(Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau)
By Greg Knight, News of the North
A second life for Floyd Dryden Middle School may be in the works.
The CBJ Lands, Housing and Economic Development Committee met Monday, with a look to the future of the former middle school on the agenda.
According to Deputy City Manager Robert Barr, the committee directed City Manager Katie Koester and the city attorney to draft an ordinance for introduction authorizing the lease of up to 60,000 square feet of the school to the Tlingit & Haida Early Education program.
Mayor Beth Weldon told News of the North that T&H is excited about the opportunity to utilize the majority of the building.
During the summer of 2024 the CBJ Public Works and Facilities Committee completed a solicitation for proposals to lease space in the former middle school.
The building was vacated by the Juneau School District in July 2024.
CBJ staff met with T&H Early Education in November and began drafting basic terms and conditions for a lease.
T&H Early Education has been working on a Conditional Use Permit, planning and redesigning the interior, as well as working with CBJ Building Maintenance to negotiate terms and conditions for a shared space.
The use permit was approved at the Feb. 25 Planning Commission Meeting.
T&H has requested a lease rate of approximately $100,000 per month. This amount excludes the portion of the building that will be retained by the CBJ Parks Department, which includes the gym and facilities maintenance area.
