Scott Gray Retires as Streets & Fleet Maintenance Superintendent, Spencer Gates Takes the Wheel

The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) is pleased to congratulate Streets & Fleet Maintenance Superintendent, Scott Gray, on his retirement, and to welcome Spencer Gates as the new leader of the division.

"Scott has led the Streets and Fleet Maintenance division through one unprecedented natural disaster response after another by supporting his team and bringing community-centered solutions to the table," shares CBJ City Manager Katie Koester. "We are truly thankful for Scott's wholehearted commitment to his role as superintendent and wish him the best in his well-earned retirement."

Scott started his career with the CBJ Streets division in 1994 as a laborer and worked his way up through the ranks, serving as the Valley supervisor from 1997 to 2008. He spent several years in the private sector before moving to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (Alaska DOT&PF) in 2011. After eleven years with the State, during which he served as superintendent of the Southeast District, Scott briefly retired in 2022 before returning to CBJ in 2023.

During his most recent years as superintendent at CBJ, Scott sought cost-effective solutions to both budgetary and operational challenges, all while building out a strong team that works hard to keep Juneau safe.

"Our crew are the first responders when it comes to dangerous weather - anytime it snows, floods, or if there is a landslide or trees down - we are the crew out there working to clear roads, drains and infrastructure," shares Scott. "When we've told everyone else to stay home, our crew are out there making sure everything is open and taking care of the community we love. I'll definitely miss working with them."

Scott has confidence that the Streets and Fleet Maintenance division is in good hands with Spencer Gates at the helm. Gates started behind the wheel in the construction industry in Juneau in the mid-nineties before moving to Alaska DOT&PF as an operator in 2015. Spencer most recently served as the Maintenance & Operations Specialist for the Southeast District. He supported critical maintenance and response efforts in Juneau and across the region, including at remote airports and in Bethel coordinating recovery work following the 2025 Typhoon Halong.

"Spencer's extensive experience maintaining streets for the State and his local knowledge make him a great fit for the role," says Denise Koch, CBJ Director of Engineering & Public Works.  "We look forward to Spencer and the Streets crew continuing the success of this critical division of the city."

Spencer and Scott are no strangers to working together for Juneau, having overlapped at Alaska DOT&PF for over six years and then constantly coordinating "across the fence" to ensure efficient response to both CBJ and State roads in Juneau. More recently, a big part of this coordination included planning, preparing and responding to the annual glacial lake outburst floods.

"I've known a lot of the operators for a long time," explains Spencer. "This team are really dedicated - it's exciting to step into a team that is so willing to go the extra mile at a moment's notice."

Public service is important to Spencer. As a father of five, he is looking forward to giving back to the community that has "given so much" to him and his family and invites others to do the same. "There is a lot of opportunity for people to come on and learn the trades," he says. "We have great senior operators and mechanics here to provide training and show them the ropes."

Even after retiring, Scott Gray still plans to be out showing the ropes as a motorcycle instructor when not spending time with his wife and grandchildren or on vacation. Training new motorcycle riders is one more way he'll continue to help keep people safe on Juneau's roads.

Learn more about the CBJ Streets & Fleet Maintenance division at juneau.org/engineering-public-works/streets. Superintendent Gates can be reached at [email protected].