How Should Torrance Spend $10 Million Windfall?
Torrance will receive nearly $10 Million after recently approving a boundary modification with Rolling Hills Estates. The boundary modification allows for a portion of the golf course at Rolling Hills Country Club to be reconfigured and located in the City of Torrance while Rolling Hills Estates will receive a portion of land from Torrance upon which they plan to develop 114 single-family residences. The $10 Million is to compensate Torrance for the loss of future tax revenues due to the boundary change.
The City is currently expected to receive the funds in the second quarter of this year. Once received, the funds will be considered general government money and can be used for any governmental purpose. As part of the 5-year budget discussions, City staff has prepared the following list of possible projects for the Council to consider funding with the $10 Million. Prior to leaving office, Mayor Scotto recommended to a group of HOA leaders that a substantial portion of the $10 Million go to paying down pension debt. Based on the list of options generated by staff that no longer seems to be something the City is considering.
The recommended project list (with budgetary estimates) is as follows. City staff is asking for pre-funding approval to begin now those projects marked in bold. This listing is not in order of priority as no priority listing was provided.
- International Economic Development Board Pilot Program ($40K)
- Radio System Replacement ($5M to 7.5M)
- Greenwood Park Parking Lot Rehabilitation ($150K)
- Farmers Market Bollard Installation ($178K)
- Armstrong Theatre: upgrade sound and lighting, replace wooden stage, replacement of wall baffling, green room and cast restroom remodel ($637K)
- Cultural Arts Center: carpet replacement, security system modernization, seal external walls ($500K)
- Shade canopy for Torino Plaza ($500K)
- Automatic Hand Dryers in Major Buildings ($250K)
- Nakano Theatre Restrooms ($150K)
- Repair/Replace Trusses at Wilson Park($791K)
- General Updates to City Hall Offices ($201K)
- Retile Fountain at City Hall Plaza ($200K)
- Police Mobile Command Vehicle ($825K)
- Police In Car HD Video System ($450K)
- Body Camera Pilot Project ($50K)
- 186th Street Improvement at Columbia Park ($500K)
The City is also considering the following list of projects that do not have budgetary estimates developed yet:
- Purchase of Property at 1716 Date Street (opportunity to expand parking for Fire Station 1
- McMaster Park public restroom refurbishment
- Wilson Park: Refurbish public restrooms, restore Red Car, construct skateboard park, Crenshaw Blvd electric sign
- Columbia Park: Refurbish public restrooms, install new restrooms on 190th side of park, develop adult fitness area to include Bocce Courts
- Torrance Park Band Shell
- Walteria Park: Community room update, replace picnic shelter near PCH
- Plunge building upgrade
- Bartlett Center: Carpet replacement, paint exterior and interior, redesign shuffleboard area to create exercise room
- Reconfigure and landscape Civic Center parking lot
- Purchase Cabrillo Building
- Five Year pilot shuttle for Del Amo business district to Downtown-Red Car Trolley
- 2 Electric cars for City Hall departmental use
Is there a project not listed here that you would like the City to consider? If so, please provide it in the comments section. I will be sure to consolidate any responses and include them in an e-mail to the City Council.
Here’s where $2 million is going: http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20150208/lawsuit-by-torrance-cop-tasered-by-superior-officer-settled-for-nearly-2-million.
Definitely remodel the Plunge. The shower area and carpet is filthy. It poses as a health hazard due to slippery floors and mold build up. What’s even better would be a brand new indoor olympic size swimming pool. Never know, with better sports facilities Torrance may groom more national athletic champions.
An indoor swimming pool at Wilson Park would be amazing. That would benefit everybody, young and old… fitness, swimming lessons, recreation, (the plunge is just not adequate for our city anymore). I agree with the above poster – we may groom more national athletic champions!
Be the first City in the US to advocate what France and Canada have started – encouraging “greening” of of the environment by planting MORE trees and plants (drought tolerant) and not rocks and dead lawns which are heat magnets.. As the Tree Musketeers have stated (from El Segundo) we must replace the the tree canopy to bring local temperatures down and clean the air. Also, BCHD has a “Living Streets” program, to make streets more people friendly and to cope with “urban”heat.
Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday.
Green roofs have an isolating effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer.
The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelming
They also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say.
The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French environmental activists to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings.
The law was also made less onerous for businesses by requiring only part of the roof to be covered with plants, and giving them the choice of installing solar panels to generate electricity instead.
Green roofs are popular in Germany and Australia, and Canada’s city of Toronto adopted a by-law in 2009 mandating them in industrial and residential buildings.