The razing of the historic Telephone Hill neighborhood is imminent (Oct. 1), and I am writing in hopes of generating emails to our mayor and assembly (boroughassembly@juneau.gov) and to urge concerned citizens to turn out and speak out at the upcoming Assembly meeting on Monday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. The meeting is being held at the Centennial Hall Ballroom 3. Testimony can also be by Zoom, but in order to do so you must notify the city clerk by 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting by calling 907-586-5278.
As many others have pointed out in letters and op/ed columns, there is no plan in place once this neighborhood is bulldozed. There are many questions to be answered regarding whether large-scale building can occur on the hill. The homes are historic, the hill may be unstable, the cost is an estimate, and it could cost more than $9 million dollars that could be used for so many other pressing needs. People’s lives are being upended unnecessarily. The idea that perhaps over a hundred units of housing can be constructed on the hill is pure conjecture.
It has been suggested that the area might be used for housing for the Coast Guard families who are coming here with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis. We definitely need housing for them, but Telephone Hill does not make sense for families with children. The projections are there will be 200 crew members with 400 family members. It’s a ludicrous idea.
I am hopeful that our assembly will put a stop to this ill-conceived idea when they hear the outcry from the community. Please attend the meeting, testify in person or by Zoom, or write to the assembly and beseech them to stop this project. There is absolutely no reason to go forward with it.
