The state of Alaska is closing the Eagle River Job Center due to state budget cuts.
The closure, which will take place May 19, was annouced in a press release from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
In the release, commissioner Heidi Drygas said her department’s budget has been cut by 33 percent since 2015 and warned the closure could be a sign of things to come as legislators grapple with how to solve the state’s growing budget deficit.
“Without legislative action on a sustainable fiscal plan, more cuts to critical services are on the horizon,” Drygas said.
The closure is the fourth statewide over the past two years. The department previously shuttered job centers in Seward, Kotzebue and Barrow for a savings of about a half-million dollars per year; the Eagle River closure is expected to save an additional $130,000 per year, the department said.
The department said vocational rehabilitation services currently held in Eagle River will be available at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation on Debarr Road in East Anchorage. As for job-seekers in Chugiak-Eagle River, the press release noted that job centers remain open in Muldoon, Midtown and Wasilla, and noted folks can also access services online at jobs.alaska.gov
