REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: ANDREW J. BENELLI, PE, City Engineer/Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Traffic Operations and Planning
JILL GORMLEY, TE, City Traffic Engineer/Manager
Public Works Department, Traffic Operations & Planning Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to South Central Fresno AB 617 Community Truck Reroute Study, Health Assessment, and Reimbursement Agreement.
1. Approve the Consultant Agreement with IBI Group and Katherine Padilla & Associates, Inc. for the South Central Fresno AB 617 Community Truck Reroute Study (Council Districts 1, 3, 5, and 7).
2. Approve the Research Agreement with the University of California Merced for the South Central Fresno AB 617 Community Health Assessment (Council Districts 1, 3, 5, and 7)
3. Approve the Reimbursement Agreement with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) for the South Central Fresno AB 617 Community Truck Reroute Study and related health assessment, in the amount of $500,000.00.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council approve the consultant agreement with IBI Group and Katherine Padilla & Associates, Inc., approve the research agreement with the University of California Merced, and approve the Reimbursement Agreement with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) all for the South Central Fresno Assembly Bill 617 Community Truck Reroute Study and Health Assessment.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Assembly Bill 617 (AB 617), signed by Governor Jerry Brown in July 2017, initiated a state-wide effort to monitor and reduce air pollution, and improve public health, in communities that experience disproportionate burdens from exposure to air pollutants through new community-focused and community-driven actions. The community of South Central Fresno was prioritized by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) and subsequently selected by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as one of two first-year communities in the San Joaquin Valley to receive clean air resources available under AB 617, based on a technical analysis of several pollution and poverty-related criteria. The AB 617 effort resulted in a Community Emissions Reduction Program (CERP) being adopted by the District, consisting of strategies and an implementation plan to reduce harmful air pollutants in the community of south-central Fresno through the collaboration of CARB, the CSC, the public, local agencies, community-based organizations, community members, regulated industry representatives, and other key stakeholders. One of 46 specific strategies developed to address the top ranked community concern, was to reroute trucks traffic away from residents. Through the adopted CERP, the District Board authorized the District to enter into an agreement with the City of Fresno to prepare a truck rerouting study and an associated health study.
On August 11, 2021, the City released a Request for Proposals for Consultant Services for Assembly Bill 617 South Central Fresno Community Truck Reroute Study. After reviewing two proposals and interviewing both qualified and experienced firms, the City and the interview panel selected IBI Group with Katherine Padilla & Associates, Inc. to move forward in the selection process as the preferred consultant. With guidance of the AB 617 Subcommittee, the City reached out to two universities to conduct the Health Assessment. The Subcommittee encouraged for the University to have extensive research experience in community health and social justice research, in disadvantaged communities, such as South Central Fresno. The University of California Merced showed great interest and experience when presenting their proposed health risk assessment scope of work to the District, the City, and to the AB 617 Subcommittee.
The Reimbursement Agreement with the District is to reimburse the City for the work to be conducted on the Truck Reroute Study and Health Assessment within the AB 617 Community. Per the agreement, the District will contribute funding on a cost-reimbursable basis not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the truck study and health assessment. In addition, the City will contribute Measure C funding in the amount of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) towards the Truck Reroute Study and fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for staff costs and traffic counts. The City’s funding contribution was included in the FY2022 adopted budget, and will be made prior to the District reimbursing additional amounts.
BACKGROUND
Assembly Bill 617 (AB 617), signed by Governor Jerry Brown in July 2017, initiated a state-wide effort to monitor and reduce air pollution, and improve public health, in communities that experience disproportionate burdens from exposure to air pollutants through new community-focused and community-driven actions. The South Central Fresno AB 617 Community (Community) was prioritized by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) and subsequently selected by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as one of two first-year communities in the San Joaquin Valley to receive clean air resources available under AB 617, based on a technical analysis of several pollution and poverty-related criteria. In 2018, the District formed the South Central Fresno Community Steering Committee (CSC) by soliciting involvement from residents, businesses, environmental justice advocates, and policy makers interested in helping understand the specific needs of their community and develop effective clean air strategies to address their concerns. The Steering Committee consists of 55 members: 25 residents, 15 businesses in the community, 7 environmental justice advocates, 6 governmental officials, 1 health care representative, and 1 school representative.
In 2019, the originally recommended Community boundary was expanded to include the industrial triangle, rural Fresno County near Malaga, and southwest Fresno after the CSC collectively recommended the expansion. The Community is geographically bounded by McKinley Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, American Avenue, and includes the region of Malaga and its surrounding industrial area to the southeast. The western portion of the boundary ranges from Nielsen and Brawley Avenues in the northwest to State Route 41 and American Avenue in the southwest, which incorporates residential and industrial communities along State Route 99 and west of State Route 41, such as the Industrial Triangle and parts of southwest Fresno. See Attachment A for the selected AB 617 community boundary. The Community also includes downtown Fresno, Chinatown, Roeding Park, and encompasses multiple hospitals, schools, small businesses, and densely populated residential areas. Sources that affect the Community include freight operations, industry, and freeways. The South Central Fresno community has a high cumulative air pollution exposure burden, a significant number of sensitive receptors, and includes census tracts that have been designated as disadvantaged communities. With 20 out of 30 AB 617 Communities, the San Joaquin Valley has been the focus of numerous air quality studies which lay the necessary foundation for the development of an emissions reduction program and community air monitoring plan that would provide data to understand localized impacts.
In 2019, the District published the Community Air Monitoring Plan (CAMP) and the Community Emissions Reduction Program (CERP) for the South Central Fresno AB 617 Community. The Community Air Monitoring Plan identifies areas of interest for AB 617 monitoring such as stationary and mobile sources, monitoring site locations, sampling schedules, and types of equipment and strategies. The CERP consist of strategies and an implementation plan to reduce harmful air pollutants in the community of south-central Fresno through the collaboration of CARB, the CSC, the public, local agencies, community-based organizations, community members, regulated industry representatives, and other key stakeholders. Throughout the process, the CSC and members of the public have collaborated to identify and rank the top source categories of concern: heavy duty trucks, high polluting & idling cars, residential wood burning, land-use/industrial development, illegal burning, and industrial processes. One of 46 specific strategies developed to address the top ranked community concern, was to reroute trucks traffic away from residents. The District does not have authority over land-use, such as truck routes, nor does AB 617 grant the District land-use regulatory authority. Therefore, the City of Fresno (City) will serve as the lead on the truck reroute effort in the Community. The CSC assigned a sub-committee that will focus on the AB 617 truck reroute efforts with the City. In order to modify the established legal truck routes at the completion of the truck reroute study, the Council could amend the local ordinance based upon the findings and recommendations of the study.
The District and the City have joined forces to undertake the South Central Fresno AB 617 Community Truck Reroute Study and Health Assessment. The project will identify, analyze, and evaluate potential strategies that freight impacted communities might take in cooperation with the City to abate truck impacts. Such truck impacts include air pollution, noise, polluted runoff, traffic crashes, traffic congestion, active transportation conflicts, residential and school impacts, and excess wear for local pavements and bridges. The study will focus on the analysis of existing and future planned truck routes as defined on the City of Fresno Designated Truck Route Map adopted September 2005 (see attachment “B”). The truck routes were also a topic of concern in the Highway 41+North Corridor Complete Streets Plan and the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan, both plans recommended rerouting the truck routes out of the existing residential neighborhoods. This recommendation is outside of the District’s jurisdiction, therefore the Air District reached out to the City to partner on a truck reroute study.
Concurrent with the truck reroute study, a health assessment will be conducted of the same community boundary. The health impact assessment will seek to evaluate the extent to which air pollution impacts the risk of common health outcomes across the lifespan, it will calculate the excess number of cases that are attributed to air pollution in the region, and a community-based health survey will be conducted to explore residents’ concerns, behaviors, health outcomes, and health needs that are relevant to air pollution in the region.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Per California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378, this item is not a project.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered because this project does not include a bid or award of a construction or service contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (District) will reimburse the City of Fresno in the amount of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) for the truck reroute study and health assessment. The City of Fresno will contribute Measure C funding in the amount of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000.00) towards the Truck Reroute Study, staff costs, and traffic counts. Funding is included in the FY2022 adopted budget.
Attachments:
Attachment A - South Central Fresno AB 617 Community Boundary
Attachment B - City of Fresno Designated Truck Route Map
Attachment C - IBI Group and Katherine Padilla & Associate, Inc. Consultant Contract Agreement
Attachment D - University of California Merced Research Agreement
Attachment E - District Reimbursement Agreement
Attachment F - IBI Group and Katherine Padilla & Associate, Inc. Scope of Work
Attachment G - University of California Merced, Health Assessment Scope of Work and Budget