GBOS Grant Cycle History

Group 2019 Requested 2019 granted 2020 requested 2020 granted 2021 request Little Bears Playhouse, Inc $12,045 $9,420 $10,000 $9,333 $10,000 Challenge Alaska $10,000 $6,680 $10,000 $8,945 $10,000 Glacier Valley Transit $5,000 $4,280.00 $5,000 $4,765 $6,000 Girdwood Art Institute $6,000 $4,440 $4,440 $4,612 $5,820 Girdwood Community Club $8,000 $5,180 $8,000 $7,345 $8,000 total $41,045 $30,000 $37,440 $35,000 $39,820

Four Valleys CS $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $25,000 $25,000

Municipality of Anchorage Girdwood Parks & Recreation Non-Profit Recreation Organization Grant Funding Information

Instructions for Grant Reviewers: Applicants will have the opportunity to present their programs at the September 15, 2020 Grant Presentation meeting. GBOS members will receive a copy of each application and an evaluation worksheet. Please read the applications and complete the evaluation worksheet prior to the October 19, 2020 GBOS meeting. As part of this process, you will determine the amount that you recommend is funded for each program.

Grant funding will be voted on at the October 19, 2020 regular meeting. Bring your completed evaluation worksheets to the meeting. At that meeting, programs will be discussed and GBOS members will provide their recommendations for funding. GBOS funding amounts will be averaged and adjusted to meet the budget of $35,000, and the revised average will be voted on.

Email your completed evaluation worksheets to [email protected] after the October 19, 2020 meeting. These will be held with other grant documents for auditing purposes.

Below is information provided to grantees with their Non-Profit Recreation Grant application, which should be helpful to you in evaluating. Please familiarize yourself with the application criteria before completing the evaluation worksheet for each program.

Non-Profit Recreation Organization Grant Funding Information BUDGET YEAR 2021

The Parks and Recreation Department strives to ensure that comprehensive and diverse recreation programs and activities are made available to the community. The objective of this grant program is to provide funding assistance to non-profit organizations to operate a variety of quality recreation programs.

How do we define recreation? Recreation: Consists of leisure time activities that contribute to healthful living. Enhances participation and skill-building. Instills positive personality characteristics. Expands one’s interests and increases quality of life.

Eligible programs fall into one or more of the following categories: I. Enable citizens to participate in recreation activities. Grant funds will be specifically used to: A. Provide scholarships to individuals, or B. Directly result in a quantifiable fee reduction to the participant.

II. Expand existing recreational programming. The grant funded program will fill a need in the community that: A. Can’t be met by the Municipality as effectively or efficiently, or B. Is not currently being met by another agency in the community.

III. Depending upon the level of funding available, the following will be considered on a limited basis: A. Innovative unique programs requiring seed money. B. One time special recreational opportunity for the community. Additional grant funds will not be solicited in the future.

Restrictions on this funding: I. The organization must have obtained non-profit status recognized by the State of Alaska before a contract can be executed. Informal associations are not eligible for grants.

II. There are no guarantees of annual funding; the intent is for your group or program to become self-sufficient.

III. This grant funding is subject to the availability of funds lawfully appropriated for disbursement.

IV. The intent is to supplement your budget, not to fund your program in total. It should be noted that funding is provided, in full, within a reasonable period upon execution of the contract.

V. Grants are for direct program expenses only, such as program supplies, equipment or facility rental for program activities, program staff wages (to a limited degree), program travel expenses within the Anchorage area, etc.

VI. Grant funds may not be used for general operating or administrative expenses of your organization, such as administrative personnel expenses, non-program space rent or utility costs, liability insurance, office supplies, audit or legal fees, fund-raising expense, etc.

VII. Recreation programming is the goal; grant funds are not to be used for construction activities or capital equipment.

NOTE: This is not intended to be a closed list, but rather a sampling of the key restrictive parameters.

Evaluation Criteria – The Grant Review Committee will evaluate your application based on: I. Purpose of the Program: What demonstrated community need is being met? What is the impact on the community if this program is not provided? What other programs/agencies exist to meet this need? How do they compare to this program?

II. Management of the Program: Does your application show effective management of financial and human resources? Are there appropriate technical skills and knowledge of this program service? Is it fiscally responsible? Does it have a proven ability/track record?

III. Community Support of Program: Are the following elements evident in your application? Strong participation, volunteer services, financial support from other funding sources such as private and corporate contributions, user fees, in-kind donations?

IV. Specifics of Program: Target population – who benefits from your program? Is it cost-effective? Did you include a well thought out concept and organized plan of action? Does it include measurable results? Is this a recreation oriented program?

V. Appearance: Is the application neat and no longer than 6 pages? Applications in excess of 6 pages will be returned. Please be concise and complete in your application.

2021 GBOS Non-Profit Grant

2020 Achievements:

• 3 Girdwood Athletes—Scholarship $3,170

• 40 Girdwood Volunteers—Received $8,500 in training

• 9 Girdwood based Keil Center Rentals (Challenge Building)— Received over $9,000 in discounts

• Dormitory remodel complete pending Fire Marshal review

2021 Plans:

• 40th season of operations!

• Operate safely during COVID-19 Pandemic

• Continue to focus on building relations within the Girdwood community

• Invest in maintenance on the Keil Center

• Year-Round Girdwood operations pending VA Grant (will not affect Girdwood Fine Arts Camp)

GBOS 2021 Grant Cycle Girdwood Arts Camp

Program Description • 2 consecutive weeks in the summer: dates for 2021 are July 26 -August 6th • Annual program for 34 years without interruption since 1986 • Primary camp for ages 5-8, one 2-hr session and one 3-hr session a day • Intermediate camp for ages 9-15, one 4-hr session a day • Focus intensives • Quality art instruction – out of state and local • Public show of works at the end of the camp.

Demonstrated need • Full enrollments • 34 years of success • Funding for arts in public schools is decreasing • Anchorage is far away • 2020 – particular need due to limited recreation / enrichment options in COVID times

Program Report 2020 • COVID precautions and safety measures: masks donated by Denise Gallup; sanitizers; extra cleaning routines; halved enrollment to facilitate distancing. • 33 kids and 4 teenage apprentices – we halved our enrollment and limited enrollment only to full two weeks for all sessions. That drastically cut our enrolled numbers (usually around 75) and consequently tuition. • Community mural at the playground – painted by kids led by a Dena’na artist and activist • Very positive reports from kids and families – much appreciation for our program in this particular year.

Program Outlook for 2021 • Estimate 80 kids and teen apprentices in 2020 • 250 community members and families at the Final Show • Focus Intensive • Winter intensives – if all goes well with COVID

Reasonable Fees • $250 for 2 weeks - Primary camp / $350 for 2 weeks – Intermediate camp • Accessible tuition for quality program for Girdwood kids. Tuition has not been raised in 9 years • GBOS sibling scholarships and Atwood Foundation/Forest Fair need-based scholarships • Comparable programs charge more

Volunteer and Local Business Support • Directors and Board members volunteer time to plan and administer camp • Families, community members, teenagers, retired teachers. • Local businesses donate and support generously: • Spoonline Catering and BakeShop provided generous discounts • Lions Club offered their tents for outdoor programming • Community building and inter-organizational support in Girdwood Valley: • Challenge Alaska provides an extremely generous rent discount • Glacier Valley Transit – in better times provides rides to the kids when mural is repainted every other year • Four Valleys courageously handles our registration and communication with families

Ability to continue with reduced funding • Staff will be required to teach more • Fewer professional artists • Less exposure to variety among instructors and media • Fewer scholarships • Fewer kids able to participate.

Other Funding • No raised tuition -> we seek funding instead • Continuous Funding: GBOS, AK State Council on the Arts, KMTA, Pick.Click.Give, Forest Fair Committme, Atwood Foundation • Individual donors • 2020 additional funding: MUNI Mayor’s Arts Grant and COVID CARES Act • Approaching Carr Foundation and Kumon Foundation

GBOS 2020 FUNDING REPORT • GBOS 2020 grant $4612 • The money was split between sibling scholarships (6 = $1900), 4 apprentice salaries ($2000), movement instructor honorarium ($560) and some operational expenses ($152) • Second year of the extended Afternoon Primary Program • Strong preference among parents for a 3-hr long session • Creative movement adds extra hour focus

REQUEST FOR FUNDING 2021 • $5820 – increase from 2020 to help cover our loss in tuition income from 2020 • Sibling scholarships, apprentice salaries, movement instructor and some operational expenses

WEBSITE: http://www.girdwoodfineartscamp.com/ Photostream 2020: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0y5ON9t3O62WD

Parks and Rec Grant

Thank you! Progress!

• 2020 was the 4th year of fare free model & it’s still working. GVT has broken even 4 years in a row!

• Received grant funding via area wide tax of $20,000 a year for 3 years. Will need to re-secure this funding in 2021

• Parks and Rec Grant of $4765.00 in FY 2020

• Engaged local business, riders & levels of local government

COVID-19 • Continued to provide safe essential transportation to residents during COVID-19 hunker down

• Crow Creek Mine route operated weekends only. This affected ridership and onboard donations

• Forest Fair 2019 transported 9,000 riders & $3,300.00 in donations. July 2020 total ridership was 1,740 with $382.00 in onboard donations

• $9800 state funding was cut in capital budget in 2019.

• Transported 94,000 passengers in 2018/2019 of which 42,000 were local residents. Ridership was on track to be slightly higher than last year before April’s shutdown.

• Total ridership in 2019/2020 was 73,286.

• No expectation of sponsorships from local businesses this year

• Received agreement from Federal Transit Authority CARES Act funding that will enable GVT to continue to provide free public transportation to resident and visitors this year

Summary • Almost half of our riders last year were Girdwood residents

• Our model has proven to be sustainable with continued support from the community

• Trailheads, businesses, parks, families & employees are being served

• Thank you for 2020 funding

Questions? Continuing to Grow Little Bears Playhouse, Inc.

Girdwood, Alaska September 15, 2020 A Little About Little Bears Little Bears Playhouse Vision: All children and families have access to high quality childcare in Girdwood.

Little Bears Playhouse Mission: The mission of Little Bears Playhouse, Inc. is to provide a safe, caring environment that promotes sound emotional, social, cognitive and physical development of children while strengthening and encouraging positive relationships among childcare professionals, families and our community. Little Bears Goal: For Families in the Girdwood Valley and the surrounding communities to have access to high quality, safe, affordable childcare which will prepare their children for primary school. A Little (More) About Little Bears

‐ Since 1983 Little Bears has served the Girdwood and Four Valleys community ‐ Little Bears provides daily care to 20 children daily and over ~40 families annually ‐ Our staff includes eight part‐time and full‐time care‐givers ‐ We are a federally‐recognized 501(c)(3) non‐profit early childhood learning facility ‐ Continued to provide working families the comfort of knowing they have access to safe, quality childcare in their community. ‐ For most of its life Little Bears has relied on community fundraising support and small local grants to support new equipment needs. Good Will and Better Friendships Why a New Facility? With Donations from the Community, Little Bears has:  Provided program needs while keeping our rates affordable • Driven by limited space, Little Bears Playhouse has  Contributed to the NEW building fund as well as maintaining our current facility had a waitlist for enrollment since 2011 Absorbed all maintenance costs (which has added to our • As Girdwood and operational costs) since 2011 surrounding communities have grown, there is a greater demand for additional programs and services for infants, and after‐school programs for school‐aged kids Growing Together

To keep quality of our services at the highest level, Little Bears is submitting a request for grant funds to the GBOS for $10,000.00 in order to improve our facility in many ways. This would be accomplished through ongoing training and certification for our staff members, providing resources for our community garden, the ability to expand our classrooms through field trips and community enrichment, and updating/replenishing our supplies in each classroom.

Where YOUR Contributions Will Go Right Away COVID-19 Update

Much like many businesses in Girdwood, Little Bears Playhouse was hit hard by the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic. We closed our doors mid‐March, and did not reopen until June 1st. This resulted in a loss of income for almost 3 months, and prompted us to apply for a PPP Loan in order to pay our staff through the closure. We are now in the process of applying for PPP Loan forgiveness, but it is not guaranteed. This grant would allow for us to keep the improvement of our facility a priority in the face of these challenges. In Closing…

Donations would be used immediately to fund new equipment/supplies for classrooms and remaining funds will be put towards the new facility We are a non‐profit organization striving to provide the children and families of Girdwood access to high quality childcare As Girdwood and surrounding communities grow, there is a greater demand for additional programs and services for infants, and after‐school programs for school‐aged kids We couldn’t make Little Bears the AWESOME Learning Center it is today without YOU!!! Thank you! Contact Information

Little Bears Playhouse Lauren Ippolito, Director of Little Bears Playhouse [email protected] Girdwood Community Club, Glacier City Radio Parks and Recreation Grant Request 2021 History and Summary of Operations For GBOS Sept. 21, 2020 Meeting Packet Hello, my name is Lewis Leonard, president of the Girdwood Community Club. This grant request is for the operation of the only non-commercial, listener supported, locally operated community FM radio station in Glacier Valley. The Girdwood Community Club has been providing services to Girdwood for 70 years. The history of the club is the history of Girdwood; it is truly the Local Legacy Organization, as the oldest institution in Glacier Valley. Glacier City Radio is one of many projects of the club that have built and defined the area. This grant-funded program falls into eligibility category II: it fills a need in the community that can’t be met by the Municipality as effectively or efficiently, or is not currently being met by another agency in the community. Glacier City Radio is run by volunteers, from management to programming. It provides over 38,000 hours a year of recreational opportunities for people in our facilities, in a diverse audio, music, computer, library, research, skill building, and electronic operating environment, as well as massive recreational listening by residents.

It is an economic beacon, attracting visitors and travelers from Anchorage and along Turnagain Arm.

Besides broadcasting from our historical building in the Park, we also maintain our previous facilities on Vail Drive as a back-up studio to our transmitter at the upper tram terminal. The Vail Drive location is also an alternative emergency broadcast antenna site.

These many facilities are all interlinked in our quest to refine our Department of Redundancy Department. The building that we are using in the Park was built by the club as Girdwood's school in 1950, a few doors down from the Little Dipper Inn in Old Girdwood. It took 5 years to rebuild this structure in its current location, giving another 60 years of life to an historic building that still has no running water; probably the only business in Girdwood with an “Outhouse”... on the front deck.

When we began radio operations in 1997, our initial investment was about $400 for a 5-disc CD changer, microphone, build-it-yourself transmitter in a stuff sack, and TV antenna to spread our minimal signal throughout Glacier Valley!

Now, our facilities represent an insured investment of over $400,000. We are very fortunate to have received this community's support for the last 20 years to build such an awesome, enduring, and endearing resource for our community. How did we get from an investment of $400 in gear to $400,000? The Operations support of this grant from Parks and Recreation frees-up the equivalent amount of money from our supporters for major equipment purchases that this grant does not provide.

That's right; every dollar you grant us for operations provides not only another dollar for equipment, but also gives the community faith in our broad-based support.

What do we do with all this equipment purchased with monies from our members?

The new $15K transmitter and associated remote control gear we installed four years ago ensure we will be on the air even in times of inclement weather; electrical gods willing.

We're continually adding to our in-studio recording gear to host live bands, promoting the arts and the local music scene. Radio Broadcast gear has a 5 or 10 or 20 year lifespan from the microphones to the transmitter, and we are continually replacing electronics.

Alyeska Resort is a major supporter of Glacier City Radio.

Next year our transmission site at the Upper Tram Terminal is going to be rebuilt for its many users. We have the opportunity to have donated engineering, construction, and tower techs dismantle our out-dated 20-year old tower and antenna and replace them.

What does all this gear allow us to do?

We provide a public safety net in times of emergencies. Radio is immediate. It is the only medium that provides fast networking, messaging, communications, and interaction to thousands of people and available to everyone, most everywhere for free! We are a main link in the chain of disaster preparedness. The station is an insurance policy we hope we don't need, but when we do, it has proven over and over to be the most reliable for connecting our community to emergency information. Cell phones, Facebook or the internet fail in comparison.

When the November 2018 M7.2 earthquake rocked our lives, KEUL was up and running within the hour. The fire department sent a runner over to tell us their phone system and 911 were not operational. We immediately put this information on the air and said that anyone with emergencies could call the station and we would run the information to the fire department which is just next door. Our phone number is SKI-CITY, 754- 2489. It's easy to remember SKI-CITY.

Denise Dargan, our historical past librarian was able to wade through the debris of fallen shelving and CDs, then sat at the controls, while I had the opportunity to get in a small plane piloted by Chris Urstadt for an over-flight of the Seward and Glenn highways, returning over Knik Glacier, flying back into Girdwood through the up-valley back door. I immediately reported on-air about the highway and traffic problems, receiving thanks from listeners who were isolated (felt trapped) and were receiving the big-picture.

Last summer we were on alert along with the fire department for forest fire information and evacuation possibilities as the forest burned in communities all around us, filling our valley with smoke. Since we have only one road in and out of the valley, quick action is necessary for our survival.

This year of Covid we began providing Information about how to protect yourself and others from the spread of Covid-19, in the second week of March, with a half-hour interview with Deputy Chief Manch Garhart of the Girdwood Volunteer Fire Department talking abouit how to protect yourself from Covid-19. The next week we hosted an interview with Dr. Erin Lester, director of the Girdwood Health Clinic who talked about the clinic's preparedness and developing information of Covid-19. The following week we hosted an exclusive interview with Dr. Bruce Kiessling, MD., founder of Anchorage's Primary Care Associates, and for over 30 years, the host of medical talk show “Just a G.P.” on an Anchorage radio station. He talked about the realities of Covid-19 and how we're in it for the long-haul, months into years. All this just as the the pandemic was ramping up in March.

We then began airing the weekly, hour-long updates from the State of Alaska with Governor Dunleavy and the hour-long updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and the Anchorage Emergency Operations Center. We also aired a few Tuesday updates from the Mat-Su Borough with Mayor Vern Halter. We are still airing the Friday updates from the Municipality of Anchorage and Mayor Berkowitz with with Heather Harris, Anchorage Health Department director, Dr. Janet Johnston, the Anchorage Health Department's epidemiologist, and Dr. Bruce Chandler, the Anchorage Health Department's medical officer.

Also appearing from time to time are Bill Falsey, the Emergency Operations Center incident commander, Sonya Hunte, Anchorage Complete Count (Census 2020) Commission co-chair, Chris Schutte, Director of the Office of Economic and Community Development, Chief of Staff Jason Bockenstedt and Municipal Attorney Kate Vogel.

University and school issues are also discussed with Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, President, Alaska Pacific University and Cathy Sandeen, Chancellor, University of Alaska Anchorage. Tom Hennessy, MD, MPH, Medical Doctor and Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, UAA College of Health presented trends and projections. The several phases of Anchorage's “Safe Anchorage: A Roadmap to Reopening” plan are discussed as well as the many Emergency Orders put in place for personal safety and sustainable economic recovery.

In June Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll and Deputy Chief Kenneth McCoy on the Black Lives Matter Protests. They continued the conversation raised in the aftermath of the tragic killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department in May. Many of the concerns and questions centered around APD’s Use of Force policy and training. The power of peaceful protest.

Dr. Deena Bishop, Anchorage School District Superintendent, talked about school closings in the spring and school procedures for the fall. Mayor Berkowitz gave an exclusive on-air interview just after the Covid outbreak here in Girdwood.

We also broadcast the special Girdwood Board of Supervisors' meeting about Girdwood's Covid outbreak with Mayor Berkowitz, medical officers from the MOA health department, and Dr. Erin Lester of the Girdwood Health Clinic.

I tell you about all these programs and presenters to show you the unprecedented number of voices and subjects, that we have heard here in Girdwood, contributing to our better understanding of the many issues confronting us this year; and to also say that your community radio station, Glacier City Radio is the the only radio station in the entire Anchorage, Kenai, Mat-su area to broadcast any of this plethora of updates and information that contribute to our good health and well-being.

We also contributed stories about Alaska to five week's of a national program on the Pacifica Radio Network entitled, “Covid, Race and Democracy”, heard on dozens of community and public radio stations around the country and around the world.

Our membership in the Pacifica Radio Affiliate Network provides us with programming from other stations as well as allowing KEUL to provide programming to the entire world-wide network. We are currently broadcasting 40 weekly programs providing 58 hours of diverse Voices from around the country. Why do I say diverse voices, when we're talking about music? Music is News of the World. Two things happen when a person plays music. First their choice of music as well as the music itself tells stories. Then the presenter also tells of what is happening in their social sphere and network in their part of the country. Some of them also present arguments for social justice.

This year our national programmers talked about the many issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, employment and economic woes, school and university closings, lockdown protests, white supremacist demonstrations, and how mental health and isolation are affecting their communities. We've heard this not from 'news reporters' but from the people themselves, embedded in their own communities, with access to radio and the network.

All this informs us of the relevancy, and how we deal with these issues, in our own community. We also broadcast the one-hour national and international news program Democracy Now!, weekdays at 5am and 5pm. This program delves, in depth, into social and political issues, problems and unrest throughout the U.S. and the World, bringing a plethora of indigenous and foreign- language speakers to the ears of the world.

Meanwhile, earlier on, back in Girdwood: The second week of March we restricted our building occupation to Staff and volunteers only. The fourth week of March, when it became apparent the pandemic was in the wild, we restricted the building to staff only. As it became clear that masks, social distancing and hygiene were the main factors to prevent the spread of the virus, on July 30th we allowed one DJ a day in the building. We provide an over-abundance of masks, cleaning, and personal hygiene products.

Some of our programmers are creating their radio shows from home, posting them on Pacifica Radio's Audioport for weekly playout both here at home and for other stations on the network throughout the U.S. And the world. Two DJs are back in the station providing 8 hours of programming weekly. Some of our DJs are planning on being back on the air soon, while others are still in their own 'hunker down' mode.

[PAUSE] Many organizations in town use us to pass information about their activities. Local on-air personalities strengthen the sense of community with information on public issues including community organizing, events, and broadcasts of the GBOS meetings. In addition to our worldly, cutting edge music, with programs produced in both our studios and from other community radio stations around the U.S., our air staff broadcasts hazardous driving conditions and avalanche warnings.

We participate in the Federal Emergency Alert System that includes Tsunami warnings and the child abduction Amber Alerts. We pass information from the Girdwood Fire Department on fire danger and road hazards. If you add up all the little things that we do, they become big; 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Free is better than fee. Cable, satellite, wireless and internet providers charge you a monthly fee with a credit check; KEUL broadcasting comes to you for free. We're in your cars and on your home radios.

Apps on your phone or computer do not come close to matching what broadcasting contributes to local communities. Pandora, Spotify and the like are NOT radio. They are not connected to the community nor any of it's residents. They provide NO community information. They are nothing more than playlists created and streamed from the internet.

Every day we make a positive difference in our community. We provide an anchor where often there seems to be little anchor. The centrifugal forces of modern life are fraying the bonds that tether our citizens to their communities. Broadcasting keeps our citizens connected to our communities and gives these communities coherence. That is a public good that we provide. The enduring value of broadcasting is not something that policy makers should take lightly. Most all of our activities are free or low cost, eliminating the barrier & stigma of class. This “scholarships” our programs, activities, and training. Participation is not restricted by membership. We've gone through five seasons of Pick Click Give and will be a Pick Click Give organization again next year. While we don’t wish to parade our supporters in front of you every year, know they are out there listening and contributing. They are your friends, neighbors, and people you do business with.

We currently have 3 local businesses, one in Anchorage, and one in Ketchikan that support us on an ongoing basis, and several others that we work with from time to time. We are partnered with Glacier Valley Transit in mutual promotionals. The philosophy of supporting KEUL and other local organizations is best stated by a letter to the editor which stated, “These programs that we support with our tax dollars are what economists call a ‘public good’ that provide cheap or free services and enhancements to the quality of life for all community members and by design generate little revenue.” The airwaves belong to the public and every one of us has an important point of view to express. At KEUL we believe that there is strength and beauty in our diversity. In most places in the U.S. and the world, the common citizen has no physical access to their broadcast media. Even in the United States, few areas are served by community access broadcasting, like Glacier City Radio in the Turnagain Arm area. We are fortunate here, to have a resource like KEUL, and it is volunteers like you who help protect and develop our community, free speech, and the radio station. This grant for the radio station has freed-up other Community Club monies for the children's experiential garden, where every year the Little Bear's kids come plant and tend vegetables throughout the summer. It's also provided the time, space, and materials for Ms. Stimson's first grade class to come to the station for several years and record Bear Aware public service announcements, for which the class won an award, as well as other school on-air visits.

Tiger cubs have visited the station to work on their communications merit badges.

The confidence and trust that the GBOS places in our operations with the granting of monies and representing you on the air, shows our listeners and the community that they can also support us, which they do. This grant has helped us secure outside funding for the radio equipment that we continually add, to build our service to the community. The Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission no longer exists and state funding for Public Broadcasting has been discontinued. Since our operations cannot show a past of being affected by Covid, we are not eligible for CARES Act funding, federal, state, or municipal grants to non-profits like other grant recipients. Unlike some of the grant recipients who had to discontinue their operations and bank the money you gave them this year, the KEUL operations continued uninterrupted and our operational costs continued on, as did our services.

With Covid and the depressed economy, we're unsure how our membership will respond to our fall fundraising drive.

With these economic depressions, it is now more important than ever for local entities to bolster the stations that serve their communities.

[Slowly] KEUL goes beyond the kaleidoscope of rhythms, and music, beyond differing musical genres, subversively upending the tyranny of single music formats, working in complete freedom to create [a new paradigm in listening...] Patterns of music make sense of our inner experience, giving both structure and coherence to our feelings, and emotions. It is because music possesses this capacity, to restore our sense of personal wholeness in a culture which requires us to separate rational thought from feelings, that many people find music so life-enhancing that it justifies existence. Music is News of the World.

When you go to mark up your evaluation worksheets remember we have an excellent track record, quite reasonable fees, adequate facilities, increased funding from local businesses, meet all the definitions of recreation, and have great volunteer support.

Thank you for considering the Girdwood Community Club and Glacier City Radio in your Parks and Recreation Grant program. END Girdwood Community Club, Glacier City Radio Parks and Recreation Grant Request 2021 P&R Grant Evaluation Criteria Presented to GBOS September 15, 2020

Hello, my name is Lewis Leonard, president of the Girdwood Community Club.

This grant request is for the operation of the only non-commercial, listener supported, locally operated community FM radio station in Glacier Valley.

This grant-funded program falls into eligibility category II: it fills a need in the community that can’t be met by the Municipality as effectively or efficiently, or is not currently being met by another agency in the community.

I'm going to speak directly to the evaluation criteria upon which the board will judge our applications. I will send Margaret the text of this presentation and another more detailed narrative including the activities of our spring and summer of Covid. This is the Evaluation Criteria with which the Grant Review Committee will evaluate our application: Part I. Purpose of the Program: What demonstrated community need is being met? The demonstrated community need is using broadcast FM radio for communicating within our community, for a public safety net, providing news, education, weather, and recreation information, and using music to tell stories of the world around us and for recreational relaxation. Music is News of the World. Radio is immediate. It is the only medium that provides fast networking, messaging, communications, and interaction to thousands of people and available to everyone, most everywhere for free! We provide a public safety net in times of emergencies. We are a main link in the chain of disaster preparedness. The station is an insurance policy we hope we don't need, but when we find ourselves in emergency scenarios, it has proven over and over to be the most reliable for connecting our community to emergency information. Cell phones, Facebook or the internet fail in comparison. Many organizations in town use us to pass information about their activities. Local on-air personalities strengthen the sense of community with information on public issues including community organizing, events, and broadcasts of the GBOS meetings. In addition to our worldly, cutting edge music, with programs produced in both our studios and from other community radio stations around the U.S., our air staff broadcasts hazardous driving conditions and avalanche warnings.

We participate in the Federal Emergency Alert System that includes Tsunami warnings and the child abduction Amber Alerts. We pass information from the Girdwood Fire Department on fire danger and road hazards.

Our community FM station is an economic beacon, attracting visitors and travelers from Anchorage and along Turnagain Arm. What is the impact on the community if this program is not provided?

Everything I just described to you, the abilities to communicate within the community and the public safety net would no longer be in existence. Broadcasting keeps our citizens connected to our communities and gives these communities coherence. That is a public good that we provide. The enduring value of broadcasting is not something that policy makers should take lightly.

What other programs/agencies exist to meet this need? How do they compare to this program?

There are no other programs/agencies that exist to meet this need. Nothing compares to this program!

Part II. Management of the Program:

Does your application show effective management of financial and human resources? Yes, as we will describe below: Are there appropriate technical skills and knowledge of this program service? Glacier City Radio has built a state-of-the-art broadcast facility from studio to transmitter with many backup facilities for emergency contingencies. To provide this service, without down time, we provide the professionals and teach our volunteers about all things radio.

Is it fiscally responsible? Our fiscal responsibility is proven by our 20-year development and management of an asset that takes other companies hundreds of thousands of dollars to operate. We operate this radio station with 5% to 10% of their cash flow.

Does it have a proven ability/track record? The Girdwood Community Club has been providing services to Girdwood for 70 years. We have a proven ability and track record. When we began radio operations in 1997, our initial investment was about $400 for a 5-disc CD changer, microphone, build-it-yourself transmitter in a stuff sack, and TV antenna to spread our minimal signal throughout Glacier Valley! Now, our facilities represent an insured investment of over $400,000. We are very fortunate to have received this community's support for the last 20 years to build such an awesome, enduring, and endearing resource for our community.

Part III. Community Support of Program: Are the following elements evident in your application?

Strong participation, Our volunteer hours in 2019 amounted to 5,240.

volunteer services, Glacier City Radio is run by volunteers, from management to programming. It provides over 38,000 hours a year of recreational opportunities for people in our facilities, in a diverse audio, music, computer, library, research, skill building, and electronic operating environment, as well as massive recreational listening by residents. What financial support is there from other funding sources such as private and corporate contributions? Private and corporate contributions brought in 14% of our operating budget last year. We've gone through five seasons of Pick Click Give and will be a Pick Click Give organization again next year. Last year Pick Click Give brought in 10% of our budget. We currently have 3 local businesses, one in Anchorage, and one in Ketchikan that support us on an ongoing basis, and several others that we work with from time to time. These businesses provided 33% of our operating budget in 2019. user fees, Our user fees are listener memberships which brought in 10% of our operating budget last year. Since our membrship drive is in October, we're not sure how much discretionary money our members will have. Free is better than fee. Cable, satellite, wireless and internet providers charge you a monthly fee with a credit check; KEUL broadcasting comes to you for free. We're in your cars and on your home radios. Become a member or donate through Pick Click Give and help us out. Are there in-kind donations? Our in-kind donations are in excess of $100,000 a year. Part IV. Specifics of Program: Target population –who benefits from your program? The entire community benefits from this program. Radios are ubiquitous in the home and in automobiles. We are a beacon for travelers on the Seward Highway who get to know of the community. It's not just listeners that benefit, but also the word-of-mouth that is generated throughout the community by listeners. Is it cost-effective? Our program is outrageously cost-effective. It takes other companies hundreds of thousands of dollars to operate similar broadcast stations. We operate this radio station with 5% to 10% of their cash flow.

Did you include a well thought out concept and organized plan of action? Within the limited space of the grant application it is difficult to condense the dozens of legal and operational manuals that we and others have developed. Here are just a few titles of these operational manuals: DJ Manual for Operating Spaceship KEUL. Legal Manual for Non-Commercial Radio Stations. Federal Communications Commission, State of Alaska and Anchorage Emergency Operations Center manuals for the Emergency Alert System. Four books of Emergency Alert System logs and instructions for DJs weekly testing. Transmitter Operational Parameters Log Book for DJs weekly monitoring. Chief Operator Log for weekly inspection of the entire broadcast chain from the studio to the transmitter. Underwriting manual and accounting book for commercial sponsors. Does the application include measurable results? Measurable results, listed in item 2 of our application's Program Information, are as follows: Assess 1) How many hours the station is on the air every day, week, year close to 24/7/365. 2) Ensure integration into the Emergency Alert System by complying with state and federal regulations. 3) Absorption of community standards by listener feedback. 4) Assess the number of program hosts and staff who train and integrate with the operation. 5) Determine that emergency and recreational information is transmitted. 6) Monitor the diversity of programming, music and entertainment. 7) Assess participants’ time commitment, skill advancement, and continued interest in our recreational-radio programs. Is this a recreation oriented program? Yes, this is a recreation oriented program. This program meets all the definitions of recreation. Items 5 and 14 of our application's Program Information describe how these definitions apply to Glacier City Radio.

Recreation has many faces. It is not only a motor sports activity. It also includes hobbies such as photography, stamp collecting, board games, gold mining, and kite flying. Italicized phrases throughout our application refer directly to all grant definitions of recreation. KEUL and Our Summer of Covid: We began providing information about how to protect yourself and others from the spread of Covid-19, in the second week of March with Sunday interviews of prominent local health figures. In April we began airing the weekly, hour- long updates from the State of Alaska with Governor Dunleavy and the hour-long updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and the Anchorage Emergency Operations Center; also local and national news on the Black Lives Matter movement. We are still airing the Friday updates from the Municipality of Anchorage and Mayor Berkowitz with Heather Harris, Anchorage Health Department director, Dr. Janet Johnston, the Anchorage Health Department's epidemiologist, and Dr. Bruce Chandler, the Anchorage Health Department's medical officer. Also appearing from time to time are many local experts in education, economic, emergency, epidemiology, and municipal staff. In Summary: These programs that we support with our tax dollars are what economists call a ‘public good’ that provide cheap or free services with enhancements to the quality of life for all community members, and need to be supported by the community at large.

We are fortunate here, to have a resource like KEUL, and it is volunteers like you who help protect and develop our community, free speech, and Glacier City Radio.

I will send Margaret the text of this presentation for your use in the Grant Evaluation Criteria form, and another more detailed narrative including the activities of our spring and summer of Covid, that will appear in your meeting packet for next week.

Thank you for considering the Girdwood Community Club and Glacier City Radio in your Parks and Recreation Grant program. END