Costa Mesa makes $225,000 in improvement grants available to local elementary schools
Costa Mesa City Council members this week approved tweaks to an existing program to give local elementary schools access to city grants for certain facility improvements.
As a result of Tuesday’s 3-2 vote, $225,000 in grant funding will be available to 14 Costa Mesa elementary schools every other year.
The money has to be used for projects considered to have a wide community benefit, such as improving facilities that are open for public use.
In the alternating years, three high schools — Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor — can tap into those grant funds for sports facility improvements. Costa Mesa and Estancia have been eligible since 2013, and Newport Harbor was added last year.
Since 2013, the city has partnered in the program with Costa Mesa United, a local nonprofit focused on youth sports.
To this point, representatives of Costa Mesa United have met with principals from the high schools to discuss potential projects that could be eligible for grant funding.
After the principals, Costa Mesa United and facilities personnel from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District signed off on a particular effort, city staff would prepare a formal grant agreement that would go to the school district board for review and approval.
The city would issue grant checks to Costa Mesa United, which, in turn, would cut a check to the school district for the same amount.
But as part of their vote Tuesday, council members eliminated Costa Mesa United’s involvement in the grant program and will have city staff fill its role. Doing so will do away with the dual check system.
“It’s nothing against Costa Mesa United,” Councilman John Stephens said. “I just think, in this area, their involvement is superfluous.”
Council members Allan Mansoor and Jim Righeimer dissented in the vote. Righeimer decried the change as a “political stunt.”
“This is destructive to the community,” he said. “It’s where politicians take control of every single thing here, and I am absolutely opposed to any kind of program like that.”
Mayor Katrina Foley said the change isn’t politically motivated but rather is “intended to provide balance, to provide a streamlined process to address concerns that have been raised regarding the need for less bureaucracy and to provide for greater community benefit throughout the whole city.”
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
