The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians announced the distribution of more than $910,000 in gaming revenue allocation to local governments and school districts this week.

The 52 recipients received funding as part of the Tribe's two percent allocation, which takes place twice per year. The Tribe received 81 applications totaling $1.7 million in funding requests this cycle. Final selection of recipients was made by a vote of the Tribal Council. The next decision regarding two percent allocations will occur in July.

The following is a complete list of local organizations and projects that received funding this cycle.

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Antrim County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$12,775.00

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Benzie County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$19,162.50

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Charlevoix County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$12,775.00

Gov't to Gov't Agreement - Leelanau County
Prisoner Housing Contract
$63,875.00

Antrim Conservation District
Design signs for installation at all of the over 70 access sites on Chain of Lakes Water Trail, from Six Mile Lake to Elk River. Signs will include basic information to make route decisions such as a map, access site locations, amenities, distances, and level of difficulty. They will also include information on protection of water quality, paddling safety practices and emergency information.
$12,850.00

Bay Area Transportation Authority
Funding will be used as a pilot of increased investment in new transit amenities resulting in ridership increase and improved customer satisfaction of our transit offerings; and adding four new transit benches and solar lights along our busiest routes. These new transit benches, solar lights and schedule holders are called "SolStop Benches." The transit stops slated to receive additional amenities are: Carver Street/Garfield Road, Barlow Street at Secretary of State, NW Michigan College & Rose Street at Walnut Avenue (Family Fare). Lastly, we are proposing to add increased transit amenities at Family Fare on 8th Street.
$10,000.00

Benzie Conservation District
Purchase of two laptop computers and accessories for the Benzie Conservation District’s Aquatic Invasive Species Pathways Program staff members. This equipment will support completion of tasks related to increasing awareness of aquatic invasive species (AIS) in this region. The Aquatic Invasive Species Pathways Program was launched in 2017 through grant funds awarded by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.
$2,435.21

Benzie County Office of Emergency Management
Purchase two (2) positive pressure pneumatic ventilators for the Benzie County Emergency Medical Services. These pneumatic ventilators will become standard equipment on our Advanced Life Support Units. The positive pressure ventilator provides timed cycle of pressure ventilations for patients who are not breathing on their own.
$16,128.00

Benzie County Sheriff's Office
Benzie County Sheriff's Office, Corrections division, purchasing a new LIVESCAN fingerprinting system used by corrections officers in the jail. This will allow them to serve the community by providing fingerprinting for teachers, CPL applicants, school employees and job applicants. Our current LIVESCAN system is obsolete and non-compliant with certain requests such as liquor license transfers.
$10,580.00

Benzie County Sheriff's Office
Purchase of a new K-9 vehicle. This vehicle is a special purpose vehicle and requires more safety equipment installed for the safety of our K-9 Rexo. Our current vehicle is well over the 100,000 miles of the insurance carrier's MMRMA recommendation. This funding will help insure that our K-9 program will continue. Benzie County does not fund our program and we rely on public donations for funding.
$32,813.78

Benzie County Veterans Affairs
Funding towards the construction of a pavilion adjacent to the Veteran's Memorial. The pavilion will widen the opportunities for people to congregate at this ceremonial site, and create a venue that school children can gather at for educational purposes.
$52,230.76

Benzonia Township
Funding for the Benzie Area Christian Neighbors (BACN) to purchase the food needed to provide outreach by BACN as they address Food Insecurity in Benzie and northern Manistee counties.
$8,000.00

Cedar Area Fire and Rescue
Purchase of a powered ambulance cot, which utilizes a battery-powered hydraulic system effectively raising and lowering a cot at the touch of a button. By advancing to use the powered cots (as used by Suttons Bay, Leland and Northport), we will be compatible to their ambulances and avoid the costly delays of transferring patients during our intercept and/or mutual aid calls. Staff satisfaction will improve, we'll see a reduction in lost days due to back injuries, and we'll service our patients better with safer patient handling.
$15,000.00

City of Charlevoix
Funding for Joppa House to allow our staff and volunteers to continue to provide food, utilities, resident activities, curriculum, encouragement, and household repairs/maintenance. These include items such as child care, driving lessons, road test fees, certified nurse aid training, vehicle repairs, bus passes, fuel assistance, counseling fees, activities, and lessons or school fees.
$10,000.00

City of Charlevoix
Funding for Colorado Challenge, which is a week-long camp that allows high schoolers the opportunity to learn team building skills, foster new friendships, raises self-esteem and confidence by doing activities that they would not normally be able to do. Those activities include high and low ropes courses, horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, repelling, paintball, white water rafting and a trip up Pikes Peak.
$3,000.00

City of Charlevoix
Funding for Third Day Fellowship Women's Emergency shelter. Third Day relies on grants, contributions, in-kind donations, and fundraising to provide resources to the homeless at no cost, and as needed, to help alleviate a person's immediate crisis. Our hope is to expand the program to a year-round shelter.
$3,000.00

City of Frankfort - Frankfort City Police Department
The City of Frankfort Police Department is purchasing an Interview Room Recording System. Public Act 479 requires all law enforcement agencies to "make a time-stamped, audio/visual recording" of custodial interrogations for certain felonies.
$3,240.00

East Bay Charter Township Parks Commission
Funding for Mt. Holiday's fundraising campaign to upgrade the aging groomer that is currently in use at the hill.  With the purchase of a new Prinoth Bison groomer, we will be able to drastically reduce the cost of maintaining our hill along with the added ability of building the terrain park features that our guests have been requesting for years.
$25,000.00

Elk Rapids Public Schools/Cherryland Middle School
Funding towards materials necessary to build an outdoor classroom/pavilion for students and staff to work outside. Studies have shown that when students engage in learning activities outdoors, test scores and the educational experience improve.
$3,500.00

Elk Rapids Public Schools
Funding for Project Graduation's program that occurs annually, on the evening after graduation. Project Graduation is an all-night celebration on Sunday, June 3, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and it is an alcohol and drug free event. The graduates will participate in activities in both the Elk Rapids and Traverse City areas. The goal of Project Graduation is to have all graduates attend the event.
$4,200.00

Garfield Township
Funding for 50 athletes, coaches, chaperones to attend the 2018 Special Olympics Michigan State Winter Games.
$5,000.00

Glen Arbor Township
Funding for a project located on the grounds of the Maritime Museum and Lifesaving Station in historic Glen Haven within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park. Specifically, it provides a 50'x6' boardwalk (all-weather planking) and a 480 square foot platform area with two plank benches and a beach access ramp for all visitors; but most intentionally those visitors with disabilities.
$3,038.19

Glen Lake Fire Department
Purchase of a Holmatro GCT 4150 EVO COMBI 5.0 H PACKAGE (portable operated hydraulic tool & pump, also referred to as "Jaws of Life"). These tools will help the Glen Lake Firefighters access patients trapped in vehicles and can work in conjunction with tools we already own.
$9,824.29

Grand Traverse Conservation District
Funding for the programmatic support for the implementation of the "No Barriers to Nature" program at the Boardman River Nature Center. The goal of the No Barriers to Nature program is to increase opportunities and invite the full participation of all visitors to the Boardman River Nature Center. We will update/expand exhibits, expand our environmental education programs and ensure all of our community has access. Updates will include signage for visually impaired, barrier free access to the Nature Center and its programming.
$12,500.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the 13th Circuit Court, Family Division, Grand Traverse County to replace a transport vehicle that is used to transport the juveniles under court jurisdiction to and from residential treatment and detention facilities.
$19,438.19

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Safe Haven, which is a program that provides safety to children and at-risk parents from GTB's 6-county service area. Since Safe Haven began in 2004, with just seven families, the program has provided more than 30,000 visits and exchanges, serving over 1,000 children and families. We have partnered with the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) to receive a new stream of funding that will support victims of domestic violence and their children through Safe Haven.
$25,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the 24-hour crisis intervention and suicide prevention services through Third Level Crisis Services program. Our professional crisis intervention services are available to all residents of Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Manistee counties without discrimination 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Services are available by telephone/toll free lines, and in person at 3785 Veterans Drive in TC, by text message, and online through a message to our Facebook page. People can contact Third Level at any time for help with anything from assistance with utility bills to conquering thoughts of suicide.
$25,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for the Easling Pool Community Campaign. Usership at Easling Pool, once thought endangered by the new West YMCA location two years ago, has seen new record highs since the YMCA took over operations of the pool and added a fitness center and opened YCentral at the Civic Center in Jan. 2016. This convergence of need versus constraint, led to action and the creation of the Easling Pool community Campaign.
$35,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for Project Cherry Tree, a Veteran advocacy organization where the funds will be used to support our efforts of being a catalyst for change in the delivery of our Veterans' earned benefits in rural northern Michigan. All funds are dedicated to implementation, administration, and marketing of establishing a VA registration campaign to get the 62.5% of Northern Michigan Veterans currently not registered for VA services.
$30,000.00

Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
Funding for TART Trails' "the Recycle-A-Bicycle Program" which provides economically disadvantaged community members bicycles for transportation and recreation. $5,000 will be used to offset the cost of program-building expansion for one year.
$5,000.00

Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department
Funding to purchase 12 strut trench rescue shoring kit manufactured by Paratech. This equipment will allow us to reduce our time for setup and implementation of a trench shoring system, thereby increasing the chances of survival for victims. It will also increase the safety factors of our systems and in turn, the safety of rescuers.
$15,300.00

Hayes Township
Funding for the construction of a boat launch and fishing pier on Lake Charlevoix in the Hayes Township Park, formerly known as Camp Sea-Gull. As the township seeks to develop the park in a way that enables and encourages public use, construction of the proposed boat launch, fishing pier, the attendant park access road and restrooms is a monumental first step.
$15,000.00

Lake Township
Funding for the Friends of the Sleeping Bear Dunes for a project that involves the removal, disposal, and replacement of an old, inaccessible observation and fishing platform with a new accessible floating fishing platform, this is being fabricated by Michigan Lake Products. Additionally, the access trails, signage, parking area and facilities associated with the Bass Lake Platform will be upgraded to meet or exceed ADA requirements.
$22,000.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding to replace outdated and expired equipment in the Leelanau County Mass Casualty Trailer. This trailer was obtained through a Region 7 Homeland Security Planning board grant and is intended to be deployed during mass casualty events. This trailer is intended to provide our Emergency Fire Responders with the necessary resources to provide lifesaving care to numerous victims in order to maximize the level of pre-hospital care, thus elevating the chance of survival for all patients involved. $3,918.12

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding for two items to serve the function of "rescue entry tools" for each patrol vehicle. Life-threatening situations make quick entry extremely important for the safety of law enforcement personnel and members of the public. The equipment will enhance the Sheriff's Office ability to respond to dangerous situations and gain entry if needed quickly and effectively.
$13,080.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Leelanau County has recognized the impact opioids and other substance abuse has had on County residents. The Leelanau County Substance Abuse Coalition is being formed to bring awareness to this burgeoning program that affects all residents and age groups. A cross-section of community members will be represented in five targeted groups, including Law Enforcement, Prevention and Awareness, the Medical Community, Treatment and Recovery, and Affected Families.
$3,750.00

Leelanau County Board of Commissioners
Funding will support the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight with its mission of sending Leelanau County Veterans on a free trip to Washington, DC, to view the memorials built to honor their service and sacrifices to their country.
$5,000.00

Long Lake Township Fire Rescue Department
Funding to update our personal protective equipment/firefighting clothing (PPE) for our firefighters. Additionally, we will update our PPE in order to size the coats and pants properly to properly fit our firefighters, some of which are currently in fire school training.
$28,125.00

Milton Township Fire Department
Funding to purchase three (3) Mustang cold water/ice rescue suits. The rescue suit allows firefighters to walk on unsafe ice and swim in cold water to rescue people who have fallen through the ice.
$3,083.00

Northwestern Michigan College
Funding to continue providing academic, social, and community support services to the native student population and the native community. Our goal is to continue to improve retention and course completion rates of Native American students at NMC.
$23,800.00

Peninsula Community Library
Funding to help furnish the new Local History Room, which is the result of a year-long capital campaign. One of the rooms in the new library provides preservation and display opportunities for the rich history of Old Mission Peninsula. History of the area will be collected beginning with early geologic history, and continuing until present day. A large part of the historical collection will incorporate the Native American presence in the area over the centuries.
$5,500.00

South Torch Lake Fire & Rescue Department
Funding for the purchase of ice/water rescue equipment for the South Torch Lake Fire & Rescue, which is a paid on-call fire department based in Alden, MI. Members of the department are trained in both water and ice rescue and receive additional training every year. Our ice/water response areas include the south half of Clam Lake and the Clam River; the famous sandbar of Torch Lake, all of Torch River, and the north half of Lake Skegemog. We also respond to mutual aid to Grand Traverse County in the south half of Lake Skegemog.
$31,115.00

Star Township
Funding to add onto the township hall to create offices for the clerk and supervisor. There is a great need for offices so the elected officials do not have to work out of their homes.  We greatly need to be able to have the officials together and the files all in one building. Our current budget will not allow this type of expenditure.
$25,000.00

Star Township Fire Department
Funding to purchase 800 MHz radios. Without 2% funding we will not be able to purchase these extremely expensive radios. Our department is unable to fund such a large expense at this time. We are a small tax based area so the funding is not in our budget for such an important need. It would take us 10 years to save for this. These radios would help us reduce loss of life and property and increase inter-operability.
$20,000.00

Suttons Bay-Bingham Fire & Rescue Authority
Funding for replacement of the current EMS unit, which is a 2002 Ford with over 150,000 miles. The ambulance is the most used vehicle in the department. Despite regular maintenance, due to the nature of its use, the vehicle has begun to deteriorate mechanically to the point that it is no longer practical to maintain and therefore needs to be replaced.
$107,340.00

Suttons Bay Public Schools
Funding for 50% towards an experienced, certified teacher to teach grade 4 and/or grade 5 for the balance of this school year. The addition of an experienced teacher will help with increasing student achievement, and will help in reducing behavior referrals.
$14,505.62

Torch Lake Township
Funding to purchase two Turbodraft Fire Eductors and 200 feet of supply line. These devices allow us to have access to static water resources that are currently unreachable for fighting fire by using traditional drafting techniques.
$8,474.00

Traverse Bay Intermediate School District
Funding is for the Great Lakes Children's Museum for their purpose of strengthening the scope and depth of the Museum's educational quality, developing engaging exhibits, while maintaining the safety, cleanliness and quality of the existing programs and structures.
$20,000.00

Traverse City Area Public Schools
Funding for FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics, which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition is a program that challenges high school students working with professional mentors to design and build a robot to compete in competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students. Traverse City Central High School will host the 10th Annual Traverse City FIRST Robotics District Competition on March 1-3, 2018.
$5,000.00

Traverse City Area Public Schools
Funding for the LEAP program, also known as the Learning, Enrichment, and Athletic Program, which provides athletic, arts, and enrichment opportunities for preschool through 12th grade students. It is the vision of LEAP to provide students with increased opportunities for engagement beyond the school day through educational and recreational activities to improve learning, health, and wellness. This award will be used to offset the losses associated with scholarships provided to those students and families unable to pay participation fees.
$20,000.00

Village of Central Lake - Police Department
Funding to purchase a used back-up secondary patrol car for the Central Lake Police Department. Funding will not only provide immediate assistance, but it is believed that it will provide assistance for many years to come. An extra vehicle through this request can and will be used for the next 5-plus years.
$10,000.00

Village of Elk Rapids Downtown Development Authority
Funding for preliminary design and engineering for the Elk Rapids segment of the Traverse City to Charlevoix Trail (TVC-CHX Trail). The trail has an ambitious goal to connect two regional trail networks that link the communities of Traverse City, Acme, Elk Rapids, Eastport, Norwood, and Charlevoix (46 miles).
$19,998.19