By Mike Gervais
Register Staff

5-8-2008

A leftover cache of cash at the county level has several non-profit groups in line for unexpected funding in the next several days.
With the availability of additional funds, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors decided to approve another round of Community Project Sponsorship/Advertising Community Resources grants this week before applications start rolling in for the approximately $35,000 the county is preparing to distribute next month.
The Board of Supervisors began the Community Project Sponsorship program back in November of 2007 to help financially support local nonprofits and their events by issuing Advertising Community Resources grants.

“Last winter, after the first round, the program had $18,000 left, then Inyo and Mono went together for the state fair exhibit” which saved more money in the grant budget, said Inyo County Museum Services Director Jon Klusmire. (Klusmire is taking over administration of the Advertising Community Resources grants for county CAO Kevin Carunchio, who is currently working on other projects.)
The Inyo-Mono partnership resulted in a $10,000 savings, which   brought the grant budget surplus up to $28,000, Klusmire said.
“There is another round of grant funding due at the end of this month,” said Klusmire, noting the county wanted to issue the money remaining from last year’s program before starting with the new grant application process.

Clay Hoggard and his sons, Morgan, 13 (l), and Junior, 10, fished the sand trap outside of Independence last year during the Father’s Day Fishing Derby. A lack of funds meant the event would have been cancelled this year, but thanks to a $5,600 grant by the county, fishing fun is still on for Father’s Day. Photo by Mike Gervais

Eight nonprofit organizations submitted applications to a three-person review panel made up of county staff. The applications outlined how, where and when the money would be used. Of the eight applicants, staff recommended the board to fund five of the programs in an amount that totals $27,600.
The projects that did not get funded include the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, which will be wrapping up work in the High Sierra this month, updating Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce event bags that are distributed to visitors, and the Mono Council for the Arts Trail of the Trout project, which intends to give visitors to the area a chance to win prizes by signing up at “trout friendly” events.
According to Klusmire, the Trail of the Trout project was deemed ineligible for the grant because it is being handled by the Mono Council for the Arts, and a stipulation for the grant money is that it must go to a local agency.
The projects that did receive funding from the Community Projects Sponsorship program include the Millpond Music Festival, Independence Fishing Derby, Laws Railroad Museum Dave Stamey Benefit Concert, the Death Valley Regional Night Sky program and the new Bishop Creek Canyon Summer Classic trout derby to be hosted by the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce.
Before the Board of Supervisors approved the series of grants earlier this week, a lack of funds meant the community would be unable to host its annual Father’s Day Fishing Derby.
“That was not scheduled to happen until this supplemental round of grants,” Klusmire said. He added that the grant of $5,600 will fully fund this year’s derby.
The Independence Fishing Derby is one of only two events that the review board for the grants approved fully. The Independence Chamber of Commerce was seeking $5,545 for the event. The panel awarded the extra $65 to keep the numbers “round,” Klusmire said.
The second grant request that was fully funded is the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce’s newest venture, a month-long fishing derby in the northern part of the county.
“Inyo County has a good track record with fishing derbies,” Klusmire said, noting that this is an effort by the chamber to persuade anglers to come to the area a little more often this summer.
County staff recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve a grant in the amount of $6,000 to the Millpond Music Festival. “This is for advertisement to improve and expand the audience there,” Klusmire told the board. According to Klusmire, the annual music festival “is almost self sustaining,” and reaching out to a few more possible audience members could help the Inyo Council for the Arts continue operating the festival at cost.
The supervisors awarded $3,000 to Laws Railroad Museum for its upcoming Dave Stamey Benefit Concert.
“This will pretty much cover their costs,” Klusmire said, so whatever is made off of admission will go directly to benefit the museum.
The final project that was funded through the grant program is the Death Valley Regional Night Sky program. Klusmire said the money will be used to help promote star gazing in the national park.
Inyo County will begin accepting applications in May for the next grant cycle.