FPFAC, Glasgow Awarded $50K in Grants

Both the Fort Peck Fine Arts Council (FPFAC) and the city of Glasgow have been awarded grants by the Department of Commerce to help attract visitors to the community. The FPFAC received a grant of $20,000 to upgrade the sound system at the Fort Peck Summer Theatre. The city of Glasgow was awarded $33,700 to construct and install wayfinding signage on the highway and in the downtown area.

FPST Artistic Director Andy Meyer tells the Courier, “Keeping up with all the technical advances in ‘show biz’, we are thrilled to receive this grant to update our equipment to a state-of-the-art wireless sound system. As audience sizes consistently grow, we want to strive to make sure that every seat in the house can hear perfectly.”

“We are truly excited to receive this funding for our community. The Glasgow Chamber, Tourism Improvement District, Two Rivers Economic Growth, along with the city of Glasgow have worked tirelessly on this project and look forward to seeing our efforts with actual bricks and mortar. We would also like to thank CTA Architects Engineers for your work to get us where we are today,” Executive Director of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Lisa Koski told the Courier regarding the $33,700 grant.

Two Rivers Economic Growth, Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce and TBID contributed a total of $17,100 in matching funds to bring the total amount to $50,800 to install wayfinding signs. According to a press release from Two Rivers, the “project will be completed in phases and residents will soon see the erection of directional kiosks that provide maps of Glasgow and the surrounding area, highlighting businesses, amenities and attractions for locals and visitors, directional signage locating historic downtown and traffic signage along Hwy 2 showcasing all there is to offer in Glasgow and the surrounding area.”

The Tourism Grant Program at the Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism and Business Development, doled out funds in the amount of $829,644. Thirty-five grants were awarded to 26 Montana communities in an effort to strengthen Montana’s economy via the development and enhancement of tourism and recreation industries. Out-of-state visitors in 2017 contributed $3.4 billion to Montana’s economy.

Jenny Peleg, interim division administrator for the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development at Commerce, said, “Tourism is an industry with a statewide impact, and these grants help communities, both large and small, maximize their ability to bring customers into Main Street businesses and support jobs.”