Simi Faces Decisions on What Quake Repair Efforts to OK for Funds : Grants: Report recommends that the council give city projects priority over those of nonprofit groups for a share of $778,956 in federal dollars.

Loans for Simi Valley businesses hurt by the Northridge earthquake. Repairs for quake-cracked Tapo Street. And a computerized map system that would improve response times and damage assessment during the next disaster.

The Simi Valley City Council will consider spending $778,956 in federal money on these and other earthquake-recovery projects at a meeting Monday. The money, known as Community Development Block Grants, come from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Passed over on the city’s proposed list of priorities are programs providing counseling to schoolchildren, aid to the elderly, shelter for the homeless, and repairs at the folk-art landmark, Bottle Village.

Five nonprofit organizations applied for the funds, and four requests came from within city government. But a report to the council from city staff members recommends denying all of the requests from nonprofit groups, while fully funding all of the requests from city government--including the business loans, street repairs and map system.

Laura Herron, director of the city’s Department of General Services, said the recommendations are based on how much the projects would benefit the community, not whether the grant applicant is from inside or outside city government.

“If you look at the history of how projects are funded with these monies, the council has provided a lot of funding to the nonprofits,” she said.

The report recommends spending the bulk of the money, $659,050, on repairs to pavement, curbs and sidewalks on Tapo Street.

“If you ride down it, you’ll notice it’s not the smoothest street in the world,” Herron said.

Those working with the nonprofits, however, said they are providing crucial services that should be continued.

Rhonda K. Oster, principal of Berylwood School, said an in-school counselor for the elementary campus provided by Interface Children Family Services of Ventura County has been “a wonderful resource.”

Interface has applied to the council for $120,000 in block grant money to continue the earthquake counseling services in schools.

Oster, for one, hopes the council decides to provide the money.

“You think, it’s a year and a half past, but every time you turn around it’s another reminder,” Oster said. “As long as kids aren’t sleeping, as long as parents are still afraid, things aren’t over yet.”

Lana Tickner, a marriage, family and child counselor who works for Interface at Berylwood, said students there still think of the earthquake when they hear trains passing or apartment doors slamming.

“There’s still a lot of earthquake fears on the part of children,” she said.

In addition to Interface, Catholic Charities applied for a grant to help the frail elderly, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California sought to repair elderly residents’ homes, the Samaritan Center applied for aid for the homeless and the Preserve Bottle Village Committee hoped to repair damage to its landmark.

The city projects include a request for $7,300 to train a volunteer “Community Emergency Response Team” and equip the members with vests and helmets, in addition to the loans, street repairs and “geographic information system.”

The council will hear public comments on the staff recommendations at Monday’s meeting, and will probably make its own preliminary recommendations, Herron said. The grant allocations are expected to return to the council for final approval in late July.