LCF City Council grants $353k in community group requests in 2018-19 budget
The La Cañada Flintridge City Council on Monday granted a combined $353,425 to help 11 local organizations design, build and maintain programs that will help enhance the well-being of La Cañada students, residents and seniors.
Representatives from 11 groups seeking funds explained how their programs and services provide value to the wider community and shared their intentions for the year ahead.
YMCA of the Foothills’ chief executive Tyler Wright shared how the organization is creating a mobile “Well-being on Wheels” van to bring free fitness classes to area educators and hospital staff and administrators, two groups identified as needing extra support.
The WOW wagon would deliver regular on-site activities such as yoga, Pilates and small group training throughout the Y’s membership area. So far, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is on board and YMCA officials are working on an agreement with La Cañada Unified School District.
“Starting in the fall we will actually be on school campuses providing small group training to all of our educators before and after school,” Wright said, downgrading his initial request for $35,000 to $26,000, after exercise equipment maker Life Fitness agreed to outfit the van’s interior.
Becky Gelhaar requested $2,500 to allow the La Cañada Flintridge Coordinating Council to hire a consultant to create an online citywide master calendar that would allow local organizations to post and edit events throughout the year.
“Hopefully everyone here who belongs to an organization will give us all their information for the year. [And] you can go in and change it yourself,” said Gelhaar, adding that the Coordinating Council will continue to publish its annual community directory.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Mayor Terry Walker. “This will really bring you into real time.”
On behalf of the Descanso Gardens Guild, Director of Advancement Somer Sherwood-White asked council members to consider a grant of $21,000 for the installation of four new bike racks and a water line for a drinking fountain with water-bottle-filling capacity at the garden’s entrance.
The intent of the additions is to create a more welcoming environment for those who come to use the garden’s courtyard, gift shop and café, which were opened for public use last year when the admission point to the garden was relocated.
“Our hope is that by expanding the welcoming area, the seating area with the bike racks and the drinking fountain, that we will encourage members of the community to come in and use those amenities,” Sherwood-White said.
Council members opted to fund the $5,000 water fountain and investigate whether they might secure $16,000 for the bike racks through special fund revenues dedicated to transportation and mobility. If not, the item could be considered later in the midyear budget.
Other recipients include: Lanterman Historical Museum Foundation, seeking $119,875 toward operating funds, archive digitization and website redesign; the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn., requesting $110,000 toward operating expenses and annual events like the Festival in Lights; the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge, asking $50,000 for kilns, ceramics shelves and a new tree and irrigation system for its preschool; the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn., which sought $14,050 toward a new animation system, equipment and dry goods storage shed; La Cañada Valley Beautiful, seeking $12,000 to help design a new landscaped entryway for the La Cañada Unified School District headquarters; the La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn., requesting $5,000 to send two more students to an international Youth Leadership Summit and host a visiting delegation from Spain; and the One City, One Book committee, asking for $1,500 to promote and host an Oct. 14 reading of Los Angeles Times Columnist Chris Erskine’s new book, “Daditude.”
La Cañada High School Music Parents Assn. President Elizabeth Bohannon requested $5,000 for the purchase of an orchestral gong and a vibraphone, highlighting that some 275 students participate in band and orchestral classes.
Councilman Jon Curtis invited Bohannon and group members to return and possibly demonstrate how the funds were spent.
“I really encourage all the groups to come back to council, literally with the gong — give us a nice gong. We like to hear what’s going on in the city,” he said.
Twitter: @SaraCardine
