Assembly tables $500,000 CPV grant to City of Ketchikan until Jan. 5 for further coordination

The assembly considered a proposed reimbursable Commercial Passenger Vessel grant of $500,000 to the City of Ketchikan for downtown improvements — rain shelters, port benches, bear-resistant garbage receptacles and Salmon Row sidewalk work — and voted to table the matter until Jan. 5, 2026 so a joint cooperative-relations committee discussion can occur first.

Staff said the grant would be administered as a reimbursable agreement with a defined scope of work and that reimbursements would be limited to approved project items. Members asked about the small three-bedroom structure on the property; the transit director said the structure would be used for office and storage space to support transit operations, not for employee housing.

Assemblymember Palmer suggested tabling the grant until the cooperative-relations committee meets to coordinate wayfinding, signage and restrooms; the motion to table passed 6–0.

Staff noted CPV funds historically total around $4.5 million annually, with much of it already committed to borough-covered expenses such as transit and fire. The assembly asked staff to coordinate scopes with the city and bring the reimbursable grant agreement back for action on Jan. 5.