Casey Kelly, KTOO – Juneau
The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly voted 5-4 on Friday against putting Juneau’s name forward to host the 2014 Arctic Winter Games. Assembly members who voted with the majority mentioned uncertainty over financing the event.
The Arctic Winter Games bid committee – a group of citizens who worked on preparing the city’s bid – estimated that hosting the games would cost up to $14.75 million. Between $7 and $10 million of that would have been for a new ice arena. The committee estimated Juneau’s contribution at $2.7- to $5.3-million, with the rest coming from state and federal grants, merchandise and ticket sales, donations and sponsorships.
Bid committee co-chair Pam Leary says she’s disappointed, but understands where the assembly is coming from.
The Arctic Winter Games are a biennial event for 13 to 19 year old athletes hailing from Alaska, Northern Canada, Russia and Scandinavia.
Download Audio (MP3)
