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Council agree to spend $32 million to fix all City streets. The City of Carson may make some neighbors jealous with some nice, smooth roads as the city council unanimously approved an accelerated street-condition-improvement project known as the Annual Pavement Maintenance program during the November 7 meeting. Along with the resolution, the council agreed to spend a whopping $32 million spread across four City Streets repair contracts, one per district. Each contract will pay $8 million for a three year term with the option to extend the contract by two additional one-year terms. Contracts for districts 1, 3, and 4, was awarded to R.J. Noble Company while district 2 was given to All American Asphalt. The program is projected to begin early next year.
The city's roadway infrastructure is approximately 245 centerline miles and streets with poorer conditions will be worked on first. "Streets are prioritized based on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI)" explained Public Works Director Arlington C. Rodgers, Jr. Last year during the May 17 meeting, the City of Carson's streets barely avoided the 'Poor' category scoring an overall 56 on its PCI. At the time consultants suggested that the City would need to spend $16.35 million per year to improve City streets back to the same condition they were in 2017.
“Carson is a destination city, so it is important that our roads are maintained for optimal travel. Whether you choose to walk, drive, ride the bus, or bike, you should be able to travel on a well-maintained road no matter what area of the city you are in. I am happy that I along with my colleagues are implementing programs that will improve the entire city,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes in a press release.
While City Manager David C Roberts Jr. did inform that the $2 million cost per district for the first year will ultimately take the City out of its structurally balanced budget, which was passed earlier in June, the council assured him that this project is money-well-spent. “Nobody knows what a structurally balanced budget is in the first place. All they want to know is my streets being taken care of” responded Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes.
City receives $150,000 grant for City Hall’s cultural significance on Black Modernism. The City of Carson, and mainly the City Hall, was awarded a $150,000 Conserving Black Modernism 2023 grant by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund under its National Trust for Historic Preservation program. The grant will be utilized to produce a Historic Structure Report which will primarily serve as a public educational tool on City Hall’s lead architect Robert Kennard and his significant contributions to Black Modernism in the 60’s and 70’s. Additionally, the report will assess the current physical condition of Carson City Hall and prepare a historical context and framework for the preservation of the building’s architectural elements, including guidance for future projects. Grants from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as homes, museums, and landscapes that represent African American cultural heritage. To date, the program has supported 242 historic African American places and invested more than $20 million to help preserve significant sites imbued with Black life, humanity, and cultural heritage. During the Oct 17 meeting, the council signed an agreement with Architectural Resources Group of Los Angeles to prepare the City Hall's historic structure report.
Council establishes City’s Community Beautification Initiative. During the Oct 17 meeting, the council adopted a new resolution establishing the City of Carson Community Beautification Initiative to enhance the overall appearance of public spaces and incentivizes residents/business owners to beautify their own private areas. The new resolution calls for the cooperation of City Council and residents through town hall discussions and establishes a Community Beautification Ad Hoc committee, consisting of Councilwoman Arleen Rojas serving as co-chair with Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. The initiative may cover various activities suggested by the ad-hoc committee, but specifically the resolution calls for the following tasks:
The Public Works Department will prioritize projects aimed at sidewalk and road repairs, tree trimming, and other beautification measures.
The City will implement a tree planting program to increase greenery.
The City shall help residents identify and apply for grants and other resources that can improve their properties.
The City shall actively promote any grass replacement program administered by the local water company as an environmentally responsible landscaping option for City residents.
Awards presented to several City of Carson Departments. The November 7 council meeting included several awards recognitions received by various City departments for their outstanding work. First, the City celebrated receiving the 2019 Creating Community/Aging Well Award from the California Parks and Recreation Society Inc (CPRS) for its intergenerational (IG) program. The IG program is designed as an 8-week semester that features various topics including social media, email, computers, health and wellness, personal histories and backgrounds, and more. The program successfully fuses two diverse generations of high school senior volunteers and local ‘Super Seniors’ (ages 50 and over). This year’s class of 10 high school seniors and 10 “Super Seniors” culmination will take place on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
The Government Finance Officers Association awarded the City’s Finance Department with the 2022 Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The Certificate of Achievement (COA) for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program was established back in 1945 to assist state and local governments in preparing transparent, fully disclosed, comprehensive financial reports and to recognize the individual governments who achieved that goal. The City has won a total of 22 awards since the beginning of their participation.
The City’s Risk Management Team won its second consecutive Eagle Award from PRISM. The member directed risk sharing entity known as PRISM (Public Risk Innovation, Solutions, and Management) awarded the City the 2023 EAGLE Awards for its project, Visual Claims Mapping Tool, in the Innovation and Excellence in Development and Implementation of Best Practices category. In its letter the organization shared that the City’s project should be shared with all its members as a best practice.
The council made the following Proclamations:
Recognizing the week of November 12 - 18 as United Against Hate Week.
Events:
3rd Annual Community Basketball Game Presented by Carson 411: Friday, Dec 8th, 6 p.m., Veterans Sports Complex
WinterFest: Saturday, Dec 9th, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Veterans Park
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