Kodiak plans September DC lobbying trip as defense program bid fails again

Kodiak's latest effort to gain entry to a federal defense infrastructure program was turned down again this week, but Borough Manager Amy Williams came away from the same period of meetings with a new contact who could help strengthen a future application.

Williams told the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly that the borough's bid to access the Defense Community Infrastructure Program had been rejected once more. The program offsets the burden that large military installations place on local roads, utilities, and other infrastructure. Kodiak has not previously qualified because, as Williams explained, the program has been open to communities with Department of Defense bases — Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy — but not Coast Guard, and Kodiak has been mostly Coast Guard. Williams connected with an organizer who helps communities navigate the application process. "She said that we absolutely need an application with a base command endorsement letter, and she could get us one from like a bigger command than our Navy base here," Williams said. She has an appointment scheduled with that contact before the August Alaska Municipal League conference.

Federal Funding on the Table

Mayor Jared Griffin said the Department of Energy carries $130 billion in a capital project fund, with an additional $40 billion for capital projects in Native-serving communities. He said Kodiak needs to stay visible to the people controlling those dollars. "Now that there's like $150 billion at stake that we might be able to, plus the billions in the defense communities program, I'm not going on one trip and I'm going to add in a DC lobbying trip because I think they're thinking about us and they need to keep thinking about us," Griffin said.

The borough and the City of Kodiak are now planning a joint trip for the week of September 21st, with shared messaging and pitches developed alongside the city's interim manager.