Trash disposal moves ahead of second Juneau-Douglas bridge on Planning Commission’s priorities list

Flood mitigation still top funding ask from state lawmakers, but commission members diverge from draft CBJ list by ranking new waste facility second instead of fourth

City workers help clean up debris following the 2024 glacial lake outburst flood in the Mendenhall Valley. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Juneau’s limited trash disposal capacity is a growing concern and it’s time to make the issue a foremost priority, according to Planning Commission members ranking it above all other projects except glacier flood mitigation on a list of state funding requests during their meeting Tuesday night.

The 22-project list is an early draft of funding priorities submitted each year by the City and Borough of Juneau to the Alaska Legislature as part of the state budget process. The Assembly typically submits the list in February after getting input from local boards and commissions, with the number of projects and amount of requested funding generally far exceeding what state lawmakers approve for communities.

The top four project priorities in the draft sent to the Planning Commission for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2027, are $50 million for flood mitigation, $3 million for administrative work on a second Juneau-Douglas crossing, $6.3 million to upgrade the Mendenhall Wastewater Treatment Plant, and $14.6 million for design and construction of a solid waste transfer station.

The Planning Commission opted to rank the waste transfer station second, while dropping the Juneau-Douglas crossing one spot.

"I spent a lot of time this election season talking to people, both at the Assembly level and the state level, and one thing that was clear to me is that our solid waste situation is incredibly problematic," said Mandy Cole, a commission member, during the meeting, "Basically the refrain I heard over and over again is it won't be a priority until we make it a priority."

Cole said she has pushed hard for a second Juneau-Douglas crossing during the six years she’s been on the Planning Commission because "I think it's the single most important thing on this list that we could do to make this city more livable, more drivable, more planable for housing." However, she added, "I think it's time to push up the transfer station as a priority because, again, we're not going to do it until somebody takes the plunge and puts it at the top of the list."

Among the concerns expressed by commission members — and other local officials for years — is Juneau’s privately owned landfill is expected to be full within the next decade and could close with only a few months’ notice to city officials. The increasing costs of disposal are also an increasingly serious concern.

"We are having more people disposing of household waste on the side of our roads or down at the end of the road, and that is a huge problem for a community that really thrives on the environment, the beauty, and all of that," said Carlee Simon, another Planning Commission member.

A waste transfer station allows trash to be compacted, sorted, recycled and otherwise processed before it is sent to a local landfill or elsewhere for disposal. The Juneau facility proposed near the existing landfill in Lemon Creek is expected to cost $15 million, with CBJ providing $420,000 so far.

The description for the solid waste transfer station in CBJ’s draft projects list states it will give the city "the ability to control our waste future and be responsive to residents’ desires associated with costs, hours, and operations, including the ability to increase waste diversion from the landfill, make reuse more accessible to residents, and protect our local landscape by reducing illegal dumping."

"It is anticipated to take 3-5 years from the point that full funding is available for design and construction," the project summary adds.

Protecting Mendenhall Valley neighborhoods from flooding has been a top priority for Juneau officials since 2023 when record glacial lake outburst floods from Suicide Basin began occurring annually every August. The city’s draft plan estimates long-term mitigation efforts will cost about $400 million — although much higher figures have been cited for some options — and the $50 million request comes as local officials hope the federal government will cover most of the project’s costs.

A second Juneau-Douglas crossing has been discussed for decades and last year a state Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study advanced five alternatives to a further environmental review stage. Juneau Public Works Director Denise Koch told the Planning Commission on Tuesday she expects officials will have a better sense of a preferred crossing route a year from now.

However, the second crossing has also been omitted in the state’s recently released draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) for 2027-30. Sonny Mauricio, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, told the Juneau Independent last month "once we have a better understanding of the project's scope and estimated construction costs, we will include additional funding in the STIP." Other projects after the top four on the draft legislative list include housing redevelopment on Pederson Hill, security and safety upgrades for the Juneau School District, Gold Creek flood control rehabilitation near the top of the list. Items at the bottom include a waterfront Juneau Douglas City Museum, Capital Civil Center and North Douglas boat ramp expansion.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.