Alaska groups pay to support and oppose new Juneau centre

JUNEAU, Alaska – Alaska groups are spending money to oppose and support a proposed culture centre in the state’s capital, a report said.

An advisory vote on whether to provide a $4.5 million grant for the New Juneau Arts & Culture Center is expected to be one of three propositions on the Oct. 1 municipal election ballot, the Juneau Empire reported Saturday.

The group Worried Juneau Taxpayers has spent more than $10,000 in its efforts to oppose the centre, according to the latest records filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

The group’s expenses include bumper sticker printing, signs and costs for radio ads.

A group called The Partnership acting as the centre’s fundraising branch has filed spending reports of more than $14,500. The expenditures include sign and banner printing, campaign manager fees and Juneau Radio Center payments, records show.

Worried Juneau Taxpayers chair Denny DeWitt would rather see taxpayer money spent elsewhere. He claimed the proposed centre would probably lose money and insisted that public funds should not be spent to construct what would be a privately-owned building.

Juneau Arts & Humanities Council Executive Director Nancy DeCherney expects the centre to be a good value for the city. The project would bring construction work to Juneau and replace an aging, city-owned structure with an enterprise that has a financially viable future, DeCherney said.

The other two ballot measures scheduled for the October election include issuing bonds to provide Centennial Hall renovation funding and a temporary hotel-motel tax increase to help offset bond debt.

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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com