The Juneau Assembly voted on Wednesday night to end the city’s involvement in Eaglecrest Ski Area’s controversial gondola project and pay back a $10 million investment from Goldbelt Incorporated.
The Assembly’s vote came during a finance committee meeting, which means it isn’t final. Procedurally, the Assembly still needs to introduce an ordinance, hear public testimony and take a vote.
But the vote on Wednesday marked a major pivot away from the city’s investment in the gondola project, which has been plagued with controversy since it was purchased in 2022. Its price tag has ballooned to a potential cost of as much as $37 million.
“We have to stop this current situation,” said Assembly member Christine Woll, who voted in favor of the motion. “We’re losing money for a project that will not pencil out in its current form.”
Woll was one of six Assembly members to vote in favor of the motion compared to three who voted against it. Woll is also one of the few members on the Assembly who were around in 2022 when a slim majority of members voted to purchase the gondola. She voted against it back then.
“I didn’t have a lot of trust to begin with, given where we started this project. I have a lot less trust now, and I think the public feels similarly,” she said. “They’re not going to give us another opportunity to figure out how this project works.”
The other Assembly members who voted in favor of the motion to end the project were Paul Kelly, Ella Adkison, Mayor Beth Weldon, Nano Brooks and Alicia Hughes-Skandijs.
But some Assembly members, like Neil Steininger, weren’t ready to give up yet. Steininger, who’s the Assembly liaison to the Eaglecrest board, argued the Assembly was moving forward to end the project prematurely, as there still isn’t word yet on whether Goldbelt Incorporated is willing to invest more into the project to keep it afloat. The city asked Goldbelt to respond to its inquiry by Wednesday, but the corporation said it won’t have a decision until its board meets on Friday.
“It is a project that’s profitable. Yes, it is expensive to get there, but even with that expense, it still pencils out as a project,” Steininger said. “I think we need to do a little bit more due diligence before we say we’re going to completely stop this project.”
Deputy Mayor Greg Smith and Assembly member Maureen Hall also voted against the motion.
Despite the Assembly’s vote, the door isn’t fully closed on the gondola. In the motion, the Assembly asks the Eaglecrest board to continue searching for other project investors who might want to pay for the gondola project themselves.
In an interview after the vote, Eaglecrest’s board chair, Brandon Cullum, said he’s not surprised by the Assembly’s decision but is still optimistic the project might still be built.
“It’s a great opportunity. I mean, these numbers pencil out, and there are other opportunities that pencil out and I think the community is really interested in Eaglecrest,” he said. “I think it’s just a matter of getting professional help, and framing our presentation in a way that’s attractive and competent, and just seeing if anyone out there wants to take advantage of the opportunities we have.”
The cost for the city backing out of the revenue-sharing agreement with Goldbelt is roughly $9 million. How that will be paid for is still up in the air, though the Assembly asked city staff to look for other avenues of compensation that aren’t just cash.
The Assembly’s proposed ordinance is slated to be up for public hearing on May 18. The Eaglecrest board has a regular meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Cullum said the board will discuss the Assembly’s vote at the meeting.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated which Assembly members voted for the motion to end the project and which voted against. Mayor Beth Weldon voted in favor of the motion, and Assembly member Maureen Hall voted against.
Copyright 2026 KTOO