Rite of spring: Window washing
- Laurie Craig
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
No time for fooling around on April 1 for workers taking great panes to clear the outlook ahead of this year’s cruise ship season
By Laurie Craig
Juneau Independent
April 1 marked the start of spring cleaning for window washers at municipal government and other downtown locations.
Sunshine aided the small crew of scrubbers and squeegeers outside the downtown Juneau Public Library on Wednesday afternoon despite a layer of packed snow underfoot.
Brick Engstrom owns Capital City Windows. He led crew leader Christopher Worrell and his team of Emma Begly and Braden Little through the library with tools and buckets of steaming soapy water onto the balcony above the city’s dock and parking garage. They squished through packed outdoor deck snow as library patrons watched from inside.
Engstrom, a fifth-generation Juneauite, guides the small, efficient team. He said pending summer cruise ship arrivals pressure the four washers to get work done prior to tourists being below and potentially impacted by the work. Earlier in the day, Little and Worrell had shined up the downtown transit center windows while Engstrom and Begly cleaned the glass at City Hall.
“We work hard, and our motto is ‘everybody’s happy’ — the customers and the crew,” Engstrom said on Thursday morning. He quickly listed the government buildings they will service and included many commercial properties to be spruced up before summer visitors arrive. Several portside buildings are prioritized to avoid conflict with early passengers. Many of the firm’s regular business customers line South Franklin Street where dirty snow remains in plowed, packed mounds. Warmer daytime temperatures are speeding the thaw.
Juneau’s first cruise ship — Eurodam — is scheduled to arrive around noon on Monday, April 27 with a capacity of 2,100 guests.
• Contact Laurie Craig at lauriec@juneauindependent.com.
