Public Works and Transportation Committee
December 3, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Josh Rowan
City Administrator Director, Department of
Transportation
SUBJECT: Interagency Agreement for Installing
and Ownership of Official National
Historic Trail Signs for the Pony
Express National Historic Trail
DATE: November 19, 2024
City Administrator Approval
Jestin Johnson (Oct 29
Date: Oct 29, 2024
, 2024 16:57 PDT)
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Enter Into An Interagency Agreement With The National Park Service For The Installation And Ownership Of Official National Historic Trail Signs For The Pony Express National Historic Trail.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The National Park Service (NPS) has offered to furnish signs and accompanying hardware for sections of the historic Pony Express Trail that run through the City of Oakland at no cost to the City through an existing grant. In order to accept these signs, the City of Oakland must enter into an interagency agreement with NPS to outline roles and responsibilities for the installation and ownership of the trail signs. Because the signs can be installed as part of ongoing sign maintenance activities, the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) would incur no additional labor or material costs by entering into this agreement. Accordingly, staff recommend Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Administrator to enter into an interagency agreement with NPS to support their effort to promote National Historic Trails within the United States.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The National Trails Office of the National Park Service (NPS) administers 21 congressionally- designated National Historic Trails (NHTs) within the United States (National Trails System Act (NTSA) - Title 16 US Code 1246). In 2012, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) provided grant funds to the NPS to sign both the California and Pony Express NHTs across the state of California to promote awareness and interest in these NHTs and their significance to Northern California. The funding is not limited to Caltrans rights-of- ways, and includes all city, county, state, and federal land jurisdictions where NHTs pass
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Interagency Agreement for Installing and Ownership of Official National Historic Trail Signs for the Pony Express National Historic Trail
Date: November 19, 2024 Page 2
Public Works and Transportation Committee
December 3, 2024
through. Subsequently, NPS has been partnering with several local jurisdictions to install signage along these two NHTs in California where they coincide with modern-day roadways.
The Pony Express NHT runs through the City of Oakland along portions of modern-day Claremont Avenue, Telegraph Avenue, and Broadway. NPS has formally requested that the City of Oakland consider entering into an interagency agreement (Attachment A) in order to authorize NPS to transfer the NHT signage and accompanying hardware for installation and ownership by the City of Oakland. NPS notes that the grant funding supporting this partnership expires at the end of calendar year 2024 and would require any interagency agreements for this partnership to be executed by the end of calendar year 2024. NPS would only order, furnish, and ship the signs and accompanying hardware once an interagency agreement is executed.
NPS has also developed a proposed sign installation plan for a total of 12 signs along these streets (Attachment B). The proposed sign installation plan details the proposed sign types and locations to mark the trail through the City of Oakland, and it was created following Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance for how to sign the NHTs. The signs NPS would provide are also compliant with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) standards. The exact locations shown on the draft sign plan can be modified to account for safety, existing signage, or any other reason the City identifies. Replacement of damaged or outdated signs will be made by NPS as resources permit.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The proposed resolution advances Citywide priorities of vibrant, sustainable infrastructure, and responsive, trustworthy government by leveraging the partnership with and funding from NPS to promote an important part of national history within the City of Oakland.
The NPS has successfully entered into interagency agreements with numerous local and state jurisdictions—including: the Counties of Butte, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Sacramento, Sierra, Siskiyou, and Yolo; the Cities of Davis, Fairfield, Folsom, Placerville, Redding, and Truckee; and Caltrans Districts 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10—to partner in the installation of Pony Express NHT signage to aid in promoting awareness and interest in this NHT and its significance to Northern California and the country. Adopting a resolution authorizing the City Administrator to enter into an interagency agreement with the NPS, per section 504(l) (Duties of the City manager) of the Oakland City Charter, would enable NPS to furnish the City with NHT signage and accompanying hardware at no cost to the City.
The City Council may choose to not authorize the City Administrator to enter into an agreement with NPS for the purposes outlined. In doing so, NPS would not be able to provide NHT signage and accompanying hardware to the City, and there would be a continued gap in signage for the Pony Express NHT.
FISCAL IMPACT
Through the proposed interagency agreement, the National Parks Service would furnish fabricated signs and associated mounting hardware to the City for installation. Installation of the Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Interagency Agreement for Installing and Ownership of Official National Historic Trail Signs for the Pony Express National Historic Trail
Date: November 19, 2024 Page 3
Public Works and Transportation Committee
December 3, 2024
signs would coincide with standard sign maintenance work in the vicinity of the trail signage installation locations and, consequently, would not incur any standalone costs.
Partnership with the NPS on this project would create no impact on the General Purpose Fund, and no additional funding is being requested.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach was deemed necessary for this report beyond the standard City Council agenda noticing procedures.
COORDINATION
The Office of the City Attorney and Budget Bureau have reviewed this report and the proposed resolution.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The installation of signs associated with this report has no direct economic opportunities; however, formal recognition and public awareness of the Pony Express National Historic Trail through the City of Oakland may support tourism-related economic development opportunities for Oakland businesses who may be interested in using the trail and its history in marketing materials.
Environmental: The installation of signs associated with this report has no direct environmental opportunities.
Race & Equity: Because the fabrication costs for the signs is being 100% covered by the NPS and because installation of the signs will coincide with routine sign maintenance activities, staff do not anticipate this effort to impact delivery of services—either positively or negatively—to high equity priority neighborhoods.
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Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Interagency Agreement for Installing and Ownership of Official National Historic Trail Signs for the Pony Express National Historic Trail
Date: November 19, 2024 Page 4
Public Works and Transportation Committee
December 3, 2024
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt a Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Enter Into An Interagency Agreement With The National Park Service For The Installation And Ownership Of Official National Historic Trail Signs For The Pony Express National Historic Trail.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Tony Dang, Chief of Staff, at (510) 926- 0714.
Respectfully submitted,
Josh Rowan (Oct 28, 2024 12:15 PDT)
Josh Rowan
Director, Department of Transportation
Reviewed by:
Megan Wier, Assistant Director
Department of Transportation
Prepared by:
Tony Dang, Chief of Staff
Department of Transportation
Attachments (2):
Attachment A. National Park Service Request Letter
Attachment B. Map of Proposed Sign Installation Sites