WASHINGTON – Friday, Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (AK-AL) submitted Fiscal Year 2025 Community Project Funding requests for Alaska’s At-Large district, seeking to secure nearly $60.2 million in diverse and much-needed projects for the state.
“Alaska’s needs are vast and unique, from the Mat-Su to Kotzebue. I’m proud to support solutions that are as big and varied as our state, from addressing the root causes of Alaska food insecurity to constructing new community workforce development centers,” said Rep. Peltola. “As our state’s only representative in the U.S. House, it’s my job to consider every project, and to advocate for Alaska to get the funding we need for our families to thrive.”
Submitted Community Project Funding details are below.
Title
Region
Description
Requested $
In-season Genetic Analysis of Chum Salmon Bycatch
Unalaska
To operate a high-throughput, state-of-the-art genetics laboratory in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to characterize the stock of origin of chum salmon captured in the inshore B-season pollock fishery. The information it provides will be used by industry to better avoid salmon bound for Alaska rivers while still achieving large benefits from the pollock fishery.
$5,000,000
Gary Paxton Industrial Park Marine Haul Out Facility
Sitka
To construct a marine haul-out facility at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park (GPIP) located in Sitka, Alaska. This project is necessary to (1) continue to allow for local vessel haul-out options that have been historically provided in the community, (2) reduce safety risks, costs, and emissions for vessels having to travel to other severely backlogged regional shipyards, and (3) retain and grow local marine service sector jobs.
$5,777,493
Seward Marine Industrial Center Waterfront
Seward
Funding for a 20-acre land expansion for future leases by companies performing marine work; shipyard fill and regrade; energy utility lines; public restroom construction and security fencing and cameras.
$3,700,000
Acquisition of Facilities, Including Housing, Necessary to Establish Alaska State Trooper Posts in Rural Alaska
Statewide
New housing for the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) in new and established remote post locations for troopers and Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs) is being developed due to the increased need for a public safety presence in rural areas to serve high-poverty communities in Alaska. This will decrease response time that currently involves utilizing aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, and small boats.
$3,300,000
Port MacKenzie Port Infrastructure Development Program
Mat-Su
Purchase of equipment and infrastructure to increase Port MacKenzie’s tonnage and vessel throughput by more than 200%, with a goal of reaching an increase over the current baseline of 300%. This will make the port capable of supporting the establishment of a central critical mineral processing facility that will create the demand signal needed to increase critical mineral production from across Alaska.
$5,000,000
Multipurpose Emergency Shelter Building and Command Center
Kotzebue
To construct an emergency shelter for local community members and neighboring communities when natural disasters require evacuations. The school is currently used as the emergency shelter, which disrupts education
$12,000,000
Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge Center
Juneau
Renovating a portion of the Egan Library at the Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge Center to bring together materials about Alaska Native culture, technology, literature, and art while also supporting Alaska Native language preservation and revitalization.
$1,592,000
One Alaska: Removing and Sustainably Converting Ocean Plastics and Community Waste Plastics to Concrete Aggregate
Gulf of Alaska
To collect and remove toxic coastal plastic debris, coastal village, and urban community plastic debris, and convert it to concrete aggregate, better rehabilitating coastal habitat, removing toxic debris from Native villages, protecting critical subsistence resources, and relieving Alaska landfill facilities all while producing a product needed in the Alaska construction industry.
$7,236,498
Homer Harbor Critical Float Replacement
Homer
Completes design and permitting to bring the Homer Harbor Float System 1 & 4 Replacement Project to construction-ready status.
$1,543,500
Establishing a Network of Alaska Seafood Distribution Hubs
Western AK
To purchase mobile shipping containers where salmon can be frozen whole for distribution or custom-processed for regional markets. Custom processing will support operating costs, creating a sustainable system to uphold culture, address needs, and increase food security.
$565,400
Deploying Imaging Flow Cytobots for the Detection of Harmful Algal Blooms in Coastal Alaska
Statewide
To purchase equipment that automatically and continuously monitors phytoplankton (microscopic marine algae) and detects any harmful algal bloom (HAB) species, which create toxins that are taken up into the marine food web, putting shellfish, fish, birds, marine mammals, and humans at risk.
$310,000
Districtwide HVAC Controls Replacement Project
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
To replace malfunctioning automatic building controls in eight of 12 schools in the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. Current HVAC systems are manually operated due to control failures, resulting in inconsistent temperatures, inadequate ventilation, and increased energy costs. These issues affect 65% of the district's students, mainly Alaskan Natives.
$9,800,000
Bering Straits Workforce Development & Training Facility
Nome
To construct a 7,000-square-foot combination equipment maintenance and workforce development and training facility in Nome, providing a hands-on training space for jobs in construction, Commercial Driver License, mechanic, and heavy equipment operator fields, building a workforce to fulfill job opportunities created by the Port of Nome Expansion and the Graphite One Project.
To construct teacher housing in Minto and to renovate and expand an existing duplex on campus, which has been unusable due to mold and age-related decline. Currently, some educators cannot accept positions due to the lack of housing.
$2,075,000
Whittier, AK Community Housing Asbestos Abatement & Removal
Whittier
For urgent ventilation and plumbing updates needed for Begich Towers, which houses a majority of Whittier residents.
