U.S. Department of Commerce invests $6.7 million in American Rescue Plan Funds to support tourism sector through development of Gateway Visitor Center

The Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau announced a $6.7 million grant by the U.S. Department’s Economic Development Administration to the Mat-Su Borough for construction and completion of the Gateway Visitor Center.

“The Gateway Visitor Center will be a world-class facility that showcases our region, our culture and our local businesses and partners to visitors,” said Mat-Su CVB Board of Directors Chair Mark Fleenor said in press release. “It will stimulate economic growth through jobs creation, and it will encourage our visitors to stay longer and spend more. This will have a positive economic impact on every corner of the Mat-Su Borough. We are thankful and appreciative of the EDA grant and their investment in our industry.”

The process of replacing the old visitor center on Trunk Road with the Gateway Visitor Center has been a project that first began in 2006. Following a feasibility study in 2010, the 49-acre site at Mile 36 Glenn highway was purchased with a $1 million State of Alaska capital grant in 2014. The building and site design of the 10,600 square foot complex was completed in November 2016 with a $1.2 million State of Alaska capital grant.

“The EDA grant is the final piece to completing the Gateway Visitor Center, and we’re excited about what this facility will provide to not only our visitors, but also our residents,” Mat-Su CVB President & CEO Bonnie Quill said. “The purpose of the Gateway Visitor Center is to promote tourism-related and recreation-related economic development, to share information about the region’s cultural history and natural attractions in an innovative and interesting way, and to foster stewardship of the Mat-Su Valley’s cultural and natural identity.”

The project is funded under the EDA’s American Rescue Plan Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in grants available to communities. “President Biden recognizes the vital contribution the travel and tourism industry makes to the American economy,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a release announcing the award. “This project will create new opportunities for businesses in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to tap into Alaska’s important tourism economy, expanding the potential for economic growth and resilience.”

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly must now vote to accept the grant money to kick off the project.