Rural Development To Fund Water, Sewer Improvements; Medical Equipment In Rural Towns; New Bethel Regional Training Center; Public TV
Anchorage, AK - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced a series of grants and loans to state communities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program, grants that will help fund water and sewer improvements statewide, a new regional job training center in Bethel, health care facilities in five areas of the state, a family resource center in New Stuyahok, a new landfill in False Pass, roof repairs to the library in Wrangell and funding for public television programming statewide.
Murkowski said the Department has released just over $31 million in grants. The biggest grant of $27.14 million is going to the State's Department of Environmental Conservation to fund water and sewer improvements to 19 communities statewide and feasibility studies to prepare for sanitation improvements for seven additional communities. The money is part of some nearly $80 million to three federal agencies won by the Alaska Delegation in the FY '04 budget to pay for accelerated water and sewer infrastructure.
The next biggest grant is going to Bethel, which is gaining $2 million from the Department's Community Facility Grant Special Economic Impact Initiative program, to fund part of the $16.3 million cost of a new cultural regional training center. The center, which will include a 31,560-square-foot technical education and support services building, will include a 2,000-sq.-foot early childhood lab school and a 4,668-sq-foot construction trades training facility.
The center, being built by Yuut Elitnaurviat, a non-profit corporation formed by nine regional partners, also has received funding from the BIA, $2 million; the University of Alaska, $500,000; Rasmusson Foundation, $2 million; Denali Commission, $1 million; the Paul G. Allen Foundation, $100,000; from state funding, $1.9 million; Murdock Foundation, $1 million; the Economic Development Administration, $1.8 million; and Alaska Native Education, $3 million.
The other grants released today include:
- A grant of $250,000 and a loan of $250,000 to the City of Sand Point to be used to build a new health clinic. The 10,250-sq.-foot clinic will replaced an aging facility and include space for expanded dental and mental health services. The grant is matching other grants from HUD, the Denali Commission, the state, the Aleutians East Borough and the Rasmussen Foundation to cover the $5.5 million cost of the clinic.
- A grant of $131,000 to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp. based in Bethel to be used to purchase emergency medical equipment and vehicles to serve 18 villages in western Alaska.
- A grant of $85,600 to Maniilaq Association of Kotzebue to be used to purchase emergency medical equipment, vehicles and training materials to serve 12 rural villages.
- A grant of $71,600 to the Norton Sound Health Corp. based in Nome to be used to purchase emergency medical equipment and vehicles to serve 18 rural communities in the region.
- A grant of $136,500 to the Southern Regional Emergency Services Council Inc. based in Anchorage to purchase medical equipment and vehicles to serve 13 Southcentral communities.
- A grant of $647,000 to the New Stuyahok Traditional Council to fund construction of a new Family Resources Center/Behavorial Health facility. The project will house all family-related services in a single building. Other funding for this $3.86 million project is being provided by the Bristol Bay Native Association, Alaska Mental Health, the Denali Commission the ICDBG and local contributions.
- A grant of $224,000 to the City of False Pass to be used to construct a new 7-acre landfill and to close the existing landfill.
- A grant of $100,000 to Wrangell to fund emergency repairs to the Irene Ingle Public Library roof.
- A grant of $397,640 to Alaska Public Broadcasting to fund television programming on rural issues in the coming year.
- And a grant of $80,000 to the University of Alaska, Anchorage's Small Business Development Center to assist 22 businesses to create or save 277 jobs statewide.