In the Assembly’s March 3, 2025, FY26 CBJ Capital Priorities List, our Assembly and manager requested from our state and federal funding partners $10 million for Phase 2 of the Capital Civic Center, which “creates a stand-alone wing (joined to Centennial Hall by a shared lobby) that includes a community hall; a 299-seat theater with raked seating, state-of-the art lighting and professional acoustics; a multi-use event space; and an art gallery. “
The total cost of the project is listed at $60 million.
Considering that request, we hope that Juneau Assembly members have read the opinion piece from the Feb. 26, 2025, issue of the Anchorage Daily News that details the seemingly insurmountable financial challenges facing the Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts (ACPA):
The alarming funding situation, detailed by the ACPA president and chief operating officer, and signed by seven members of the ACPA executive board, should be instructive for Juneau.
Deferred maintenance has far outpaced the ACPA board’s ability to maintain the arts facility. Performances have been canceled, and the future is uncertain. What will it take to make the facility self-supporting? A major bailout from the Anchorage taxpayers is inevitably one of the pieces.
Yet the CBJ Assembly has already decided that Juneau taxpayers will be on the hook. Near the bottom of page 20, we read, “Who will maintain and operate? CBJ.
However, the “Public Process” section of the FY26 CBJ Capital Priorities List does not mention community “buy-in” yet acknowledges the loss of 49-plus parking spaces once the facility is constructed.
A bit of history on the subject: Last year, First Thing First Alaska Foundation encouraged voters to pay attention to this issue, reminding them that in October 2019, Juneau voters said yes to $7 million for Centennial Hall renovations, but rejected spending $4.5 million to help pay for what was then a $26.4 million Juneau Arts and Cultural Center (JACC).
After losing the 2019 vote (59%-41%), JACC promoters convinced the Assembly to merge Centennial Hall with their new JACC. The reconfigured project was never voted on, but still is being touted as a done deal that enjoys broad community support. In January 2022, without seeking public input and in defiance of the 2019 vote, the Assembly appropriated $2 million for engineering and design for this combined performing arts and convention center.
Even if the promoters succeed in collecting construction funds from various sources, taxpayers will still be responsible for operating and maintaining the facility, in perpetuity. The Assembly has yet to tell us what the subsidy will be.
If Anchorage, with 10 times the population of Juneau, cannot support a standalone performing arts center, what is the Assembly thinking?
In the recent past, promoters of the “Capital Civic Center” have described it as “a high-priority community project.” It has been characterized to our federal delegation as Juneau’s “#1 funding priority.” Currently, the promoters’ goal is to “provide Juneau with an inspirational, artistic venue.”
Before more public money is spent on Phase 2, local taxpayers should receive answers to a few simple questions.
What specific plans does the Assembly have to address the financial sustainability of the Capital Civic Center once it is built? How will the potential loss of parking spaces impact local businesses and community access to the facility? What steps will be taken to ensure community buy-in and input in future decisions related to the Capital Civic Center project?
Thankfully, the current No. 1 priority for our Juneau’s Assembly is: “Glacial Outburst Flood Response, Mitigation & Preparedness” — finding a solution to the Mendenhall Valley Flood risk situation.
We urge taxpayers to become familiar with what the CBJ has requested.
• Don Habeger is the executive director of the First Things First Alaska Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving the economic viability and future of Alaska through education.
