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Fallbrook may receive grants

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on the recommended 2007-08 annual funding plan for Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships, Emergency Shelter Grant, and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS programs, and the preliminary hearing indicates that Fallbrook will receive $270,000 in CDBG funds.

The supervisors’ 5-0 vote March 13 recommends $135,000 for playground shade structures at the Fallbrook Community Center, $100,000 for the design of East Alvarado Street sidewalks, and $35,000 for the preliminary engineering and design of East Elder Street sidewalks.

“It’s often a very competitive process, and we try to recommend as many projects as possible to spread those precious dollars where they’re most needed and in response to the board’s highest priorities,” said April Torbett, the housing program coordinator for the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development.

Approval of the recommended plan includes a 30-day public review and comment period, and the plan will return to the board April 24 for final approval before submittal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The preliminary recommendations allocate $1,858,435 to 25 projects in the unincorporated area and an additional $1,826,205 to 12 regional projects. “This grant funding is very competitive,” said Supervisor Ron Roberts. “Many great organizations are still left off the funding list.”

Changes between the preliminary and final recommendations often include reallocation of CDBG funding from previous years for projects which have been cancelled or completed with funds remaining. Roberts had expressed a desire to fund improvements at a Descanso recovery facility, and HCD staff indicated a willingness to determine if funds might be available.

The Fallbrook playground funding would construct and install shade structures made of textile fabric at two playground areas of the community center. The shade structures will block out 98 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays in the summer and will channel rainfall away from play equipment and children in the winter. The shade structure project has a February 2008 completion estimate.

The East Alvarado Street sidewalk project would fund the design and right-of-way acquisition for sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and minor drainage improvements on the south side of East Alvarado Street from Potter Street to Mercedes Road. The 2006-07 CDBG funding included $35,000 for preliminary engineering for the installation of sidewalks on the south side of Alvarado Street from Potter Street to one-half mile west of Mercedes Road. The 2007-08 CDBG funding will provide partial funding for the project; the county is expected to supplement the CDBG funding with $100,000 in gas tax revenue to cover the $200,000 cost estimate of the phase covered in the CDBG allocation. The county’s Department of Public Works estimates future construction costs to be at $400,000. The extension of sidewalks on Alvarado Street would provide a continuous walking path for pedestrians using Alvarado Street for La Paloma School, Fallbrook Hospital, and the health clinic. The design and right-of-way acquisition phase has an estimated completion date of June 2008.

The East Elder sidewalk project would fund the preliminary engineering and design of a sidewalk on the north side of Elder Street from South Brandon Road to the easterly parking entrance of Fallbrook Hospital. The sidewalks would increase safety on Elder Street between Brandon Road and the hospital for pedestrians who use the hospital and surrounding health-related facilities. The estimate $70,000 cost of the work will also include $35,000 in county gas tax revenue, and the county estimates future construction costs to be $150,000. A June 2008 date was given for the project’s completion estimate.

Ten Fallbrook projects were relegated to the alternative list due to limited funding. Nine of those projects involved sidewalks while one requested Americans for Disabilities Act improvements at Live Oak Park. The $60,000 requested for Live Oak Park would have designed and constructed park improvements to allow access to the disabled, including pathways and ramps, and would have constructed an associated sound wall.

HCD obtained county Department of Public Works estimates for design on all projects, although HCD and DPW did not work on total cost estimates for projects determined to be on the alternative list. The preliminary engineering for sidewalks along one side of Elder Street between Main Street and South Brandon Road carried a $75,000 estimate. An estimate of $35,000 apiece was provided for preliminary engineering of sidewalks on the north side of Ammunition Road from Alturas Road to Fallbrook Towne Center, either side of Aviation Road between Main Avenue and Mission Road, and either side of Elder Street from Mission Road to Main Avenue. The estimate for preliminary engineering of sidewalks on Alvarado Street from Pasadena Street to Mission Road was $25,000. Other sidewalk projects relegated to the alternative list include the south side of Ammunition Road between Alturas Street and Mission Road, one side of Clemmens Lane between Old Stage Road and Mission Road, one side of East Mission Road between Iowa Street and North Brandon Road, and Old Stage Road between Clemmens Lane and South Mission Road.

Two Fallbrook projects were considered ineligible for not meeting Federal low-income and moderate-income concentration guidelines: Fallbrook Street sidewalks between Magarian and Stage Coach Lane, and sidewalks along Old Stage Coach Lane.

 

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