The Soldotna City Council adopted a resolution supporting the development of an arts and culture master plan for the city and granting authorization to apply for grant funding for the purpose of developing an arts and culture master plan. Funding for arts and culture was identified as a priority in an April work session that was held to discuss American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant funds.
City Manager Stephanie Queen:
“As I often advocate, from my perspective it made sense to step back and have a planning document first to advise future spending decisions and we’ve identified a couple of different programs that actually provide grant funds for the purpose of developing such a plan. as you know, we’ve got lots of different plans covering many different topics, but we don’t have one that looks at arts and culture. This resolution would just give us the direction, the nod of the head of the council, if you choose to pass it, that this is a worthwhile endeavor for us to move forward and try to secure some funds, potentially as matching funds, with the goal of then engaging the community (such as) physical artists and music, any way to assess what’s currently happening in the community, and I mean broadly, Kenai and Soldotna, and where there are opportunities to just enhance those efforts.”
The city’s Envision Soldotna 2030 Comprehensive Plan includes a vision that the City of Soldotna will encourage the arts and cultures services and facilities to preserve and promote the area’s history, and provide adequate public access to art, music, and other cultural activities. Inside the city’s comprehensive plan, Soldotna developed several other planning documents to address specific priorities, including a Downtown Improvement Plan, Recreation + Trails Master Plan, and others, but city administration felt that Soldotna’s arts and cultural resources significantly contribute to the vibrancy and appeal of the community, especially in stimulating economic growth.
Seeking grant funding to support the planning effort can help the city leverage its own resources. Two upcoming grant opportunities are available to local municipalities applying in partnership with local arts and cultural organizations and could help support the city’s efforts to develop an arts and culture master plan.
Additional grant opportunities may be identified in the future.