KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Governor Sean Parnell’s draft budget unveiled yesterday includes more than $7.8 million dollars for Kodiak area projects. Also of note is $4 million earmarked for the Alaska Aerospace Corporation. The biggest ticket item in the list would be $3.6 million for an ultra-violet water treatment facility for the city’s drinking water.
Earlier this summer Parnell had vetoed a $4 million appropriation for the same project but apparently this time it has his support.
Kodiak City Manager Aimee Kniaziowski said the proposed state funding was good news for the community which is under a federal mandate to complete a $9 million treatment upgrade. Bids, she said, are set to go out Friday.
— (budget 1 :13 "We’re very grateful … so that’s really good news.")
Also vetoed by Parnell last June was a $2.8 million toward a sewer replacement for the Aleutian Homes neighborhood. Kniaziowski says the city doesn’t feel ready to pursue that, and hadn’t reapplied.
— (budget 2 :33 "They’re very expensive … U-V treatment plant at this point.")
Parnell’s list also includes $105,000 to the Department of Fish and Game to purchase sonar equipment for the commercial fisheries division. The portable sonar array would be used to track salmon escapement and track data used for stock assessments.
Parnell has also proposed allocating $131,000 for upgrades at Shuyak Island State Park. The money would go toward cleaning up campsites at Daylight Harbor and Port Williams as well as repair roads and trails.
Also of local interest is Parnell’s proposal to allocate $4 million in dividends from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to the state corporation that owns the Kodiak Launch Complex on Narrow Cape.
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation is reportedly asking for $10 million in operating funds from the state. CEO Dale Nash applauded the governor’s support and said the corporation would continue trying to secure customers as well as lobby the legislature for a funding commitment.
— (budget 3 :33 "We appreciate the governor’s support … and the legislature.")
The aerospace corporation has seen a dwindling of federal funding since losing its Missile Defense Agency contract earlier this year. Last month the corporation launched its first rocket in nearly two years and plans to launch a reconnaissance satellite for the Air Force in June or July.
Kodiak’s national guard armory would also get $2,500 in state funding for a $10,000 upgrade to L-E-D outdoor lighting to bring it in line with federal energy efficiency requirements. And there’s $25,000 for upgrades for Kodiaks’ State Troopers post.
