City officials say only two projects in Malibu are affected by the lack of funds.
By Olivia Damavandi / Staff Writer
The state’s fiscal and budget crisis has impacted at least 37 improvement projects in Malibu and surrounding areas, putting them on hold, according to a list from a state government source. But city officials say only two in Malibu-the Paradise Cove storm water treatment facility and the Las Flores Creek Restoration-are being affected by the lack of funds.
“The state is not reimbursing grant funds because there is no budget and the projects [the treatment facility and Las Flores Creek] are grant funded,” Reva Feldman, the city’s administrative services director, said in an interview last week.
“We’d like to see these projects get done as soon as possible but until we get funding coming in from the state, we aren’t able to move forward,” City Manager Jim Thorsen said in an interview Monday.
The state faces a $42 billion deficit, $11.2 billion of which is from this fiscal year alone, which prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in December to declare a state of fiscal emergency.
California last month began delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies so the state could continue funding schools and making debt payments.
“Nothing like this has happened in the 31 years that I’ve been state agency director,” Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, said in an interview last week. “If the budget crisis isn’t resolved within the next month or so, then we’re going to get into a much more serious situation. But I’m assuming there’s going to be at least some lessening of the freeze within the next month.”
The projects on the list, e-mailed to The Malibu Times last week, pertain to the improvement of parks, streams, trails, and septic and storm water systems, among others. The list states the Legacy Park project is also on hold, but Thorsen said on Monday that there is currently no state funding for its construction and that state funds received by the city to purchase the parkland have already been used.
However, Thorsen mentioned the city is applying for some of the stimulus funding to construct Legacy Park, but is unsure of when the funds will be available.
The city was awarded $920,000 from the State Water Resources Control Board’s Clean Beaches Initiative grant program, known as Proposition 40, to design and construct a storm water treatment facility at Ramirez Creek in Paradise Cove. The regional water board’s 2008 annual progress summary states the project will cost an estimated $1 million. The city will be responsible for paying the difference.
“We have designed a project and its ready to go,” Thorsen said on Monday. “As soon as the funds are released we can get it going. If it costs more than $920,000, the city will have to cover it.”
The storm water facility is designed to protect and restore the coastal water quality at Paradise Cove by removing bacteria from dry and some wet-weather flows before they reach the ocean.
Thorsen said the other project on hold due to the state budget crisis is phase two of the Las Flores Creek Restoration, which is in conjunction with the Las Flores Creek Park Development Project.
The project involves the restoration of approximately 2,400 linear feet of the Las Flores Canyon Creek streambed and embankments between Las Flores Canyon and Rambla Pacifico Roads on city owned and privately owned properties where permission has been granted.
The second phase of the park development project includes the construction of two structures: a small bridge across Las Flores Creek to allow access to visitors parked on the Rambla Pacifico side of the park, and the construction of restroom facilities to be located near the parking area on the Las Flores side of the park.
The city has received about $2 million in grant funding for the Las Flores Creek Restoration. The Los Angeles Department of Public Works has estimated it to cost a total of $3.11 million.
The city has received $314,000 in grant funding for the Las Flores Creek Park Development Project and the LADPW estimates its total cost to be about $1.7 million.
Thorsen said the city has already funded $2.6 million for the final design and environmental impact report of the restoration and development projects.
He predicted to hear within the next couple of months whether the city would be able to move forward with construction.
State-funded projects that may be on hold
This list was provided through a state government source. The Malibu Times was only able to verify that two of projects, Las Flores Creek Restoration and the Paradise Cove Stormwater Treatment System, are indeed impacted by the state’s fiscal crisis.
Las Flores Creek Gateway Project
Topanga State Park Rodeo Grounds Stream Restoration
Topanga Creek Rodeo Grounds Berm Removal, 440K, pipeline
Topanga Creek Rodeo Grounds Berm Removal, 60K, pipeline
Malibu Legacy Park
Solstice Creek Barrier Removal, PCH
West Mulholland Watershed
West Mulholland Trailhead, 330K, underway
West Mulholland Trailhead, 1M, underway
West Mulholland Trailhead, 270K, underway
King Gillette Ranch
King Gillette Ranch Health and Safety Improvements, 75K, underway
King Gillette Ranch Improvements, 550K
Malibu Kelp Restoration Project, 400K, underway
Malibu Kelp Restoration Project, 60K, pipeline
Construct access facilities at Dan Blocker County Beach, 275K, underway
Dan Blocker Public Access, 425K, pipeline
Topanga Public Use, 855K, underway
Sycamore Canyon Trail Phase II, 365K, underway
Sycamore Canyon Trail Phase IV, 35K, pipeline
Paradise Cove Stormwater Treatment System, 840K, underway
Septic System Improvements at Surfrider Beach, 107K, underway
Septic System Improvements at Topanga Beach, 107K, underway
Stunt Ranch Reserve Research and Education Ctr, 965K
Replace Septic System at Tri-Plex-Leo Carrillo, 585K, pipeline
Restore Will Roger Guest House Garage, 93K, underway
Point Mugu, Harding Grass Eradication, 60K, underway
Coastal Slope Trail and Malibu Public Works Plan, 1.1M, underway
Malibu Bluffs PP&D, 200K, pipeline
SMMNRA Interagency Visitor Center, 4M
Temescal Park Preservation, 230K, underway
Trancas Canyon Park, 39K, pipeline
Malibu Creek State Park Sepulveda Adobe Restoration, 1.1M
Tree Planting in Calabasas, 50K, underway
Tree Planting in Thousand Oaks, 50K, underway
Malibu Creek and Lagoon Stormwater Improvements, 356K, underway
Zuma Creek Restoration, 77K, underway