BOARD OF HARBOR COMMISSIONERS APPROVES $435,289
IN COMMUNITY GRANT DISBURSEMENTS
SAN PEDRO, Calif.- NOV. 16,2017- The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved $435,289 in Harbor Community Benefit Foundation (HCBF) grants that will fund 10 community projects in San Pedro and Wilmington, and noise assessment study in San Pedro.
The community projects totaled $330,019 and focus on environmental capital improvements, educational programs, and health and safety initiatives. Another $105,270 will fund a second noise assessment study, which will measure and identify zones within San Pedro for Port-related noise impacts, similar to the noise study completed in Wilmington in 2012.
“This year’s grant awardees all submitted very strong projects that we believe will have an immediate and real impact on our Port communities,” said Ambassador Vilma Martinez, president of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission. “We look forward to seeing the results of these innovative and impressive programs in the months ahead.”
“We are very excited about this fifth round of funding that will provide an array of mitigation projects and programs to ensure that our San Pedro and Wilmington communities are safe, healthy, and sustainable places to live, work, and enjoy,” said Meghan Reese, executive director of the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation.
Larger grants awarded went to the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, which will conduct pulmonary screening, education and research programs for harbor area residents whose health may be affected by Port operations; Clean Air San Pedro, which will implement a care and maintenance program for 1,100 trees in Port-adjacent areas throughout San Pedro and Wilmington; and Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation to support a floating lab that allows students to assess potential Port impacts on marine life and water quality.
Other 2017 grant recipients include COPE Preparedness; Harry Bridges Span School; Heal the Bay; IQAir Foundation; Saints Peter and Paul School; SBCC, Thrive LA; and Sharefest Community Development, Inc.
The funding for the San Pedro noise assessment study was recommended separately for approval by the HCBF Board of Directors. The study will be conducted by the consulting firm of The Jones Payne Group, which with Landrum & Brown, Inc. performed the previous noise study in Wilmington.
HCBF is an independent 501(c)(3) that administers the Port Community Mitigation Trust Fund, the product of an environmental settlement between community advocates and the Port of Los Angeles. Including today’s grant awards, the Port of Los Angeles and HCBF have awarded a total of $5.2 million in grants and contracts under the fund.
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $272 billion in trade during 2016. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.
The Port of Los Angeles – A cleaner port. A brighter future.