Denali Commission Fiscal Year 2010 Draft Work Plan, 7256-7264 [2010-3135]
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DENALI COMMISSION
Denali Commission Fiscal Year 2010
Draft Work Plan
Denali Commission.
Denali Commission Fiscal Year
2010 Draft Work Plan request for
comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Denali Commission
(Commission) is an independent Federal
agency based on an innovative FederalState partnership designed to provide
critical utilities, infrastructure and
support for economic development and
in training in Alaska by delivering
Federal services in the most costeffective manner possible. The
Commission was created in 1998 with
passage of the October 21, 1998 Denali
Commission Act (Act) (Title III of Pub.
L. 105–277, 42 U.S.C. 3121). The Denali
Commission Act requires that the
Commission develop proposed work
plans for future spending and that the
annual Work Plan be published in the
Federal Register, providing an
opportunity for a 30-day period of
public review and written comment.
This Federal Register notice serves to
announce the 30-day opportunity for
public comment on the Denali
Commission Draft Work Plan for Federal
Fiscal Year 2010.
DATES: Comments and related material
must be received by March 15, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the
Denali Commission, Attention: Valerie
Boyd, 510 L Street, Suite 410,
Anchorage, AK 99501.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Valerie Boyd, Denali Commission, 510 L
Street, Suite 410, Anchorage, AK 99501.
Telephone: (907) 271–1414. E-mail:
vboyd@denali.gov.
Background: The Commission’s
mission is to partner with tribal,
Federal, State, and local governments
and collaborate with all Alaskans to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency
of government services, to develop a
well-trained labor force employed in a
diversified and sustainable economy,
and to build and ensure the operation
and maintenance of Alaska’s basic
infrastructure.
By creating the Commission, Congress
mandated that all parties involved
partner together to find new and
innovative solutions to the unique
infrastructure and economic
development challenges in America’s
most remote communities.
Pursuant to the Denali Commission
Act, as amended, the Commission
determines its own basic operating
principles and funding criteria on an
annual Federal fiscal year (October 1 to
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September 30) basis. The Commission
outlines these priorities and funding
recommendations in an annual Work
Plan.
The Work Plan is adopted on an
annual basis in the following manner,
which occurs sequentially as listed:
• Commissioners first provide an
approved draft version of the Work Plan
to the Federal Co-Chair.
• The Federal Co-Chair approves the
draft Work Plan for publication in the
Federal Register providing an
opportunity for a 30-day period of
public review and written comment.
During this time the draft Work Plan is
also disseminated widely to
Commission program partners
including, but not limited to the Bureau
of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Economic
Development Administration (EDA),
and the United States Department of
Agriculture—Rural Development
(USDA–RD).
• Public comment concludes and
Commission staff provides the Federal
Co-Chair with a summary of public
comment and recommendations, if any,
associated with the draft Work Plan.
• If no revisions are made to the draft,
the Federal Co-Chair provides notice of
approval of the Work Plan to the
Commissioners, and forwards the Work
Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for
approval; or, if there are revisions the
Federal Co-Chair provides notices of
modifications to the Commissioners for
their consideration and approval, and
upon receipt of approval from
Commissioners, forwards the Work Plan
to the Secretary of Commerce for
approval.
• The Secretary of Commerce
approves the Work Plan.
The Work Plan authorizes the Federal
Co-Chair to enter into grant agreements,
award grants and contracts and obligate
the Federal funds identified by
appropriation below.
FY10 Appropriations Summary
The Denali Commission has
historically received several Federal
funding sources. These fund sources are
governed by the following general
principles:
• In FY 2010 no project specific
earmarks were directed.
• The Energy and Water
Appropriation is eligible for use in all
programs, but has historically been used
substantively to fund the Energy
Program.
• The Energy Policy Act of 2005
established new authorities for the
Commission’s Energy Program, with an
emphasis on renewable and alternative
energy projects. No new funding
accompanied the Energy Policy Act, and
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prior fiscal year Congressional direction
has indicated that the Commission
should fund renewable and alternative
Energy Program activities from the
available Energy and Water
appropriation.
• All other funds outlined below may
be used only for the specific program
area and may not be used across
programs. For instance, Health
Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) funding, which is appropriated
for the Health Facilities Program, may
not be moved to the Energy Program.
Final transportation funds received
may be reduced due to agency
modifications, reductions and fees
determined by the U.S. Department of
Transportation. Final program available
figures will not be provided until later
this spring.
Final USDA–Rural Utility Services
(RUS) funds received may be reduced
based on the amount made available to
the Commission. Historically, the
Commission has received 50% of the
total RUS funds available nationally,
and the Commission is using historic
funding percentages to provide the
appropriations and program available
estimate for RUS in the FY10 Work Plan
and funding chart below.
All Energy and Water Appropriation
funds, including operational funds,
designated as ‘‘up to’’ may be reassigned
to the Legacy Energy program, Bulk Fuel
and Rural Power System Upgrades
(RPSU), if they are not fully expended
in a program component area or a
specific project.
All U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services—HRSA funds
designated as ‘‘up to’’ may be reassigned
to the primary care clinic program if
they are not fully expended in a
program component area.
The table below provides the
following information, by fund source:
Total FY10 Budgetary Resources provided
in the Omnibus Bill: These are the figures
that appear in the rows marked by an asterisk
(*) and are the original appropriation
amounts which do not include Commission
overhead deductions. These funds are
identified by their source name (i.e., ‘‘Energy
and Water Appropriation; USDA, RUS, etc.)
The grand total for all appropriations appears
at the end of the chart.
Total FY10 Program Available Funding:
These are the figures that appear in the rows
entitled ‘‘FY10 Appropriations—Program
Available’’ and are the amounts of funding
available for program(s) activities after
Commission overhead has been deducted.
Traditionally, the Commission’s overhead
rate has been limited to 5%, except in the
case of RUS funds, where it is limited to 4%.
The following appropriations language for
the Energy and Water appropriation in FY10
allows the Commission to retain more than
5% of the Energy and Water for operational
activities as it deems appropriate and
prudent: ‘‘* * * notwithstanding the
limitations contained in section 306(g) of the
Denali Commission Act of 1998.’’ The grand
total for all program available funds appears
at the end of the chart.
Program Funding: These are the figures
that appear in the rows entitled with the
specific Program and Sub-Program area, and
are the amounts of funding the Draft FY10
Work Plan recommends, within each
program fund source for program
components.
Project Funding: These are the figures that
appear in the rows entitled with the specific
Program and Sub-Program area and in italics
and are the amounts of funding the Draft
FY10 Work Plan recommends within each
program fund source for specific projects.
Subtotal of Program Funding
These are the figures that appear in the
rows entitled ‘‘subtotal’’ and are the subtotals
of all program funding within a given fund
source. The subtotal must always equal the
Total FY10 Program Available Funding.
DENALI COMMISSION FY 2010 FUNDING TABLE
Totals ($)
11,965,000.
FY 2010 Energy & Water Appropriation—Program Available (less overhead—not limited to 5% in FY 2010 and designated as ‘‘up to’’).
Energy ......................................................................................................................................................................................
• Emerging Technology Projects .....................................................................................................................................
• Construction Contingency Funds ..................................................................................................................................
• Hoonah—Rural Power System Upgrade ......................................................................................................................
• Brevig Mission/Teller Intertie ........................................................................................................................................
Training Program .....................................................................................................................................................................
• AK Dept. of Labor (A–DOL) Denali Training Fund .......................................................................................................
• A–DOL Youth Initiatives ................................................................................................................................................
Pre-Development Program ......................................................................................................................................................
Sponsorship Program ..............................................................................................................................................................
Sub-total ...........................................................................................................................................................................
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* FY 2010 Energy & Water Appropriation ...............................................................................................................................
For expenses of the Denali Commission including the purchase, construction, and acquisition of plant and capital equipment as necessary and other expenses, $11,965,000, to remain available until expended, notwithstanding the limitations contained in section 306(g) of the Denali Commission Act of 1998.
9,965,000.
8,665,000.
2,241,607 (up to).
2,193,393 (up to).
3,330,000.
900,000.
1,000,000 (up to).
500,000.
500,000.
150,000 (up to).
150,000 (up to).
9,965,000.
* FY 2010 USDA, Rural Utilities Service (RUS)—Estimate ....................................................................................................
FY 2010 USDA—Rural Utilities Service (RUS)—Program Available (less 4% overhead)—Estimate ...................................
Stebbins/St. Michael—Bulk Fuel Facility Construction ...........................................................................................................
Igiugig—Rural Power System Upgrade ...................................................................................................................................
Yakutat—Rural Power System Upgrade .................................................................................................................................
Pending Bulk Fuel or RPSU project to be selected per Energy Program Prioritization Process as outlined in the FY 2010
Work Plan.
Conceptual Planning/Design for Bulk Fuel and RPSU ...........................................................................................................
8,000,000.
7,680,000.
730,630.
1,350,000.
3,150,000.
1,500,000.
Sub-total ...........................................................................................................................................................................
7,680,000.
* FY 2010 Trans Alaska Pipeline Liability (TAPL) Trust .........................................................................................................
FY 2010 Trans Alaska Pipeline Liability (TAPL)—Program Available (less 5% overhead)—Estimate ..................................
Stebbins/St. Michael—Bulk Fuel Facility Construction ...........................................................................................................
7,084,606.
6,730,370.
6,730,370.
Sub-total ...........................................................................................................................................................................
6,730,370.
*FY 2010 DHHS—Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) ..............................................................................
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949,370.
10,000,000.
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DENALI COMMISSION FY 2010 FUNDING TABLE—Continued
Totals ($)
The Committee provides $10,000,000 for the Denali Commission. The fiscal year 2009 comparable level was
$19,642,000 and the budget request for fiscal year 2010 did not include funding for this program. These funds support
the construction and renovation of health clinics, hospitals and social service facilities in rural Alaska, as authorized by
Public Law 106–113, to help remote communities in Alaska develop critically needed health and social services to
Alaskans in remote rural communities as they are in other communities throughout the country. The Committee expects the Denali Commission to allocate funds to a mix of rural hospital, clinic, long-term care and social service facilities, rather than focusing exclusively on clinic funding.
FY 2010 DHHS-Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)—Program Available (less 5% overhead) ................
Primary Care ............................................................................................................................................................................
Igiugig—Primary Care Clinic ............................................................................................................................................
Ekwok—Primary Care Clinic ............................................................................................................................................
Kasaan—Small Primary Care Clinic ................................................................................................................................
Kaltag—Primary Care Clinic .............................................................................................................................................
Design Pool and Program Management, ANTHC ...........................................................................................................
Behavioral Health ....................................................................................................................................................................
[Projects are undergoing due diligence and vetting process at
publication. No specific projects are named at this time.]
Primary Care in Hospitals ........................................................................................................................................................
Petersburg—Radiology Equipment ..................................................................................................................................
Bartlett Regional Hospital—Blood Chemistry Analyzer ...................................................................................................
Mt. Edgecumbe—Fluoroscopy Radiography ....................................................................................................................
Wrangell Medical Center—Mammography Equipment ....................................................................................................
Kanakanak Hospital—CT Scan Equipment .....................................................................................................................
Providence Seward—Electronic Health Records .............................................................................................................
Providence Kodiak—Infant Security System ....................................................................................................................
Ketchikan General Hospital—Breast Biopsy Equipment .................................................................................................
Central Peninsula Hospital—Medication Verification System ..........................................................................................
Providence Valdez—Patient Services Equipment ...........................................................................................................
Sitka Community Hospital—Surgical Equipment .............................................................................................................
Elder Supportive Housing ........................................................................................................................................................
Kenai Peninsula Housing Initiatives, Soldotna (6 units) ..................................................................................................
Program Management, AHFC .................................................................................................................................................
Health Program: Technical Assistance Contract to Alaska Summit Enterprises ....................................................................
Sub-total ...........................................................................................................................................................................
9,500,000.
7,267,400.
1,000,000.
1,600,000.
800,000.
1,818,400.
2,049,000.
492,900 (up to).
734,700 (up to).
36,733.
52,500.
100,000.
43,000.
100,000.
100,000.
28,919.
76,500.
97,976.
7,996.
91,076.
$805,000 (up to).
770,000.
35,000.
200,000 (up to).
9,500,000.
*FY 2010 Federal Transit Administration (FTA)—Estimate ....................................................................................................
$5,000,000 from section 3011 (FTA) for docks and harbors;
*FY 2010 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—Estimate ..............................................................................................
For necessary, expenses for the Denali Access System Program as authorized under Section 1960 of Public Law 109–
59, $5,700,000, to remain available until expended and $4,800,000 from section 1934 (FHWA) for docks and harbors;
and $11,400,000 from section 1960 (FHWA) for Denali Access System Program.
*FY 2010 Additional Transportation Funding—Estimate .........................................................................................................
FY 2010 Transportation—Program Available (less 5% overhead)—Estimate .......................................................................
Transportation Program: Docks & Harbors—Estimate ....................................................................................................
Transportation Program: Roads -Estimate .......................................................................................................................
Sub-total ...........................................................................................................................................................................
$5,000,000.
*TOTAL FY 2010 Federal Appropriations—Estimate ......................................................................................................
62,033,606.
TOTAL FY 2010 Federal Program Available—Estimate ..........................................................................................
57,520,170.
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FY10 Program Details and General
Information
The following section provides
narrative discussion, by each of the
Commission Programs identified for
FY10 funding in the table above, in the
following categories:
• Program History and Approach.
• FY10 Project Description.
• FY10 Project Selection Process.
• FY10 Program and Project Policy
Issues (as applicable).
The final section also includes a
general summary of other program and
policy issues facing the Commission,
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statements of support by the
Commission for the funding requests
and activities of other program partners
which the Commission works in
partnership with, and detail regarding
the Commission’s evaluation and
reporting efforts.
Government Coordination
The Commission is charged with the
special role of increasing the
effectiveness of government programs
by acting as a catalyst to coordinate the
many Federal and State programs that
serve Alaska. In FY10, the Commission
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17,784,000.
2,200,000.
23,644,800.
13,644,800.
10,000,000.
23,644,800.
will continue its role of coordinating
State and Federal agencies and other
partner organizations to accomplish its
overall mission of developing Alaska’s
communities. Particular focus will be
given to the collaborative efforts of the
Commission’s Federal and State
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
and the various workgroups and
planning sessions and forums that occur
as a result of the MOU meetings.
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Energy Program
Emerging Technologies
Legacy Program
The Energy Program is the
Commission’s original program and is
identified as a ‘‘legacy’’ program. The
program focuses on bulk fuel facilities
(BFU) and rural power system upgrades/
power generation (RPSU) across rural
Alaska. About 94% of electricity in rural
communities is produced by diesel and
about half the fuel storage in most
villages is used for these power plants
for distribution. Alternative means of
generating power can reduce the
capacity needed for fuel storage and
ultimately reduce the cost of power to
the community.
With the advent of the REP, more
resources to meet commercial-ready
renewable technology needs are now
available. The area of emerging
technologies, meaning pre-commercial
yet post-research/development, has
become an appropriate role for the
Commission. A solicitation was
conducted in FY 2009 identifying over
$50 M in project requests (and only
$4 M in available funds). Similar to the
REP, this initiative is a leveraging
opportunity with the State of Alaska in
considering the development of an
emerging technology fund that could
accept funds from multiple sources to
meet these ongoing needs. The goal of
the program is to fund pilot projects for
applied research and further
technologies focusing on replication in
rural Alaska so they are commercially
viable and ultimately eligible for REP.
Alternative/Renewable Program
The Energy Policy Act of 2005
established new authorities for the
Commission’s Energy Program with an
emphasis on alternative and renewable
energy projects. Although the 2005
Energy Policy Act did not include
specific appropriations, the Commission
is expected to carry out the intent of the
Act through a portion of its Energy and
Water appropriation funding. To date,
the Commission has co-funded a
number of renewable projects and each
year new initiatives are considered. In
2007, the State of Alaska passed
legislation and funded the Renewable
Energy Program (REP) which modeled
the project selection process set forth by
the Commission’s early investment.
Other Renewable Initiatives
In addition to the emerging
technology program, the Commission
has funded energy efficiency efforts
with the goal of energy cost reduction
and leveraging of funding sources. The
Commission will continue to track
opportunities under the American
Revitalization and Recovery Act (ARRA)
and to provide supportive incentives,
financial or otherwise, to utilize such
opportunities. For example, in FY 2009
the Commission provided match
funding to tribes that submitted group
applications to the Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Block Grant program
under the Department of Energy. In
doing so, the barrier of administering
grants by small tribes was minimized
and potential funding losses were
avoided. The Commission received 8
eligible group applications, representing
106 Alaskan tribes, totaling $456,710 in
Commission funding and leveraging
over $4 M of Federal funding. While the
FY 2010 Work Plan allocates all
renewable funds toward emerging
technologies, it also recommends that if
funds become available to support
efforts to incentivize energy efficiency
or other stimulus opportunities around
energy for rural Alaska be considered
allowable. No funds are currently set
aside for these needs.
The FY 2010 Work Plan outlines a
strategy to balance the Energy Program
in both legacy and renewable
components, providing up to $2.24 M of
available program funds specifically
toward the emerging technology
program which is pending passage by
the Alaska State Legislature. If match for
this program is not provided, this
funding shall be reallocated to legacy
projects.
The project amounts listed below are
estimates and final award documents
may vary based on changes in match by
project and receipt of funding.
FY 2010 PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
Recipient/impacted
community
Denali commission cost
($)
Cost share
match (S) *
1,500,000 ....
7,461,000 ....
TBD .............
$829,000 .....
TBD
AVEC nominated.
3,500,000 ....
3,150,000 ....
350,000 .......
AEA nominated.
3,700,000 ....
3,330,000 ....
370,000 .......
AEA nominated.
1,000,000 ....
1,500,000 ....
900,000 .......
1,350,000 ....
100,000 .......
150,000 .......
AVEC nominated.
AEA nominated.
2,193,393 ....
2,193,393 ....
0 ..................
N/A.
Total project
cost
Project description
Project selection
methodology
Bulk Fuel Projects
TBD ...............................
Stebbins/St. Michael .....
TBD ......................................................................
AEA—Bulk Fuel Facility Replacement serving
both communities in conjunction with power
plant, standby power plant, distribution modifications, recovered heat and intertie between
villages.
TBD .............
8,290,000 ....
RPSU Projects
Yakutat ..........................
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Hoonah .........................
Brevig Mission/Teller ....
Igiugig ...........................
Contingency ** ..............
AEA—Rural Power System Upgrade. New powerhouse and distribution system. Waste heat
recovery to school and pool..
AVEC—Rural Power System Upgrade. New diesel powerhouse and heat recovery system in
conjunction with pursuant hydro, geothermal,
wood heating and intertie to Pelican.
Submarine Cable Intertie .....................................
AEA—Rural Power System Upgrade. Renewal
of existing powerhouse including waste heat
recovery to washeteria and water plant in
conjunction with hydrokinetic project.
Commission to hold .............................................
If Additional Funds Become Available the Following Bulk Fuel and RPSU Projects May Proceed (Not Listed in Priority Order)
Chenega Bay ................
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AEA nominated.
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FY 2010 PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS—Continued
Recipient/impacted
community
Project description
Total project
cost
Denali commission cost
($)
Cost share
match (S) *
Ekwok ...........................
Emmonak/Alakanuk ......
Bulk Fuel Facility .................................................
Intertie (State funded), BF Facilities and Power
Plant in Emmonak.
Bulk Fuel Facility .................................................
RPSU ...................................................................
RPSU ...................................................................
RPSU ...................................................................
Intertie ..................................................................
RPSU ...................................................................
AVEC—main power plant in Stebbins, distribution mods., stand-by power plant in St. Michael, recovered heat and Intertie Construction.
TBD .............
TBD .............
TBD .............
TBD .............
TBD .............
TBD .............
AEA nominated.
AVEC nominated.
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
AEA nominated.
AEA nominated.
AVEC nominated.
AEA nominated.
AEA nominated.
AEA nominated.
AVEC nominated.
Kipnuk ...........................
Levelock ........................
Mekoryuk ......................
Napakiak .......................
Red Devil/Sleetmute .....
Ruby .............................
Stebbins/St. Michael .....
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
.............
Project selection
methodology
Alternative/Renewable Energy Projects
Emerging Technology
Program.
Applied Research
projects.
FY 2010 Program & Project Policy Issues
Cost Share Match *
The approved FY 2008 Denali
Commission Policy Document requires
and prioritizes cost share match for
funded projects. In implementing this
policy, the Energy Advisory Committee
(EAC) has provided guidance on the
appropriate match requirements. In
general, projects with match will be
prioritized, and a final match policy
will be implemented once other match
funding sources are known for FY 2010.
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Sustainability Policy
As a renewed effort toward
sustainability, all energy design and
construction grants will proceed after
business plans are reviewed and
approved by Commission staff.
Additionally, Commission staff is
expected to be engaged throughout the
planning process of projects to assure
policy requirements are adhered to
earlier in the process.
Construction Contingency Pool**
The Commission has historically
handled construction cost overruns on
an ongoing basis, with the requirement
that those in excess of 10% be reported
to Commissioners via an ‘‘exceptions
report’’. Concurrently, Commission staff
has been critical of project budgets in
keeping with the investment policy
requirements that per unit costs be
considered as part of due diligence
when making project decisions.
Consequently, either risks are taken on
part of program partners in their original
project budgets, or extra contingency is
worked into project budgets. In an effort
to spread available funds further the
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renewable
energy
pilot
2,241,607 ....
TBD .............
project budgets listed above do not
include contingency funds. Instead, a
Construction Contingency Pool in the
amount of up to $2,193,393 is dedicated
for the Commission to meet these needs.
FY 2010 Project Selection Process
Legacy Program (Bulk Fuel/RPSU)
Due to the nature of the due diligence
requirement of energy projects, seasonal
logistics in Alaska and funding
restrictions (i.e., TAPL funds may only
be used for bulk fuel projects)—a project
may not progress as quickly as another.
Further, cost estimates may change from
the FY 2010 Work Plan development to
the actual grant execution. The projects
are prioritized in the list above, and will
progress to construction as a project
attains all due diligence requirements;
projects may proceed out of priority
order and costs may vary from the above
numbers to the actual grant document.
All match requirements will remain
intact given these considerations.
Emerging Technologies Program
Pending State legislation creates a
project selection process involving two
phases. A review committee was
established with representatives nameidentified in the legislation. The
Commission replicated the process and
suggests the same process be used in FY
2010, pending State funding for the
program. In summary, applicants in the
first round submit a letter of interest
which the review committee narrows to
a list of second round applicants that
are invited to submit a more thorough
proposal and present to the review
committee face to face. The review
process will to the extent possible
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pending .......
Selection process in
SB150 and accompanied HB.
follow that set forth in pending State
legislation however final project/grant
approval is subject to approval by the
Federal Co-chair.
Health Facilities Program
The Denali Commission Act was
amended in 1999 to provide for the
‘‘planning, constructing and equipping
of health facilities.’’ Since 1999, the
Health Facilities Program has been
methodically investing in the planning,
design and construction of primary care
clinics across Alaska.
Primary care clinics have remained
the ‘‘legacy’’ priority for the Program.
However, in 2003 the ‘‘Other Than’’
primary care component of the Program
was adopted in response to
Congressional direction to fund a mix of
other health and social service related
facility needs. Over time, the Program
has developed Program sub-areas such
as Behavioral Health Facilities,
Domestic Violence Facilities, Elder
Housing, Primary Care in Hospitals,
Emergency Medical Services Equipment
and Hospital Designs. The FY10 Draft
Work Plan emphasizes the priority of
the Primary Care Clinic Program as the
legacy program area, with the majority
of funding dedicated to clinics.
The Program utilizes a ‘‘universe of
need’’ model for primary care and a
competitive selection process for other
sub-program areas. In 1999 the Program
created a deficiency list for primary care
clinics, which totaled 288 communities
statewide in need of clinic replacement,
expansion and/or renovation. Currently,
95 clinics have been completed; 29 are
in construction; and approximately 110
are in the conceptual planning/business
planning/design phases.
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The Program is guided by the Health
Steering Committee, an advisory body
comprised of the following membership
organizations: The State of Alaska,
Alaska Primary Care Association, the
Alaska Native Tribal Health
Consortium, the Alaska Mental Health
Trust Authority, the Alaska Native
Health Board, the Indian Health Service,
the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing
Home Association, the Rasmuson
Foundation and the University of
Alaska.
Projects are recommended for funding
by Commission staff if they demonstrate
project readiness, which includes the
completion of all due diligence
requirements. In priority order, those
stages of completion are:
1. Having a recently approved
business plan.
2. Having a completed (100%) design.
3. Cost share match status.
4. Ranking in the 2000 Rural Health
Facility Needs Assessment.
Finally, all of these are considered in
regard to the realistic ability to move the
project forward in a given construction
season.
The Health Facilities Program
anticipates the Commission policy
document, which was adopted in
November 2008, will impact the clinic
prioritization process, specifically for
those communities located on the road
system, and within proximity to one
another, and for communities with
populations less than 100.
In 2008 the program identified small
communities (populations of less than
100) as an area for improvement in
terms of cost containment and
sustainability. Consequently, the
Commission has funded a pilot design
project to create a cost effective, energy
efficient clinic prototype for these small
communities. The result of work to-date
is the 35% designs of three small
clinics—one around 700 square feet, one
approximately 850 square feet, and the
third close to 1,000 square feet. These
65% design documents for three
prototype clinics will allow the
construction of right-sized, energy
efficient community health clinics in
small communities. It is common for
health services in small Alaskan
communities to be provided by parttime Community Health Aides/
Practitioners.
Furthermore, emergency medical
services and preventive health services
are of paramount importance to the
residents of these small villages, and
these clinics will allow for the safe,
consistent provision of these. The
design team has included a professional
architect/engineering firm and
representatives from a diversity of
interests and expertise, including the
tribal health system, practitioners,
Primary care
clinics
Fiscal year
2007 .......................................................
2008 .......................................................
2009 .......................................................
Primary care in
hospitals
$37,119,040
23,319,040
14,758,102
$2,500,000
4,000,000
1,526,746
eventual owners/operators, and funding
agencies. The 65% designs are
anticipated in late spring, with a pilot
project being constructed from one of
the three designs in a rural Alaska
location in early fall 2010.
The Health Facilities Program is
evolving. What began ten years ago with
an assessment of rural Alaska health
facility needs grew into a $40 M a year
infrastructure program by 2005. Over
the course of its history, the
Commission has invested $191 M in
health projects, contributing to the
construction of 95 clinics and the
planning efforts of another 100.
The projects presented here reflect the
process for prioritization recommended
and endorsed by the Health Steering
Committee. In compliance with recently
adopted procedures for the Denali
Commission Work Plans, the Health
Program must propose specific projects
for FY 2010 funding. Projects presented
here are aligned with the appropriation
conference language, as follows:
The Committee expects the Denali
Commission to allocate funds to a mix of
rural hospital, clinic, long-term care and
social service facilities, rather than focusing
exclusively on clinic funding.
For historical context, the following
reflects the allocation of Health
Facilities Program appropriations across
the program component areas:
Elder supportive
housing
Other program
areas
Behavioral health
$0
5,840,890
1,901,420
$5,063,000
5,000,000
1,017,831
$637,000
0
0
ALLOCATION OF PROGRAM RESOURCES ACROSS PROGRAM COMPONENT AREAS
Primary care clinics
Primary care in hospitals
Elder supportive housing
Behavioral health
$7,267,400
734,700
805,000
492,900
Up to $200,000 will be made available
for the technical consultation contract
which assists communities through the
due diligence application process.
This allocation scenario,
recommended by the Health Steering
Committee, distributes available funds
across the breadth of program areas.
FY 2010 PRIORITIZED PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
Total est.
project cost
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Community
Project description
Igiugig .........................
Ekwok .........................
Kasaan ........................
Kaltag ..........................
Chistochina .................
Chalkyitsik ...................
Shaktoolik ...................
Arctic Village ...............
Akiachak .....................
1,600 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
1,600 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
900 SF primary care clinic .................................................................
2,058 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
6,000 SF Multi-use facility; 3,000 SF clinic ........................................
1,642 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
2,650 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
2,067 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
3,200 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
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$2,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
2,273,000
3,443,120
1,855,373
2,700,000
1,694,016
3,094,400
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
18FEN1
Denali commission share
(est.)
$1,000,000
1,600,000
800,000
1,818,400
2,754,496
1,484,299
2,160,000
1,524,614
2,784,960
Cost share
match (est.)
$1,000,000
400,000
200,000
454,600
688,624
371,074
540,000
169,402
309,440
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2010 / Notices
FY 2010 PRIORITIZED PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS—Continued
Total est.
project cost
Denali commission share
(est.)
Cost share
match (est.)
Community
Project description
Takotna .......................
Wales ..........................
Venetie ........................
Napakiak .....................
Circle ...........................
Tyonek ........................
Willow .........................
Hoonah .......................
900 SF primary care clinic .................................................................
Relocation & renovation of primary care clinic ..................................
2,147 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
2,600 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
1,647 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
2,580 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
8,000 SF Community Health Center ..................................................
4,000 SF primary care clinic ..............................................................
1,000,000
855,000
1,751,952
2,514,200
1,343,952
2,146,560
4,808,000
3,116,000
800,000
769,500
1,576,757
2,262,780
1,209,557
1,931,904
4,327,200
2,804,400
200,000
85,500
175,195
251,420
134,395
214,656
480,800
311,600
Total ............................
.............................................................................................................
........................
31,608,867
........................
Due to the nature of the due diligence
requirement of Primary Care projects, a
project may not progress as quickly as
another. The projects are prioritized in
the list above, and will progress to
construction as a project attains all due
diligence requirements; projects may
proceed out of priority order.
The competitive proposal processes
for the elder supportive housing and
primary care in hospitals programs were
completed in January 2010. Specific
projects proposed for FY 2010 funding
are included in the FY 2010 Funding
Table.
The Commission’s major program
partner for behavioral health projects is
the Alaska Department Health and
Social Services (A–DHSS), which
maintains a prioritized list of
infrastructure needs related to
behavioral health. The Health Facilities
Program will continue to work with A–
DHSS to address the prioritized needs,
as projects attain the due diligence
standards of the Commission.
As denoted above, if viable,
sustainable, and vetted projects in the
behavioral health, primary care in
hospitals, and elder supportive housing
programs will not utilize all of the
allotted funds in those component areas
(by June 2010), the remaining funds will
be re-programmed to the legacy primary
care clinic program.
Prior Year Reprogramming of Project
Funds:
While care is taken to obligate
program funds to viable projects with
reliable cost estimates, occasionally a
project will not move forward to
construction, or will experience a cost
savings. In those instances, the
Commission staff will identify to
Commissioners and the Federal CoChair how prior year project funds will
be utilized. Historically the Health
Facilities Program has funded a mix of
health projects. Prior work plans have
indicated unexpended funds in Health
component areas other than primary
care would revert back to primary care
projects. As the legacy focus of the
Health Facilities program is primary
care clinics, a large percentage of funds
will be re-programmed to that
component area. However,
consideration is typically given to
ensure that a wide variety of projects in
the areas of rural hospitals, clinics, longterm care and social service facilities is
supported.
The Denali Commission Health
Facilities Program must at this time reprogram $6,871,470 in unexpended
prior year funds. The funds to be reprogrammed are time-limited (they must
be expended within five years of the
original appropriation), so the money
must be used for projects that will be
ready to move to construction in
calendar year 2010 or early 2011. The
following three primary care clinic
projects have a high probability of
moving into construction in 2010 or
early 2011:
Denali Commission
share (est.)
Community
Project description
Chistochina ..........................................
Chalkyitsik ............................................
Akiachak ..............................................
3,000 SF primary care clinic .............................................................................
1,642 SF primary care clinic .............................................................................
3,200 SF primary care clinic .............................................................................
$2,754,496
1,484,299
2,784,960
7,023,755*
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
* This amount exceeds the available balance of reprogrammable funds by $152,285—which will be transferred from the design pool budget line
in the FY 2010 Work Plan.
If these projects should not proceed to
construction as expected the
Commission will utilize the
prioritization methodology outlined in
the health facilities program section
above to identify other projects.
Training Program
The Training Program was instituted
by the Commissioners as a standalone
program in 1999 to ensure local
residents were trained to construct,
maintain and operate Commission
investments in rural Alaska. From 1999
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to 2003, it was the general policy of the
Commission to appropriate 10% of
Energy and Water funds to support the
Training Program. In 2004, US
Department of Labor (USDOL) began
direct appropriations to the Commission
to support rural training and continued
this support through 2009.
In 2010, the Commission was not
appropriated training funds from
USDOL, but the FY 2010 includes
funding for the program in the amount
of $1,000,000 from the Energy and
Water appropriation for the
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continuation of workforce development
in rural Alaska.
The Commission’s Training Program
has been critical to building the capacity
of rural communities through training
and employment. In February 2009 the
Alaska Department of Labor (A–DOL),
Research and Analysis Section released
an employment and training report that
specifically evaluated the participants
who completed training funded through
the Commission between FY 2001 and
FY 2007. This report concluded that the
participants’ wages increased 64.4%
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and their employability increased
12.1%.
The following is a list of training
partners who have been funded by the
Commission to carry-out training
programs responsive to the Training
program goals:
• Alaska Department of Labor and
Workforce Development.
• University of Alaska.
• Alaska Works Partnership.
• Associated General Contractors/
Construction Education Foundation
(CEF).
• First Alaskans.
The FY 2010 Draft Work Plan is based
on the two primary goals. First to use
the remaining FY 2009 funds in the
amount of $3,209,100.00 to continue to
support legacy partners who have an
excellent reputation of delivering
applicable training to rural Alaskans
that supports the construction,
maintenance and operation of Denali
Commission investments.
Secondly, in response to an early
policy of the agency, that approximately
10% ($1 M) of the Energy and Water
appropriation be provided to the FY
2010 Training Program to ensure its
continuation. When combined with
prior year funds that were only recently
received by the agency from Federal
USDOL, this will allow the Commission
to continue the program and fund
substantial workforce development in
rural Alaska.
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Transportation
Section 309 of the Denali Commission
Act 1998 (amended), created the
Commission’s Transportation Program,
including the Transportation Advisory
Committee. The advisory committee is
composed of nine members appointed
by the Governor of the State of Alaska
including the Federal Co-Chair of the
Denali Commission; four members who
represent existing regional native
corporations, native nonprofit entities,
or tribal governments, including one
member who is a civil engineer; and
four members who represent rural
Alaska regions or villages, including one
member who is a civil engineer.
The Transportation Program
addresses two areas of rural Alaska
transportation infrastructure, roads and
waterfront development. There is
consensus among agencies and
communities that the Program is
successfully addressing improvements
to local and regional transportation
systems. This is largely a function of the
Transportation Advisory Committee’s
success at project selection and
monitoring, and the success of the
Program’s project development partners.
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The Program is generally a
competitively-bid contractor or
materials-based system grounded in
Title 23 CFR. These strict project
development and construction
guidelines have presented some
challenges to the Commission’s ability
to respond quickly to targets of
opportunity, but they have also had the
positive effect of ensuring project design
and construction is executed at a
professional level. The Program operates
under a reimbursable payment system
that requires local and program partner
sponsors to pay close attention to
accounting procedures prior to their
payments to contractors and vendors.
This system helps ensure project
payments are eligible when submitted to
the Commission.
In FY10 the program will increase its
focus on barge landings at rural
communities. These projects range from
one or two mooring points to secure a
barge, to small dock structures,
depending on community size and barge
operation characteristics. The value of
these structures lies in improved fuel/
freight transfer operations and improved
worker and environmental safety. The
Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE) have prepared a
barge landing analysis that will be
utilized to identify projects in FY10.
The universe of need for the first
generation of projects is in the range of
$40,000,000.
The Committee met on January 13–14,
2010 to select the road and waterfront
development projects and program
priorities for FY10. Final project
approvals and funding amounts will be
provided in early February 2010 upon
review and approval by the
Commission’s Federal Co-Chair.
Broadband
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell
designated the Denali Commission
(Commission) as the lead entity for the
Broadband Mapping and Planning
initiative which is being funded by the
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (‘‘NTIA’’) of
the United States Department of
Commerce.
The Commission is charged to lead
this important effort to plan broadband
in Alaska. The State intends to be an
active participant and major partner in
this proposed mapping and planning
effort with direct involvement by the
State Co-Chair, Governor and
appropriate State agencies and State
personnel. The Commission will partner
with broadband mapping leader,
Connected Nation, to implement the
Connect Alaska program. In addition the
Commission will support the creation
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7263
and management of the Broadband
Steering Committee, which will be
comprised of State, Federal, non-profit,
and State of Alaska telecommunications
providers.
The scope of work seeks to employ
industry-standard GIS toolsets and
experienced personnel to deliver
comprehensive and accurate broadband
mapping data, develop State-level
broadband maps, aid in the
development and maintenance of a
national broadband map, and fund
statewide initiatives directed at
broadband planning. The Connect
Alaska suite of deliverables will include
datasets as required by the NTIA as well
as Web-based, interactive broadband
maps to inform State and local
government officials, consumers,
broadband providers, community
development organizations, researchers,
and other stakeholders. This interactive
Web site will be critical to ensure
accessibility of the broadband data, but
it will also be key to increasing
awareness of the mapping program and
the benefit of broadband. It will also
play an important role in ensuring local
verification of the mapping data.
NTIA is providing $1.4 M for
broadband mapping in Alaska and
$492,000 to manage the Broadband
Steering Committee for five years.
Other Program and Policy Issues
Pre-Development Program
The Commission intends to continue
to engage in the Pre-Development
program in FY 2010. Pre-Development
is a joint collaboration between the
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority,
the Commission, The Foraker Group,
and the Rasmuson Foundation to assist
organizations with development of
plans for successful capital projects.
The funding agencies are concerned
that inadequate planning during the
initial projects development phase can
result in projects that are not sustainable
in the long term. The Pre-Development
Program was created to provide
guidance and technical assistance to
ensure that proposed projects: meet
documented need, are consistent with
strategic and community plans, consider
opportunities for collaboration, have
appropriate facility and site plans and
realistic project budgets, are financially
sustainable and will not negatively
impact the sustainability of the
proposing organization. Through this
partnership an agency’s capital project
is better equipped to proceed.
The amount of $150,000 will provide
funding for the pre-development
program for FY 2010.
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2010 / Notices
Sponsorship Program
The Commission plans to continue
conference sponsorships in FY 2010.
Commissioners reinstated Conference
sponsorship funding for events that
were consistent with the Commission’s
mission and values in 2006.
Sponsorship activities provide a
positive venue for communicating
Commission activities. Sponsorship
opportunities also provide Commission
outreach to a wide variety of events and
audiences. Events sponsored by the
Commission promote key programmatic
areas that are key to the Commission’s
values and mission, including efforts in
alternative-renewable energy
conferences, health, training and
leadership and transportation.
In FY 2010 this program will be
funded in the amount of $150,000.
Events funded will be in line with the
major program areas at the Commission
and will have a statewide focus.
Dated: February 4, 2010.
Joel Neimeyer,
Federal Co-Chair.
[FR Doc. 2010–3135 Filed 2–17–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3300–01–P
Dated: February 12, 2010.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of Management.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Notice of Proposed Information
Collection Requests
Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Acting Director,
Information Collection Clearance
Division, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of
Management, invites comments on the
proposed information collection
requests as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before April 19,
2010.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires
that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) provide interested
Federal agencies and the public an early
opportunity to comment on information
collection requests. OMB may amend or
waive the requirement for public
consultation to the extent that public
participation in the approval process
would defeat the purpose of the
information collection, violate State or
Federal law, or substantially interfere
with any agency’s ability to perform its
statutory obligations. The Acting
Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Regulatory
Information Management Services,
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
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Office of Management, publishes that
notice containing proposed information
collection requests prior to submission
of these requests to OMB. Each
proposed information collection,
grouped by office, contains the
following: (1) Type of review requested,
e.g. new, revision, extension, existing or
reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of
the collection; (4) Description of the
need for, and proposed use of, the
information; (5) Respondents and
frequency of collection; and (6)
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping
burden. OMB invites public comment.
The Department of Education is
especially interested in public comment
addressing the following issues: (1) Is
this collection necessary to the proper
functions of the Department; (2) will
this information be processed and used
in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate
of burden accurate; (4) how might the
Department enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (5) how might the
Department minimize the burden of this
collection on the respondents, including
through the use of information
technology.
Federal Student Aid
Type of Review: Revision.
Title: Umbrella Clearance for
Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Focus
Groups, and Topic Surveys.
Frequency: Quarterly; Semiannually;
Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; Business or other for-profit;
Not-for-profit institutions; State, local or
Tribal Governments.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour
Burden:
Responses: 60,300.
Burden Hours: 13,375.
Abstract: The Higher Education
Amendments of 1998 established
Federal Student Aid as the first
Performance-Based Organization. One
purpose of the PBO is to improve
service to students and other
participants in the student financial
assistance programs authorized under
title IV, including making those
programs more understandable to
students and their parents. To do that,
FSA has committed to ensuring that all
people receive service that matches or
exceeds the best service available in the
private sector. The legislation’s
requirements establish an ongoing need
for FSA to be engaged in an interactive
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process of collecting information and
using it to improve program services
and processes.
Requests for copies of the proposed
information collection request may be
accessed from https://edicsweb.ed.gov,
by selecting the ‘‘Browse Pending
Collections’’ link and by clicking on link
number 4190. When you access the
information collection, click on
‘‘Download Attachments’’ to view.
Written requests for information should
be addressed to U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
Requests may also be electronically
mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or faxed
to 202–401–0920. Please specify the
complete title of the information
collection when making your request.
Comments regarding burden and/or
the collection activity requirements
should be electronically mailed to
ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Individuals who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339.
[FR Doc. 2010–3147 Filed 2–17–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
Department of Education.
The Acting Director,
Information Collection Clearance
Division, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of
Management invites comments on the
submission for OMB review as required
by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before March
22, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be addressed to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: Education Desk Officer,
Office of Management and Budget, 725
17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New
Executive Office Building, Washington,
DC 20503, be faxed to (202) 395–5806 or
e-mailed to
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov with a
cc: to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires
that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) provide interested
Federal agencies and the public an early
opportunity to comment on information
collection requests. OMB may amend or
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 32 (Thursday, February 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7256-7264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3135]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DENALI COMMISSION
Denali Commission Fiscal Year 2010 Draft Work Plan
AGENCY: Denali Commission.
ACTION: Denali Commission Fiscal Year 2010 Draft Work Plan request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Denali Commission (Commission) is an independent Federal
agency based on an innovative Federal-State partnership designed to
provide critical utilities, infrastructure and support for economic
development and in training in Alaska by delivering Federal services in
the most cost-effective manner possible. The Commission was created in
1998 with passage of the October 21, 1998 Denali Commission Act (Act)
(Title III of Pub. L. 105-277, 42 U.S.C. 3121). The Denali Commission
Act requires that the Commission develop proposed work plans for future
spending and that the annual Work Plan be published in the Federal
Register, providing an opportunity for a 30-day period of public review
and written comment. This Federal Register notice serves to announce
the 30-day opportunity for public comment on the Denali Commission
Draft Work Plan for Federal Fiscal Year 2010.
DATES: Comments and related material must be received by March 15,
2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Denali Commission, Attention: Valerie
Boyd, 510 L Street, Suite 410, Anchorage, AK 99501.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Boyd, Denali Commission, 510 L
Street, Suite 410, Anchorage, AK 99501. Telephone: (907) 271-1414. E-
mail: vboyd@denali.gov.
Background: The Commission's mission is to partner with tribal,
Federal, State, and local governments and collaborate with all Alaskans
to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government services, to
develop a well-trained labor force employed in a diversified and
sustainable economy, and to build and ensure the operation and
maintenance of Alaska's basic infrastructure.
By creating the Commission, Congress mandated that all parties
involved partner together to find new and innovative solutions to the
unique infrastructure and economic development challenges in America's
most remote communities.
Pursuant to the Denali Commission Act, as amended, the Commission
determines its own basic operating principles and funding criteria on
an annual Federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30) basis. The
Commission outlines these priorities and funding recommendations in an
annual Work Plan.
The Work Plan is adopted on an annual basis in the following
manner, which occurs sequentially as listed:
Commissioners first provide an approved draft version of
the Work Plan to the Federal Co-Chair.
The Federal Co-Chair approves the draft Work Plan for
publication in the Federal Register providing an opportunity for a 30-
day period of public review and written comment. During this time the
draft Work Plan is also disseminated widely to Commission program
partners including, but not limited to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the United
States Department of Agriculture--Rural Development (USDA-RD).
Public comment concludes and Commission staff provides the
Federal Co-Chair with a summary of public comment and recommendations,
if any, associated with the draft Work Plan.
If no revisions are made to the draft, the Federal Co-
Chair provides notice of approval of the Work Plan to the
Commissioners, and forwards the Work Plan to the Secretary of Commerce
for approval; or, if there are revisions the Federal Co-Chair provides
notices of modifications to the Commissioners for their consideration
and approval, and upon receipt of approval from Commissioners, forwards
the Work Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for approval.
The Secretary of Commerce approves the Work Plan.
The Work Plan authorizes the Federal Co-Chair to enter into grant
agreements, award grants and contracts and obligate the Federal funds
identified by appropriation below.
FY10 Appropriations Summary
The Denali Commission has historically received several Federal
funding sources. These fund sources are governed by the following
general principles:
In FY 2010 no project specific earmarks were directed.
The Energy and Water Appropriation is eligible for use in
all programs, but has historically been used substantively to fund the
Energy Program.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established new authorities
for the Commission's Energy Program, with an emphasis on renewable and
alternative energy projects. No new funding accompanied the Energy
Policy Act, and
[[Page 7257]]
prior fiscal year Congressional direction has indicated that the
Commission should fund renewable and alternative Energy Program
activities from the available Energy and Water appropriation.
All other funds outlined below may be used only for the
specific program area and may not be used across programs. For
instance, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding,
which is appropriated for the Health Facilities Program, may not be
moved to the Energy Program.
Final transportation funds received may be reduced due to agency
modifications, reductions and fees determined by the U.S. Department of
Transportation. Final program available figures will not be provided
until later this spring.
Final USDA-Rural Utility Services (RUS) funds received may be
reduced based on the amount made available to the Commission.
Historically, the Commission has received 50% of the total RUS funds
available nationally, and the Commission is using historic funding
percentages to provide the appropriations and program available
estimate for RUS in the FY10 Work Plan and funding chart below.
All Energy and Water Appropriation funds, including operational
funds, designated as ``up to'' may be reassigned to the Legacy Energy
program, Bulk Fuel and Rural Power System Upgrades (RPSU), if they are
not fully expended in a program component area or a specific project.
All U.S. Department of Health and Human Services--HRSA funds
designated as ``up to'' may be reassigned to the primary care clinic
program if they are not fully expended in a program component area.
The table below provides the following information, by fund source:
Total FY10 Budgetary Resources provided in the Omnibus Bill:
These are the figures that appear in the rows marked by an asterisk
(*) and are the original appropriation amounts which do not include
Commission overhead deductions. These funds are identified by their
source name (i.e., ``Energy and Water Appropriation; USDA, RUS,
etc.) The grand total for all appropriations appears at the end of
the chart.
Total FY10 Program Available Funding: These are the figures that
appear in the rows entitled ``FY10 Appropriations--Program
Available'' and are the amounts of funding available for program(s)
activities after Commission overhead has been deducted.
Traditionally, the Commission's overhead rate has been limited to
5%, except in the case of RUS funds, where it is limited to 4%. The
following appropriations language for the Energy and Water
appropriation in FY10 allows the Commission to retain more than 5%
of the Energy and Water for operational activities as it deems
appropriate and prudent: ``* * * notwithstanding the limitations
contained in section 306(g) of the Denali Commission Act of 1998.''
The grand total for all program available funds appears at the end
of the chart.
Program Funding: These are the figures that appear in the rows
entitled with the specific Program and Sub-Program area, and are the
amounts of funding the Draft FY10 Work Plan recommends, within each
program fund source for program components.
Project Funding: These are the figures that appear in the rows
entitled with the specific Program and Sub-Program area and in
italics and are the amounts of funding the Draft FY10 Work Plan
recommends within each program fund source for specific projects.
Subtotal of Program Funding
These are the figures that appear in the rows entitled
``subtotal'' and are the subtotals of all program funding within a
given fund source. The subtotal must always equal the Total FY10
Program Available Funding.
Denali Commission FY 2010 Funding Table
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals ($)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* FY 2010 Energy & Water 11,965,000.
Appropriation.
For expenses of the Denali Commission
including the purchase,
construction, and acquisition of
plant and capital equipment as
necessary and other expenses,
$11,965,000, to remain available
until expended, notwithstanding the
limitations contained in section
306(g) of the Denali Commission Act
of 1998.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2010 Energy & Water Appropriation-- 9,965,000.
Program Available (less overhead--
not limited to 5% in FY 2010 and
designated as ``up to'').
Energy............................... 8,665,000.
Emerging Technology 2,241,607 (up to).
Projects.
Construction Contingency 2,193,393 (up to).
Funds.
Hoonah--Rural Power 3,330,000.
System Upgrade.
Brevig Mission/Teller 900,000.
Intertie.
Training Program..................... 1,000,000 (up to).
AK Dept. of Labor (A- 500,000.
DOL) Denali Training Fund.
A-DOL Youth Initiatives. 500,000.
Pre-Development Program.............. 150,000 (up to).
Sponsorship Program.................. 150,000 (up to).
Sub-total........................ 9,965,000.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* FY 2010 USDA, Rural Utilities 8,000,000.
Service (RUS)--Estimate.
FY 2010 USDA--Rural Utilities Service 7,680,000.
(RUS)--Program Available (less 4%
overhead)--Estimate.
Stebbins/St. Michael--Bulk Fuel 730,630.
Facility Construction.
Igiugig--Rural Power System Upgrade.. 1,350,000.
Yakutat--Rural Power System Upgrade.. 3,150,000.
Pending Bulk Fuel or RPSU project to 1,500,000.
be selected per Energy Program
Prioritization Process as outlined
in the FY 2010 Work Plan.
Conceptual Planning/Design for Bulk 949,370.
Fuel and RPSU.
----------------------------------
Sub-total........................ 7,680,000.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* FY 2010 Trans Alaska Pipeline 7,084,606.
Liability (TAPL) Trust.
FY 2010 Trans Alaska Pipeline 6,730,370.
Liability (TAPL)--Program Available
(less 5% overhead)--Estimate.
Stebbins/St. Michael--Bulk Fuel 6,730,370.
Facility Construction.
----------------------------------
Sub-total........................ 6,730,370.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*FY 2010 DHHS--Health Resources & 10,000,000.
Services Administration (HRSA).
[[Page 7258]]
The Committee provides $10,000,000
for the Denali Commission. The
fiscal year 2009 comparable level
was $19,642,000 and the budget
request for fiscal year 2010 did not
include funding for this program.
These funds support the construction
and renovation of health clinics,
hospitals and social service
facilities in rural Alaska, as
authorized by Public Law 106-113, to
help remote communities in Alaska
develop critically needed health and
social services to Alaskans in
remote rural communities as they are
in other communities throughout the
country. The Committee expects the
Denali Commission to allocate funds
to a mix of rural hospital, clinic,
long-term care and social service
facilities, rather than focusing
exclusively on clinic funding.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2010 DHHS-Health Resources & 9,500,000.
Services Administration (HRSA)--
Program Available (less 5% overhead).
Primary Care......................... 7,267,400.
Igiugig--Primary Care Clinic..... 1,000,000.
Ekwok--Primary Care Clinic....... 1,600,000.
Kasaan--Small Primary Care Clinic 800,000.
Kaltag--Primary Care Clinic...... 1,818,400.
Design Pool and Program 2,049,000.
Management, ANTHC.
Behavioral Health.................... 492,900 (up to).
[Projects are undergoing due
diligence and vetting process at
publication. No specific projects are
named at this time.]
Primary Care in Hospitals............ 734,700 (up to).
Petersburg--Radiology Equipment.. 36,733.
Bartlett Regional Hospital--Blood 52,500.
Chemistry Analyzer.
Mt. Edgecumbe--Fluoroscopy 100,000.
Radiography.
Wrangell Medical Center-- 43,000.
Mammography Equipment.
Kanakanak Hospital--CT Scan 100,000.
Equipment.
Providence Seward--Electronic 100,000.
Health Records.
Providence Kodiak--Infant 28,919.
Security System.
Ketchikan General Hospital-- 76,500.
Breast Biopsy Equipment.
Central Peninsula Hospital-- 97,976.
Medication Verification System.
Providence Valdez--Patient 7,996.
Services Equipment.
Sitka Community Hospital-- 91,076.
Surgical Equipment.
Elder Supportive Housing............. $805,000 (up to).
Kenai Peninsula Housing 770,000.
Initiatives, Soldotna (6 units).
Program Management, AHFC............. 35,000.
Health Program: Technical Assistance 200,000 (up to).
Contract to Alaska Summit
Enterprises.
----------------------------------
Sub-total........................ 9,500,000.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*FY 2010 Federal Transit $5,000,000.
Administration (FTA)--Estimate.
$5,000,000 from section 3011 (FTA)
for docks and harbors;
*FY 2010 Federal Highway 17,784,000.
Administration (FHWA)--Estimate.
For necessary, expenses for the
Denali Access System Program as
authorized under Section 1960 of
Public Law 109-59, $5,700,000, to
remain available until expended and
$4,800,000 from section 1934 (FHWA)
for docks and harbors; and
$11,400,000 from section 1960 (FHWA)
for Denali Access System Program.
*FY 2010 Additional Transportation 2,200,000.
Funding--Estimate.
FY 2010 Transportation--Program 23,644,800.
Available (less 5% overhead)--
Estimate.
Transportation Program: Docks & 13,644,800.
Harbors--Estimate.
Transportation Program: Roads - 10,000,000.
Estimate.
Sub-total........................ 23,644,800.
----------------------------------
*TOTAL FY 2010 Federal 62,033,606.
Appropriations--Estimate.
----------------------------------
TOTAL FY 2010 Federal Program 57,520,170.
Available--Estimate.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY10 Program Details and General Information
The following section provides narrative discussion, by each of the
Commission Programs identified for FY10 funding in the table above, in
the following categories:
Program History and Approach.
FY10 Project Description.
FY10 Project Selection Process.
FY10 Program and Project Policy Issues (as applicable).
The final section also includes a general summary of other program
and policy issues facing the Commission, statements of support by the
Commission for the funding requests and activities of other program
partners which the Commission works in partnership with, and detail
regarding the Commission's evaluation and reporting efforts.
Government Coordination
The Commission is charged with the special role of increasing the
effectiveness of government programs by acting as a catalyst to
coordinate the many Federal and State programs that serve Alaska. In
FY10, the Commission will continue its role of coordinating State and
Federal agencies and other partner organizations to accomplish its
overall mission of developing Alaska's communities. Particular focus
will be given to the collaborative efforts of the Commission's Federal
and State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the various workgroups
and planning sessions and forums that occur as a result of the MOU
meetings.
[[Page 7259]]
Energy Program
Legacy Program
The Energy Program is the Commission's original program and is
identified as a ``legacy'' program. The program focuses on bulk fuel
facilities (BFU) and rural power system upgrades/power generation
(RPSU) across rural Alaska. About 94% of electricity in rural
communities is produced by diesel and about half the fuel storage in
most villages is used for these power plants for distribution.
Alternative means of generating power can reduce the capacity needed
for fuel storage and ultimately reduce the cost of power to the
community.
Alternative/Renewable Program
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established new authorities for the
Commission's Energy Program with an emphasis on alternative and
renewable energy projects. Although the 2005 Energy Policy Act did not
include specific appropriations, the Commission is expected to carry
out the intent of the Act through a portion of its Energy and Water
appropriation funding. To date, the Commission has co-funded a number
of renewable projects and each year new initiatives are considered. In
2007, the State of Alaska passed legislation and funded the Renewable
Energy Program (REP) which modeled the project selection process set
forth by the Commission's early investment.
Emerging Technologies
With the advent of the REP, more resources to meet commercial-ready
renewable technology needs are now available. The area of emerging
technologies, meaning pre-commercial yet post-research/development, has
become an appropriate role for the Commission. A solicitation was
conducted in FY 2009 identifying over $50 M in project requests (and
only $4 M in available funds). Similar to the REP, this initiative is a
leveraging opportunity with the State of Alaska in considering the
development of an emerging technology fund that could accept funds from
multiple sources to meet these ongoing needs. The goal of the program
is to fund pilot projects for applied research and further technologies
focusing on replication in rural Alaska so they are commercially viable
and ultimately eligible for REP.
Other Renewable Initiatives
In addition to the emerging technology program, the Commission has
funded energy efficiency efforts with the goal of energy cost reduction
and leveraging of funding sources. The Commission will continue to
track opportunities under the American Revitalization and Recovery Act
(ARRA) and to provide supportive incentives, financial or otherwise, to
utilize such opportunities. For example, in FY 2009 the Commission
provided match funding to tribes that submitted group applications to
the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program under the
Department of Energy. In doing so, the barrier of administering grants
by small tribes was minimized and potential funding losses were
avoided. The Commission received 8 eligible group applications,
representing 106 Alaskan tribes, totaling $456,710 in Commission
funding and leveraging over $4 M of Federal funding. While the FY 2010
Work Plan allocates all renewable funds toward emerging technologies,
it also recommends that if funds become available to support efforts to
incentivize energy efficiency or other stimulus opportunities around
energy for rural Alaska be considered allowable. No funds are currently
set aside for these needs.
The FY 2010 Work Plan outlines a strategy to balance the Energy
Program in both legacy and renewable components, providing up to $2.24
M of available program funds specifically toward the emerging
technology program which is pending passage by the Alaska State
Legislature. If match for this program is not provided, this funding
shall be reallocated to legacy projects.
The project amounts listed below are estimates and final award
documents may vary based on changes in match by project and receipt of
funding.
FY 2010 Project Descriptions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Denali commission Cost share match Project selection
Recipient/impacted community Project description Total project cost cost ($) (S) * methodology
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulk Fuel Projects
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBD............................. TBD..................... TBD................. 1,500,000........... TBD................ TBD
Stebbins/St. Michael............ AEA--Bulk Fuel Facility 8,290,000........... 7,461,000........... $829,000........... AVEC nominated.
Replacement serving
both communities in
conjunction with power
plant, standby power
plant, distribution
modifications,
recovered heat and
intertie between
villages.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RPSU Projects
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yakutat......................... AEA--Rural Power System 3,500,000........... 3,150,000........... 350,000............ AEA nominated.
Upgrade. New powerhouse
and distribution
system. Waste heat
recovery to school and
pool..
Hoonah.......................... AVEC--Rural Power System 3,700,000........... 3,330,000........... 370,000............ AEA nominated.
Upgrade. New diesel
powerhouse and heat
recovery system in
conjunction with
pursuant hydro,
geothermal, wood
heating and intertie to
Pelican.
Brevig Mission/Teller........... Submarine Cable Intertie 1,000,000........... 900,000............. 100,000............ AVEC nominated.
Igiugig......................... AEA--Rural Power System 1,500,000........... 1,350,000........... 150,000............ AEA nominated.
Upgrade. Renewal of
existing powerhouse
including waste heat
recovery to washeteria
and water plant in
conjunction with
hydrokinetic project.
Contingency **.................. Commission to hold...... 2,193,393........... 2,193,393........... 0.................. N/A.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Additional Funds Become Available the Following Bulk Fuel and RPSU Projects May Proceed (Not Listed in Priority Order)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chenega Bay..................... RPSU.................... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
[[Page 7260]]
Ekwok........................... Bulk Fuel Facility...... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
Emmonak/Alakanuk................ Intertie (State funded), TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AVEC nominated.
BF Facilities and Power
Plant in Emmonak.
Kipnuk.......................... Bulk Fuel Facility...... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
Levelock........................ RPSU.................... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
Mekoryuk........................ RPSU.................... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AVEC nominated.
Napakiak........................ RPSU.................... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
Red Devil/Sleetmute............. Intertie................ TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
Ruby............................ RPSU.................... TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AEA nominated.
Stebbins/St. Michael............ AVEC--main power plant TBD................. TBD................. TBD................ AVEC nominated.
in Stebbins,
distribution mods.,
stand-by power plant in
St. Michael, recovered
heat and Intertie
Construction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alternative/Renewable Energy Projects
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emerging Technology Program..... Applied Research 2,241,607........... TBD................. pending............ Selection process in SB150
renewable energy pilot and accompanied HB.
projects.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2010 Program & Project Policy Issues
Cost Share Match *
The approved FY 2008 Denali Commission Policy Document requires and
prioritizes cost share match for funded projects. In implementing this
policy, the Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) has provided guidance on
the appropriate match requirements. In general, projects with match
will be prioritized, and a final match policy will be implemented once
other match funding sources are known for FY 2010.
Sustainability Policy
As a renewed effort toward sustainability, all energy design and
construction grants will proceed after business plans are reviewed and
approved by Commission staff. Additionally, Commission staff is
expected to be engaged throughout the planning process of projects to
assure policy requirements are adhered to earlier in the process.
Construction Contingency Pool**
The Commission has historically handled construction cost overruns
on an ongoing basis, with the requirement that those in excess of 10%
be reported to Commissioners via an ``exceptions report''.
Concurrently, Commission staff has been critical of project budgets in
keeping with the investment policy requirements that per unit costs be
considered as part of due diligence when making project decisions.
Consequently, either risks are taken on part of program partners in
their original project budgets, or extra contingency is worked into
project budgets. In an effort to spread available funds further the
project budgets listed above do not include contingency funds. Instead,
a Construction Contingency Pool in the amount of up to $2,193,393 is
dedicated for the Commission to meet these needs.
FY 2010 Project Selection Process
Legacy Program (Bulk Fuel/RPSU)
Due to the nature of the due diligence requirement of energy
projects, seasonal logistics in Alaska and funding restrictions (i.e.,
TAPL funds may only be used for bulk fuel projects)--a project may not
progress as quickly as another. Further, cost estimates may change from
the FY 2010 Work Plan development to the actual grant execution. The
projects are prioritized in the list above, and will progress to
construction as a project attains all due diligence requirements;
projects may proceed out of priority order and costs may vary from the
above numbers to the actual grant document. All match requirements will
remain intact given these considerations.
Emerging Technologies Program
Pending State legislation creates a project selection process
involving two phases. A review committee was established with
representatives name-identified in the legislation. The Commission
replicated the process and suggests the same process be used in FY
2010, pending State funding for the program. In summary, applicants in
the first round submit a letter of interest which the review committee
narrows to a list of second round applicants that are invited to submit
a more thorough proposal and present to the review committee face to
face. The review process will to the extent possible follow that set
forth in pending State legislation however final project/grant approval
is subject to approval by the Federal Co-chair.
Health Facilities Program
The Denali Commission Act was amended in 1999 to provide for the
``planning, constructing and equipping of health facilities.'' Since
1999, the Health Facilities Program has been methodically investing in
the planning, design and construction of primary care clinics across
Alaska.
Primary care clinics have remained the ``legacy'' priority for the
Program. However, in 2003 the ``Other Than'' primary care component of
the Program was adopted in response to Congressional direction to fund
a mix of other health and social service related facility needs. Over
time, the Program has developed Program sub-areas such as Behavioral
Health Facilities, Domestic Violence Facilities, Elder Housing, Primary
Care in Hospitals, Emergency Medical Services Equipment and Hospital
Designs. The FY10 Draft Work Plan emphasizes the priority of the
Primary Care Clinic Program as the legacy program area, with the
majority of funding dedicated to clinics.
The Program utilizes a ``universe of need'' model for primary care
and a competitive selection process for other sub-program areas. In
1999 the Program created a deficiency list for primary care clinics,
which totaled 288 communities statewide in need of clinic replacement,
expansion and/or renovation. Currently, 95 clinics have been completed;
29 are in construction; and approximately 110 are in the conceptual
planning/business planning/design phases.
[[Page 7261]]
The Program is guided by the Health Steering Committee, an advisory
body comprised of the following membership organizations: The State of
Alaska, Alaska Primary Care Association, the Alaska Native Tribal
Health Consortium, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, the Alaska
Native Health Board, the Indian Health Service, the Alaska State
Hospital and Nursing Home Association, the Rasmuson Foundation and the
University of Alaska.
Projects are recommended for funding by Commission staff if they
demonstrate project readiness, which includes the completion of all due
diligence requirements. In priority order, those stages of completion
are:
1. Having a recently approved business plan.
2. Having a completed (100%) design.
3. Cost share match status.
4. Ranking in the 2000 Rural Health Facility Needs Assessment.
Finally, all of these are considered in regard to the realistic
ability to move the project forward in a given construction season.
The Health Facilities Program anticipates the Commission policy
document, which was adopted in November 2008, will impact the clinic
prioritization process, specifically for those communities located on
the road system, and within proximity to one another, and for
communities with populations less than 100.
In 2008 the program identified small communities (populations of
less than 100) as an area for improvement in terms of cost containment
and sustainability. Consequently, the Commission has funded a pilot
design project to create a cost effective, energy efficient clinic
prototype for these small communities. The result of work to-date is
the 35% designs of three small clinics--one around 700 square feet, one
approximately 850 square feet, and the third close to 1,000 square
feet. These 65% design documents for three prototype clinics will allow
the construction of right-sized, energy efficient community health
clinics in small communities. It is common for health services in small
Alaskan communities to be provided by part-time Community Health Aides/
Practitioners.
Furthermore, emergency medical services and preventive health
services are of paramount importance to the residents of these small
villages, and these clinics will allow for the safe, consistent
provision of these. The design team has included a professional
architect/engineering firm and representatives from a diversity of
interests and expertise, including the tribal health system,
practitioners, eventual owners/operators, and funding agencies. The 65%
designs are anticipated in late spring, with a pilot project being
constructed from one of the three designs in a rural Alaska location in
early fall 2010.
The Health Facilities Program is evolving. What began ten years ago
with an assessment of rural Alaska health facility needs grew into a
$40 M a year infrastructure program by 2005. Over the course of its
history, the Commission has invested $191 M in health projects,
contributing to the construction of 95 clinics and the planning efforts
of another 100.
The projects presented here reflect the process for prioritization
recommended and endorsed by the Health Steering Committee. In
compliance with recently adopted procedures for the Denali Commission
Work Plans, the Health Program must propose specific projects for FY
2010 funding. Projects presented here are aligned with the
appropriation conference language, as follows:
The Committee expects the Denali Commission to allocate funds to
a mix of rural hospital, clinic, long-term care and social service
facilities, rather than focusing exclusively on clinic funding.
For historical context, the following reflects the allocation of
Health Facilities Program appropriations across the program component
areas:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primary care Primary care in Elder supportive Other program
Fiscal year clinics hospitals housing Behavioral health areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007..................................................... $37,119,040 $2,500,000 $0 $5,063,000 $637,000
2008..................................................... 23,319,040 4,000,000 5,840,890 5,000,000 0
2009..................................................... 14,758,102 1,526,746 1,901,420 1,017,831 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allocation of Program Resources Across Program Component Areas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primary care clinics Primary care in hospitals Elder supportive housing Behavioral health
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$7,267,400 734,700 805,000 492,900
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to $200,000 will be made available for the technical
consultation contract which assists communities through the due
diligence application process.
This allocation scenario, recommended by the Health Steering
Committee, distributes available funds across the breadth of program
areas.
FY 2010 Prioritized Project Descriptions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Denali
Community Project description Total est. commission Cost share
project cost share (est.) match (est.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Igiugig............................... 1,600 SF primary care $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000
clinic.
Ekwok................................. 1,600 SF primary care 2,000,000 1,600,000 400,000
clinic.
Kasaan................................ 900 SF primary care 1,000,000 800,000 200,000
clinic.
Kaltag................................ 2,058 SF primary care 2,273,000 1,818,400 454,600
clinic.
Chistochina........................... 6,000 SF Multi-use 3,443,120 2,754,496 688,624
facility; 3,000 SF
clinic.
Chalkyitsik........................... 1,642 SF primary care 1,855,373 1,484,299 371,074
clinic.
Shaktoolik............................ 2,650 SF primary care 2,700,000 2,160,000 540,000
clinic.
Arctic Village........................ 2,067 SF primary care 1,694,016 1,524,614 169,402
clinic.
Akiachak.............................. 3,200 SF primary care 3,094,400 2,784,960 309,440
clinic.
[[Page 7262]]
Takotna............................... 900 SF primary care 1,000,000 800,000 200,000
clinic.
Wales................................. Relocation & renovation 855,000 769,500 85,500
of primary care clinic.
Venetie............................... 2,147 SF primary care 1,751,952 1,576,757 175,195
clinic.
Napakiak.............................. 2,600 SF primary care 2,514,200 2,262,780 251,420
clinic.
Circle................................ 1,647 SF primary care 1,343,952 1,209,557 134,395
clinic.
Tyonek................................ 2,580 SF primary care 2,146,560 1,931,904 214,656
clinic.
Willow................................ 8,000 SF Community 4,808,000 4,327,200 480,800
Health Center.
Hoonah................................ 4,000 SF primary care 3,116,000 2,804,400 311,600
clinic.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................................. ........................ .............. 31,608,867 ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Due to the nature of the due diligence requirement of Primary Care
projects, a project may not progress as quickly as another. The
projects are prioritized in the list above, and will progress to
construction as a project attains all due diligence requirements;
projects may proceed out of priority order.
The competitive proposal processes for the elder supportive housing
and primary care in hospitals programs were completed in January 2010.
Specific projects proposed for FY 2010 funding are included in the FY
2010 Funding Table.
The Commission's major program partner for behavioral health
projects is the Alaska Department Health and Social Services (A-DHSS),
which maintains a prioritized list of infrastructure needs related to
behavioral health. The Health Facilities Program will continue to work
with A-DHSS to address the prioritized needs, as projects attain the
due diligence standards of the Commission.
As denoted above, if viable, sustainable, and vetted projects in
the behavioral health, primary care in hospitals, and elder supportive
housing programs will not utilize all of the allotted funds in those
component areas (by June 2010), the remaining funds will be re-
programmed to the legacy primary care clinic program.
Prior Year Reprogramming of Project Funds:
While care is taken to obligate program funds to viable projects
with reliable cost estimates, occasionally a project will not move
forward to construction, or will experience a cost savings. In those
instances, the Commission staff will identify to Commissioners and the
Federal Co-Chair how prior year project funds will be utilized.
Historically the Health Facilities Program has funded a mix of health
projects. Prior work plans have indicated unexpended funds in Health
component areas other than primary care would revert back to primary
care projects. As the legacy focus of the Health Facilities program is
primary care clinics, a large percentage of funds will be re-programmed
to that component area. However, consideration is typically given to
ensure that a wide variety of projects in the areas of rural hospitals,
clinics, long-term care and social service facilities is supported.
The Denali Commission Health Facilities Program must at this time
re-program $6,871,470 in unexpended prior year funds. The funds to be
re-programmed are time-limited (they must be expended within five years
of the original appropriation), so the money must be used for projects
that will be ready to move to construction in calendar year 2010 or
early 2011. The following three primary care clinic projects have a
high probability of moving into construction in 2010 or early 2011:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Denali Commission share
Community Project description (est.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chistochina.................................... 3,000 SF primary care clinic.......... $2,754,496
Chalkyitsik.................................... 1,642 SF primary care clinic.......... 1,484,299
Akiachak....................................... 3,200 SF primary care clinic.......... 2,784,960
------------------------
7,023,755*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* This amount exceeds the available balance of reprogrammable funds by $152,285--which will be transferred from
the design pool budget line in the FY 2010 Work Plan.
If these projects should not proceed to construction as expected
the Commission will utilize the prioritization methodology outlined in
the health facilities program section above to identify other projects.
Training Program
The Training Program was instituted by the Commissioners as a
standalone program in 1999 to ensure local residents were trained to
construct, maintain and operate Commission investments in rural Alaska.
From 1999 to 2003, it was the general policy of the Commission to
appropriate 10% of Energy and Water funds to support the Training
Program. In 2004, US Department of Labor (USDOL) began direct
appropriations to the Commission to support rural training and
continued this support through 2009.
In 2010, the Commission was not appropriated training funds from
USDOL, but the FY 2010 includes funding for the program in the amount
of $1,000,000 from the Energy and Water appropriation for the
continuation of workforce development in rural Alaska.
The Commission's Training Program has been critical to building the
capacity of rural communities through training and employment. In
February 2009 the Alaska Department of Labor (A-DOL), Research and
Analysis Section released an employment and training report that
specifically evaluated the participants who completed training funded
through the Commission between FY 2001 and FY 2007. This report
concluded that the participants' wages increased 64.4%
[[Page 7263]]
and their employability increased 12.1%.
The following is a list of training partners who have been funded
by the Commission to carry-out training programs responsive to the
Training program goals:
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
University of Alaska.
Alaska Works Partnership.
Associated General Contractors/Construction Education
Foundation (CEF).
First Alaskans.
The FY 2010 Draft Work Plan is based on the two primary goals.
First to use the remaining FY 2009 funds in the amount of $3,209,100.00
to continue to support legacy partners who have an excellent reputation
of delivering applicable training to rural Alaskans that supports the
construction, maintenance and operation of Denali Commission
investments.
Secondly, in response to an early policy of the agency, that
approximately 10% ($1 M) of the Energy and Water appropriation be
provided to the FY 2010 Training Program to ensure its continuation.
When combined with prior year funds that were only recently received by
the agency from Federal USDOL, this will allow the Commission to
continue the program and fund substantial workforce development in
rural Alaska.
Transportation
Section 309 of the Denali Commission Act 1998 (amended), created
the Commission's Transportation Program, including the Transportation
Advisory Committee. The advisory committee is composed of nine members
appointed by the Governor of the State of Alaska including the Federal
Co-Chair of the Denali Commission; four members who represent existing
regional native corporations, native nonprofit entities, or tribal
governments, including one member who is a civil engineer; and four
members who represent rural Alaska regions or villages, including one
member who is a civil engineer.
The Transportation Program addresses two areas of rural Alaska
transportation infrastructure, roads and waterfront development. There
is consensus among agencies and communities that the Program is
successfully addressing improvements to local and regional
transportation systems. This is largely a function of the
Transportation Advisory Committee's success at project selection and
monitoring, and the success of the Program's project development
partners.
The Program is generally a competitively-bid contractor or
materials-based system grounded in Title 23 CFR. These strict project
development and construction guidelines have presented some challenges
to the Commission's ability to respond quickly to targets of
opportunity, but they have also had the positive effect of ensuring
project design and construction is executed at a professional level.
The Program operates under a reimbursable payment system that requires
local and program partner sponsors to pay close attention to accounting
procedures prior to their payments to contractors and vendors. This
system helps ensure project payments are eligible when submitted to the
Commission.
In FY10 the program will increase its focus on barge landings at
rural communities. These projects range from one or two mooring points
to secure a barge, to small dock structures, depending on community
size and barge operation characteristics. The value of these structures
lies in improved fuel/freight transfer operations and improved worker
and environmental safety. The Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE) have prepared a barge landing analysis that will be
utilized to identify projects in FY10. The universe of need for the
first generation of projects is in the range of $40,000,000.
The Committee met on January 13-14, 2010 to select the road and
waterfront development projects and program priorities for FY10. Final
project approvals and funding amounts will be provided in early
February 2010 upon review and approval by the Commission's Federal Co-
Chair.
Broadband
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell designated the Denali Commission
(Commission) as the lead entity for the Broadband Mapping and Planning
initiative which is being funded by the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (``NTIA'') of the United States Department
of Commerce.
The Commission is charged to lead this important effort to plan
broadband in Alaska. The State intends to be an active participant and
major partner in this proposed mapping and planning effort with direct
involvement by the State Co-Chair, Governor and appropriate State
agencies and State personnel. The Commission will partner with
broadband mapping leader, Connected Nation, to implement the Connect
Alaska program. In addition the Commission will support the creation
and management of the Broadband Steering Committee, which will be
comprised of State, Federal, non-profit, and State of Alaska
telecommunications providers.
The scope of work seeks to employ industry-standard GIS toolsets
and experienced personnel to deliver comprehensive and accurate
broadband mapping data, develop State-level broadband maps, aid in the
development and maintenance of a national broadband map, and fund
statewide initiatives directed at broadband planning. The Connect
Alaska suite of deliverables will include datasets as required by the
NTIA as well as Web-based, interactive broadband maps to inform State
and local government officials, consumers, broadband providers,
community development organizations, researchers, and other
stakeholders. This interactive Web site will be critical to ensure
accessibility of the broadband data, but it will also be key to
increasing awareness of the mapping program and the benefit of
broadband. It will also play an important role in ensuring local
verification of the mapping data.
NTIA is providing $1.4 M for broadband mapping in Alaska and
$492,000 to manage the Broadband Steering Committee for five years.
Other Program and Policy Issues
Pre-Development Program
The Commission intends to continue to engage in the Pre-Development
program in FY 2010. Pre-Development is a joint collaboration between
the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, the Commission, The Foraker
Group, and the Rasmuson Foundation to assist organizations with
development of plans for successful capital projects.
The funding agencies are concerned that inadequate planning during
the initial projects development phase can result in projects that are
not sustainable in the long term. The Pre-Development Program was
created to provide guidance and technical assistance to ensure that
proposed projects: meet documented need, are consistent with strategic
and community plans, consider opportunities for collaboration, have
appropriate facility and site plans and realistic project budgets, are
financially sustainable and will not negatively impact the
sustainability of the proposing organization. Through this partnership
an agency's capital project is better equipped to proceed.
The amount of $150,000 will provide funding for the pre-development
program for FY 2010.
[[Page 7264]]
Sponsorship Program
The Commission plans to continue conference sponsorships in FY
2010. Commissioners reinstated Conference sponsorship funding for
events that were consistent with the Commission's mission and values in
2006.
Sponsorship activities provide a positive venue for communicating
Commission activities. Sponsorship opportunities also provide
Commission outreach to a wide variety of events and audiences. Events
sponsored by the Commission promote key programmatic areas that are key
to the Commission's values and mission, including efforts in
alternative-renewable energy conferences, health, training and
leadership and transportation.
In FY 2010 this program will be funded in the amount of $150,000.
Events funded will be in line with the major program areas at the
Commission and will have a statewide focus.
Dated: February 4, 2010.
Joel Neimeyer,
Federal Co-Chair.
[FR Doc. 2010-3135 Filed 2-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3300-01-P
