Field project gets $9-million go-ahead

CITY HALL — The council Tuesday voted unanimously to contribute about $9 million to a project that will upgrade aging athletic fields at Burbank and John Burroughs high schools.

But an estimated $3-million funding deficit — which the council and the Burbank Unified School District Board must confront in order to bring the project to fruition — still looms over the project.

"We're still a long way away from awarding a bid," Assistant City Manager Mike Flad said. "And until you award a bid, you can't be sure what the project will cost. We're still moving forward, but with the recognition that there's still a big deficit."

The next step is to hire an architect to draw up a preliminary design, providing city officials with an accurate picture of project costs, he said. In agreeing to put city money toward the fields, the fields will be made open for public use.

But even according to the current preliminary figures, the funding shortage at this point is assured, he said.

"It's real safe to say there's going to be a deficit between what we have, what the council and school board wants, and how much it's going to cost," he said.

Making up the deficit will require a cooperative effort between the city, the school district and members of the community, school board member Dave Kemp said.

The board is planning to discuss possible funding sources to tap for the project and how to reach out to the community for private fundraising efforts, he said.

"We're looking to go to the community to try to raise as much as we can," he said. "[The school board] hopes to be able to raise $1 million toward the project.

Each one — the cities and the district — are trying to figure how to contribute another $1 million apiece."

Any contribution from the school district is unlikely to come out of the general fund, Kemp said. But the board may be able to tap additional money in modernization fund accounts, he said.

Officials at John Burroughs are both relieved and puzzled by the council's decision on Tuesday, Athletic Director Marty Garrison said.

"We kind of expected that outcome, but we were surprised by the vote in regards to not giving us the additional 3 million," he said. "And now we just kind of wonder, where are we? Not that we're not happy about what they did — but now we have to get on to our next campaign."

QUESTION

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