Block Grant Funds Allocated

The Hawthorne City Council has allocated $875,915 of $1.1 million in federal block grant funds that it will spend on 18 projects in the next fiscal year.

The largest amount--$300,000--will be spent on six public works projects, including replacing two water mains and improving four parking lots.

The next largest expenditure--$280,000--will be used for housing rehabilitation and repair programs. It will be used to provide low-interest loans or grants to homeowners, and to landlords who rent to low-income tenants.

The city will spend $74,000 on a high school truancy program and $40,694 on a graffiti removal program.

The money comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Block Grant Development Program, which permits cities to decide how they want to spend the money for projects benefiting low- and moderate-income people.

City Atty. R. Kenneth Jue said it was common practice for the city not to spend all of its block grant funds in order to handle unexpected costs of existing projects.