Yacht Club renovations help make space more inviting for events

As the Juneau Yacht Club became more and more popular as an event venue, it became clearer that the place needed a sprucing up.

“Things just didn’t look good,” rental agent Barbara Burnett said, “and we have a lot of weddings and celebrations of life and other sorts of parties. People need it to look nice.”

The building, located near Aurora Harbor, has gotten a facelift the past four years. From replacing the floors to soundproofing the ceilings to changing the locations of a couple doors, Burnett said the space is much better suited to host events now.

In the main room, the walls have been redone to eliminate a stretch of carpet that climbed halfway up the wall. Quartermaster Chris Roust described the carpeting as “depressing,” saying it’s much better now. Now the walls are plain white, and the floors are now a bright wood finish instead of old linoleum. These changes, along with new windows, have resulted in a more inviting space.

The Yacht Club also added a handicap-accessible ramp, a new deck and a revamped security system.

Almost all of the work has been done by volunteers, many of them being Yacht Club members. There are more than 150 members, and were more than willing to help out. The flooring and changes to the walls cost about $10,000, Burnett said, with the club saving expenses due to the volunteer workers.

The Yacht Club is often an affordable alternative for people looking to hold ceremonies, Burnett explained, and feedback has been very good as the club has dedicated more resources into modernizing and opening up the space. Holding more events there has also exposed more Juneau residents to the Yacht Club as an event spot.

“We’ve gotten a lot of business from people who have been to a wedding and didn’t realize that it was so nice in here,” Burnett said.

Renovations have also made it possible for two events to go on at once, Burnett explained. Previously, people in the Graham Room (the bar and restaurant area) had to walk through the main hall to get to a bathroom. During the renovations, workers changed the location of a bathroom door so that people in the Graham Room can enter the bathroom without having to walk through the main room.

Now, events can go on in both rooms simultaneously.

The Graham Room has seen changes as well, as the flags that hang from the ceiling — better known in the boating community as burgees — have been cleaned and alphabetized. The burgees are from all corners of the United States and a few from other countries as well, including Australia. The bar area also has a flatscreen TV now as well. Burnett said the next steps in the renovation project will be to upgrade the kitchen and make more changes to the Graham Room.

According to the Yacht Club’s website, renting the main hall is $500, the kitchen (including use of dishes and utensils) is $200 and the Graham Room is $150.

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• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com.

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