REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
July 26, 2022
FROM
LEONARD X. HERNANDEZ, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Ratification Actions in Response to American Rescue Plan Act - Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Subrecipient Contracts
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Ratify the Chief Executive Officer’s exercise of the authority granted by the Board of Supervisors on March 1, 2022 (Item No. 32), in approving the following contracts with subrecipients for American Rescue Plan Act funding for eligible projects in accordance with the Board of Supervisors approved Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Spending Plan:
1. Contract No. ARPA21-PRJC-001 with the City of San Bernardino for Refurbishment of Guadalupe Field in the not-to-exceed amount of $995,000 for the contract term of June 1, 2022 through December 31, 2026.
2. Contract No. ARPA21-PRJS-002 with the Rialto Unified School District for the construction of the International Healing Garden in the not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the contract term of July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024.
3. Contract No. ARPA21-PRJC-003 with the City of Ontario for the Bon View Park Baseball Field Renovations in the not-to-exceed amount of $300,000 for the contract term of March 1, 2022 through December 31, 2026.
(Presenter: Leonard X. Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer, 387-4811)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
Focus on Recovery and Resiliency Following Major Emergency Responses such as the December 2, 2015 Terrorist Attack (SB Strong) and the Global COVID-19 Pandemic.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). San Bernardino County received a direct allocation of $423.5 million under the American Rescue Plan Act - Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARPA Fund) to bolster the County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact. The Board of Supervisors (Board) approved an expenditure plan for the use of these funds, known as the County Local Fiscal Recovery Spending Plan (Spending Plan), on June 8, 2021 (Item No. 121) and amended the plan on August 24, 2021 (Item No. 21). Sufficient appropriation is included in the ARPA Fund’s 2022-23 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law and established the $350 billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to distribute resources to state and local governments throughout the nation.
The County established an ARPA Team who reviews all potential projects to determine eligibility for ARPA funding and if the project and use is in accordance with the Board approved Spending Plan. When projects are deemed eligible, then the ARPA Team works with the subrecipients to determine subrecipient compliance with ARPA guidelines, and subsequently initiates the contract process. On March 1, 2022 (Item No. 32), the Board authorized the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to execute the Board-approved standard ARPA contract template with subrecipients and directed that ARPA contracts executed by the CEO are brought back to the Board for ratification within 30 days of contract execution. Monthly reporting has been provided to the Board detailing status of ARPA contracts.
Guadalupe Field Improvement Project - City of San Bernardino
Guadalupe Field is a 2.25-acre park that serves the community of San Bernardino City with a baseball field, picnic tables, and barbeque amenities. As one of the oldest parks, it is extremely deteriorated and impacted by violent gang activity, and it faces other public safety challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the community did not have safe and equal access to recreational areas such as parks or open spaces. Renovating Guadalupe Field will mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 by promoting healthier living environments as a result of encouraging community members to engage in outdoor and socially distanced physical activity. Projected expenditures of $995,000 will be funded by the ARPA Fund to renovate the existing building & field, upgrade lights, replace fences, install new bleachers and score board, and acquire park amenities. The 5th District Board Office recommended to proceed with executing this project contract with the City of San Bernardino. This contract was executed by the CEO on June 30, 2022.
International Healing Garden Construction Project - Rialto Unified School District
The Rialto Unified School District (Rialto USD) plans to construct the 2.6-acre International Healing Garden at an estimated cost of $5.7 million. Of this estimated cost, $2 million will be funded from the San Bernardino County ARPA Fund. The objective of the International Healing Garden is to provide a physical location to support awareness and participation in local environmental issues, as well as physical and mental health. The students and families of Rialto USD experienced trauma in various forms during distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As students and families resumed in-person instruction, the need for physical and mental health became evident in the schools. This facility will include a full-size kitchen, classrooms, and technology features for meeting and public gathering. The academic instruction at this facility would focus students as well as the community at large on local climate vulnerabilities, climate resiliency, and community awareness about the green economy as well as developing shared identity around the stewardship of water, air and land. The 5th District Board Office recommended to proceed with executing this project contract with the Rialto USD. This contract was executed by the CEO on June 30, 2022.
Bon View Park Baseball Field Renovation Project - City of Ontario
The City of Ontario, in collaboration with the Ontario Montclair School District (OMSD), plans to make improvements to the baseball field at Bon View Park as a means to increase the use, usefulness, and availability of the park to the students and families. The current state of the baseball fields at Bon View Park does not allow for any use of the field. To combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health and economic impacts, the City of Ontario and OMSD plan to provide baseball and baseball related activities to Ontario families through this restoration project. Use of Bon View Park would cut the distance to the nearest OMSD school to less than 1 mile or a 60% decrease in distance benefiting students and families. Projected expenditures of $300,000 will be funded by the ARPA Fund for the associated building and field improvements. The 4th District Board Office recommended to proceed with executing this project contract with the City of Ontario. This contract was executed by the CEO on June 30, 2022.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Julie Surber, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 11, 2022; Purchasing (Michelle Churchill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on July 11, 2022; Risk Management (Victor Tordesillas, Director, 387-5564) on July 11, 2022; Finance (Guy Martinez, ARPA Compliance Analyst, 387-5428, and Joon Cho, Administrative Analyst, 387-5402) on July 8, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on July 11, 2022.