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Economic Development and Advocacy for Southwest Alaska
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July 2013
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Greetings!
It's been a summer to remember so far, and here's hoping there are many months of good fishing ahead. In the meantime, if you haven't seen the latest redistricting conceptual map from July 7, check it out here. The Aleutian region is made 'whole' again, an issue the SWAMC membership and many SW communities had been requesting for some time. The Redistricting Board hopes to adopt a new plan on July 14, so if you have comments for them, now is the time to submit. Thanks for reading this month, keep in touch, and let us know if you have any questions.
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Become a SWAMC Member Today! 
Last week we sent out membership notices via email to all of our current (and semi-recent) organizational members. The emails contained your entity's contact information and membership level amount, and were meant to serve as an invoice. However, if you did not receive the email, or would like us to send you a separate invoice, we are more than happy to do so. Just reply to avarner@swamc.org and we can get you squared away! Remember, members receive conference registration discounts for all representatives of your organization, and investing in SWAMC is a great way to show your commitment to the region's economy. If you have any questions please let us know!
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AEA: New Village Energy Efficiency Program (VEEP) Funding Round
 At the beginning of this month the Alaska Energy Authority announced a new round of applications for the Village Energy Efficiency Program. Funding available to small, high energy cost communities under this announcement is $900,000. The program provides audits and energy efficiency improvements in community buildings by replacing or installing energy-efficient lighting, switch boxes, motion sensors, set back thermostats, weather stripping, low mass boilers, and more.
Alaska communities with a population no greater than 8,000 residents are invited to apply. Eligible applicants include municipalities, cities, school districts, unincorporated villages, Native regional and village corporation, 501C3 tribal consortiums, regional housing authorities, councils organized under 25 U.S.C 476 and traditional councils. Since 2005, 51 villages have participated in the program. The SWAMC region communities of Old Harbor, Port Heiden, Chignik Lake, False Pass, Nikolski, Pedro Bay, Ekwok, Levelok, and New Stuyahok are past participants. Check out the VEEP Archive page to learn more about the energy efficiency upgrades in these and other communities over the past 8 years.
Applications for this round are due to AEA by August 12, 2013. Let's get a few more SWAMC communities and Tribes involved in this program! Contact us with any questions.
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From the VISTA Desk: STEM Education & Workforce Update 
STEM, short for "science, technology, engineering and math," is a buzzword that gets a lot of attention at the state and national levels, but we think the ultimate goals of STEM education, preparing students for engaging, high demand and highly paying careers, requires looking beyond those subjects as strictly defined. Many educators have suggested adding an "A" for "arts" to make "STEAM," and for our part, we've been looking at creative ways to introduce students to financial literacy, business and entrepreneurship. One way is through Junior Achievement, a national program that teaches topics like taxes, globalization and savings to elementary students. In the second year of our VISTA project, we also plan to start working with the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development to bring Lemonade Day, a free youth entrepreneurship program that teaches kids to start their own business by starting a lemonade stand, to Southwest. UACED has already had a lot of success with Lemonade Day in communities across the state, and we think it will be a great fit for ours as well. For students of all ages, we plan to promote more classes like the "Brass Tacks for Business Basics" course that was hosted last month by the Anchorage Public Library and YWCA and broadcast online to libraries in Dillingham and Kodiak. The class teaches what would-be entrepreneurs need to know before they start their own business. It also underscores the value of broadband Internet access in libraries and community spaces, and we hope to bring more online classes like this one to Southwest libraries. |
City of St. George In Line for New Power System
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Inside the 'guts' of the new turbine.
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On the hot and sunny afternoon of June 18th SWAMC visited the Alaska Energy Authority warehouse in Anchorage for a technical presentation on the new power system upgrade due to St. George Island. The warehouse folks usually stage and mobilize the rural power systems headed out to rural Alaska, and this presentation was a walk-through of the new bits and pieces of the system once they arrived in Alaska. For instance, St. George will get four new 210 kw generators in a box complete with the SCADA control system and heat recovery on the gen sets. The community will also benefit from a refurbished 95 kw Windmatic wind turbine on a 75 ft tower to provide renewable energy, along with an electric boiler acting as a load dump when the wind resource is robust. The excess BTU's from this new system will feed a heat loop connecting a few buildings adjacent to the power plant, and the upgrade will also include some new transmission line. A great project for the community of St George!
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SWAMC Business Member Spotlight: DOWL HKM 
Monthly spotlights on a member business.
DOWL HKM is headquartered in Alaska and has been doing work in the state for more than 50 years. DOWL HKM provides engineering, survey, environmental, and construction management services. Small, rural communities are important to DOWL HKM and fit with its mission of meeting community design challenges in safe and extraordinary ways. DOWL HKM has worked in every Borough and census area represented by SWAMC - from Akutan to Afognak Island and everywhere in between. DOWL HKM project staff and managers are proud to have provided many of SWAMC's communities with high-quality infrastructure development and/or planning work. Whether it's as an owner's representative for a healthcare clinic, like the St. Paul Healthcare Center, or developing a large transportation study, like the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' Southwest Alaska Transportation Plan, DOWL HKM's Alaska project staff take the time to get to know the unique needs of the community before moving forward with design or recommending alternatives. The company has project expertise (planning, design engineering, or construction management) in Transportation: road, aviation, harbor, rail, board road, and trail; Public facilities: medical, educational, safety, and entertainment/cultural; and Utilities: water, wastewater, landfill and energy.
If you have a project you'd like to talk about, give Kendall Gee or Jennifer Payne a call at 800-478-3695 or email them at info@dowlhkm.com. For more information visit www.dowlhkm.com. DOWL HKM became a SWAMC member last year.
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City of Adak Acquires Seafood Plant Operations thru Auction
From a City of Adak June 25th Press Release:
The City of Adak announces that it was the successful bidder in the auction conducted by Hilco Industrial for the assets formerly owned by Adak Seafood, LLC, conducted June 18, 2013 in Anchorage.
The City purchased all of the assets for $2.088 million utilizing reserve funds as well as $385,000 from the Adak Community Development Corporation (the local Community Quota Entity). In bidding, the sole intent of the City was, and remains, to keep the assets in place as a turnkey operation in order to facilitate the expedited reopening of the plant.
The successful operation of the processing facility significantly contributes to the City through a variety of methods including but not limited to a local Raw Seafood Sales Tax, fishery business and landing taxes paid to the State of Alaska, utilization of local services such as fuel and electricity, as well as contributing to the availability and utilization of regular transportation of goods and persons to the island.
The City is currently working with Aleut Enterprise, the owner of the building, to find an operator for the fish plant in time for the next cod "A" season. The City is interested in working with processors that have an interest in operating the plant to the maximum benefit for all parties involved. Operators interested in the local processing plant should concurrently contact the City and Aleut Enterprise. |
SWAMC Community Member Spotlight: SAND POINT
Monthly spotlights on a member community.
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Pavlof Volcano
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Sand Point, a large village of almost a thousand residents in the Aleutians East Borough, made national headlines last spring when the nearby Pavlof volcano, one of the most active in North America, erupted, spewing plumes of ash and delaying flights throughout the region. Even long after the initial eruption in May, ash continues to fall, and its plume is a regular feature in the sky. The disruption for air travel was especially difficult for Sand Point residents as the Tustumena, the Marine Highway System's ferry to the Aleutians, has been undergoing delayed repairs in Seward. Along with many other Southwest communities, Sand Point is eagerly awaiting her planned return later this month and regular ferry service. However, in better news, the community soon may see a large scrap metal removal as part of a larger " Aleutian clean-up" effort by a entrepreneur new to the Chain. The summer fishing season is in full swing, and, like most communities in the region, it is by far the main economic driver in Sand Point. According to the State of Alaska, Sand Point residents hold 232 commercial fishing permits with 82 boats registered, and Trident's processing plant is the largest employer with up to 400 workers. The plant can process 1.2 million pounds of pollock per day. Peter Pan Seafoods also operates a facility on the island. Almost half the inhabitants are of Aleut descent, from the Qagan Tayagungin, Pauloff Harbor and Unga tribes. This month the Qagan Tayagungin Tribe will celebrate their heritage and pass on knowledge and traditions at Culture Camp, as it has for the past thirteen years. |
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Our Thanks to These SWAMC Members!
AIDEA
Alaska Aerospace Corporation
Alaska Comm. Fish & Agriculture Bank (CFAB)
Boyd, Chandler & Falconer
Bristol Bay Borough
Bristol Bay Housing Authority
City of Adak
City of Dillingham
City of Kodiak
City of Unalaska
Coastal Transportation
Curyung Tribal Council
First National Bank Alaska
HDR Alaska, Inc.
James E Carmichael
Marine Stewardship Council
Pacific Seafood Processors Association
Pacific Seafoods, Inc.
Qagan Tayagungin Tribe
Sullivan & Richards, LLP
The Aleut Corporation
WACDA
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Visit Southwest Alaska @
www.southwestalaska.com
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SWAMC Board of Directors
Louise Stutes, Pres.
Alice Ruby, Vice Pres.
Layton Lockett, Treas.Dan Clarion Dan O'Hara
Glen Gardner
Joe Sullivan Michelle Ravenmoon Paul Gronholdt
Shirley Marquardt Trevor Brown
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SWAMC Staff Andy Varner
Executive Director
Erik O'Brien Economist; Development Specialist Cameron Dean STEM Education Coordinator / VISTA |
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| Upcoming Events & Dates to Remember | |
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As always...
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Thanks for your support of SWAMC. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas, concerns and events. For previous newsletters, click the link below.
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