The Kenai City Council enacted a resolution that would appropriate a grant of $100,000 for services at the Kenai Senior Center. The state was awarded $20 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development for distribution to the nonprofit sector, which included local governments. The DCCED partnered with the Alaska Community Foundation to distribute grants to the nonprofit sector in response to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts.
City Manager Paul Ostrander told council:
“Kathy Romain, the Senior Center Director, applied for this grant, which, as the title states, is a grant under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and it’s passed through the Alaska Community Foundation. She was successful in getting this grant for $100,000, however, because the expenditures need to be made by the end of this fiscal year, so June 30th, we have asked the council to introduce this and hear it at the same meeting, which is why you see that it’s been requested for the hearing tonight. Without that, we’re concerned that she would be unable to expend the funds by the end of the fiscal year.”
The funding from this grant is to be utilized from March 3, 2021 – June 30, 2022. The center’s application requested funding for kitchen equipment, replacing mechanical systems for the walk-in cooler and freezer, small coolers for home-delivered meals, PPE supplies, emergency kits for local seniors, and food supplies.
Council Member Henry Knackstedt:
“I wanted to say that it’s somewhat unusual for us to approve these in the same night, but in this particular case, it makes a whole lot of sense because of the time frame involved that we’ve got that it would be necessary for us to approve this tonight to meet that timeline.”
The ordinance was enacted unanimously as amended.