Agoura Hills : Utility Tax to Help Fund Capital Projects

Agoura Hills has launched several capital improvement projects to be paid for in part with funds from a controversial utility tax enacted a year ago by the City Council.

The projects include a $400,000 street overlay project scheduled to begin in November, City Manager Dave Adams said. Also in the works, he said, is an $82,000 sidewalk repair and curb construction project.

About $136,000 will be spent on improvements at Forest Cove Park, city officials said. Also, the city will spend about $75,000 to improve the southbound, right-turn lane of Kanan Road near Canwood Street.

Also under way is a project to install a traffic signal at Forest Cove Lane and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, at a cost of $150,000, city officials said. That is expected to be completed in the spring.

The utility tax was expected to raise about $1 million annually for the city’s General Fund.

Meanwhile, city officials said, several other projects are under way using funds from other sources. Those include the widening of Roadside Drive east of Kanan Road at a cost of $350,000, said City Engineer Elroy Kiepke. The project, which he said is expected to be completed next spring, includes installation of sidewalks on the east side of Kanan Road. The money, he said, will come from a gasoline tax.

The city has obtained $88,000 in county park bond money, city officials said, to be used for playground and picnic equipment at Old Agoura Park.