Juneau Parks and Recreation

Comprehensive Plan

July, 1996

Environmental influences and the leisure preferences of community members affect the type of recreational opportunities offered. The predicted increase in population in areas where growth will occur influence where future facilities will be needed. This chapter discusses the attributes that make Juneau a unique place to live. A discussion of the implications of current and future demographics and growth patterns on future planning is also included.

Geographic Characteristics

Juneau residents take pride in the stunning natural beauty surrounding the community and treasure the unique quality of life here. Residents enjoy nature in several ways, including the many recreational opportunities it provides. In 1976, 80% of residents polled agreed that there was a "unique Juneau lifestyle." Most current residents would agree. Parks and recreation planning should enhance this highly-valued lifestyle.

Setting

Juneau is located on the mainland, yet is only accessible by boat or plane. Thus, the community must be self-sufficient for many community services. Residents can't drive to nearby communities to watch a ball game or see a play or opera. If people want to leave town for recreation on evenings or weekends they often use small aircraft or boats to access outlying natural areas.

The community has grown up within the wilderness and is intertwined with it. The Mendenhall State Game Refuge encompasses approximately 4,000 acres. Centrally located, it is a popular area for hunting and bird watching. Large tidal fluctuations expose tide flats that are used extensively for recreation. These tidelands are more sandy than muddy. They provide easy and pleasant walking in contrast to other Alaskan tide flats where mud or quicksand make walking difficult or dangerous or both. Beaches are popular recreation areas even in winter when it may be difficult to walk elsewhere because of snow. Hiking trails to spectacular areas extend out from neighborhoods, occasionally from between a couple of houses. Favorite hunting areas are frequently reached by walking from the road into the woods, using a hiking trail, or walking out the back door. Many residents can see a glacier from their yards and it is possible to walk on the glacier after a short hike. Wild berry picking and collecting other edibles are common pastimes.

Terrain

Nestled between the foot of the mountains and the sea, Juneau's steep terrain presents a challenge for community expansion overall, and for the provision of more developed recreation facilities in particular. Development has already occurred on developable flat land along the waterfront, in the valleys, at the base of mountains, and on old mine tailings. Further growth is more difficult to accommodate. Natural hazard areas such as floodplains, mass-wasting and avalanche zones must be avoided. Wetlands must be built around. Flat, developable parcels that are appropriate for soccer and baseball fields, or other recreation facilities, are also in demand for residential development. Particularly space-intensive activities or facilities, or activities that require large buffer areas may not be feasible in Juneau because of this.

The terrain is not amenable to cross-country travel. The dense vegetation of the rainforest, steep cliff areas, bogs, and downed trees combine to make the surrounding countryside a difficult place to recreate off-trail. Use can spread out in the alpine areas of the mountains where there is less vegetation. This factor concentrates use on trails at lower elevations and contributes to user conflicts. Mountain bikers and snowmobilers who normally seek open areas need to use trails to access those places. Their use of the trails for access often conflicts with that of users with other recreational interests.

The easiest way to travel in the area is by boat and Juneau residents take advantage of every opportunity to get out onto the water. Fishing is the second most popular recreational activity reported in the Parks and Recreation Survey and the most popular activity identified in the Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plan for all Alaskans. Per capita boat ownership in Juneau is very high. Juneau residents tend not to own "summer cabins." Many invest their money on a boat that they can sleep on and use it to visit a variety of coves and harbors. Many stay in these areas for the weekend and fish and crab in the surrounding area. Easily accessible boat launches and good recreational anchorages are a high priority for the community.

Weather

Juneau lies within the maritime zone along the coast. Moisture in the air from the ocean meets the colder air from the mountains and results in a significant amount of precipitation. The annual average precipitation is 90". The actual amount of rainfall varies throughout the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), with the Downtown/Douglas area receiving more annual rainfall than the Mendenhall Valley. The Auke Bay area and north receives less rain still. In the summer the rain will typically come as a steady drizzle or mist that hovers over the area for days. Fall will often bring storms of a greater intensity that settle in and dump significant rain in a short period of time. Whatever the form, residents are used to precipitation and recreate outdoors despite the weather. Ankle tight, red rubber boots ("Juneau tennies") are in evidence in almost any Juneau crowd, summer or winter. Facilities are built to accommodate use in the rain such as covered playgrounds at the schools, covered picnic shelters (not for shade!), and provision of public use cabins for overnight camping. Ball fields in Juneau are not grassed over but are covered with a porous sand mix that packs but puddles less so games can continue despite continued rain.

Juneau's climate is reasonably temperate and is very conducive to recreating outdoors year-round. Many Juneau residents find the comfortably cool year-round temperatures more appealing than the heat of southern climates. Daytime summer temperatures are typically in the 60's, with nighttime temperatures dropping into the 40's. Winter temperatures are more variable, dropping below freezing during mid-winter. In fall and spring, as the seasons adjust, freezing and thaws occur regularly. Coupled with the rain, this poses problems for the maintenance of sports fields, park facilities, and equipment.

Daylight

Another unique feature of life at latitude 58° are the long days enjoyed during the summer months and the correspondingly brief amount of daylight available in the winter. The sun can be hidden for days and even in clear weather many parts of Juneau are shaded from direct sunlight by high mountains. The length of daylight is added to by the extended useable twilight morning and evening. The longer daylight hours in the summer provide opportunities for an intensity of summertime activities, particularly in the evening. During winter, mild temperatures permit people to partake in many winter sports without much discomfort. People tend to make maximum use of the available daylight in the winter to avoid "cabin fever."

Seasonal Population Influxes

Juneau is unique as host to hundreds of thousands of tourists each summer, and as a temporary home for legislators each year for five months, late winter through spring. Recognition of seasonal residents needs and their use of recreational facilities is important.

Most tourists who come to Juneau are here to recreate. They take advantage of opportunities for organized tours and independent exploring. Cruise ship crews often take shore leave in town to use the recreation facilities and sports fields.

Legislators and staff come to Juneau for the Legislative Session. It is often difficult for their families to move to the capital for just five months a year. When not working, many of these seasonal residents participate in Parks and Recreation programs such as basketball and volleyball. Registration for the basketball season was lengthened to accommodate the arrival time of legislative participants. Recreational facilities and sports fields are used for legislative tournaments.

Demographics

Juneau's population was 19,193 in 1977 when the last Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan was adopted. Current population is 29,755. The population is expected to remain fairly stable to the year 2010. If the Kensington, AJ and Greens Creek mines all develop to capacity, a near-term increase of 3,500 people is predicted, with the population gradually decreasing thereafter.

The characteristics of a community's population are often a good indicator of the type and level of services that they will require. Information provided by the Research and Analysis Division, Alaska Department of Labor revealed the following:

• Juneau's population is primarily Caucasian (82%), with 11% percent of the population identified as Native, and 4.7% of Asian descent.



• The average age of Juneau resident's (32.6 yrs) is slightly higher than the statewide average of 30 years, but is still less than the nationwide average of 34. The age category that represents the largest percentage in Juneau is the 35-44 year olds. This has changed since the 1977 survey was conducted. At that time the largest age group was composed of 25-34 year olds. Juneau has larger percentages of people over age 65 (5.5%) and 19 years and younger (32%), than statewide averages of 4.5% and 28% respectively.



• The average household size in Juneau is 2.63 persons. There are 10,968 households in Juneau. Average household size for the state is 2.74 persons.



• Juneau has a higher household median income ($47,924) than the remainder of the state ($41,408). The per capita income of $19,920 also exceeds the statewide average of $17,610.



• About 90% of Juneau residents over 25 years of age are high school graduates (statewide it's 81%). The number of college graduates over the age of 25 years (31%) exceeds the average for the state of 23%.



• There are 14,482 people aged 16 years or over employed in Juneau. Approximately 58% of the people over the age of 16 that work in Juneau, work 50-52 weeks per year. Both parents work in 62% of married couple families. Six percent of Juneau households are composed of a single parent with dependent children. Seventy-four percent of single parents are in the workforce.

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• Seven percent of Juneau residents live in poverty compared to 12% statewide.



• Unemployment in Juneau (7.5%) is higher than the nationwide average of 6.3%, but substantially less than the 9.7% average for the state.

This information tells us that, on average, Juneau has a fairly young, highly educated, and generally high-income population base compared to the rest of the Nation and the State. The average age of the largest population segment in the community is increasing. Alternative or modified programs and services may be necessary as interests and physical abilities of a significant proportion of the population change. The large number of residents working over 50 weeks a year, combined the prevalence of both parents and single parents in the work force indicates an increasing need for recreational facilities with particular qualities, such as ease of access and minimal travel time. There are a greater percentage of people living in poverty in Juneau now than there were in 1977. Unemployment may be lower in Juneau than in the rest of the state, but it is higher than the nationwide average. More financially diverse programming and out-reach services may be necessary to serve these populations. Although the average household size has decreased since 1977, almost 50% of Juneau households report having dependent children. Programming activities appealing to families remains an important consideration in recreation planning. Juneau is attracting more retirees than most Alaskan communities, a trend that will continue if encouraged. More accessible recreation facilities and those that cater to this population may be needed in the future.

Growth Characteristics

Future growth of the CBJ will create additional demand for parks and recreation services and facilities. Long-term planning efforts attempt to project future population growth both in terms of an increase in numbers of people and identification of specific geographic areas that are expected to experience additional growth. This information helps to target areas that will need additional parks and recreation facilities and services and devise a strategy to assure adequate provision of these services in the future.

Population Growth

It is difficult to predict population growth in Juneau. A few factors combine to create uncertainty about what kind of growth can be expected:

1) Juneau's largest employer is the State of Alaska. Predictions in past years have cited an expected decline in state jobs. According to a recent legislative study, there are more state jobs in Juneau than in previous years. Nonetheless, reduction of state personnel continues to be a goal of many legislators.

2) It is predicted that mine development in Juneau will result in an increase in population of approximately 3,500 people. There is great uncertainty about when this increase may occur. Predictions of population compiled by the Community Development Department (CDD) in 1994 indicated that construction and operation would occur by 1999. This does not seem likely at this point. No more up-to-date predictions have been made.

3) Juneau has experienced a 1-2% annual growth in recent years.

This document is based on the population growth trend of 1-2% annually. If other scenarios occur, the recommendations may change to reflect the differences.

Future Development

Overall growth predictions would not identify the timing of where growth is expected to occur. Areas that have few vacant lots remaining and are not near to areas with growth potential can be said to be near "build-out" potential. Less growth would be expected in these areas, barring a change in zoning to allow increased density, or relaxation of other building standards or requirements. Planning would focus on maintenance and replacement rather than development of new facilities.

Areas with large tracts of undeveloped private or public lands may have great potential for growth depending on topographic and infrastructure limitations. Some of the growth may be predictable in terms of time frame if, for example, the parcel has been identified for disposal within the next ten years by the CBJ Land Management Plan. However, the eventual size and density of the subsequent development is not easily predicted. Information on the "build-out" potential of Juneau is not available at this time.

In the absence of specific subarea "build-out" development information the Department has worked with the CDD to identify areas of potential growth. In Chapter Eight, Recommendations, boundaries of specific geographic planning subareas are assigned. Included in each subarea is a discussion of the growth characteristics of that particular geographic area. Potential growth possibilities, constraints to growth, or any other pertinent information is identified. Recommendations will stem, in part, from that information.