Bago Bay residents form nonprofit to pursue dredging after consultant study

Scott Koffel, a resident on the east side of Bago Bay, opened the meeting by describing a years‑long local effort to get the shallow, vegetation‑choked bay dredged and said residents have created a nonprofit to qualify for grants. "We have created a nonprofit called Safe Bago Bay Inc.," Koffel told attendees, explaining the group filed incorporation paperwork and is awaiting IRS recognition.

Koffel said forming the nonprofit was necessary to receive state grants and manage funds. He outlined the administrative work completed so far — incorporation, vendor registration and a long IRS application — and said legal fees ran nearly $4,800. "If the bay is going to be dredged, it's us," he said, framing the volunteers' role in moving the project forward. The group is soliciting donations and volunteers to cover remaining start‑up bills and to assemble the local match required for state LAIR grant applications.