CDBG Meeting

Meeting will be held at Assembly Chambers.

Topic: To discuss potential Community Development Block Grant projects

The Haines Borough has scheduled a meeting for 5:30 p.m. on  Monday, September 24th, at the assembly chambers to discuss potential Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects. Information on the grant opportunity is available here: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/grantssection/communitydevelopm.... You may propose project(s) for funding at or after this meeting and the Haines Borough Assembly would then select one project for submission.

The Haines Borough is eligible to apply as a municipal entity, and may submit an application in cooperation with a Native Village Council or nonprofit organization. Haines Assisted Living received CDBG funding ($850,000, the maximum grant amount) for the construction of its facility several years ago. The program requests a minimum 25% match to be provided from other sources. A nonprofit may request that the assembly commit matching funds out of the borough budget if sufficient match is not available.

Haines is not a low-income community under CDBG guidelines, and therefore must apply under the “limited clientele” category to benefit in particular: abused children; elderly persons; battered spouses; homeless persons; severely disabled adults; illiterate adults; migrant farm workers; or persons living with the disease AIDS.

The Borough also is eligible to apply for funding for a project that removes “material and architectural barriers that restrict the mobility and accessibility of elderly or handicapped persons to publicly owned and privately owned non-residential buildings, facilities, and improvements, and common areas of residential structures containing more than one dwelling unit. The removal of material and architectural barriers must be in conjunction with a renovation project on the facility.” The Borough applied under this last year to seek funding for ADA improvements at the Public Safety Building.

Below is a proposed timeline for selecting a project and applying for the grant:

5:30 p.m. Monday, September 24th: Initial CDBG meeting

5 p.m. Wednesday, October 3rd: Project description, rationale and budget due for proposed projects (send to kkielsmeier@haines.ak.us) for inclusion in Haines Borough Assembly packet

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 9th: Haines Borough Assembly meeting to include selection of preferred project (this may also be discussed at a committee meeting)

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 23rd, or 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 6th: Proposed project to be presented at a public hearing, with adoption of an assembly resolution authorizing the application

Friday, December 7th: Application due in Fairbanks (must be physically delivered to their office)

I have attached the list of projects that were submitted last year. I will be sending e-mails to organizations and will be making phone calls to follow-up on this opportunity. My goal through this process is to select a project for funding that will be most competitive for the program. Our application was not as strong as it could have been last year due to lacking evidence of substantial community support. Even if you do not have a proposed project, I would appreciate your attendance or participation in this process and your willingness to submit a letter of support for a selected project. Please call or e-mail with any questions.

Thank you,

Krista Kielsmeier​
Executive Assistant to the Manager
Haines Borough
Office: 907-766-6409