Construction continues on Juneau’s Seawalk, and the city has a little more money to work with.
The Whale Project donated $250,000 to the city this week, intended to fund a pump house for the fountainworks at the whale statue at the Seawalk Bridge Park. This part of the project is part of Phase III of the Seawalk project and is expected to be under construction this summer and fall.
Juneau’s Seawalk project aims to connect the existing walkway at Marine Park to Bridge Park, where the whale statue now stands. The project is years in the making, dating back to recommendations in the Long Range Waterfront Plan that the city adopted in 2004.
The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly accepted the funds at Monday’s Assembly meeting, with multiple Assembly members expressing gratitude for those at The Whale Project keeping their word and donating the money.
Members of The Whale Project — Bruce Botelho, Jim Clark and Jean Overstreet — were on hand to present the money to the Assembly by way of an oversized check. Botelho spoke during the public comment period, saying that the whale statue is already becoming a destination for tourists (and even some birds).
“We believe that this whale sculpture and the park will be the enduring monument to Alaska’s 50th anniversary of statehood,” Botelho said, “and will become a great symbol.”
