Empire Archives is a series printed every Saturday featuring a short compilation of headline stories in the Juneau Empire from archived editions in 1985, 1995 and 2005. They include names, AP style and other content of their eras.
This week in 1985, with the opening of the Alaska Legislature set for Monday, Senate leaders have announced they will join the House in broadcasting their activities in a 30-minute television program each day. A Juneau firm, Mobile Video, which in December was awarded a $287,820 contract to put together a program for the House, will be wrapping Senate activities into the same program. “What we decided to do was extend the contract with Mobile Video to include Senate coverage in the same 30-minute daily show,” said Senate Rule Chairman-designate Tim Kelly, R-Anchorage. “This type of format was how the show has been handled in the past, with the exception of the past two years.” They decided to go with one combined program rather than two shows for several reasons, Kelly said. The cost of a joint Senate-House TV program will be significantly lower than if the House and Senate each paid for shows.
Today all official committee meetings and floor sessions of the Alaska Legislature are available online live and on-demand via Gavel Alaska, which also carries live and recorded TV broadcasts of the most important happenings. Other activities including press conferences and legislative hearings away from the Capitol are also covered.
Original Story: “Senate to have TV coverage,” by Debbie Reinwand. 1/11/1985.
This week in 1995, AJT Mining Properties Inc. and Alaska Marine Lines are proposing a multimillion-dollar cruise ship dock along South Franklin Street. It’s a project city officials and developers say will add much-needed berthing in town to accommodate the burgeoning tourist industry. The dock could be built for the 1996 tourist season and would be located between Taku Smokeries and the Thane Road rock dump, said AJ Associates President Reed Stoops, who is helping the developers. AJT Mining Properties and Alaska Marine Lines own the property where the dock would be constructed. The 300-foot steel and wood and/or concrete dock could be used to moor cruise ships nearly 900 feet long; an intermediate-size vessel float planned as part of the project could be used to tie up smaller cruise vessels and floatplanes, Stoops said. Only two cruise ships at a time can be tied up along the downtown waterfront, requiring as many as three other ships to anchor in Gastineau Channel on busy summer days, he said.
Today the AJ Dock is providing one of the four berths for up to five large cruise ships that are allowed daily under new limits in effect the past season, with a proposal for another private dock owned by Huna Totem Corp. now well into the bureaucratic process with a conditional use permit issued and the Juneau Assembly likely to consider a lease agreement during the coming months.
Original Story: “Giving berth,” by James MacPherson. 1/10/1995.
This week in 2005, the Juneau Assembly moved forward plans to build a Home Depot store in Juneau, unanimously authorizing negotiations for a sale of city land. The Assembly on Monday empowered City Manager Rod Swope to negotiate the sale of 10 acres to the home improvement retailer. The city would sell the land at fair market value. The property, near Costco at Lemon Creek, is part of a 30-acre gravel pit that has provided building materials for city projects since 1983. City officials said the other 20 acres will be available for other development soon. “We encourage local businesses to send us a letter of interest so we can include their needs in the planning of the subdivision,” said Lands and Resources Manager Steve Gilbertson. At the meeting, the Assembly also authorized a lease with the nonprofit Totem Creek Inc. The organization will build a standard 18-hole golf course on city-owned land on the west side of Douglas Island near Outer Point. The lease will run 35 years with an option to renew. It will not go into effect if Totem Creek fails to find private investors for the $8 million project within five years.
Today the Home Depot is still open. An 18-hole golf course never did open and private land in west Douglas is now being eyed as the site for a two-ship cruise port.
Original Story: “Assembly OKs land negotiation with Home Depot,” by I-Chun Che. 1/11/2005.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
