The intersection of Jackie and Renninger streets is a special place.
Not only does the crossroads commemorate former Juneau police officer Jackie Renninger, it is a milestone in the city’s fight to make housing more affordable.
Several city officials gathered at the intersection, located across from Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School, Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the recently completed Jackie Street. The cold continuous drizzle of rain did nothing to dull smiles or dampen spirits as several people spoke in memoriam of Jackie Renninger, who died of cancer 24 years ago.
After holding several positions with the Juneau Police Department, Renninger was sworn in as an officer in July 1991. She got the job after the department received a federal grant allowing it to hire a “community-oriented” police officer intended to work in the Cedar Park neighborhood, Juneau Police Department Chief Bryce Johnson said during the ceremony.
Renninger held that post until she died a little more than six months later.
“She was a police officer for six months,” Johnson said. “If I’ve got it right, there’s another park that bears her name and there are two streets here that bear her name. If she can have that kind of impact in six months, that is an inspiration to the rest of us — especially in today’s world.”
Mayor Ken Koelsch, who worked as a teacher for 28 years at Juneau-Douglas High School, spoke Wednesday, recalling how Renninger worked tirelessly to protect his students and other children in the community.
Though incredibly necessary, Koelsch recognized that Renninger’s job wasn’t flashy, which is why he said that naming Jackie Street after her was a fitting memorial.
“Housing is a basic need in our community, and I find it very appropriate that this is called Jackie Street because it is serving a basic need, and Jackie would be really proud of that,” he said.
Jackie Street leads into the Renninger subdivision, the first major subdivision the city has completed since 1999. The road, which cost the city about $900,000 to build, carries the necessary utility lines to the subdivision’s six multifamily lots, most of which are about an acre.
Juneau Lands and Resources Manager Greg Chaney, who also spoke at the celebration Wednesday, told the Empire that the subdivision will be able to support up to 189 dwelling units.
“It’s taken several years of process, but we have a new subdivision,” Chaney said, addressing the small crowd gathered in the intersection. “It’s been built. It’s tangible. And it’s so gratifying because people come up to me and say, ‘I hate it when people make plans and they just sit on the shelf’. It’s been a while since 1999, but it’s really gratifying.”
The city is still taking and reviewing proposals for the vacant Renninger lots. Chaney is hopeful that the site, now thickly forested and undeveloped, will soon house hundreds of people.
• Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or at sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.
