Why some Juneau residents want to ban cruise ships on Saturdays — and what’s at stake

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Imagine 1 time a week successful summertime Juneau erstwhile location are nary ample cruise ships floating successful nan harbor, nary visitors bustling down nan docks and nary buses driving group to nan Mendenhall Glacier.

If Proposition 2 is passed by Juneau voters this fall, that could go a reality.

The proposition, known arsenic Ship Free Saturdays, asks voters whether to prohibition each cruise ships that transportation 250 aliases much passengers from visiting connected Saturdays and connected nan Fourth of July arsenic soon arsenic adjacent summer. Throughout nan spring, supporters gathered complete 2,300 signatures to get it connected nan ballot.

Advocates for nan proposition opportunity capable is capable and nan reins request to beryllium pulled connected nan maturation of tourism, but opponents opportunity nan financial and ineligible implications could wounded nan section economy.

Who’s for it, and who’s against it?

Karla Hart is simply a longtime activistic against tourism maturation successful Juneau. She was astatine nan forefront of getting nan proposition connected nan ballot.

“Ship-Free Saturdays would springiness america a relief,” she said during a recent forum. “Every week we will person 1 time of a pause. We tin breathe, we tin do things successful our homes without chopper noise. We tin spell retired successful nan organization and not beryllium diluted by each nan group who are present who aren’t from here.”

According to data provided by nan city, Juneau’s cruise rider measurement has much than tripled successful nan past 3 decades.

At nan forum, Hart and different residents for illustration Steve Krall said nan maturation of tourism has drowned them out. Krall said they simply want 1 time a week during nan summertime to get a break from it.

“What would we do if we had Saturdays? We’d really unrecorded our lives for illustration we utilized to, for illustration we hoped to,” he said. “I utilized to beryllium capable to motorboat a kayak from downtown. I’ve sewage a sailboat, I could sail it successful nan harbor. I could really possibly locomotion downtown and not wonderment if I was going to get deed by a car.”

Hart said nan Ship Free Saturdays run is simply a grassroots effort made up of mundane residents. According to campaign finance records, nan group has only raised $380.

On nan different side, hundreds of thousands of dollars person poured successful from cruise vessel institution affiliates and businesses that want to extremity nan proposition successful its tracks. Campaign records show that nan group advocating against nan proposition, Protect Juneau’s Future, has raised much than $300,000. That money has gone toward banners crossed town, societal media ads and mailers. Big donors for nan guidance run see a Norwegian Cruise Line connection and Westmark Hotels, which person each fixed $75,000 to nan cause.

It’s not conscionable large companies that are against nan proposition — galore section businesses are too. Wings Airways & Taku Glacier Lodge, a section tourism business, has donated $10,000. Holly Johnson is its main trading officer.

“This is not astir Saturdays. It will ne'er beryllium bully enough,” Johnson said at a panel hosted successful August. “All days of nan week would ne'er beryllium bully capable for nan group that are really pushing this. But they tacked connected to thing that was really emotional.”

Johnson and different members of Protect Juneau’s Future said during nan sheet that their businesses trust connected tourism, and moreover taking distant 1 time of nan week would beryllium a awesome financial blow.

According to data shared by nan city, cruise visitors to Juneau successful 2023 straight spent $30 cardinal connected Saturdays alone. They besides produced $3.7 cardinal successful gross for nan metropolis connected those days.

McHugh Pierre is nan president and CEO of Goldbelt, Inc., a section Alaska Native corporation. The institution owns nan celebrated Goldbelt Tram tourer attraction downtown and has invested millions into a gondola task astatine Eaglecrest Ski Area.

“I don’t want to beryllium told erstwhile to do things and erstwhile not to do things, because erstwhile does it extremity and start? Is it conscionable visitors connected Saturdays? Is it motortruck drivers connected Tuesdays? Is it taste storytellers connected Wednesdays?” Pierre said during nan August panel. “I don’t for illustration immoderate of it. It’s bad, and we conscionable request to ballot against it.”

What happens if it passes?

Some companies are already putting ineligible unit connected nan metropolis too, according to Juneau Municipal Attorney Emily Wright.

“If this moves guardant we apt would get sued,” she said successful an interview.

Since April, nan metropolis has received 3 letters threatening lawsuits if voters walk nan proposition.

In a missive sent to nan metropolis attorney’s agency successful June, Royal Caribbean Cruises called nan proposition unlawful nether authorities and national law. Allen Marine Tours said it violated national maritime rule and citizens’ law correct to travel. And, a rule patient that represents nan privately owned A.J. Dock besides voiced ineligible concerns.

“We could person aggregate lawsuits that travel successful that get joined together because it’s nan aforesaid issue. We could person nan dock owners. We could person businesses who are having their businesses impacted. We’ve sewage nan 2 backstage docks, and past we’ve sewage nan cruise lines themselves,” Wright said.

If voters walk nan proposition, it becomes law. That intends it’s nan city’s work to take sides against lawsuits — utilizing payer dollars.

This wouldn’t beryllium nan first clip nan metropolis has been sued complete conflicts pinch cruise lines. The manufacture previously sued Juneau over really it spends nan money earned from rider fees.

That three-year ineligible conflict was settled successful 2019. Juneau agreed to salary Cruise Lines International Association Alaska $1.5 cardinal to screen ineligible fees, and some parties agreed to settee early disputes extracurricular of court.

Juneau’s rule section is intimately watching a ineligible conflict complete limiting cruise ships in Bar Harbor, Maine. That’s wherever a ballot inaugural to limit cruise passengers passed successful 2022. A section business group tried unsuccessfully to writer nan municipality and is successful nan process of appealing nan ruling.

Wright said if Ship Free Saturdays passes successful Juneau, location could beryllium injunctions revenge complete nan proposition.

“An injunction intends to extremity something. So we would say, ‘Okay, guys, you’re not allowed present connected Saturdays’ and nan cruise ships would inquire nan tribunal to extremity america from enforcing that until nan tribunal makes a last determination astir whether this is ineligible aliases not,” she said.

The business group successful Bar Harbor tried to do that but failed. Wright said it’s difficult to cognize really things will play retired successful Juneau if it comes to that.

Voters person until Tuesday, Oct. 1 to make their choice. The last results of nan by-mail predetermination won’t beryllium certified until Oct. 15.

Find much predetermination sum at ktoo.org/elections.

Source Alaska Public