Long Beach Briefs: Community Grants Program Gives 2.7 M. and City Offering Updated COVID-19 Boosters

Community Grants Program Gives More Than $2.7 Million

LONG BEACH — A community orchard in Paramount, carbon-capturing landscaping at Long Beach parks, and several solar power projects were among the projects awarded more than $2.7 million in funding from the Port of Long Beach Community Grants Program in 2021.

Details can be found in the Community Grants Program annual report, posted here.

Three parks and open space projects, totaling $837,645, were approved by the Harbor Commission last year. The projects include fruit trees, security lighting, fencing, bioswales, landscaping, and irrigation. These projects aim to provide buffers between sources of port-related impacts and the surrounding communities. 

The awardees were:

• City of Long Beach – $462,645
• City of Paramount – $200,000
• Conservation Corps of Long Beach – $175,000

Five solar power generation and two solar water heating projects were approved, totaling almost $1.9 million. Awarded projects include the installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems, canopy solar photovoltaic systems, and solar water heaters at facilities that serve sensitive populations such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, the chronically ill and individuals with respiratory and/or cardiopulmonary disorders and illnesses. Environmental benefits produced by these projects include greenhouse gas emission reductions and decreased energy consumption. 

The awardees were:

Solar Power Generation

• City of Long Beach Public Works – $121,084
• First Congregational Church – $328,660
• Long Beach City College (Liberal Arts Campus) – $415,398
• Long Beach City College (Pacific Coast Campus) – $625,398
• Memorial Medical Center Foundation – $310,787

Solar Water Heating

• Long Beach City College (Liberal Arts Campus) – $30,000
• Long Beach City College (Pacific Coast Campus) – $60,000

Long Beach Now Offering Updated COVID-19 Boosters

LONG BEACH — Starting Set. 7, the Long Beach Health Department is beginning to offer bivalent Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 boosters. These updated boosters provide increased protection against the omicron variant and are available via walk-up at all city-run vaccine clinics. If you would prefer to make an appointment, you can do so starting Sept. 21: here.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna bivalent boosters are authorized for people at least two months after they completed their primary series or received their most recent booster — regardless of the total number of booster doses they have already received. The Moderna booster is available to adults 18 and older while Pfizer is approved for children 12 and older.

Details: here.