Caltrans gives city $558,000

Anderson Public Works Director Jeff Kiser received notice Tuesday, Sept. 1, that the city will receive $558,000 to design and construct a 1.6-mile bikeway adjacent to the west side of Highway 273 between South Street and Pleasant Hills Drive.

The entire project, estimated at $620,000, is designed to link several neighborhoods to nearby retail centers and also to downtown Anderson, explained Kiser.

"This will also provide an opportunity for commuters to use bicycles instead of automobiles," he said.

The project will also provide access to three Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) bus stops as well as to a Safe Route to Schools construction project recently approved by the city council.

The funds come from the California Department of Transportation's Bicycle Transportation Account. Caltrans BTA provides state funds for eligible city and county projects that will improve safety and convenience for bicycle commuters, Kiser said.

By keeping bicycles, motorized wheelchairs and pedestrians well off the highway's shoulders, safety along that stretch of roadway should improve dramatically, especially since long sections of the busy four-lane highway are not lighted at night, he stated.

In a related project, Anderson's five-member city council unanimously approved a professional services agreement with Willdan Engineering to develop plans, specifications, contruction estimates and all necessary documents for the North Street to Highway 273 Safe Route to School Project.

Willdan's costs will come out of the $242,650 in grant funding received from Caltrans for this project, Kiser explained. The city will match that amount with $26,950 and Caltrans is expected to contribute another $50,000 for a total project cost of $319,600, Kiser said.

Under other business, the Anderson City Council will meet in special session at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Anderson City Hall Council Chambers, 1887 Howard St., to discuss the need for reforms in state governance and fiscal matters.

Similar meetings will be held in Redding and the City of Shasta Lake, as well as with the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, explained council member Melissa Hunt, who urged city officials to come up with ideas that will help spur the state's legislators to think creatively outside the box.

Finally, at its Sept. 1 meeting, the Anderson City Council unanimously agreed to forgive $8,400 in rent from the Anderson Partnership for Healthy Children, which operates the city-owned Teen Center on Howard and East Center streets.

The Anderson Partnership for Healthy Children, itself a project of the Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council of Shasta County, was recently hit with the loss of seven operating grants as the result of belt tightening at the state and federal levels, explained Michele Erickson, deputy director of the Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council.

A long-term solution to the problem is needed, but short-term, forgiving the center's rent for the remainder of fiscal year 2009-2010 will help get the Teen Center back on an even financial keel.