On Friday, the City of Arvin announced that it had been awarded a $3.2 million CDBG non-entitlement competitive grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to fulfill the community’s desire for street and road reconstruction.
After conducting numerous public outreach events and learning what the community wanted to prioritize, the City created a project to reconstruct Haven Drive from Meyer Street to Comanche Road.
A press release by the City described Haven Drive as a main arterial street running east-west throughout Arvin. “It is a critical corridor for first responders, the main access street for Haven Drive Middle School, and serves residential homes.”
Officials also said this project will provide a new street, safe sidewalks, and crosswalks on a heavily trafficked street that intersects with multiple school zones. The grant also provides sewer line upgrades and connections, which will be performed before the street paving.
“We are pleased to announce this grant award, which has been in process with HCD for over a year. The bids and specs are ready to bid, and we will move forward with this project quickly now that we have the official award,” said Arvin Mayor, Daniel Borreli. “We want residents to know that we hear their voices. We thank the California Department of Housing and Community Development for acknowledging and supporting the Arvin community!”
This project is strongly supported by Arvin residents, the police and fire departments, the Arvin Union School District, the Committee for a Better Arvin (CBA), and the Committee for Race, Justice, Poverty, and the Environment (CRPE).
“The CDBG program aims to improve living environments for low- and moderate-income residents in rural areas. The City is committed to making our streets safer, and this project will add safety features along this road where residents have homes. We are dedicated to improving street safety for motorists and pedestrians,” commented Councilwoman Susana Reyes. “On behalf of the council and myself, we would like to thank HCD for this fantastic grant and Christine Viterelli, the City’s Grant Manager, for her hard work and dedication to the residents of Arvin.”
In addition to this win for its community, Arvin City Manager Jeff Jones announced that the City has several other street and sidewalk improvement projects pending.
These additional projects will take place on South A Street and South Derby (Tejon Blvd.) through the City’s work with the AB617 Community Steering Committee as part of its Community Emissions Reduction Program (CERP).
“Arvin is awaiting final approval from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District (SJVAPCD) to move forward with the design and construction of these new road projects,” stated Jones.
