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Politics & Government

City Council Ready to Discuss Role of Santa Monica Airport

Additional funds for the Big Blue Bus overhaul and an extension of the Dial-a-Ride paratransit program are also on the agenda for Tuesday night's meeting.

The is ready to begin envisioning the future role of , and council members are also expected to approve an additional $750,000 in the ongoing overhaul when they meet Tuesday night.

Fifteen additional discussion items, as well as a joint meeting with a redevelopment agency, are also on the packed agenda.

The is due to be one of this year's . In December, the council said it was ready to start a long look at the future of the airport. Last month, a federal appeals court in its battle with Santa Monica, rejecting the City's years-long effort to ban the fastest, largest (category C and D) jets from SMO.

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The discussion over additional funds for the Big Blue Bus shouldn't be as heated. If approved, the extra money would bring the contract's total expenditure to $2.5 million. The funds would be used to repair and outfit the buses' biodiesel and natural gas engines, which begin to emit harmful pollutants as they reach the end of their life cycle. All of the city's bus engines have exceeded their six-year life span and require the upkeep to remain operational, according to a staff report.

The City Council originally awarded a $1.6 million contract to two maintenance companies, Ironman Renewal LLC and Harbor Diesel & Equipment, which handle biodiesel and natural gas engines, respectively. The City Council infused another $150,000 into the repair effort back in September 2009, when the quantity of worn-out engines exceeded initial projections.

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City staff say this latest infusion of cash would actually save money, as it is cheaper to repair the engines rather than replace them with newer natural gas engines, as they had originally planned.

Meanwhile, the council is expected to approve a three-year, $510,000 contract with Superior Rotation Molding for the purchase of 1,263 large plastic trash containers. City staff say that plastic containers are cheaper, lighter, easier to clean and maneuver, and will be quieter during pickup. The move is expected to reduce staff injuries, noise complaints and maintenance costs. However, the use of plastic containers is not meant to supplant the use of metal containers, according to the staff report.

The remodeling of the city's youth services office space at the office complex is costing more than anticipated, and the council will consider modifying the contract and injecting another $19,500 into the project for a total renovation cost of $127,300. The money would go primarily toward new utilities requirements discovered during construction, such as relocating a water line and additional electrical work.

The council will also review a proposal to extend the city's contract with MV Transportation, Inc. for three months, in order to improve the Dial-a-Ride paratransit program. The move would cost $160,000, and it comes at the behest of both the Disabilities Commission and the Commission for the Senior Community, which say the service needs more availability at peak hours, according to a staff report.

The city may also receive some money as a side effect of the sale of Santa Monica's swankiest hotels. Roscoe Real Estate intends to sell to Seaside Hotel LP, a Delaware-based company, and the city is entitled to a transfer premium of about $500,000, pending an audit of the anticipated sale. The sale and attendant management agreements require the council's approval.

Additionally, the council is expected to vote to accept $7,500 in grant funds from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage control in support of the “Minor Decoy/ Shoulder Tap” program. The funds would go toward assisting the as it conducts, on an overtime basis, covert operations to reduce the sale of alcohol to minors.

Finally, the council is expected to officially declare March 19 as "Buy Local Day" and consider an increase in outdoor dining-license fees for restaurants.

The meeting takes place at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at , with the public portion beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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