By Sentinel Staff
The Rasmuson Foundation has announced an $80,000 grant to the Baranof Island Housing Authority for energy improvements for 24 senior housing apartments on Monastery Street.
“It will help make the apartments more energy efficient and to migrate from oil and into heat pump systems for heating the apartments,” said David Goade, executive director of BIHA.
The grant was one of 24 approved by the foundation at its November meeting.
“These projects have real impact on individual lives and on communities,” said Rasmuson Foundation President and CEO Diane Kaplan.
The senior housing complex on Monastery Street serves Sitkans age 62 and up, with the one-bedroom, one-bath units renting for about $810 a month, including utilities.
Goade said the project to transition from oil to electricity is occurring in phases, with a goal of maintaining their affordability. BIHA has already converted from oil-fired hot water system to a “hybrid” electric system that uses waste heat to pre-heat water. The next project is the installation of electric heat pumps for each unit, replacing the oil-fired boilers that have been used for baseboard heating.
Goade said BIHA needs to go after other grants to fund the rest of the project, but that the Rasmuson grant is key in funding the project.
“It’s a big, big help for us,” Goade said. “By upgrading to get off of oil, we will have a more efficient system, and it will help us keep rent down. That’s the ultimate goal, to keep rents relatively low.”
The Rasmuson Foundation also said the board agreed at its November meeting that it will continue three established programs and begin a new initiative.
The Individual Artist Awards, one of the Foundation’s marquee programs, was approved for another three years as was Strengthening Organizations, in which nonprofits receive small grants for strategic planning, leadership development and skill building. A partnership with the Alaska Humanities Forum for the Magnetic North film series of documentaries about influential Alaskans will continue, with six more films in the works.
The Rasmuson board meets twice a year, usually in June and November.
