Creating Opportunity
Week of August 5, 2002

At the end of each fiscal year, our Economic Development Commission presents its annual activity report to the State of Alaska. After reviewing our report for the now completed FY02 (ended on June 30, 2002), I would like to report to you on our achievements since I took office in October of 2000, and primarily for just the past 18 months.

The Borough's Small Business Grant program is intended to assist our residents who are engaged in a small private business or attempting to start one. We especially encourage development of those businesses in the villages, where there are few jobs available. Over the last year and a half, we have issued 77 grants totaling nearly $117,000. That number compares to six grants for $23,000 that were awarded in the year prior to my administration. Grants included costs of tools, equipment, and supplies, materials for construction or art and crafts, fees for educational workshops and other related expenses. Our Small Business Revolving Loan Program was new to the Borough in 2001. Since its inception in February of that year, we have issued 136 interest-free loans totaling about $150,000. The loans are most commonly used for purchase of inventory for resale, materials for arts and crafts, tools, and start up costs in excess of our $1,500 grant limit for individuals. While we have been the only place in Alaska that offers such a program, other regions are planning to introduce it. It has been exciting to watch so many people invest in their own ideas and talents.

Also unique to the Northwest Arctic Borough, is our Arts Purchase and Marketing Program. Since the program started, we have purchased about $200,000 worth of arts and crafts from 128 residents of our area. It has proven to be challenging to operate, as we need to successfully market the art we purchase in order to make the program work. I have seen improvement in both the quality of much of our art and the number of active artists since this program started.

In order to develop more artists in our region, we sponsored seven workshops for adults, with four of those at villages outside Kotzebue. We also sponsored two-day art classes at Noatak and Buckland schools and a full day at Deering. We plan to have workshops at all of the other schools in the year ahead.

We worked toward our goal of creating community work sites for artists in each of our 11 villages by starting a shop in Kotzebue and sending essential tools to Noatak, Ambler, Selawik and Buckland, where they have identified locations for artists to work. I hope to see art shops in every village before I leave the office of Mayor.

In total, we have worked directly with hundreds of residents representing all of our villages. Many people from around the region visit or call our Borough office every day with regard to these programs and that is the way I want this administration to function. In that spirit, please pass along your thoughts on economic development for our region at any time by calling me or my staff.

As a final word, I would like to thank Siikauraq Whiting for her work here at the Borough over the last ten months. She has decided to leave her position in our Economic Development department in favor of spending time at home and camp for the next year or so. We wish her the very best in all she does.