TUSTIN : Programs for Youths on Agenda

A proposal to establish youth recreational programs in the southwest section of the city will be among items considered tonight by the City Council.

City staff members are advising the council to buy a vacant, 6,000-square-foot building on a half-acre lot at Newport and Sycamore avenues for use as a recreational center.

The building could house a drop-in center for elementary and middle school students, day-care facilities, health care programs, as well as offices for the Tustin Acts For Family and Youth program and Project Headstart, according to a city report.

The county in 1987 appraised the property at more than $660,000.

Staff members are also recommending that negotiations continue over construction of a basketball court and play area on a vacant property at 1101 Sycamore Ave.

This site, which is owned by Tustin Hospital Medical Center, could be used for recreation by youth and by hospital personnel.

The city report also identifies a parcel at 15712 Tustin Village Way, west of the Costa Mesa Freeway, for possible use as a youth center. Property immediately north of the site could be developed into a neighborhood park, according to staff members.

The property, which is owned by the California Department of Transportation, was previously used for the McFadden Avenue exit ramp from the freeway.

The City Council meeting will also include:

* An update by City Manager William A. Huston about effects of the Orange County bankruptcy on Tustin, which has $185,000 in the county’s troubled investment pool.

* A request by the Tustin Boys and Girls Club to operate a roller hockey program in the club’s gymnasium.

The council meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Tustin Civic Center, 300 Centennial Way.

For more information, call (714) 573-3000.