The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly appropriated funds from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the Emergency Siren Warning System Replacement Project. The Division provides funds to enhance the capability of local governments to prevent, deter, respond to and recover from all-hazard incidents, as well as enhance regional preparedness efforts. A previous ordinance appropriated $700,000 for the project.
Emergency Manager Brenda Ahlberg told the Finance Committee:
“This amount of funding was an additional allocation to an existing grant that we have in place. A portion of that being about $150,000 that was originally used to upgrade the current siren system. We did seek and got approval to actually use the remaining funds toward an actual upgrade project. From there, an additional re-appropriation, a request was submitted for the money before you, $231,044.38 that would also be used towards the replacement project.”
The DHS&EM State Homeland Security Program is a federal grant pass through program with the Federal Emergency Management Agency which provides funding for planning, equipment, training and exercises.
Ahlberg added:
“One thing of note is the last whereas is that the Assembly did appropriate $700,000 in general funds towards this project. The goal was that the federal pass-through funding would be used and that portion of $700,000 would not be used for the program.”
The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Siren Warning System provides emergency notifications to the public. 14 sites are located in the coastal communities of Homer, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seldovia, and Seward.
The grant performance period ends May 31, 2023.
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