02-01-2005 - Solicitation of Federal Funding for City Projects•
City of IVest Covina
is Mentorandutn
AGENDA
TO: Andrew G. Pasmant, City Manager
and City Council
ITEM NO. D — 5b
DATE February 1, 2005
FROM: Artie A. Fields, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: SOLICITATION OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR CITY PROJECTS
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council authorize City staff to submit the projects mentioned in
this staff report to Congresswoman Hilda Solis for possible funding consideration.
DISCUSSION:
Congresswoman Hilda Solis has contacted communities within the 32°d Congressional District,
including West Covina, to give cities the opportunity to request noncompetitive and discretionary
grant money for local projects through annual federal spending bills. Based on the City
Council's recommendation to submit projects over the last two years, the City has received
$200,000 for public safety upgrades at City Hall, $75,000 for the Cameron Gymnasium, and
$100,000 for the Fire Department's CERT Program. While the City may have its priorities,
Congresswoman Solis will review the list of projects submitted by the City and identify those
projects that she determines to have a better chance to secure funding for.
City staff wants to submit the following projects for Congresswoman Solis' consideration:
• Public Safety Radio System $1 400 000) — The current Police and Fire Radio system is
obsolete and needs to be replaced. This includes the radio control gear in the Public Safety
Communications (9I1) Center used to control and communicate with the field units. This
same system is used for Emergency Management operations during natural or terrorist
created disasters. Current radio control gear is twenty years old and replacement parts are not
available.
• Public Safety Intersection Intervention System $165 000) — The system detects emergency
vehicles as they respond to a call and changes the signals along the route in favor of the
emergency (police and fire) vehicle. Tills reduces response time and increases safety of
emergency personnel and vehicles on the road.
• Rehabilitation of Northern Azusa Avenue ($1 600 000) — Azusa Avenue from Badillo
Avenue to I-10 is in desperate need of rehabilitation. The highway is in need of extensive
repair including: Pavement; Sidewalks; Drainage; Signals and Traffic Equipment, and
additional items mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System. City will match any federal contribution with funds received
through the relinquishment process from the State of California.
• Intersection Improvements at AZltsa/Amar ($2 000 000) — The intersection of Azusa/_ Amar is
the worst intersection (traffic flow) in West Covina and one of the worst in Los Angeles
County. This intersection receives about 5,000 vehicles per hour during peak time.
Compared to I-10 that has a traffic flow of 16,000 to 20,000 in the same period. Azusa/Amar
has a rating of "E" in a scale of A-F, with F being the worst conditions. Traffic congestion at
this intersection reduces the flow of vehicles and goods through the community and the
region. In addition, the City of West Covina is developing new economic and park facilities
adjacent to the intersection. Without the necessary improvements, traffic congestion will
only get worst and cause delays, increase traffic collisions, and jeopardize public safety.
• Intersection Improvements at Vincent/Lakes Drive ($2 000 000) — The intersection at
Vincent/Lakes Drive is the second intersection (traffic flow) in West Covina. Traffic
congestion at this intersection reduces the flow of vehicles and goods through the community
and the region. In addition, the City of West Covina is developing new economic adjacent to
the intersection and without the necessary improvements, traffic congestion will only get
worst and cause delays, increase traffic collisions, and jeopardize public safety.
• Multi -Use Trails ($600 000) — The City has funding needs for projects such as multi -use
trails linking the Galster Park trails with Los Angeles County trails, and possibly trails from
the City of Walnut. This will be a major project not only for West Covina but the entire San
Gabriel region, encompassing elements of open -space maintenance, protect ion/preservation
of riparian habitat, along with providing various recreational opportunities for residents.
• Orangewood Soccer Fields ($1 500 000) - Support for the project is based on the. identified
need for soccer fields due to increasing levels of participation. The project will establish a
central soccer location for soccer. The proposed site provides restrooms, snack bar, lighting
for maximum programming.
• Police Patrol Car Cameras ($160 OOO) - 'Equipping Police patrol vehicles with digital video
cameras would capture "true" recordings of Police incidents, thus adding to the national
knowledge base of police practices and training materials. This also furthers the safety of
officers in the field.
• Police Jail Security Camera ($27 5000) - The statute of limitations for civil litigations is .two
years, and litigants often wait until the last minute to file suit as part of their legal strategy.
: This means that recorded video, especially of prisoners at the jail, must now be maintained
and retrievable for longer than that time. Currently, West Covina does not have this
capability. Installing a proper, modern digital system will have give us much greater image
detail, camera control, and the ability to follow any critical incident, thus improving the
safety of Jailers, Officers, and the prisoners themselves.
• Computer Aided Dispatch & Records Management System Upgrade ($500 000) Will allow
enhanced data sharing between the 26 other law enforcement agencies it services with
Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System service. The main hardware system
(HP3000) is being discontinued and not supported by the manufacturer, requiring the City to
adapt mid -stream the new software programs. Purchasing and installing hardware
components would greatly benefit regional law enforcement and provide more efficient
service to the community (as communications would be enhanced), and increase the security
of the system by bringing in back-up servers and emergency operations technology.
Should the City receive any federal funding, City staff will bring back the award of fiends and the
details of the improvements to be made with those fiends. City staff is seeking these non-
competitive funds in. an attempt to locate and identify funding opportunities to complete projects
and reduce the burden on the City's financial resources.
It is important to remember that any funding received through the federal spending bills will not
be acknowledged until October 2005, at the earliest, with fielding provided in 2006. However,
City staff will also submit the transportation related requests to be included as part of the federal
TEA-21 transportation finding project that is anticipated to be adopted by the summer of 2005.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
Prepared by:
Chris Freeland
Special Assistant to the City Manager
Approved by: