BURBANK CITY COUNCIL MEETING WRAP-UP

SECURITY GRANT

The council unanimously approved a resolution accepting a $92,500 federal homeland security grant. The funding is dispersed through the Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Areas Security Initiative, providing monetary assistance to certain urban areas in the United States. The funds go toward equipment, training and operations related to preventing and responding to potential acts and threats of terrorism.

WHAT IT MEANS

The grant requires no matching funds from the city and will address three distinct areas: $35,000 will be applied to personal protective equipment; $50,000 will go toward tactical equipment; and $7,500 will be used for training.

VOTE: 4-0

Mayor Marsha Ramos was absent from the meeting.

SAFE ROUTES GRANT

The council unanimously approved a resolution to accept a grant that will go toward improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists on travel routes to school. The city applied for the Safe Routes to School Grant in September 2006, targeting nine Burbank schools for improvement: Providencia, Bret Harte, Roosevelt, Stevenson, Jefferson, Emerson and Miller elementary schools, as well as Luther Burbank and John Muir middle schools.

WHAT IT MEANS

The grant is slated to cover the entire cost of an $887,600 project that will make improvements such as installation of pedestrian countdown signals at 11 stop lights, bicycle detection at 10 intersections and new sidewalks in four locations.

VOTE: 4-0

Mayor Marsha Ramos was absent from the meeting.