REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 25, 2020
FROM
BEAHTA R. DAVIS, Director, Regional Parks Department
SUBJECT
Title
Grant Application to California Department of Transportation for the Cycle 5 Active Transportation Program Call for Projects to Construct Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure for the Santa Ana River Trail
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve and authorize the submission of a grant application in the amount of $1,105,000 to the California Department of Transportation for the Cycle 5 Active Transportation Program for the Santa Ana River Trail, Phase III project located between Waterman Avenue and California Street in the cities of Redlands and San Bernardino.
2. Authorize the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Executive Officer of Community Service Group, or the Director of the Regional Parks Department, as required by the California Department of Transportation, to execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of the Regional Parks Department to transmit all documents and amendments in relation to the grant application to the Clerk of the Board within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Beahta R. Davis, Director, 387-2340)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The California Coastal Conservancy funds construction, planning and design of this section of the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). Funding from the Coastal Conservancy cannot be used to cover costs for mitigation. Award of this Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant would fund mitigation costs associated with the construction of this phase of the trail. Should the ATP grant be awarded, a separate agenda item will be presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board) at a future date to accept the grant funds, and to make any necessary adjustments based on the conditions of the award.
The current total cost for Phase III (Waterman to California Street) is estimated at $6,880,000. Phase III is partially funded by a grant from the Coastal Conservancy in the amount of $3,680,625 and the San Bernardino Associated Governments, now known as San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) TDA Article 3 at $559,940. Additional federal funding was received in the amount of $462,774, $500,000 from the Wildlands Conservancy and $571,661 has been previously expended out of the general fund. This funding covers planning, design and construction costs including part of the environmental mitigation. The amount of $1,105,000 requested will be used to cover the remaining cost for environmental mitigation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
This item will authorize the Regional Parks Department (Regional Parks), on behalf of the County, to submit a grant application to the California Department of Transportation and authorize the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Executive Officer of Community Service Group, or the Director of Regional Parks, as required by the California Department of Transportation, to sign the grant application documents on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel. If the grant application is successful, funds will be provided to the County, on a reimbursement basis, to fund Phase III mitigation costs of the SART for the benefit of County residents and visitors.
The ATP program provides competitive grant funding for infrastructure projects to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking. The objectives of the program are to increase the proportion of biking and walking trips, increase mobility and safety for non-motorized users, advance the efforts to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals, and enhance public health. Because the ATP is a competitive grant program, submission of an application is not a guarantee of funding. On March 25, 2020, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the call for projects for the fifth round of the ATP program and applications are due to Caltrans no later than September 15, 2020. Grant awards will be announced in June 2021. Submission of the grant application commits the County to constructing the project if grant funds are awarded. Since submission of the grant would be considered binding, per County Policy No. 5-13, Regional Parks requests Board approval to submit the grant application. There is no matching fund commitment from the County.
This action meets the County’s and Chief Executive Officer’s goals and objectives of (1) Operating in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner by seeking grant funding for projects; (2) Ensuring Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County by constructing facilities that encourage walking and biking, should the grant funds be awarded to construct the project; and, (3) Providing for the Safety, Health and Social Services Needs of County Residents by providing opportunities for healthy activities with construction of the SART, should the project be awarded grant funding.
Funding for the project will formalize the proposed route joining previously completed sections of the SART and continuing the development of the east west corridor. When the Class I bike path is constructed, a new non-motorized route will be created dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians, providing a safe path of travel to local schools, hospitals and businesses. Due to the requirement to include a significant amount of community data, Regional Parks anticipates that the final grant application will not be completed until just prior to the application submission deadline. Once finalized by Regional Parks, the grant application will be submitted to County Counsel for review. If the Board approves this item, one of the designated individuals will sign the application and Regional Parks will submit the grant application and a copy will be filed with the Clerk of the Board.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-4322) on July 27, 2020; Finance (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052) on August 4, 2020; County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on August 6, 2020.