Juneau's all-winter recreation pass goes on sale at $250, up $50

Juneau's Winter Pass, which lets one person swim, skate and run laps at city facilities all winter, went on sale Sunday for $250 plus tax, $50 more than last season.

The pass covers unlimited public sessions through March 31 at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center, the Augustus G. Brown Swimming Pool, Treadwell Arena, the Dimond Park Field House and the Marie Drake and Floyd Dryden gyms, according to Juneau Parks & Recreation. That includes Open Gym, a new program at Marie Drake. Marie Drake replaces Mt. Jumbo Gym on last year's list.

For a regular swimmer, the math still works. An adult pool visit costs $8.57 before tax under the city's current fees, so the pass pays for itself in about 30 swims, or roughly one every five days through March.

The city raised the price in this year's budget. Like the department's other fee increases, which took effect July 1 and were its first significant jump since 2021, the change reflects higher operating costs and less city general funding, Parks & Recreation said.

The pools, the rink and the field house on the pass were all on a list of possible closures or reduced hours this spring, when the city faced a budget gap of $10 million to $12 million. Hundreds of residents packed an Assembly meeting in April to object. All four are on this year's pass. The budget the Assembly adopted still included more than $11 million in cuts, and the Assembly drew on reserves to cover the rest of the gap, City Manager Katie Koester said after the October election.

The pass is sold online and at the participating facilities through Jan. 31. It belongs to one person, can't be transferred or refunded, and isn't extended when a facility closes. The Dimond Park Aquatic Center, for one, closes for annual maintenance Nov. 9 through 22, while the downtown Augustus Brown pool stays open.

All passes expire April 1, the same day Juneau starts collecting the 1% summer sales tax voters approved in October, which is meant to help pay for recreation.