CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: August 07, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
SUBJECT: ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. ___-23 AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER TO EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH THE
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION FOR $300,000 AND
APPROVING THE APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2022-2023 SAFE
STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL (SS4A) COMPREHENSIVE ACTION
PLAN PROJECT AND PROJECT TRANSFERS FOR REQUIRED LOCAL
MATCH FUNDS FROM MEASURE K FUNDS
SYNOPSIS
On January 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant of $300,000 to the City of Pleasant Hill. The City Council is requested to authorize the City Manager to execute the grant agreement with the FHWA and provide a local match of $60,000, which represents 20% of the grant amount.
DISCUSSION
Background
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program is a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) federal-aid program created by Section 24112 of the H.R. 3684 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It is a discretionary grant program that appropriates $1 billion yearly to USDOT for five (5) years.
The SS4A program supports the USDOT National Roadway Safety Strategy and its goals of zero deaths and severe injuries on our nation’s roadways.
An SS4A call-for-project was announced on May 16, 2022, for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The grant proposal submittal deadline was September 15, 2022. The City Council authorized the City Engineer to pursue the SS4A grant funds on August 1, 2022. The City was notified of an SS4A grant award on January 31, 2023, for $300,000 ($240,000 grant reimbursement and $60,000 local match). The FHWA Grant Agreement (Exhibit A) has been reviewed by staff and requires City Council authorization to be executed.
The SS4A has two components: Action Plan Grants and Implementation Grants. The City of Pleasant Hill has received funds for the Action Plan Grant component to prepare a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. Upon completing the Action Plan, the City will be eligible to pursue the Implementation Grant component of SS4A.
Analysis
The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan’s scope of work includes goal setting, planning, safety analysis, conceptual plan, preliminary engineering, stakeholder engagement and collaboration, and development of projects and strategies. Interventions can be infrastructure, behavioral, and/or operational safety.
The SS4A project is not in the current Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2027 (CIP FY 2022-2027), since this was a competitive grant process and the City needed to identify matching funds, if awarded. The SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan is estimated to cost $300,000, which the FHWA grant will reimburse the City $240,000, but requires a $60,000 local match. Staff has identified available funds from Measure K in the Oak Park Boulevard Sidewalk Gap Closure project, CIP project MK-3D R1 (Exhibit B). On July 17th, the City Council approved the construction contract for the Oak Park Boulevard Sidewalk Gap Closure, and the accepted bid came in lower than expected, providing available Measure K funds for the SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan.
On July 25th, the Budget Committee reviewed this item and recommended the City Council approve the following items:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute the FHWA Grant Agreement for the SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan and approve Measure K funding as the local match for a total award of $300,000.
2. Approve a new CIP project, SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan (MK-6) and appropriate $300,000. Funding for this project is from the FHWA grant reimbursement for $240,000 and Measure K local match of $60,000.
3. Approve a project budget transfer of $60,000 from Oak Park Boulevard Sidewalk Gap Closure Project (MK-3D R1) to SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan (MK-6).
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact proposed for the SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan (MK-6) and the Oak Park Boulevard Sidewalk Gap Closure Project (MK-3D R1) is outlined below:
SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan (MK-6) - New Project
Total Project Budget for Comprehensive Action Plan: $300,000 Total Funding:
FHWA Grant Reimbursement: $240,000
Measure K Local Match: $60,000
Oak Park Blvd Sidewalk Gap Closure Project (MK-3D R1)
Total Project Budget with Funding from Measure K: $880,000 Design: ($75,000)
Engineering Staff and Project Administration: ($25,000) Construction: ($578,750)
Proposed Transfer to MK-6: ($60,000)
Remaining Budget in MK-3D R1 $141,250
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, and the Pleasant Hill Police Department. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Staff is requesting the City Council adopt a resolution for the following:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Grant Agreement on behalf of the City of Pleasant Hill for a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Comprehensive Action Plan in the amount of $300,000.
2. Approve and appropriate a new capital improvement project, SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan (MK-6) for $300,000 with $240,000 reimbursed by the FHWA grant and $60,000 in Measure K local matching funds.
3. Approve a $60,000 project budget transfer in Measure K funding from Oak Park Blvd Sidewalk Gap Closure Project (MK-3D R1) as the local match to SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan (MK-6).
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
Alternatively, City Council may choose to not accept the grant or allocate the required local match funding from a different source.
Prepared by: Ryan Cook, Senior Civil Engineer
Reviewed by: Ananthan Kanagasundaram, City Engineer
Approved by: Ethan Bindernagel, City Manager
Attachment(s):
Proposed Resolution
Exhibit A – FHWA Grant Agreement
Exhibit B – CIP Project MK-3D R1