Recommendations Have Been Submitted to the County For Community Block Development Grants
By David James Heiss
Redlands News Collective
Redlands has received more than $331,000 from San Bernardino County for its annual Community Development Block Grant program to fund services for low-income residents.
Photo by David James Heiss
Family Service Association of Redlands.
The county also allocated roughly $2 million to unincorporated Mentone to potentially enhance sidewalks and street lighting, provide ADA-compliant curb ramps, address blight and upgrade the Mentone Senior Center.
Redlands is one of 13 "cooperating cities" in the county, along with Yucaipa and Highland, who is eligible to receive funds. The cities share a $2.3 million pool of the $4.3 million in total available CDBG funds. Redlands’ share is about 10% less than last year, a decrease of $111,146.
Cooperating cities do not receive funds directly from the federal government as the city of San Bernardino does. Because San Bernardino is large enough to be an "entitlement city," it receives direct funding, while participating cities recommend projects to the county for administration.
At its Feb. 3 City Council meeting, Redlands officials determined the largest portion of the $331,417 allocation — $170,201 — will go toward rehabilitating and adding ADA access to the primary restrooms at Sylvan Park. The project qualifies as a National Objective of Low/Mod Area Benefit (LMA), as the park serves a neighborhood where more than 51% of residents meet federal low-to-moderate income guidelines.
The city also split $30,000 equally among four partners providing public services, including housing and food assistance: Family Service Association of Redlands, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Redlands, YMCA of the East Valley’s Legal Aid program and Partners Against Violence.
The remaining $131,216 is designated for contingency and administrative costs, such as construction cost spikes, compliance reporting and potential crisis funds.
The county received seven applications for Redlands projects. Two were not prioritized by the council this year: a previous awardee, Girls on the Run, and a city request for a backup generator for the senior center.
Resident Bruce Laycook criticized the council’s priority of spending $170,000 on restroom repairs while residents struggle to feed themselves.
"I use Sylvan Park. I agree the bathrooms need to be fixed," Laycook said, "but this is a crisis. Please seriously reconsider the budget allocation."
Resident Stephen Rogers noted that Ontario used CDBG grants for streetlights. "This is supposed to benefit everyone in the community," Rogers said. "My neighborhood is right there by Sylvan Park, so I agree this is a great project that we should be going for, but I want the city to be eligible to get the money."
Rogers expressed concern that "sanctuary city" status could affect federal funding and advised the city to manage all construction aspects.
Councilman Eddie Tejeda motioned for the council’s unanimous decision to forward its CDBG recommendations to the county’s Community Development and Housing Division.