Appropriations Requests FY11

Below are descriptions of the requests for federal appropriations that Rep. Miller made this month on behalf of projects and services in his community for fiscal year 2011, which runs from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. Making the requests is just the beginning of a lengthy congressional process that will not be decided until later this year.

Appropriations subcommittee: Agriculture
Project Name: Contra Costa Child Care Council Health Program
Requested amount: $175,000
Recipient: Contra Costa Child Care Council
Address: 1035 Detroit Avenue, Suite 200 Concord, CA 94518
Purpose and Benefits: The Contra Costa Child Care Council's Growing Health Children in Child Care program works with child care providers (centers, head Start, preschools, afterschool programs and family child care homes) and parents to improve the nutritional and physical environment for young children, delivering a curriculum to each child care home to promote healthy foods and obesity prevision. Federal funding will allow the Council to expand these projects to additional child care sites and potentially reach thousands more children and families by supporting the nutrition staff and purchasing program supplies. This program will promote good nutrition and physical activity in young children and provide them an opportunity to live healthier and more productive lives.

Appropriations subcommittee: Commerce, Justice, Science
Project Name: Changing Habits, Attitudes & Mind Program (Champ)
Requested amount: $400,000
Recipient: Richmond Police Activities League
Address: 2200 Macdonald Ave Richmond, CA 94801
Purpose and Benefits: This highly successful program will increase attainment of basic skills competencies for participants, provide opportunities for academic and occupational training, and provide exposure to the job market and employment.

Project Name: Gunshot Location System
Requested amount: $415,000
Recipient: San Pablo, CA Police Department
Address: 13880 San Pablo Ave. San Pablo, CA 94806
Purpose and Benefits: The Cities of Richmond and San Pablo are investing in a gunshot location system to assist both police departments in fighting violence; this funding would be shared between the two agencies. Networked sensors will be placed at specific coordinates on buildings and telephone poles to accurately detect and locate the origin of gunshots and weapons-events.

Project Name: Richmond Youth Academy
Requested amount: $400,000
Recipient: Richmond Black Firefighters Association
Address: 3506 Cutting Blvd Richmond, CA 94804
Purpose and Benefits: The Richmond Black Firefighters Association - with support from the Richmond Fire Department and the City - provides mentoring, discipline, college tours, computer training and literacy, gang prevention and fire safety and training to Richmond youth.

Project Name: Solano County Parolee Re-Entry Program
Requested amount: $300,000
Recipient: Fighting Back Partnership
Address: 505 Santa Clara St. Vallejo, CA 94590
Purpose and Benefits: Federal funds will be used to reduce the recidivism rate of parolees returning to our community. After receiving a three year State of California Grant to address this issue, Fighting Back had a 17% recidivism rate compared to the State's 70% recidivism rate. Parolees didn't return to prison due to job placement, job training, housing, counseling and peer support. Vallejo's crime rate also was reduced via this project.

Appropriations subcommittee: Defense
Project Name: Remediation At Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Requested amount: $5,500,000
Recipient: City of Vallejo
Address: 555 Santa Clara Street Vallejo, CA 94590
Purpose and Benefits: The City of Vallejo has pursued redevelopment of the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard since its closure in BRAC 1996. Eighteen major buildings remain on the north end of the shipyard which are obsolete and a public nuisance; demolishing these buildings will allow redevelopment to move forward, creating jobs and improving the region's economic prospects.

Appropriations subcommittee: Energy and Water
Project Name: Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Project
Requested amount: $2,018,450
Recipient: Bay Area Clean Water Agencies
Address: 2500 Pittsburg-Antioch Highway Antioch, CA 94509
Purpose and Benefits: Federal support is critical to the success of the Bay Area Water Recycling Program, and the development of reliable and sustainable water supplies is essential to the long-term economic vitality of the San Francisco Bay Area and the State of California.

Project Name: Contra Costa Canal, Oakley And Knightsen, Ca
Requested amount: $10,000,000
Recipient: Contra Costa Water District
Address: 1331 Concord Avenue, P.O. Box H20 Concord, CA 94524
Purpose and Benefits: The Contra Costa Canal Levee Elimination and Flood Protection Project will eliminate eight miles of levees and replace them with a buried pipeline. The project will increase flood protection of a federal
facility in an area that is experiencing rapid residential growth, increase public safety and security, improve drinking water quality, and improve reliability of CCWD's transmission system. Encasement of the Canal will eliminate runoff and groundwater seepage into the Canal, which degrades the quality of drinking water. Eliminating local degradation will increase water supply for the federal Central Valley Project by reducing the need for upstream releases into the Delta to offset this local degradation.

Project Name: San Francisco Bay Area Regional Biosolids-To-Energy Project
Requested amount: $2,000,000
Recipient: Delta Diablo Sanitation District
Address: 2500 Pittsburg-Antioch Highway Antioch, CA 94509
Purpose and Benefits: Sixteen San Francisco Bay Area agencies, representing 2.3 million residents, are collaborating to help achieve state and federal goals to meet electricity and low carbon fuel needs by converting the by-product of wastewater treatment into energy.

Project Name: Lower Walnut Creek, Ca
Requested amount: $600,000
Recipient: Army Corps of Engineers SF District
Address: 333 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94105
Purpose and Benefits: Funding would be used to complete a reevaluation study of a 1960s-era channel that will identify and recommend channel modifications to allow the local sponsor to maintain flood conveyance while meeting regulatory requirements and enhancing wildlife habitat.

Project Name: Wildcat And San Pablo Creeks, Ca
Requested amount: $300,000
Recipient: Army Corps of Engineers SF District
Address: 333 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Purpose and Benefits: This funding will allow the Corps to complete the feasibility study on the project. Once implemented, the project will construct environmental ecosystem restoration and modification of fish passage in Wildcat Creek between San Pablo Bay and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad while maintaining Congressionally-authorized flood protection implemented as part of the original Corps project.

Appropriations subcommittee: Financial Services and General Government
Project Name: Child Care Facilities Development Loan Program
Requested amount: $200,000
Recipient: Children's Network of Solano County
Address: 2320 Courage Drive, Suite 107 Fairfield, CA 94533
Purpose and Benefits: The Child Care Facilities Development Loan Program will create jobs in the child care field and ensure that an adequate supply of quality, affordable child care is available for individuals looking to enter or re-enter the work force.

Appropriations subcommittee: Interior and Environment
Project Name: Mare Island Sanitary Sewer And Storm Drain Project
Requested amount: $1,000,000
Recipient: City of Vallejo
Address: 555 Santa Clara Street Vallejo, CA 94590
Purpose and Benefits: The current sanitary sewer and storm drain system on Mare Island is in a severely degraded condition because it evolved from a system built in the 1800's, which combined sanitary and
storm water into one system. A modernization and upgrade of the current sanitary sewer and storm water drain system is critical to improving the overall water quality of the region. Federal funding is needed to replace the existing sanitary sewer pipes, and expand the storm water drainage system.

Appropriations subcommittee: Labor, HHS, Education
Project Name: Contra Costa Arc George Miller Centers Capital Improvement Project
Requested amount: $783,660
Recipient: Contra Costa ARC
Address: 1340 Arnold Dr., Suite 127 Martinez, CA 94553
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used to complete renovations of 15 total buildings and exterior grounds at the George Miller Centers (named for State Senator George Miller Jr.) in Richmond and Concord, California. The centers provide an array of services for over 300 children and adults with special needs, and their families every day. The funds will be used to complete long overdue improvements which are necessary for the health and safety of program participants. Funds will be used to hire construction workers and to purchase the materials and equipment needed to carry out the renovations. The total project will create 60 construction jobs and will assure the retention of 518 jobs.

Project Name: Baby Coach Project Integration With CASA; Solano County, Ca
Requested amount: $150,000
Recipient: Solano County
Address: 275 Beck Avenue Fairfield, CA 94533
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used to establish a pilot program that would integrate the Solano County Baby Coach program into the volunteer base of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for pregnant teenage mothers.
Cross-training of CASA advocates would support these young women in the foster care system with pre-natal, pregnancy, and post-partum issues by building relationships with other experienced women with the same cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
This pilot program would support approximately 40 volunteers providing support to young teenage women throughout the County in the foster care system with pre-natal, pregnancy, and post-partum issues.

Project Name: Students As Prevention Partners; Richmond, Ca
Requested amount: $200,000
Recipient: YMCA of the East Bay
Address: 2330 Broadway Oakland, CA 94612
Purpose and Benefits: Building Blocks for Kids, a collaborative involving 27 public and private agencies, will utilize the multi-disciplinary expertise of member agencies to provide substance abuse prevention and intervention services to middle school age youth. These funds will be used to provide outreach, support groups, Parent Institute for Quality Education workshops, outdoor camping experiences, afterschool activities, and performing arts programs.

The program is designed to develop resiliency of students to resist use of alcohol and drugs.

Project Name: Contra Costa College "Bridges To The Future" Program; Contra Costa County, Ca
Requested amount: $425,000
Recipient: Contra Costa College
Address: 2600 Mission Bell Drive San Pablo, CA 94806
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used for a summer program for graduating high school seniors that will launch them on careers in either green technology or green policy. The program will include three components: a summer bridge program, a green-focused first year at Contra Costa College, and green-related summer internships following the first year at CCC. CCC will bring approximately 100 students from West Contra Costa County to the campus for an intensive introduction to green careers in both technology and policy.

During their first year at CCC, participants in the summer bridge program will be assigned to cohorts based upon their interest in either green policy issues or in construction, automotive, or alternative energy. They will receive an array of social, academic, and financial support services to ensure successful first year experiences at CCC. Students enrolled in the Green Bridge program will compete during their first year for 25 summer internships related to either green policy, construction, automotive or alternative energy.

Project Name: Iron Triangle Safe Haven Project; Richmond, Ca
Requested amount: $474,500
Recipient: East Bay Center for the Performing Arts
Address: 339 11th Street Richmond, CA 94801
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used to purchase equipment for the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts' educational theater program. Lighting, mirrors, and other associated objects will be purchased.

This equipment will help the Center maintain its culturally diverse and nationally award-winning professional arts instruction and public school classroom enrichment programs for over 50,000 low-income children in Richmond, California, the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and the surrounding communities.

Project Name: Sparkpoint Centers; Contra Costa County, Ca
Requested amount: $400,000
Recipient: Rubicon Programs Inc
Address: 2500 Bissell Avenue Richmond, CA 94804
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used to support a one-stop financial stability center, known as the SparkPoint Center. Funds will pay for staff who will provide help with employment training, enrollment in higher education, financial education and coaching, and savings and asset development services.

This project will allow the center to work with 500-750 households to increase income, reduce debt and build assets.

Project Name: Comprehensive Employment For The Homeless Project; Richmond, Ca
Requested amount: $298,000
Recipient: Greater Richmond Interfaith Program
Address: 165 22nd Street Richmond, CA 94801
Purpose and Benefits: This funding will expand the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program Resource Center functions and supportive services by hiring additional qualified, credentialed, vocational staff, to provide comprehensive support and consultation to enhance employment opportunities for homeless individuals through on-site and referral services to long-established partnering agencies. The project will also include computer training, job search and resume creation assistance.

Enhancing the capacity of homeless persons to access and maintain housing is essential in achieving economic self-sufficiency and long-term stability.

80 jobs will be created through this project.

Project Name: Safe & Bright Futures; Contra Costa County, Ca
Requested amount: $475,000
Recipient: Contra Costa County
Address: 651 Pine St. Martinez, CA 94553
Purpose and Benefits: This project would implement a federally-funded plan to create a system in Contra Costa County to diminish the damaging effects of domestic violence on children and adolescents and to stop the cycle of intentional injury and abuse. A broad-based collaborative developed the comprehensive plan to create a system responsive to the needs of children exposed to domestic violence through identification, intervention, and treatment; raising awareness; training professionals; utilizing and disseminating data; establishing consultation teams to support providers in intervening and using best practices; and providing targeted services. It is a worthwhile investment of taxpayers funds as it will diminish the damaging effects of domestic violence on children and adolescents and stop the cycle of inury and abuse, protecting our children and creating a healthier environment in which to thrive.

Appropriations subcommittee: Military Construction/VA
Project Name: Construct BCE Maintenance Shops And Supply Warehouse
Requested amount: $12,900,000
Recipient: Travis Air Force Base
Address: . Fairfield, CA 94535
Purpose and Benefits: This project would allow for the construction of new Base Civil Engineer (BCE) maintenance and supply facilities to allow 270 Travis Air Force Base personnel to accomplish their work in a more secure and efficient manner. There are 26 facilities in the existing BCE complex, and the average age of the facilities is 45 years. The majority of the buildings have leaky roofs, cracked foundations and degraded exteriors and parking surfaces.

The current facilities are not energy efficient and do not meet modern facility or seismic codes, a major cause for concern in earthquake-prone northern California. Additionally, personnel working in the existing structures deal with overcrowded working areas and are often forced to store costly tools and materials outside due to lack of space in the current facilities.

Finally, the 26 existing buildings are scattered over the base, which results in wasted man-hours driving from facility to facility, as well as unnecessary strain on command and control logistical support.

The proposed new BCE project would bring BCE personnel together in one energy efficient, safely constructed complex allowing for better mission integration and the elimination of current hazardous working conditions.

Appropriations subcommittee: Transportation, HUD
Project Name: Vacaville Intermodal Station--Phase 2; Vacaville, Ca
Requested amount: $2,000,000
Recipient: Solano Transportation Authority
Address: One Harbor Center, Suite 130 Suisun City, CA 94585
Purpose and Benefits: Funding is requested for environmental clearance and design of the Vacaville Intermodal Station to provide commuter access to express bus service to both the Bay Area and the Sacramento region along the I-80 corridor, and provide efficient connections to local bus service. The overall project will be constructed in two phases. Phase 1 will provide ten bus bays as well as 200 automobile parking spaces in a surface lot. Phase 2 of this project will construct a 400-space parking garage as well as retail/commercial space. Both phases will provide bus, vanpool, and carpool access and parking. Funding is currently being requested for Phase 2. There will be easy bicycle and pedestrian access to the facility from the surrounding residential, retail, and office uses as well as a nearby community center. The Station has the potential to serve 800 to 900 people a day taking into account the number of bus, vanpool and carpool commuters, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Project Name: Hercules, Intermodal Transit Center Express Bus And Bus Access Project; Hercules, Ca
Requested amount: $3,120,000
Recipient: Western Contra Costa Transit Authority
Address: 601 Walter Avenue Pinole, CA 94564
Purpose and Benefits: This project consists of construction of the Bayfront Boulevard/Bridge and the purchase of an express bus. The Hercules Intermodal Transit Center Express Bus and Bus Access project will improve public transportation options for commuters in the San Francisco Bay Area by providing access for public transit to the Hercules Intermodal Transit Center and express buses from the Hercules Intermodal Transit Center directly to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. The public transit access will link bus, intercity rail, ferries, and bicycle/pedestrian access together at the Hercules Intermodal Transit Center. The ITC is a key component of the Hercules Bayfront TOD, one of the largest TOD projects in the Nation, and the only tri-modal TOD on the west coast. This project will create 112 jobs.

Project Name: Vallejo Ferry Maintenance Facility; Vallejo, Ca
Requested amount: $4,750,000
Recipient: San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Address: Pier 9, Suite 111, The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94111
Purpose and Benefits: The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is expanding Bay Area ferry services, including seven new routes and improvements to current systems. The requested funding will be used to construct a new ferry maintenance facility located in Vallejo, CA to provide storage for parts and equipment and to serve as an operations center, waterfront infrastructure for mooring 6 vessels, and installation of a 48,000 gallon fuel storage and delivery system, representing a 14 day supply of fuel for current Vallejo ferry operations. The fuel storage capacity will be essential to the Water Emergency Transportation Authoritys (WETA) emergency response capabilities because the facility currently can't store more than one day's supply of fuel. This project will create 30 to 40 construction jobs and will preserve approximately 35 full time permanent family-wage jobs once the facility is in operation.

Project Name: Neighborworks America Economic Recovery Project; Richmond, Ca
Requested amount: $750,000
Recipient: Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services
Address: 2320 Cutting Boulevard Richmond, CA 94804
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used to provide funding for the economic redevelopment of areas in Richmond, CA hard hit by foreclosures. Funds will be used to acquire and rehabilitate vacant and abandoned housing properties, with local low-income individuals performing rehabilitation services on these properties.

Project Name: Curtola Transit Center; Vallejo, Ca
Requested amount: $3,000,000
Recipient: Solano Transportation Authority
Address: One Harbor Center, Suite 130 Pinole, CA 94585
Purpose and Benefits: Funds will be used to construct a Transit Center at Curtola Parkway and Lemon Street in Vallejo, which will provide parking for passengers using bus rapid transit along the heavily congested I-80 corridor between Solano and San Francisco Counties, express bus and park and ride service and support the regional congestion mitigation strategy. Phase 1 of the project is for construction of the first 450-space parking structure and the bus/carpool transfer and pedestrian plaza, which will increase parking capacity by 209 spaces. The project will ultimately provide 1,364 parking spaces in three parking structures.

Project Name: I-80/San Pablo Dam Road--Phase 1; San Pablo, Ca
Requested amount: $5,000,000
Recipient: Contra Costa Transportation Authority
Address: 3478 Buskirk Avenue, Suite 100 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
Purpose and Benefits: This project will enhance the I-80/San Pablo Dam Road interchange in San Pablo, CA. Phase 1 of this project will increase the distance between the El Portal on-ramp and the San Pablo Dam Road off-ramp by relocating the existing on-ramp from El Portal Drive to westbound I-80 farther north to create a full diamond interchange at El Portal Drive, and constructing an auxiliary lane from El Portal Drive at its new location to San Pablo Dam Road. This is the first phase of a larger project to reconstruct the I-80/San Pablo Dam Road Interchange. The project limits are between El Portal Drive and McBryde Avenue east and west of San Pablo Dam Road along I-80 in Contra Costa County. This project could potentially create or support 740 jobs.

Project Name: Carquinez Scenic Drive Bay Trail
Requested amount: $2,000,000
Recipient: Contra Costa County
Address: 651 Pine St. Martinez, CA 94553
Purpose and Benefits: This project will repair and restore, as a multi-use trail, portions of Carquinez Scenic Drive that were closed as a result of landslides.

Contra Costa County and the East Bay Regional Park District have been working together to secure funding to repair the slides and reconstruct the road to a multi-use trail standard. Renovation of Carquinez Scenic Drive will repair slide damage and restore pavement of the closed road for use as a bicycle-pedestrian trail. The completed Bay Trail segment along the Carquinez Shoreline will greatly benefit the residents of the Bay Area by providing:
a. a connection between the communities of Martinez, Port Costa and Crockett for bicycle, pedestrian and equestrian users;
b. an enhanced route for the approximately 2,400 county residents who commute to work by bicycle, and an incentive for others to join them; and
c. alternate emergency vehicle and evacuation routes for the three communities along the shoreline;
d. access to parkland in the Martinez/Briones and Crockett/Rodeo areas.

Project Name: Livable Community Corridor Initiative-Street Infrastructure Improvements; Richmond, Ca
Requested amount: $779,650
Recipient: City of Richmond
Address: 450 Civic Center Plaza Richmond, CA 94804
Purpose and Benefits: The Livable Community Corridor Initiative ("Livable Corridor Initiative"), located in a Regional Priority Development Area in Richmond, California, would create jobs, reclaim a mile-long stretch of Macdonald Avenue from an open air drug market, and stabilize and revitalize an important commercial-transit oriented corridor that supports workforce housing.

These funds will be used for Phase II of the initiative, which will include sidewalk widening, bus shelters, and community enhancing infrastructure. Results of the Livable Corridor Initiative are expected to include:
150 jobs created
reduced criminal activity (approximately 15%)
support of community serving business and property values
increased ridership on transit service
reduced greenhouse gas emissions
These projected results are based on the outcomes of Phase 1 in combination with a concerted effort by the community, police, and other City departments to establish a livable Iron Triangle.

Project Name: Bart Rail Car Acquisition; Oakland, Ca
Requested amount: $3,000,000
Recipient: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit
Address: 300 Lakeside Drive, 18th Floor Oakland, CA 94612
Purpose and Benefits: BARTs highest priority, heading into its fourth decade of service, is to replace and expand its fleet of almost 700 rail cars in order to continue serving the growing rider demand at a cost of more than $3 million per car. BART cars can no longer be rehabilitated and must be replaced.

Funds will be used for preparation purposes, including issuing a request for proposals, evaluating proposals and awarding the contract.

Appropriations subcommittee: Labor, HHS, Education
Project Name: National Writing Project
Requested amount: $26,200,000
Recipient: National Writing Project
Address: 2105 Bancroft Way, #1042 Berkeley, CA 94720
Purpose and Benefits: NWP provides support for a national infrastructure of more than 200 writing projects sites that serve their local schools and teaching communities with high-quality teacher professional development in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Project Name: New Leaders for New Schools
Requested Amount: $5,000,000
Recipient: New Leaders for New Schools
Address: 30 West 26th Street, Second Floor, New York, NY 10010
Purpose and Benefits: The New Leaders for New Schools project would support more than 100 residents to be recruited selected and trained in its Aspiring Principals Program in 13 cities. Funding will be used to further their principal effectiveness work and better identify the leadership actions, contexts, and training and professional development approaches that drive dramatic student achievement gains. Their work can also be used by the broader education community to inform principal evaluation systems and principal training programs to help ensure more effective leaders that are focused on student achievement results.