REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
July 25, 2019
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, P.E., Director
Public Works Department
THROUGH: RANDALL W. MORRISON, P.E., Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
BY: SHELBY D. MACNAB, MPA, Grants Administrator
Public Works Department
SUBJECT
Title
RESOLUTION - Authorizing the Submission of the Travel by Trail, Fresno! Trail Network Wayfinding, Promotion and Connectivity Plan to the California Department of Transportation for the 2019-20 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program Call for Projects and Authorizing the Execution of Restricted Grant Agreements and Amendments for the Project with the California Department of Transportation by the Public Works Director or Designee (Citywide)
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a revised resolution authorizing the submission of grant applications to the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant (STPG) Program and authorize the execution of all agreements and amendments for the project by the Public Works Director or designee.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In November 2018, staff requested and received authorization from Council to submit grant applications to the Caltrans STPG Sustainable Communities Program. The STPG Sustainable Communities Program was created to support Caltrans' mission to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California's economy and livability. The program only funds planning projects. One of the projects submitted to the program was selected for funding. As a condition of receiving the grant agreement from Caltrans, the resolution must list the exact title of the grant application as well as the job title of the person authorized to enter into a contract with Caltrans. The prior resolution did not include the title of the grant within the resolution. The grant agreement and amendment language has also been clarified from the prior version. Staff is resubmitting a revised version of the resolution to satisfy Caltrans conditions of grant award.
BACKGROUND
The California Legislature passed, and Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed into law, Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1), a transportation funding bill that will provide a reliable source of funds to maintain and integrate the State’s multi-modal transportation system. In addition to the $9.5 million in traditional State and federal grants, approximately $25 million in SB1 funds for the STPG Sustainable Communities Grant program was available for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020 grant cycle for formulaic and competitive projects. The SB1 grant funding is intended to support and implement Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) (where applicable) and to ultimately achieve the State’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 40 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2050, respectively. In the competitive portion of the program there was $17 million available for STPG Sustainable Communities grants. The applications were due on November 30th, 2018.
The Department of Public Works submitted an application for the “Travel by Trail, Fresno! Trail Network Wayfinding, Promotion and Connectivity Plan” in November 2018. In May 2019, this application was conditionally awarded grant funding in the amount of $117,928, with local matching funds of $15,279 required. The Department of Public Works cannot move forward with executing a grant agreement until all five of Caltrans conditions of grant acceptance have been satisfied. Four of the five conditions are administrative in nature and have been completed. The remaining condition requires a resolution that includes revised language related to the grant project title and job title of the person authorized to enter into a grant contract with Caltrans. The resolution brought forth in this item includes the required language and will satisfy the remaining condition of grant acceptance.
The “Travel by Trail, Fresno! Trail Network Wayfinding, Promotion and Connectivity Plan” will develop a Wayfinding Plan for Fresno's trail network focusing on multi-modal, first-mile and last-mile connections to transit and key destinations. It will also determine digital wayfinding needs, develop trail network promotional materials encouraging travel mode shift, meaningfully engage the community in the process and ultimately ensure consistency in trail wayfinding citywide and to neighboring jurisdictions.
The overall project objectives include:
1. First-Mile and Last-Mile Navigation: Develop a wayfinding plan for the City of Fresno trail network that includes recommended signage style, types and placement along the existing and future trail network to overcome first-mile and last-mile challenges. Wayfinding refers to the network of informational signage posted to guide pedestrians or bicyclists to their destinations. Good wayfinding signage presents destination, direction, and distance information in a manner that is easy to read and interpret.
2. Connections: Maximize multimodal connections between trails and transit, parks, schools, universities, community services, retail, entertainment and key destinations citywide.
3. Innovative Tools & Encouragement: Encourage residents to walk or roll by developing promotional materials and identifying digital tools needed to navigate and promote the City of Fresno’s trail network, especially along first-mile/last-mile connections to transit and other major destinations.
4. Inclusion: Meaningfully include a diverse group of stakeholders and community members in the planning process to capture needs, preferences and community identity. Disadvantaged community members and community based organizations will be fully and meaningfully engaged.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This item is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not included because this resolution does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
This resolution will have no immediate impact on the General Fund. Once the grant is formally awarded, local matching funds for the project will be identified through Annual Appropriations Resolution process. A total of $15,279 in matching funds through the City’s Measure “C” Trails allocation will be required in order to complete the plan.
Attachments:
Resolution
Local Resolution Checklist