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            Governor Sarah Palin announced a number of appointments to state boards and commissions last week, including a couple from Kodiak. The area also received several grants from the federal government.

            Sven Haakanson, the director of the Alutiiq Museum was reappointed to the Alaska State Council on the Arts, along with Peggy Ferguson of Fairbanks. Patricia Whitaker, also of Fairbanks and Nancy Harbour were appointed to terms on the council as well.

              The art council’s 11 members meet periodically and make grant awards to artists and local arts councils. 

            The governor also appointed Kodiak’s Omar Stratman to the state Board of Agriculture and Conservation, along with Ruby Hollembaek of Delta and Al Poindexter of Anchor Point.              Stratman is a cattle rancher and hay farmer with long experience in land resource and livestock issues in Alaska. He served 44 years as a member of the Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District, has been vice president of the Alaska Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and served on the Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund board from 1989-93. He was appointed to a seat representing livestock producers.

              The seven-member agriculture board’s responsibilities include authorizing the disposal of agricultural land acquired by the Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund, approving and administering agricultural loans, consulting with the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, and making recommendations on candidates for state agriculture director. 

            Speaking of agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a 134-thousand dollar grant to the Kodiak Island Borough for the Water and Waste Preplanning and Development grant to create a new water treatment plant with backwash lagoon. That grant was announced last week by the state’s Washington D.C. delegation.

              The borough school district received a 684-thousand dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education for its Native education programs. 

            And Alutiiq Business Services, a subsidiary of the Afognak Native Corporation, received a nearly 1-million dollar contract for support services it provides at the U.S. Army Armor Center and Fort Knox, in Tennessee.

            Meanwhile, two area non-profit agencies received grants from the Rasmuson Foundation. The Kodiak Area Native Association was awarded 850-thousand dollars to purchase condominium office space, while the Kodiak Historical Society received 123-thousand dollars to continue renovations on the Russian-American Magazin, the building that houses the Baranov Museum.