We’ve been asked to share guidelines provided by Paula Terrel of the VITF, as they night be helpful in providing testimony and/or written comment in regards to impacts of the cruise ship industry in Auke Bay.
At last, we now have a chance to express our thoughts to the Mayor’s Visitor Industry Task Force, and everyone is encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity!
As you may have heard, the Task Force is having 2 meetings for public testimony:
- Saturday, January 11, 2020, in City Hall Assembly Chambers at 10:00 a.m.
- Thursday, January 16, 2020, in City Hall Assembly Chambers at 5:30 p.m.
Testimony is limited to 3 minutes, but you can testify at both meetings, if you wish. I suggest the most effective way for you to present your testimony is: write out your testimony, read it at the public hearing, and give it to the city clerk. If you prefer to submit longer written comments, you can email them to: city.clerk@juneau.org or hand them to the City Clerk at the public meetings. Your written comments can be as long as you wish.
Why take the time to come down to City Hall and testify in person?
- Our greatest strength comes from the number of us who testify
- The media will be there to get your comments out to the greater community.
- Written comments will not get the same attention. The Task Force Members may not take time to read all the written comments. Plus, it is more effective for them to see and listen to an individual.
- Others in the audience may be heartened to learn they are not alone in their concerns.
Here are some “Talking Points” to help you get started drafting your own comments. Speak about why you are testifying. Most importantly, the Task Force needs to hear:
- There seems to be no end in sight to growth of the cruise ship industry; it is time our municipal leaders take action NOW to get a handle on the impacts that are real and far reaching.
- We need to set limits. The Task Force should fully investigate and get one or more legal opinions on various ways CBJ can legally enact limits on the growth of the industry
- My quality of life – the reason I love living here – is being negatively impacted
- I am feeling overwhelmed by the growing numbers of cruise ships
Speak about specific social, environmental, economic impacts to you and your neighborhood. Some we have heard relate to:
- Whale-watching boats’ impacts on Auke Bay
- Flight-seeing noise
- Tourist-crowded hiking trails at the glacier and elsewhere
- Smoke pollution from the cruise ships fouling our air
- Bus, van and other vehicle congestion
Speak in support of specific solutions to help mitigate impacts, such as:
- Setting limits
- Cruise ship-free Saturdays. CBJ leaders should make clear to the cruise lines that we don’t want big ships visiting on this one day of the week
- A thorough cost/benefit analysis of the social and economic impacts of the growing cruise industry on Juneau. Such an analysis would guide CBJ leaders when they consider how to mitigate impacts, tighten zoning laws, raise user fees, etc..The analysis could include but not be limited to:
- Costs to Bartlett Regional Hospital and our emergency services sector
- Costs of rental housing; does renting to summer workers raise rents for locals and/or displace locals?
- Costs to locally-owned, downtown businesses due to rising rents and competing with cruise line-owned businesses
I encourage you to share this email with like-minded community members who are concerned with the growth of the industry. If they wish to be on the Watchdog email list, they can contact me or ask you to convey their email address. (Watchdog members’ emails are always listed in the BC: field)
If you have questions or comments, my contact information is below…Hope to see you in Assembly Chambers.
Paula Terrel, Visitor Industry Task Force Member
907-321-3451
terrel.paula@gmail.com