Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Supervisors award Neighborhood Reinvestment grants

Two Fallbrook nonprofit organizations, two public agencies based in Fallbrook, two nearby fire safe councils, Camp Pendleton’s YMCA and a program which brings arts to the Fallbrook and Oceanside school districts were allocated Neighborhood Reinvestment Program grants during a San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting held last month.

The supervisors’ 5-0 vote awarded grants of $173,732 to Fallbrook Center for the Arts, $111,765 to the Mission Resource Conservation District, $108,896 to the North County Fire Protection District, $61,288 to the Deer Springs Fire Safe Council, $48,328 to the Palomar Mountain Fire Safe Council Foundation, $40,000 to the Armed Services YMCA, $11,071 to the Fallbrook Land Conservancy and $3,200 to Young Audiences of San Diego which as Arts for Learning San Diego has a Military Arts Connection program to bring the arts to military dependents.

The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program is intended to provide grants to nonprofit organizations for the furtherance of public purposes at the regional and community levels. In addition to nonprofit organizations, county supervisors can also fund schools and fire departments, and supervisors can also use money from their budgets to supplement other county funding for specific county projects such as parks, roads and libraries.

Each county supervisor recommends the allocation of their Neighborhood Reinvestment Program funds, although those allocations must be approved by a majority of the board. The grants for the Fallbrook and nearby organizations were from Bill Horn’s District Five budget.

Fallbrook Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization which utilizes art and art education to bring visitors to Fallbrook. The activities of Fallbrook Center for the Arts include the Fallbrook Art Center, the Fallbrook School of the Arts, the Brandon Gallery, Art in Public Places and an Arts Calendar.

The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program will assist with capital improvements such as the replacement of the roof and windows, the installation of photovoltaic panels, the purchase and installation of a cafe hood, the relocation of a gas line, renovation of the ceramic studio including shelving and drywall and a point-of-sale credit card system.

“The Fallbrook Center for the Arts attracts a lot of visitors to the area who boost the local economy,” Horn said. “This grant for $173,000 will be used for capital improvements at the center including solar panels, roof replacement, windows and a room renovation.”

Resource conservation districts, which are formed to control water runoff and prevent soil erosion, were originally created to focus on agricultural use of land but now involve themselves in watershed management, recreational area management, urban and agricultural irrigation and water use, water quality, forest land productivity and public education for children and adults. Although the Mission Resource Conservation District is a public agency, it has no regulatory power. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program allocation will subsidize the cost of a demonstration garden and an agritourism project which includes landscaping, solar panels, fencing, brochures and signage.

“The Mission Resource Conservation District educates property owners on how to conserve their own natural resources,” Horn said. “I’ve approved a grant for $111,000 to help pay for a demonstration garden and agritourism project to assist in those efforts.”

The North County Fire Protection District was created in 1986 with the merger of the Fallbrook Fire Protection District and the county service area which served Rainbow. The creation also included the annexation of the Gavilan Mountain area.

The district provides structural and watershed fire protection and suppression, along with emergency medical services, to a population of more than 50,000. That population figure does not include citizens of Oceanside, Vista, Deer Springs and Pala served by automatic aid agreements. The district’s air compressor system which refills the self-contained breathing apparatus bottles and a microwave radio system which allows communication throughout the district are both inferior to current standards.

“Public safety is always a priority and wildfires are one of our biggest threats,” Horn said. “The North County Fire Protection District needs to update their equipment, so I am happy to award this $108,896 grant for a microwave radio system and self-contained breathing apparatus compressor.”

That automatic aid agreement may mean that NCFPD residents are served by the Deer Springs Fire Protection District, whose Station 1 is located on Circle R Drive less than half a mile from the intersection of Old Highway 395 and Gopher Canyon Road. The Deer Springs Fire Safe Council is an all-volunteer organization whose services include community education, prevention and communication.

The Deer Springs Fire Safe Council works with both the Deer Springs Fire Protection District and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stations and personnel within the Deer Springs boundaries. CDF’s Miller Station is on West Lilac Road. Cal Fire and the San Diego County Regional Fire Authority have begun using the Auto Pulse cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment which provides a more portable spinal column stabilization backboard.

“The Auto Pulse CPR system offers superior CPR to patients in medical distress,” Horn said. “This $60,000 grant will provide the funds for the Deer Springs Fire Safe Council to purchase the equipment for three stations plus a spare.”

The Palomar Mountain Fire Safe Council was formed in 2005 to help reduce dead and dying trees on Palomar Mountain, and the organization’s activities also include pre-fire management, meetings and encouragement of community participation through programs and activities including fire-retardant gel.

“The wildfire danger is extremely high on Palomar Mountain this year, so property needs to be cleared and dead trees removed,” Horn said. “I approved this $48,000 grant for the Palomar Mountain Fire Safe Council to purchase fire gel home kits, dumpsters and wood chipping equipment to minimize structure loss during the next wildfire.”

The Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA has served Marine Corps members and their families since 1943 and provides services and programs intended to enhance the quality of life for military families.

“The Armed Services YMCA does such a great job supporting active-duty Marines, sailors and their families,” Horn said. “This $40,000 grant will be used for toys, tables, chairs and bookshelves for their holiday youth programs.”

The Fallbrook Land Conservancy was founded in 1988 with the objective of preserving Fallbrook’s rural character and natural beauty through the protection of open space and related activities. The conservancy owns and manages 2,118 acres of open space, holds conservation easements on 965 acres and is also involved in tree planting, habitat restoration and trail maintenance.

The Palomares House, which was built in 1888, is used for the conservancy office as well as community meetings. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Money will help with the expense to purchase and install an energy-efficient cooling system.

“The Fallbrook Land Conservancy is working on upgrades to the historic Palomares House,” Horn said. “I’ve allocated $11,000 in grant money for a new cooling system to improve the office space and public meeting room.”

Arts for Learning San Diego is a nonprofit organization which seeks to integrate the arts into the education and extra-curricular activities of children in the region. Performances, residencies and workshops help youth identify their cultural roots and discover their creative talents.

Arts for Learning San Diego has relationships with school districts and community organizations to increase the accessibility of the arts to children in schools and community gathering facilities. The Military Arts Connection program helps bring the arts to families of active-duty military personnel in the Fallbrook and Oceanside school districts both on Camp Pendleton and near the base. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program funding will help with the cost of program guides and fliers.

“Young Audiences of San Diego exposes children K through 12 to the arts who would otherwise miss out because of the lack of access or money,” Horn said. “This grant for $3,200 will help cover printing costs for program fliers.”

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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