THOUSAND OAKS : $60,000 Channeled to Aid Small Businesses
Small businesses in Thousand Oaks got a boost this week when council members decided to allocate $60,000 in federal block-grant funds to help create new jobs and repair existing stores.
To encourage small-business owners to spruce up their properties, the city has established a $30,000 commercial rehabilitation fund to dole out low-interest loans and grants.
The council will also spend $15,000 on a business incubator project, which aims to cluster several start-up environmental firms in a single office so they can share fax and copy machines and trade ideas. Another $15,000 grant will help the Ventura County Economic Development Assn. pursue ways to reduce smog without hurting business.
Finally, the council allocated nearly $100,000 in federal funds to build a new masonry wall along the east side of Moorpark Road between Columbia Road and Avenida de los Arboles.
Many segments of the wall crumbled during the Northridge earthquake, and residents have complained that it is both dangerous and unsightly. Completing the wall will take years, and could cost a total of $220,700, according to city staff estimates.
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