REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 8, 2025
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Amendments to Contracts with the Rialto Unified School District for American Rescue Plan Act Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve the following amendments to contracts with the Rialto Unified School District for American Rescue Plan Act funding for eligible projects in accordance with the Board of Supervisors approved Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Spending Plan to modify the deadlines for obligating project costs:
1. Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 23-1063 for the Eisenhower High School Baseball Field Improvement Project, modifying the deadline for obligating project costs by 151 days, from December 31, 2024 to May 31, 2025, with no change to the cost of $1,500,000, or the term of July 31, 2023 through December 31, 2026.
2. Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 23-1064 for the Rialto High School Baseball Field Lighting Project, modifying the deadline for obligating project costs by 151 days, from December 31, 2024 to May 31, 2025, with no change to the cost of $1,200,000, or the term of July 31, 2023 through December 31, 2026.
(Presenter: Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The 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). The Fifth District Board Office recommended executing the amendments in Recommendation Nos. 1 and 2. This item will have no budgetary impact.
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, 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 be brought back to the Board for ratification within 30 days of contract execution. Monthly reporting has been provided to the Board detailing the status of ARPA contracts.
On September 26, 2023 (Item No. 31), the Board ratified the CEO’s exercise of the authority in executing Contract Nos. 23-1063 and 23-1064 on August 31, 2023 with the Rialto Unified School District (District). Contract Nos. 23-1063 and 23-1064 pertain to the Eisenhower High School Baseball Field Improvement and the Rialto High School Baseball Field Lighting Improvement Projects, with not-to-exceed amounts of $1,500,000 and $1,200,000, respectively, for the contract term of July 31, 2023 through December 31, 2026.
The Eisenhower Baseball Field Improvements project is for a renovation of the school’s baseball field that comprises of real property, land improvements and equipment over 20 years old. The facility is beyond its useful life and needs to be modernized. The County’s ARPA Fund will be used to fund or partially fund the installation of a lighting system as well as new bleachers, a dugout, a higher backstop, a new score board, and all required updates to the path of travel for compliance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Rialto High School Baseball Field Lighting project is for the installation of a lighting system and all required updates to the path of travel for compliance with the ADA. The facility is beyond its useful life and needs to be modernized. The County’s ARPA Fund will be used for the installation of a lighting system to keep the baseball field a safe space for students to practice and play.
The District has encountered significant delays in awarding construction-related contracts and has requested an extension of the obligation deadline from December 31, 2024 to May 31, 2025 to finalize obligations for these two projects. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Julie Surber, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 12, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on March 17, 2025; Risk Management (Gregory Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on March 13, 2025; Finance (Joon Cho, Chief Administrative Analyst, 387-5402) on February 28, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on March 20, 2025.