Polson named finalist for $100,000 grant
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POLSON — Polson is a finalist in the Heart and Soul Community Planning Grants competition, thanks to a grant application submitted by the Greater Polson Community Foundation. On Sept. 17, The Orton Family Foundation of Vermont notified the GPCF that their grant application has earned Polson a place as one of 10 semi-finalists for the five-year $10 million grant initiative. Each winning community would receive up to $100,000, tailored to their goals, and might be eligible for two years of the grant.
The Heart and Soul grant application and accompanying four-minute video were submitted in July by the Greater Polson Community Foundation in close collaboration with the Envision Polson! steering committee and members, the Polson Chamber of Commerce and Polson City Manager Todd Crossett. Video filming and production was under the direction of Frank Tyro of Salish Kootenai College’s film department. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoVD7fKcy-E.
“I’m thrilled; I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Penny Jarecki, force behind the GPCF. “When I read what you needed to have to qualify, I just felt Polson was a good fit.”
Jarecki credited Darlis and Daniel Smith with heading up the grant writing and said they did a really professional job.
Darlis, Envision Polson! steering committee member, added that the group was really lucky to have Tyro do the video.
Other finalists for the Rocky Mountain West were Cortez, Colo., North Fork Valley, Colo., Red Lodge, Mont., and Saratoga, Wyo. A winner will be chosen from East Coast communities Eastport, Maine; Village of Essex Junction, Va.; Laconia, N.H.; North Kingstown, R. I.; and Gardiner, Maine. The grant also includes hands-on guidance from the Orton Foundation staff.
Following a site visit to each finalist town in October, one town from the region will be selected for the grant in December.
Orton Foundation representatives will visit Polson during the second week of October, Darlis said. “We are super honored that someone takes notice of Polson,” she said.
“It’s a big honor just to be on the short list,” Jarecki added.
According to a press release, the Orton Foundation’s Heart and Soul initiative is focused on changing the way small cities and towns engage their citizens and plan for the future. In congratulating the finalists, Orton representatives commented that they were “inspired” by efforts like Envision Polson!
Their announcement also stated, “All of our applicants told a story of a place with authenticity, character and spirit. These finalist communities exhibit an acute awareness of their issues and manifest a strong desire to shake up the status quo, reinvent their planning processes and chart a course that will place them on a path to vital cultural and economic growth.”
Jarecki said the grant application basically follows the same goals as Envision Polson! — "to make the most out of Polson’s assets so that it becomes a year-round community, where people can make a living year round … We are basically focusing on how to improve Polson’s economy. That's the lynchpin; any other goal depends on that.”
For more information, go to http://www.orton.org/projects/finalists.
