Reworked Wish List Sent to Feds

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
On Thursday, the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly voted in favor of its Federal Capital Improvement Program list. Borough Manager Bud Cassidy said the list was a lot smaller than in years past.

— (FED CIP 1 :18 “We worked with our D.C. lobbyist … Coast Guard Base.”)

The list is sent to Washington, D.C., each year with the hopes of collecting federal funds, much like how the state CIP list is sent to the Alaska Legislature. Assemblywoman Carol Austerman said she is normally supportive of projects that bring money to Kodiak, but would vote against the list because she doesn’t support one of the two items.

— (FED CIP 2 :37 “And one of them being the traffic safety … I can support.”)

Assemblyman Mel Stephens agreed with Austerman. He said he is not in favor of the project, especially because of where the local money would come from to cover the cost of the $15 million project.

— (FED CIP 3 :43 “This borough does not have road power … project.”)

Instead of doing away with the list entirely, Stephens suggested cutting the lighting project.

— (FED CIP 3 :12 “I move that we delete project number … CIP list.”)

The amendment passed, and so did the revised list. This means the borough will send only one project to the nation’s capitol – wastewater treatment at the landfill. Under Federal Clean Water Act standards, the new cells being built as part of the landfill expansion will be lined so that any fluids from the waste can be captured. The liquids, or leachate, collected in those garbage liners will be processed at an on-site facility and the borough is requesting $5 million in federal funding to help pay for that process.

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