Three projects in Mendocino County were recently awarded a total of more than $7.5 million in Clean California Grants, the California Department of Transportation reported.
According to a news release, the projects included:
- The Beautify Willits project by the City of Willits, which will beautify and improve public spaces, accessibility in downtown, public parks, and the Main Street and Commercial Street corridors with a focus on safety, reducing litter and illegal dumping, increasing community engagement and educational outreach. The grant amount request is approximately $2.7 million.
- The Fort Bragg Art and Recycling Beautification Project, which proposes to procure and install art-covered, eye-catching multi-use waste receptacles at strategically placed locations throughout town to reduce littering and increase recycling. The receptacles will be distributed into three areas, 1) along the Coastal Trail, 2) within the Central Business District, 3) and around schools and parks. In partnership with local schools, the city will use art created by students to have quality skins manufactured to decorate the bins using themes, which connect art to environmental preservation. In addition, the City will host two (2) Beach Clean-Up Events during the grants performance period. The grant amount request is approximately $267,000.
- Anderson Valley Track to Health and Fitness by the Anderson Valley Unified School District will provide beautification, enhancement and expansive community fitness opportunities in Boonville. The track will be a venue for safe and equitable sporting events for high poverty youth at Anderson Valley Junior Senior High School, accessible for independent soccer league participation, a location for fitness charity/tournament events, and most importantly a place for all residents to achieve their individual wellness and recreation goals, since there are no gyms or workout facilities within a 20-mile radius. The grant amount request is approximately $4.7 million.
In an email announcing the grant award, Louise Simson, superintendent of the Anderson Valley Unified School District, said: “We have had lots of hard days in the last two years – kids without toilets for months on end, septic systems dug up, leaky roofs, broken air conditioners – but we have always had the belief that our kids deserve better. We are one step closer to our kids experiencing BETTER, and are grateful to Caltrans for improving the quality of life for Boonville students and residents through this improvement program.”
Caltrans noted that “since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and local partners have removed an estimated 1.86 million cubic yards of litter from state highways. The program has created more than 4,000 jobs that have helped Californians overcome barriers to employment, including 357 people experiencing homelessness, and drawn more than 10,000 volunteers to events ranging from community cleanups to large debris collections for appliances, tires and mattresses.”
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