Council Allocates $255,542 in Grants

Port Hueneme will use a majority of its federal Community Block Grant funds this year to help design handicap-accessible buildings, refurbish Bard Park and stimulate economic development, the City Council decided Wednesday.

Unless federal officials reimburse the city for previously committing this year’s grants for earthquake relief, the city would not receive the $255,542 and would be unable to fulfill its spending plans.

“We won’t have the money otherwise,” City Manager Dick Velthoen said before the council’s 3-0 vote. Mayor Orvene Carpenter and Councilman Dorill B. Wright were absent.

The council agreed to set aside $20,000 of the money to help fund four nonprofit agencies that provide services to the homeless and the elderly.

Nearly $70,000 would be spent on projects that would usually be paid out of the city’s general fund, including graffiti control, crossing guards, code enforcement, a senior nutrition program and improvements at Bard Park.

Of the remainder, the council decided to target $46,000 for the design of facilities to meet new access standards required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

And the council voted to use $50,000 for a trial program to spur economic activity in the city.

A consultant hired by the city, San Jose-based ProVision Business Services, said the city can subsidize certain types of projects proposed by the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce and still meet the stringent guidelines for spending the federal money on low- and middle-income residents.

The chamber has proposed several programs to improve business in the city, including a plan to link local businesses with the Naval Construction Battalion Center’s supply purchasing system.

Before the vote, Velthoen called the aid to the city’s economy crucial.

“It’s money well spent when you consider the city’s own revenue base depends on a healthy economy,” Velthoen said.