(Feb. 27, 2008) -- 5th district Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske has emailed comments to us in advance of tonight's (Feb. 27) meeting called by Neighborhood First to discuss the December 18 City Council action (8-1, O'Donnell dissenting) that recommended reuse of the Willow St/Grand Ave. Army Reserve facility as an East Division LBPD station -- with an off-site daytime homeless services component near the SW corner of the adjacent LB Health Dept facility.
Dear LBReport:
Thanks for covering the meeting to be held tonight at Buffum Elementary concerning the Council's 8-1 vote to approve an application for reuse of the Schroeder army property for use as a police substation.
In order to receive that property, Federal law required the committee making the recommendation for the reuse to accommodate homeless services providers. The City did so by offering a parcel of land off site but in an industrial area immediately adjacent to the City's Public Health Dept which has been there for 15 years and serves homeless and any others who seek services.
With the police substation immediately across the street from the potential homeless provider (a day center focusing on those homeless with mental illness), a police buffer further protects the neighborhoods that are some distance away.
I was not made aware of this meeting until last week and had already had scheduled a meeting of my task force on lakes, ponds and wetlands. I have also spoken with Councilman Patrick O'Donnell -- who is the only councilperson to opposed this project -- and whose district the meeting is being held -- and he asked that he take the meeting without me. I agreed.
I also understand City staff will be on hand to once again explain the entire process and project -- as they did several weeks ago to the leadership of Neighborhoods First.
I hope you will cover this meeting and also take time to check out the physical location of the proposed project and the accommodation to the homeless so that you can see first hand it is not located in or immediately near a residential area.
Finally, should the City now not submit its application as approved in the process, the Army would retain the property and decide how it should be used (not the City of Long Beach) and under Federal law, we could see an expanded presence of homeless services directly on the site without any recourse.
s/ Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske
