The Saxman Clan House.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development awarded a $60,000 grant to the City of Saxman Thursday. The announcement was made by Alaska State Director Jim Norlund.
The grant is provided through the USDA-RD Alaska Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. The goal of the program is to offer affordable loans and grants for facility projects in rural areas. Grants are available to rural communities with a population of 5,000 or fewer.
Saxman’s grant will be used to replace the roof of the city-owned Tribal House. A press release issued by the USDA states that replacing the roof will prevent damage to the red cedar ceiling purlins which are custom made and expensive to replace. Purlins are the horizontal beams along the length of the roof. The tribal house was completed in 1990 and is used for Native cultural activities. It is also a venue for many community-wide events.
USDA-RD has also awarded a $26,250 grant to the City of Kasaan. The money will be used to prepare environmental assessments for water and wastewater projects.
USDA Rural Development has invested more than $2 billion in 226 rural Alaskan communities since 2009.
