Peninsula Beautification Project Nabs Over $900K in Grant Money
Fairhaven residents Chuck DeWitt and Jody Himango at a past community cleanup day. Photo: Natalie Arroyo.
Press release from Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District and Redwood Community Action Agency:
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, together with our project partner Redwood Community Action Agency, are pleased to announce that we have been selected for grant funding for the Peninsula Beautification Project. The project’s goals are to reduce and prevent dumping and littering, beautify and protect public spaces for recreation, and support the people who live and work in Manila, Samoa, Fairhaven, and Finnetown. Specific improvements will include: murals; physical barriers to minimize illegal driving on the beach; interpretive and wayfinding signs; a Humboldt Bay-wide litter abatement campaign; park and public recreational enhancements throughout the Peninsula; more play structures; a series of community cleanup events; and pedestrian safety improvements.
A mural by Laci Dane located on a concrete utility vault. This project will include multiple new murals. Photo: Carla Avila-Martinez.
Colleen Clifford, a Manila resident, said, “Those of us who live on the Peninsula know how very special it is. This grant will bring needed upgrades and beautification to ensure a healthy and safe connection with our dune environment. It will also support artists in our community through the creation of more outdoor public art. We are so grateful that our neighbors and wider community will get to appreciate and respect these spaces!”
The total amount of funding for this project is $903,870, beginning this spring and ending in 2024. This funding will be provided by the Clean California Local Grant Program, which was established by the legislature for the purposes of beautifying and cleaning up local streets and roads, tribal lands, parks, pathways, transit centers, and other public spaces. The Clean California Local Grant Program is administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). This project is one of 105 projects identified for funding throughout the state in the program’s first cycle.
The Peninsula Beautification Project builds on the work that the resident-based Peninsula Community Collaborative has done over several years. The Peninsula Community Collaborative is a resident-based community group who support the following shared vision: We collaborate to bring Peninsula community members together, share ideas, develop solutions, seek support, and put our plans into action with the goal of improving well-being and safety.
Chris Mikkelsen, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District’s Director of Facility Management, said “The District has partnered with the Peninsula Community Collaborative to clean up the Peninsula before this grant became available, but the challenges are significant and we were not able to address all of the myriad needs with existing resources. We wanted to continue supporting the vision of a cleaner, safer place to enjoy healthy coastal recreation. This was important to our Board, and important to our community. I’m thrilled that we will be able to do more over the next two years to make the Samoa Peninsula a wonderful place to be.” Redwood Community Action Agency will be supporting implementation of the project and coordinating with the Peninsula Community Collaborative. RCAA and the Harbor District will collaborate with the Manila Community Services District, Peninsula Community Services District and Samoa Peninsula Fire Department, Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, Friends of the Dunes, and numerous private businesses and resident groups to implement this project.
Additional information about the Clean California Local Grant Program is available at https://cleancalifornia.dot.ca.gov/local-grants. The Peninsula Beautification Project team looks forward to making these visible changes on the Samoa Peninsula for the enjoyment of all! For more information about this project, please contact Carla Avila-Martinez at [email protected].
Dumped items in the dunes. This grant will include an anti-dumping focus. Photo: Lia Stoffers.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Spend it to stop junkies from breaking into cars
Post the work days about month in advance and people will show up.
What does a one legged bird have to do with the dunes?
Ohhh I hush. I ee the the second leg now. Sorry. Great work though. I like how the merge. Props good artist.
If only grant money could magically make the junkies stop destroying the dunes and living in them. It never will, but it will pad the pockets of people along the way………. Quit taxing tf out of people to pay for your passion projects!
Well, aren’t you a ray of positivity this morning? You just stay home and be a grumpy ol’ stick in the mud on the internet and others will go out and try to do something positive for the community.
Maybe some of it could be used for sidewalks to keep kids safe and for support and case management for the dozens of people living in the dunes near the Dog Ranch.
What is an “anti-dumping focus”? Signs that say No Dumping Allowed?
Almost a million bucks can build a lot of shipping containers that are converted into housing, which would prevent having to put up some ugly signs. The sides of the containers could be the canvas for the murals! WIN WIN!
Does the fact that even homeless camps have a trash problem raise any questions about the nature of government? Trash collection should be a government service paid through taxes. Not using taxes to regulate, negotiate and limit access and then make people pay private companies to charge them for the service. First government needs to provide universal needed services for everyone then it can worry about doing something special for a few.
Murals are the epitome of putting lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig.
[…] improvements are in the works, thanks to $900,000 in funding from the Clean California Local Grant Program. Keep up with the Peninsula Community Collaborative on Facebook or by contacting RCAA’s […]