$12 million in federal aid could be coming to the Central Coast. Here’s where it would go
Nearly $12 million in federal funding could be heading to the Central Coast for eight community projects across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal’s office announced Thursday.
That includes $2 million to maintain a historic San Luis Obispo landmark as low-income housing for seniors and people with disabilities and $375,000 to completely refurbish existing 125,000- and 212,000-gallon tanks in Cambria.
On Thursday, Carbajal announced that he requested and was approved for $11.9 million in spending for projects within the 24th Congressional District that were passed by the House and but must clear the Senate.
Carbajal’s office said in a news release that the projects will help protect local water supplies, make housing more affordable, and update community buildings to be more resilient and accessible for people with disabilities.
“With these funds, we will be able to make long overdue improvements to community centers, create more affordable housing units for families, and protect our water supply. These projects will go a long way toward improving quality of life on the Central Coast and I will continue fighting for our district as the spending bill progresses through the Senate,” Carbajal said in a prepared statement.
According to the news release, the House Committee on Appropriations announced earlier this year it would accept community project funding requests from each member of Congress, who were limited to submitting no more than 10 Community Project Funding requests for Fiscal Year 2022.
There was no guarantee all requested projects would be funded.
Carbajal submitted requests to fund 10 local projects. Here are the projects that were approved by the House.
$375,000 for Cambria Community Services District water tanks
Funds would be used for a complete refurbishment of existing 125,000- and 212,000-gallon tanks on Stuart Street, which represent approximately 20% of the storage available within the potable water distribution system. The federal funds will cover approximately 80% of the total project cost, the district says.
Community Services District general manager John Weigold said in the release that the funding will enable the agency to complete a project that will benefit the community for decades to come.
“A reliable distribution system not only provides one of humankind’s most valuable life-sustaining resources — water — it also ensures adequate pressure and flow for fire suppression, which means our forest, homes, businesses, and other structures are safe,” Weigold said. “The Cambria Community Services District is grateful to have been considered and selected for this timely appropriation.”
In an email interview later, the general manager said the refurbished tanks would “essentially be like new,” but they would be on the same footprint as the current tanks.
$2 million to Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo for Anderson Hotel
The five-story, 1920s-era Anderson Hotel building in downtown San Luis Obispo has provided affordable housing to extremely low-income seniors and people with disabilities for more than 40 years. The average age of residents is approximately 70 years old, and the average monthly income is around $1,000.
The funding would allow the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo to control and operate the property through a lease with the building’s owners, with subsidies provided under a Housing and Urban Development contract. The project also will allow HASLO to provide 68 vouchers at the Anderson Hotel, so that permanent affordability is guaranteed for current and future residents.
“We are extremely pleased with Congressman Carbajal’s leadership trying to preserve the Anderson Hotel as affordable housing for the elderly and disabled,” HASLO Executive Director Scott Smith said in the news release. “This could be an important first step toward making that happen.”
$1.7 million to Guadalupe for LeRoy Park
This project would restore the historic park and provide park enhancements such as additional barbecue and picnic areas, an exercise area and an amphitheater. The project aims to restore LeRoy Park as a community gathering and event spot for families in the city of Guadalupe.
$900,000 to Santa Barbara County for Lompoc Health Clinic
This project connect two separate structures of the Lompoc Health Clinic campus, the Wellness Center and Primary Care, to create additional capacity for the clinic, while improving patient flow and overall experience. In addition, a generator for the primary care facility needed to support the information technology infrastructure and facility resilience in the event of power outages would also be funded.
$112,340 to Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for wastewater treatment plant
Funds would be used for the initial engineering analysis required to implement the preferred alternative to expand the wastewater treatment plant to serve the town of Santa Ynez. Once the analysis is complete, the project is expected to be funded through a partnership between the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Santa Ynez Community Services District.
$3 million for the Goleta Valley Community Center
Carbajal’s office says this project will help reopen the community center, which has been partially closed since January 2021 due to necessary seismic upgrades. Required improvements include but are not limited to accessible entrances, accessible routes to the improved areas, accessible restrooms, telephones and drinking fountains.
$1.3 million to Santa Barbara County for seismic upgrade to Veterans Building
The Santa Barbara Veterans Memorial Building is owned by Santa Barbara County and requires necessary health and safety improvements. Those improvements include seismic retrofitting, foundation stabilization, electrical systems upgrades, water distribution system upgrades and new windows.
$2.5 million to Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County for Escalante Meadows in Guadalupe
Carbajal’s office says the funds will be spent on construction costs for the Escalante Meadows Community Center, which would be open to all residents of Guadalupe, and would feature early childhood education and wellness services.
The two projects submitted for funding by Carbajal but not approved by the House Appropriations Committee include $5.6 million to upgrade San Luis Obispo County’s safety communications system and $1.2 million to fund street lights at four intersections in Santa Maria.
Carbajal’s office says the the community project funding is contained in appropriations bills passed by the House that are now awaiting Senate consideration as part of the negotiation on the final government funding package.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
