Fremont City Council Meeting: 05/07/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5144) DOC ID: 5144 A
Updated: 5/2/2024 4:39 PM by Dina Lewis A Page 1
AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE FEDERAL CDBG AGREEMENT AMENDMENT – Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Amendment to Tri-City Volunteers Food Bank and Warehouse Flooring and Door Replacement Project Agreement and Making Findings of CEQA Exemption
Contact Persons:
Name: Robert Lopez Suzanne Shenfil
Title: CDBG Administrator Director
Div/Dept: Human Services Department Human Services Department Phone: 510-574-2043 510-574-2051
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The purpose of this staff report is to request that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a $235,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) amendment, with Tri-City Volunteers (TCV), to support their Food Bank and Warehouse Flooring and Door Replacement project. The amendment will increase TCV’s existing Agreement with the City to $507,000.
BACKGROUND: On May 9, 2023, the City Council approved a $272,000 CDBG grant to TCV to remove the existing concrete, pour and coat the new concrete floor, install a floor raceway for power and data lines to cubicles, upgrade the lighting, install two walls, and install a new water line to the east side of the building inside their food pantry facility located in Fremont.
TCV is a non-profit organization that provides emergency food and other assistance to low and moderate-income families. TCV is the largest food bank in our area, serving 4,000 to 6,000 families every year. TCV’s strive to give Fremont families enough food for 10 to 20 meals per family at each pick-up time, which totals approximately 6 million pounds of food served every year. TCV also supports a growing Mobile Pantry distribution through the Tri- Cities and serves 23 communities that target low-income seniors, formerly homeless veterans, and low-income families and individuals.
The building TCV occupies is City-owned and they deliver these much needed services from our facility. The main warehouse is the basis for all of its operations so the rehabilitation work is needed to ensure long-term viability of this City asset and enhance the functionality and appearance of the facility so that clients can be served with dignity in a safe, well- designed, and welcoming space and to keep up with TCV’s expanded operations.
At the time TCV approached the City in December 2023, there was a CDBG contingency reserve of $237,513 to be used for gap funding for previously approved capital projects like TCV’s project.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: TCV’s project has been delayed due to the condition of the concrete floor, which has continually declined in quality even though temporary repairs have been made by the City. As a City-owned facility, we have worked with Public Works staff for further inspection to determine if more minor repairs, originally contemplated, would be Council Staff Report (ID # 5144) Meeting of May 7, 2024 Updated: 5/2/2024 4:39 PM by Dina Lewis A Page 2
sufficient. Public Works inspectors have confirmed that additional minor fixes would quickly break down and would need repeated fixing, which would not be cost-efficient and cause further disruptions in service at the food bank warehouse. City inspectors determined that a complete concrete floor replacement would be the most cost-effective option over the long term to ensure that the floor’s integrity would be intact for years to come. Staff recommended that TCV contact a concrete contractor that the City has used to provide a scope of work and estimate. The estimate provided by the contractor exceeds the total cost of the original project by $235,000.
TCV is seeking $235,000 in additional CDBG funding to make up the difference and complete the project by Fall 2024. The City has available unallocated funding in its CDBG capital reserve to cover this request. On December 6th, 2023, the Citizens Advisory Committee unanimously approved additional funding for the TCV project.
FISCAL IMPACT: As noted above, the City has sufficient CDBG reserves to accommodate the additional $235,000 needed to complete this project. As part of the FY 2023/24 Adopted Budget, the City Council appropriated sufficient funding to cover the recommended contract amendment.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The current action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to, without limitation, CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 in that it is an administrative or fiscal activity of the City which will have no possibility to cause a significant effect on the physical environment and does not authorize any project nor constitute a project under CEQA. All projects listed in this staff report are subject to environmental review procedures pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Consistent with NEPA regulations, funding will not be distributed to a project until appropriate NEPA review and clearance is completed for that project.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager or her designee to execute a $235,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) amendment with Tri-City Volunteers to support its Food Bank and Warehouse Flooring and Door Replacement project, for a new Agreement total not to exceed $507,000.