Nome’s do-good groups share NSEDC’s $150,000

A good number of Nome’s charitable organizations left Nome Common Council meeting Monday evening with budgets reinforced for community projects.
The Council divided up an NSEDC Community Benefit Share of $150,000 following a work session looking at applications and hearing representatives from groups describing their plans for more good works.
After sifting the pitches, the Council adopted a resolution approving the following list of 18 recipients:
Iditarod Trail Committee, $10,000. Mayor Richard Beneville felt the historic annual sled dog race put Nome on the map and brought money to businesses.
ABDC Tax Program (Nome Community Center), $1,500;
NCC Camp Crave, $10,000;
NCC-XYZ Senior Center, $9,000, for new washers and dryers for people 60-years-old and above;
NCC Food Bank, $10,000;
NCC Boys and Girls Club, $10,000. The program, which provides meals and activities, receives no federal and state funds.
NEST (Nome Emergency Shelter Team), $2,000;
Bering Sea Women’s Group, $10,000;
Iron Dog Snowmachine race, $5,000;
Nome Public Schools Cross-Country Program, $1,500;
Nome Winter Sports Assn., $10,000;
Anvil City Science Academy Washington DC trip, $5,000. Students begin fund raising in the fifth grade. Families bear part of the average $1,800 cost per student;
ACSA ski equipment, $6,000. The money will buy 20 individual bundles of skis, poles, and boots;
Checkpoint Youth Center, $5,000. The center on Front Street provides activities, meals and homework help;
Nome Nanooks Swim Team, $3,000.The money will go to swim meet activities, according to Kirsten Bey, coach. The organization receives no financial assistance from Nome Public Schools. The team does concessions and services to raise its own money, she said.
PAWS (People for Animal Welfare and Safety), $5,600, for a neuter and spay program to reduce the numbers of dogs and cats born in Nome.
SPARC, $2,000. The ham radio organization is an essential component of emergency response situations and functions as cell phone connections for summer activities, according to Wes Perkins, president.
Nome Preschool, $35,000.
Junior High Girls Basketball, $5,000. The money will go for supplies, so the girls can use their fundraising dollars for their own travel, rather than items that would be passed down to succeeding participants, according to Danielle Slingsby, coach.
Nome Public Schools Bridge Club applied for, but did not receive $2,000. The Council felt the program served just a few people.
The Council assigned an additional $4,000 plus to the Nome Community Center to be used on programs as they decided best.
The Council had to deal with requests that totaled almost $200,000. Cutting was difficult, they said, but decided to go along with cutting least from organizations that served larger numbers of people.
Nome Preschool had asked for $50,000. The Council cut $15,000 and promised to restore the amount from the City’s budget process, which begins this month, according to a budget calendar enclosed in the Council meeting packet.
Municipalities and groups that receive funding through the Norton Sound Economic Development Community Benefit Share Program, CBS for short, must provide documentation for expenditures with financial statements, copies of invoices and checks. Decisions on how NSEDC’s member villages use the money must go through the public process to decide which services the community believes are highest priorities, according to Janis Ivanoff, NSEDC president and CEO.
The CBS Program began in 2001. According to figures provided by Julie Liew, finance director, Nome received $20,000 the first two years, then the amount grew to $35,000, $50,000, $75,000, and became $100,000 a year from 2006 through 2011. Through 2011 the CBS shares targeted a single program, as such as the swimming pool or LED lighting upgrades for schools and street lights. In 2012, Nome received $300,000 in two dollops, followed by $150,000 per year from 2013 through 2016. Beginning in 2012, the annual CBS began to go to a number of organizations rather than focus on one need.
In other business, the Council passed a resolution authorizing Tom Moran, city manager, to enter into an agreement with Bristol Engineering Services Corp. as Acting City Engineer.
Moran commented on the lack of bidding process on the engineer job and the city attorney’s job. The City has retained both for years. He had consulted the City’s attorney on the issue, who informed him that he did not need to go out to bid, Moran said.
It was interesting that the city attorney said the City did not need a bid on the city attorney’s job, Councilman Jerald Brown commented. Moran said that the engineer’s and the attorney’s long history with the City saved money because they were familiar with the City’s business.
The City's budget for engineering is not to exceed $30,000, Bristol can get paid from project funds.

 

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Nome, Alaska 99762
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