Last night, Bethel City Council decided to turn down a federal grant because there were too many unanswered questions about it. The grant funds would have gone towards the construction of a trail connecting the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation to Bethel’s City Subdivision.
Some of those questions came from Council Member Nikki Hoffman.
“There are unknown costs, stakeholders that need their say in it too. We don’t even know if we own the land. That’s inappropriate," Hoffman said.
The question of who owns the land is fundamental, and had the potential to derail future funding prospects. Given the current political situation, Mayor Rick Robb didn’t think that was likely and favored taking the money now and figuring out the details later.
“The federal government is going though big changes. We have a new president starting in a week and half. There’s absolutely no guarantee of what federal funds will be available for what projects in the future," Robb said.
But questions also came from Bethel City Attorney Patty Burley.
“Do any of you know what this grant is for?" Burley asked.
It turns that several Council members did not, and had not looked over the grant agreement. Burley explained that the grant's purpose was to create access to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus.
In the end, all but Mayor Rick Robb and Norman Ayagalria voted against taking the grant.
All members of Bethel City Council were present for the meeting, with Leif Albertson attending via phone.