U.S. Funds to Help Poorer Areas, Depot

Programs aimed at beautifying poor and blighted neighborhoods in south Glendale will receive the bulk of more than $1.8 million in federal funds allocated to the city for the next fiscal year, the City Council decided this week.

Under a plan approved Tuesday by the council, Community Development Block Grant funds for 1991-92 also will be used to help restore the historic Southern Pacific train depot, purchased by the city in 1989 as a transportation center for rail, bus and commuter services.

The grants since 1985 have been earmarked primarily for neighborhood beautification in south Glendale, Madalyn Blake, director of community development and housing, told the council.

The plan approved Tuesday targets neighborhoods in an area bounded by Colorado Street on the north, the city limits on the south, Chevy Chase Drive on the east and the railroad tracks near San Fernando Road on the west, Blake wrote in a memo to the council.

Nearly $930,000 is allocated for beautification measures, including graffiti cleanup and tree-planting efforts, new seats in the Roosevelt Junior High School auditorium and new water pipes, according the said.

More than $315,000 of that is earmarked for historic preservation--to help rehabilitate the 1924 train depot at 400 W. Cerritos Ave. as an $18-million hub for mass transit.

Eight community organizations--including the YWCA, the Armenian Relief Society and the Verdugo Mental Health Center--will share about $116,000 for services to immigrants, elderly residents, the homeless and others. Another $85,000 will be spent on upgrading facilities such as the YMCA and a center for abused children, according to the report.

Another $367,500 will provide loans and grants to owners of low-income housing for repairs and rent subsidies, and pay for city inspections of substandard dwellings. About $374,000 will be used for administrative expenses, the report said.

The allocations were proposed after six months of deliberations, including an assessment of community needs, a public hearing and meetings with city officials.