Senior center, rural fire will
benefit from block grant
Funds also sought for Phoenix House

By Joe Naiman
The Alpine Sun

     SAN DIEGO — 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. The preliminary hearing allocates $46,000 of CDBG funds for the Campo Senior Center and $21,600 for the San Diego Rural Fire Protection District.
     The supervisors’ 5-0 vote March 13 also encouraged county staff to determine whether money might be available for Phoenix Academy in Descanso.
     “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 that have been cancelled or completed with funds remaining. Roberts had expressed a desire to fund the Phoenix Academy improvements, and HCD staff indicated a willingness to determine if funds might be available.
     The Campo Senior Center is slated to receiving funding for a parking lot and interior kitchen improvements. The parking lot will be paved with asphalt, and an exhaust hood with lighting will be installed over the existing stove and griddle in the kitchen. The improvements should be completed by June 2008.
     The San Diego Rural Fire Protection District would purchase supplemental fire hose for its Jacumba, Lake Morena, Potrero, and Tecate fire stations. The supplemental hose would ensure that those stations have back-up hose to use if necessary while the existing hose is being property dried or serviced. An estimated completion date of June 2008 is given for the project.
     The $112,800 request for the Phoenix Academy improvements would design and construct a parking lot for staff and visitors along with associated erosion improvements and lighting.
     Phoenix House is the largest non-profit provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention programs in the United States, and the Phoenix Academy is one of five San Diego County programs operated by Phoenix House.
     Phoenix Academy focuses on adolescents and is the county’s only long-term residential substance abuse treatment program for teens and their families. Phoenix Academy has identified $7,200 of its own funds for the improvements, which have an estimated completion date of December 2007 if CDBG funding is obtained.
     The alternative list also includes a $225,000 request for a tot lot and junior playground at the Campo Community Center and a $135,000 proposal to design and construct an on-site access road at the Campo Community Center.
 

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