Board elects executive committee, sets Community Benefit Shares and funds projects at recent meetings
UNALAKLEET—At a set of meetings in Unalakleet, the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) Board of Directors elected its executive committee; approved a $150,000 Community Benefit Share for each of its member communities; and approved $709,506 in Community Benefits funding for three separate projects, supporting infrastructure and community development in the region.
NSEDC Board approves $150,000 Community Benefit Share
With another strong financial report from Chief Financial Officer Rick Walicki, the NSEDC Board of Directors continued the tradition of sharing success with its 15 member communities.
NSEDC will distribute $150,000 to each community through the 2016 Community Benefit Share program. Since the inception of the program in 1999, NSEDC has designated nearly $26 million in direct financial support to member communities.
In the spirit of self-governance, the Community Benefit Share provides member communities a say in how the funds are spent. Once the cities report to NSEDC on the intended use of the funds, and provide an audit of all preceding year Community Benefit Share expenditures, the 2016 Community Benefit Share will be distributed to the respective city governments.
Board elects Executive Committee Members
At the Annual Meeting of the Directors, the NSEDC Board elected the executive committee.
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NSEDC Executive Committee Members |
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| Dan Harrelson, White Mountain | Chairman |
| Dean Peterson, Golovin | Vice Chairman |
| Harvey Sookiayak, Shaktoolik | Sergeant-at-arms |
| Pat Johanson, Nome | Executive Committee Member |
| Leo Charles, Koyuk | Executive Committee Member |
NSEDC Board approves $709,506 in Community Benefits funding for three projects in the Norton Sound region
The NSEDC Board of Directors approved $409,506, in total, for two projects under the Community Energy Fund (CEF), and $300,000 for construction of a regional assisted living facility under the Large Infrastructure Outside Entity Funding program.
Under the CEF, the Board approved $208,875 for the Native Village of Diomede’s Power Plant Renovation project. The funds will be utilized to purchase and install five new generators. Diomede Board Member Representative Frances Ozenna said the community has experienced numerous power outages due to failing and dated generators that are in dire need of replacing. The isolated community is currently relying on one generator with no backup if it fails.
The NSEDC Board of Directors approved $200,631 for the City of White Mountain Utilities to install a new water storage tank. The City of White Mountain has partnered with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) to remove the old tank and install a new 150,000-gallon tank. The current tank experiences leaks, costing the utility and rate payers. NSEDC’s funding will be used as a match for the project.
Under the CEF program, the NSEDC Board of Directors allocated $1 million to each of its 15 member communities with the intent of contributing to long-term solutions that decrease the high costs of energy. The objective of the CEF program is to support community projects by contributing additional funding to the respective communities’ established energy project(s) and expanding project capabilities.
Under the OEF Large Infrastructure program, the Native Village of Unalakleet (NVU) applied for funds to construct a regional Elders Assisted Living Facility (EALF). The project, in cooperation with the Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC), is envisioned to provide residence for elders from throughout the region who no longer have the ability to safely live in their homes. The facility would allow elders to remain within a regional community, close to family and in familiar cultural surroundings. EALF site preparation and the construction drawings for the facility are complete. The NSEDC Board of Directors approved $300,000 for construction of the facility from funding that was allocated for projects that serve a regional need. This is the maximum amount awarded from the Large Infrastructure OEF program.
For more information on the NSEDC Board of Directors 2016 third quarter meetings, contact Chief Operations Officer Tyler Rhodes at (907) 443-2477 or by email to tyler@nsedc.com.
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