Join interactive design meeting for Jackie Renninger Park on May 21
CBJ Parks and Recreation, along with Corvus Design, will hold an interactive public meeting to talk about the future of Jackie Renninger Park (Pipeline Skate Park) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library.
The skate park needs several structural and safety improvements, and Parks and Rec is taking this opportunity to explore what additional features could help the park meet the needs of local residents.
In addition to presentations and Q&A, the meeting will include a hands-on opportunity for attendees to design their ideal park using a large site plan and scaled cut-outs of essential park elements. CBJ and Corvus will also share the results of last year’s community survey about the park and a Neighborhood Park Assessment.
Parks and Rec will also hold a gathering tailored to younger participants at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at the Zach Gordon Youth Center. Professional skateboarder Kanten Russell with New Line Skateparks will join this meeting remotely to talk about current trends in skate park design.
For more information, contact Parks and Recreation at (907) 576-5226 or parks.rec@juneau.gov.
Annual Police Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony on May 17
The Capital City Chapter of the Alaska Peace Officers Association will host the annual Police Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony at Evergreen Park Cemetery honoring fallen Juneau Police Department and Southeast Alaska police officers at noon May 17.
An inter-agency Honor Guard will lay wreaths at the graves of two officers. The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be JPD Chief Derek Bos.Several speakers will offer short words and prayers for the occasion. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/cccapoa.
Alaska Law Enforcement Torch Run and Pledge Drive scheduled May 18
The Alaska Law Enforcement Torch Run and Pledge Drive will take place simultaneously in Juneau and 13 other communities across the state beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 18.
Alaska Law Enforcement Officers and Special Olympics Alaska community volunteers and athletes will lead the 5K Run/Walk. The Juneau event will start at the Twin Lakes Shelter, with registration starting at 9:30 a.m..
The goal for 2024 is for participants to raise more than $150,000 in pledges statewide for Special Olympics Alaska communities and to have more than 1000 participants, which will include hundreds of Alaska Law Enforcement personnel.
Walkers, runners, joggers, strollers and rollerblades are welcome to participate in-person or virtually. Funds raised within the community from pledges will stay within the local community to help support sports training and competition.
For more information visit https://specialolympicsalaska.org/law-enforcement-torch-run.
Spruce Root gets $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations selected Spruce Root to receive $2.5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding as part of the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program. This funding will launch the Tongass Green Bank project announced by Spruce Root in 2023.
Spruce Root will work to decarbonize the Tongass with tribally owned heat pumps on Prince of Wales Island. This project proposes to install highly efficient air-source heat pumps in up to 240 tribal buildings and homes on the island only accessible by small plane or ferry. The project also includes a workforce development component, training local Alaska technicians to maintain heat pumps and perform installations into the future.
“Spruce Root has been able to bring more investment into our region by partnering with other entities like Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T),” Spruce Root Executive Director Alana Peterson said. “By increasing the number of heating systems online, excess local hydropower will be used, helping to further the transition away from fossil fuels and make our region less reliant on outside resources.”
The project was one of 19 community-led clean-energy projects selected across 12 states and 13 tribal nations and communities to receive more than $78 million to develop and deploy sustainable clean-energy solutions and expand access to reliable and affordable energy in rural and remote communities across the United States.
13th annual Yakutat Tern Festival kicks off at the end of May
The 13th annual Yakutat Tern Festival is May 30-June 2, featuring a variety of activities to celebrate the natural and cultural resources of the area.
The festival’s keynote speaker is Denny Olson, conservation educator for the Flathead, Montana, chapter of the Audubon Society. Denny will be offering a suite of youth focused activities, as well as delivering his keynote presentation entitled “The Wonder of Birds.”
Tongass National Forest staff will lead other events, with wildlife biologist Susan Oehlers giving a presentation on monitoring Aleutian Terns, District Ranger Nathaniel Catterson leading a field trip to view the festival’s namesake, and special uses administrator Samantha Lodell leading a field trip to Harlequin Lake in the Russell Fiord Wilderness area.
Field trips will access sites identified in the Southeast Alaska Birding Trail, a virtual guide to 200 birding hotspots across the Alaska Panhandle developed in 2019 by Audubon Alaska, the U.S. Forest Service and Juneau Audubon Society.
Other events include watercolor painting workshops, the Wildman 5-k run fun, Hubbard Glacier charter boat tours, “bird yoga,” and a wide variety of youth activities in partnership with the National Park Service, Alaska Sea Grant, Ocean Conservancy, the Wrangell Institute for Science and the Environment, and other partners.
For more information, including the complete schedule, go to www.yakutatternfestival.org, visit Facebook, Instagram, or email yakutatnaturesociety@gmail.com.
Riverview Senior Living hosts second annual public market
Riverview Senior living is hosting its second Annual Market Event featuring local vendors with booths set up on the main floor from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Items include clothing, art, and craft booths, job fair booth and more. The public is can also join morning devotionals, games and other events.
For events and times stop in at the front desk for an activities calendar or call 723-2282.
