides, climbing and other playground features.
"And then as funding comes in we can look at some smaller items," she said.
But what playground equipment gets installed in what order is also among the topics school leaders are debating. Board President Deedie Sorensen said she believes "from a kids on the playground perspective" the most important thing to raise money for and install first is swings.
Board members gave Germain the go-ahead to engage in fundraising for equipment, but some concern was expressed that trying to raise the necessary funds by December is a short amount of time.
"I guess I'll just say again, going back to that really tight timeline, I won't be supportive of using operating fund dollars" for the playground, said board Vice President Elizabeth Siddon. "Those are classroom dollars. We don't have enough of them for all of the other needs across this district."
Total playground costs were estimated at $880,000 to $1.5 million, depending on the facilities provided, by staff during a school board meeting in March. Germain said Wednesday installation of equipment can occur in phases over multiple years based on available funds.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
