Gov. Mike Dunleavy released the list of projects that could potentially be part of the $350 million bond proposal the governor has offered as a stimulus plan to jumpstart the state’s economy.<\/p>\n
“This statewide bond package is essential to stabilizing our economy and putting Alaskans back to work following the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “Not only will this proposal create jobs, it will improve critical infrastructure for all Alaskans.”<\/p>\n
In the past, Dunleavy has said<\/a> the package is meant to stimulate the state’s economy after the coronavirus pandemic. Dunleavy’s Chief of Staff Ben Stevens told the Juneau Chamber of Commerce last month the administration was looking at shovel-ready projects in order to get people working as soon as possible.<\/p>\n The total proposal<\/a> amounts to $356,405,952, the governor’s office said in a statement and will be eligible for a federal match of $1,003,471,000. The proposed list contains allocations for specific projects, such as the Fairbanks Pioneer Home, but also lists larger amounts for certain areas but not specific projects. The governor’s proposal shows $25 million going to the School Major Maintenance Grant Fund and $14 million to municipal harbor grants but does not detail in full how those amounts will be distributed within those categories.<\/p>\n Juneau doesn’t appear anywhere in the text of the bill, but that doesn’t mean there’s no money for the borough, according to Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner. Some of the money set aside for the Municipal Harbor Grants Program will go to Juneau, he said.<\/p>\n “Juneau will also benefit from additional funding through various state departments that receive federal COVID economic relief funds,” Turner said in an email. “While those appropriations have not been determined yet, Juneau and other Southeast communities will see meaningful funding in the months ahead.”<\/p>\n The governor’s list of proposals was designed to strike a regional balance and meet the immediate needs of communities around the state, Turner said.<\/p>\n [Proposed bonds would fund ‘shovel-ready’ projects, says governor’s chief of staff<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n But Juneau’s state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Democrat, said he believes the Legislature has a lot of work to do before sending the bond package to Alaskans for a vote.<\/p>\n “Five percent of Alaskans call our district home,” Kiehl said in a phone interview Friday, “The only project in Northern Southeast (Alaska) is one-half, of one-third, of one harbor project. “<\/p>\n Kiehl is referring to the third phase of Juneau’s maintenance project at Aurora Harbor, which appeared on a list of priority projects submitted to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly last week by CBJ Engineering & Public Works Director Katie Koester. That list also specified items like a new City Hall and expansions to Centennial Hallas priorities, but none of the items on Juneau’s list appear specifically in the governor’s proposal.<\/p>\n Juneau was eligible for harbor grants Kiehl said, which require the municipality to pay for 50% of the project. But the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities which administers the grants, already had a ranked list of projects based on need, Kiehl said, and the amount in the governor’s proposal matched the amount for projects from that list. Under the current proposal only the last phase of Juneau’s harbor project received funding, he said.<\/p>\n “I’m concerned the total package of the project apparently doesn’t show any desire to invest in Northern Southeast,” Kiehl said.<\/p>\n City and Borough of Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt said Friday he hadn’t had a chance to delve into the list, but that the city generally favors funding through the harbor grants program.<\/p>\n The state had a similar list of projects ranked by need for school projects, Watt said, and while formulas for school funding can be complicated, the amount proposed for the major maintenance grants, $25 million, wouldn’t cover much locally.<\/p>\n “I would not expect that that $25 million would amount to much in any one district,” he said.<\/p>\n