Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Nothing says nearly normal like a parade and it was good to see everyone out and about.

Over the past six weeks we have been very engaged in working with our Alliance partners and the architectural team on a concept which would combine the New JACC with a renovated Centennial Hall.  I am very enthusiastic about what was accomplished in the latest version. The team has come up with a dynamic piece of functional, community-structured architecture that will serve Juneau for many years to come.

After their final review of the concept and its estimated costs, CBJ staff will make a presentation to the Assembly. Then we will share the materials and begin the process of seeking more specific comments from user groups, community members and service providers like caterers, event planners, etc.

Once the dates and method of presentation are established we will get the word out to the community through our website and social media pages. We are very interested in your response to the combined facility and will be soliciting comments online if you cannot attend the meetings. 

The Partnership and our Alliance members owe a big thank you to Northwind and Jensen Yorba Wall, the architectural teams, that have designed this signature building for Juneau.  We would also like to thank CBJ Architect Nathan Coffee for his support and work on the project before he retired. 

As always, I am available to answer questions or clarify where we are in the process. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me through our website.         

Thanks again for all you do to support the project and please look for information coming soon regarding presentations on our new combined facility concept. 

All the best,

Bob

As we move forward to bringing a new, state-of-the art center to Juneau, we’d like to reflect on the past. The Juneau Arts & Culture Center has operated out of the old armory on Whittier Street since 2008. Throughout the past decade the building has hosted hundreds of events from weddings and farmers markets to concerts and craft shows. We’d love to hear some of your favorite memories from an event at the JACC. Share your stories and photos on our New JACC Facebook page.

In June, The Partnership Board welcomed Heather Hintze as its new communications manager. Heather is new to Juneau and brings a fresh perspective to the project.

For nearly a decade Heather worked for KTVA 11 News in Anchorage as a general assignment reporter. During that time she was fortunate to travel around the state to report on a variety of stories that show how unique our state is. Some of her favorite memories were tagging along with crab fishermen on the Bering Sea ice, feeding brown bears at the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka and picking blueberries on the tundra with families in Unalakleet. Heather has also covered the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race start to finish three times and traveled to Nuuk, Greenland and the South Slave region of the Northwest Territories in Canada to cover the Arctic Winter Games

Heather has a passion for supporting small businesses and artists. She was honored to watch elders in Anaktuvuk Pass show a younger generation how to make caribou masks; in Yakutat she learned about processing spruce roots into materials for traditional baskets. Some of her profiles on artists include totem pole and ivory carvers, Tsimshian and Haida weavers and women who do traditional skin stitching tattoos. Throughout her time in Alaska, Heather has seen the way art and culture support the community and local economy.

In her free time, Heather can be found hiking mountains or exploring glaciers. So far in Juneau she’s crossed Thunder Mountain, Mount Juneau and the Mendenhall Glacier ice caves off her list. As an avid berry picker she’s looking forward to harvesting salmonberries in Southeast. Heather is also a tenacious baker and loves keeping her friends well-fed with chocolate chip cookies and banana coconut muffins.

Heather plans to bring her enthusiasm for storytelling to the communications position. Juneau has an amazing arts community and she looks forward to spotlighting the people who make our city a bright and vibrant place to live.