The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) approved $4.57 million in funding to pave roads in Polanco parks, mobile home parks and public roads in the eastern Coachella Valley. South Coast AQMD anticipates construction is slated to begin in mid-2024.
"Finding a way to pave dirt roads at mobile home parks has been an ongoing issue in the eastern Coachella Valley that I consistently hear, even last night at a meeting in the community of Mecca," Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a Riverside County news release. "This is a terrific use of air quality improvement funds that will help our community members who live in mobile home parks and improve their transportation access, public health and air quality."
In his announcement, Perez stressed the importance of the funding that gained approval on Aug. 4.
"The fact that people are going to see action and we're making it happen, South Coast AQMD is making it happen with the community, is a big deal," he said.
Addressing a longstanding issue in the eastern Coachella Valley, the allocated funds are an inventive resolution to the historical challenge of inadequate paved roads within various mobile home parks throughout the region, according to Perez.
The lack of proper paving has contributed to fine particulate pollution as vehicles stir up dust. Moreover, unpaved roads become treacherous during inclement weather, leading to the isolation of mobile home park neighborhoods on occasion, the news release said.
The last time these mobile home parks saw a significant initiative to pave roads was approximately a decade ago. It came about through collaborative efforts involving South Coast AQMD, the Riverside County Transportation Department and work by Perez as a member of the California State Assembly, the release sad.
A road paving endeavor amounting to $4.1 million was made possible through air quality mitigation funds derived from Assembly Bill 1318, a legislative measure authored by Perez. This legislation helped establish the Sentinel Energy Project near Desert Hot Springs and created a substantial $53 million mitigation fund specifically earmarked for air quality initiatives.
According to the release, this distinctive funding source empowered the Riverside County Transportation Department to undertake the paving of roads in more than 30 mobile home parks situated in Mecca, Thermal and Oasis communities.