Capital Chat

07/16/25 is National Hot Dog Day and to celebrate and create community- Juneau’s 4 Rotary clubs will be coming together at Riverside Rotary Park today from 5-7 to serve hot dog meals for free! Steve and Michelle Strickler, from the Glacier Valley Rotary Club speak on the event all things Rotary Club. 

The Juneau marathon and half marathon is coming up July 26th. Register here, Juneau Trail & Road Runners (JTRR) (formally known as Southeast Road Runners - SERR) is a group of dedicated individuals who take advantage of the fantastic natural setting available in Juneau, Alaska to achieve a healthy and positive lifestyle through running. The club strives to represent the entire Juneau running community, young and old, recreational and serious, by organizing races and group runs suitable for a wide spectrum of abilities.

JTRR promotes running by being a peer group, a sounding board, and a central planning center for running 12 months of the year. Running is fun for JTRR members, and we strive to create an invigorating atmosphere that provides goals to keep us motivated year-round.

Nicole Bulgarino, the President of Federal Solutions and Utility Infrastructure at Ameresco joins Capital Chat to talk about the recent hydropower announcement. 

Underserved and remote areas in Alaska are getting a clean energy upgrade with a new $240 million hydropower project.

What’s happening: Juneau Hydropower is teaming up with energy solutions provider Ameresco for the new hydroelectric plant and battery energy storage system (BESS), which is anticipated to provide a 20% increase in baseload clean hydropower, increase overall energy transmission in the state by 3%, and offset over 80,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Why this matters: In 2008, an avalanche knocked out power to Juneau for two months. This new project, featuring over 40 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines and undersea cables, is designed to prevent that kind of disaster from happening again. It’s a major investment in grid resilience for a region already grappling with the effects of climate change and extreme weather.

Moreover, one anchor customer, the Kensington Gold Mine, will transition from burning 3 million gallons of diesel annually to running entirely on hydropower.

Ameresco Announces Landmark $240 Million Hydropower Project, Driving Energy Resiliency and Security in Alaska

The project will help transition local industries to 100% renewable base-load energy and connect remote communities to diversified energy sources

FRAMINGHAM, MA and JUNEAU, ALASKA – July 8, 2025 – Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading energy solutions provider dedicated to helping customers navigate the energy transition, today announced its partnership with Juneau Hydropower, Inc. a recently Licensed Utility to develop, construct and operate a 19.8 megawatt (MW) hydroelectric facility at Sweetheart Lake, 33 miles south of downtown Juneau and its transmission and distribution assets.

The Sweetheart Lake Hydroelectric Facility is designed to generate an average of 116,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually, providing a 20% increase in baseload clean hydropower over Juneau’s current electrical generation. The project scope also covers the installation of a battery energy storage system (BESS), over 40 miles of high-voltage transmission infrastructure, including eight miles of undersea cable that will cross Gilbert Bay, and an interconnection substation with the existing Snettisham Transmission line adding energy security to Alaska’s capital city.

This utility will connect underserved, remote areas that have previously relied solely on diesel generation to a reliable, renewable energy source. These components will also enhance local grid reliability and resilience in an area with a history of extreme weather events, including a 2008 avalanche that resulted in power outages that lasted as long as two months. The project is anticipated to increase overall energy transmission in the state by 3%.

“This project is the catalyst for Juneau's sustained growth and prosperity, and we’ve used over 40 years of hydrological data to design hydropower operational parameters so that we can reliably produce energy in even the driest of years,” said Duff Mitchell, Managing Director, Juneau Hydropower. “By harnessing the power of Alaska’s waters, we’re investing in a future where unprecedented events can be weathered with confidence. We’ve worked in harmony with local environmental scientists and stakeholders to create the reliable, resilient power needed by our community.”

Sweetheart Lake is located within the territorial limits of the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska on the east shore of Gilbert Bay. Sweetheart Lake drains into Gilbert Bay (an arm of Port Snettisham) via Sweetheart Creek. The hydroelectric dam is expected to offset 82,012 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. It will deliver reliable, renewable baseload electricity through a process that does not burn fossil fuels, create pollution, or harm wildlife; and enhances local ecology by utilizing the Sweetheart Lake habitat as a fishery. A true economic and environmental win for Juneau, Alaska, and our Nation.

One of the planned customers is Coeur Alaska, Inc.’s Kensington Mine, located 45 miles north-northwest of Juneau in the Tongass National Forest. The mine is currently powered by onsite diesel generators but is expected to transition to primarily renewable base-load energy to power operations once the Sweetheart Lake Hydroelectric Facility is operational.

“This multi-faceted project is a major milestone for both Alaska, Juneau Power and Ameresco,” said Nicole Bulgarino, President of Federal Solutions and Utility Infrastructure at Ameresco. “We’re proud to be working on this critical hydropower project and major electrical infrastructure that has factored in both community needs and responsible development, in addition to supporting energy reliability and long-term economic growth in line with the vision outlined in the Alaska Executive Order: Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.”

In addition to development and construction, the project includes a long-term Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contract, ensuring sustained performance.

To learn more about the hydropower solutions offered by Ameresco, visit ameresco.com.

About Ameresco, Inc.

Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading energy solutions provider dedicated to helping customers reduce costs, enhance resilience, and decarbonize to net zero in the global energy transition. Our comprehensive portfolio includes implementing smart energy efficiency solutions, upgrading aging infrastructure, and developing, constructing, and operating distributed energy resources. As a trusted full-service partner, Ameresco shows the way by reducing energy use and delivering diversified generation solutions to Federal, state and local governments, utilities, educational and healthcare institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,500 employees providing local expertise in North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

Mom’s Unhinged standup comedy show is returning to the Centennial Hall Convention Center on July 19th!

Created by standup comic Andrea Marie, who will be chatting with us on Capital Chat- Moms Unhinged is a night of standup comedy by and for moms (and the occasional dad), joking about everything from potty training to sex talks. This hilarious show, featuring many nationally-acclaimed comics, has been selling out 15+ shows per month nationwide in metro areas including Denver, Chicago, and Seattle.

It comes at the perfect time, given the stress many moms are experiencing right now. In addition to the surgeon general's recent parental mental health advisory, according to statistics, nearly 80% of Americans are anxious about inflation and more than 50% are stressed about politics. While Moms Unhinged can't fix everything, it can certainly offer some much-needed comic relief. Tickets here.

Executive Director of the new Civic Center initiative Bob Banghart joins Capital Chat to share the progress of the design and construction of the new Capital Civic Center: (previously the JACC)

Dramatically framed by the mountains and the sea, the City & Borough of Juneau’s proposed Capital Civic Center will become the focal point for artistic expression in the Capital City.

Located downhill from the Alaska State Legislature and Capitol, it will provide one of the first impressions of Alaska to more than one million visitors a year as they approach Juneau by sea.

The Capital Civic Center is in the heart of Juneau’s emerging Aak’w Village District, within walking distance of the Andrew P. Kashavaroff State Library, Archives and Museum, the iconic Walter Soboleff Building, KTOO Public Media Center, the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall and Tlingit & Haida tribal headquarters, and the Sea Walk, connecting all of downtown Juneau with a lifesize bronze whale sculpture.l

The CBJ Assembly approved $2 million for the next phase of the design that would combine a renovated Centennial Hall with a new arts and culture center. Initial design plans include:

A 299-seat theater

A visual arts gallery

A community hall

An event studio for smaller productions

A small café and gift shop

A seminar room for classes and workshops

Renovated convention and conference rooms

The design features a spacious lobby area/reception hall to welcome visitors, provide for ticket sales and be a gathering place for many functions. Flowing from the lobby is the gift shop – a venue for sales by local artists – a café, and a state-of-the-art gallery.

Latest news: On June 26, 2025, Sean Boily of Northwind Architects and Bob Banghart, executive director of the Capital Civic Center Partnership, signed the contract to begin design work on the project, with 35% schematic design scheduled by fall, proceeding to 65% design development by mid-winter, and then to 100% by mid-summer 2026, with construction to follow as soon as possible as funding comes in.

(Chili Pepper the dog in full support)

Background

The Partnership, Inc and City & Borough of Juneau (CBJ) have entered into a Memo of Agreement (MOA) defining the phases of design process, project management structure and funding commitments to complete design of the addition to Centennial Hall. The original architectural team is under contract for the project. The complex will be known as the Capital Civic Center and will feature the same programing components offered in the prior stand alone building design.

Current Effort

Evergreen Economics is under contract to produce the proforma needed for developing operational cost models and income models at 35% of design document completion.

The Partnership and Northwind will be reaching out to users of the current facilities (Juneau Arts & Culture Center & Centennial Hall) to review expectations and potential needs in order to ratify the new building design as the project progresses.

The 35% and 65% of design document development are significant milestones on the path to full construction documents for the facility. Throughout the pending design phases the Partnership, Northwind and CBJ will be working together to insure the facility provides the programming community users have identified as essential and that the project stays within the defined budget.

Clint Farr joins Capital Chat to talk about this Friday's Family Fun Fair.

The Alaska State Museum was established on June 6, 1900, when an Act of Congress created the Historical Library and Museum for the District of Alaska. The purpose of the Museum was to collect, preserve and exhibit objects from the territory. Although the collection of artifacts and volumes grew rapidly, a permanent place to house and display materials was not found for 20 years. Initially, the collection was originally stored wherever space could be found, with no provision made for public access. In 1920, the collection of the Alaska Historical Museum was made available to the public in the Arctic Brotherhood Building in Juneau. In 1923, the Territory assumed responsibility for Museum operations and the Museum continued to acquire and display important historical objects, and also developed research, tour guide programs, and educational activities. By the mid-1940s, the collection had outgrown its space and the Museum could no longer adequately store and display its materials.

Finally, in 1967, in honor of the centennial of the purchase of Alaska from Russia, the citizens of Juneau implemented a one percent sales tax to help fund the building of the current museum facility. Juneau subsequently turned over ownership and governance of the Museum to the State of Alaska. Since that time, the Museum's collections have grown from 5,500 to 27,000 objects. The Alaska State Museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1975 and was re-accredited in 1987, and again in 2001.

Ellen  Cook and Karen Rehfeld join Capital Chat to share the vision of Philanthropic Education Organization and their upcoming Wildlife tour fundraiser July 17th. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is a U.S.-based international women's organization of about 197,000 members, with a primary focus on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. The Sisterhood is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, with chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

Sonny and Dawn join Capital Chat to talk about the Month of Play presented by Juneau Parks and Rec. Complete do-it-yourself activities, use the Passport to Play for free admission, attend the in-person events, or do it all. Month of Play activities are free and the more you play, the more chances you have to win.

The fun begins at Trucks N’ Stuff on July 12, ends with a Free Skate and the big prize drawing on August 8, and has a scavenger hunt, Movie in the Park, and more in-between. Get ready for four full weeks of fun! 

9 Year old Brendan Magee and his father Travis joins us to discuss the Jr Ghost Hunters service Brendan has launched. Juneau Gonna Call? Juneau Boo Crew! 

Brendan has been fascinated with ghosts for years. So instead of setting up a typical lemonade stand this summer, he’s launching his very own Jr. Ghost Hunting Service! With help from his parents, he’ll come to your home to teach your family about the art, science, and spooky history of ghost hunting. 

You’ll use real ghost hunting tools to collect evidence and maybe even discover who’s really behind those lost keys or mysterious messes…
Call (508) 938-9230 to schedule your ghost-busting adventure today!

Mandy Cole, Executive Director of AWARE joins Cap Chat to discuss the organizations needs during the upcoming kitchen renovation.

AWARE is a non-profit organization that exists to provide safe shelter and supportive services for survivors of domestic or sexual violence; and to effect the social, political, and legal changes needed to eliminate oppression, gender violence, and violence against children.  

You have a right to be safe. No one deserves to be abused!

AWARE provides comprehensive intervention services, as well as outreach, education, and primary prevention programs for domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. We invite you to learn more about our services and how we can support you, your friends, your loved ones, or your community. We provide services in all of the following Southeast Alaska communities:

• Elfin Cove
• Gustavus
• Haines
• Hoonah
• Juneau
• Klukwan
• Pelican
• Skagway
• Tenakee Springs
• Yakutat