The Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance Monday night to create a local improvement district and to place HESCO barriers in the flood zone of the Mendenhall Lake area.
HESCO barriers are used for emergency flood protection.
The Assembly took public testimony from residents on Monday evening regarding the plan, and 117 residents submitted written objections to the city’s plan for the local improvement district. Many were present at the Monday meeting to testify.
Before testimony, city manager Katie Koester explained the barrier plan and a cost split to be shared with residents.
“CBH has identified 466 properties which would be specifically benefited from phase one,” Koester said. “The project costs are estimated at $7,830,000. The project costs will be split 40/60, between property owners in the City and Borough of Juneau.”
Resident Joseph Little testified and said the plan will cause conditions to become more dangerous.
“The river structure has become narrower and less curved because of the glacial sand and fallen trees in the river, and these HESCO barriers could possibly cause even more dangerous conditions than before by narrowing the river further,” Little said.
Another area resident, Sam Hatch, said his family is feeling the financial strain, and that the 60/40 split for the new barriers would be detrimental to his fiscal well-being.
“After years of ambivalence and negligence and floodplain management from the city, we decided to try and retrofit for survival ourselves,” Hatch said. “It worked, but we don’t have enough to finish. My savings, retirement and investments are all gone. I have three mortgages. My wife and I both work full-time jobs, and you still want more. I’m not the only one in a difficult financial situation. You won’t see me at future meetings. I’ll be working nights.”
The 40-percent cost split to residents, totaling $6,300 per residence, will be spread out over 10 years, according to Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon.
Mendenhall Lake crested at 10.77 feet at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 20. The flooding made banks unstable, and the river was full of trees and debris following the flood.
To track water levels or read more about this flood event, visit https://www.weather.gov/ajk/suicideBasin or follow the National Weather Service on Facebook.
To sign up for CBJ emergency alerts, text CBJ to 38276 or visit bit.ly/CBJAlerts. To see all CBJ alerts and information releases, visit juneau.org/newsroom or follow CBJ on Facebook.
