Administrative
Report
N.2., File # 22-3566 Meeting Date: 1/18/2022
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: TED SEMAAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE SUBMISSION OF PROJECT
APPLICATIONS FOR THE CLEAN CALIFORNIA LOCAL GRANT PROGRAM (CCLGP)
ADMINISTERED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CALTRANS)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Clean California Local Grant Program (CCLGP) is administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and will provide approximately $296 million statewide as part of a two-year program to beautify and improve streets and roads, tribal lands, parks, pathways, and transit centers to restore pride in public spaces. The grant applications are due on February 1, 2022.
Each project application needs to include, but not be limited to, community litter abatement and beatification. Each award is capped at $5 million of CCLGP funds, although there is no minimum award amount. The grant program is aimed at shovel ready projects that must be completed by June 30, 2024. Furthermore, prior to application, the project must have gone through a community engagement process that illustrates public support.
The grant also requires a fifty (50%) local match that needs to be identified as part of the application.
The local match requirement can be a cash match, a third-party in-kind match, or a combination of the two. Cash matches can include staff time, however, staff time charged to a specific project that has already been funded and/or reimbursed cannot be used to meet the match requirement for a Clean California project. Third party in-kind matches can include goods and services donated from an outside agency such as plants/trees, equipment, volunteer time, and other goods and services.
However, third-party in-kind contributions would have to be itemized in the applications.
Based on the grant requirements, staff is seeking approval to submit two applications, 1) for the funding of landscape improvements as part of the North Redondo Beach Bike Path (NRBBP) Extension Project and, 2) the beautification of Catalina Medians.
These projects fit the parameters of litter abatement and beatification of public right-of-way and other public spaces. Staff is also confident that they could be completed before the June 30, 2024 deadline.
Staff recommends the City Council approve grant applications for the above identified projects, provide feedback on any other potential projects that fit the grant parameters, and authorize the
N.2., File # 22-3566 Meeting Date: 1/18/2022
Mayor to sign the grant applications once they are ready for submission.
BACKGROUND
The Clean California Local Grant Program (CCLGP) is a competitive statewide program created to beautify and clean up local streets and roads, tribal lands, parks, pathways, transit centers, and other public spaces. Assembly Bill 149 (Sec.16) created the CCLGP of 2021 and was codified under Streets and Highway Code §91.41 et al. The Program is one part of the nearly $1.1 billion Clean California initiative that takes direct aim at the continuous trash generation that has overwhelmed the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and its partners.
The intent of the CCLGP is to achieve the following goals:
(1) Reduce the amount of waste and debris within public rights -of -way, pathways, parks, transit centers, and other public spaces.
(2) Enhance, rehabilitate, restore, or install measures to beautify and improve public spaces and mitigate the urban heat island effect.
(3) Enhance public health, cultural connections, and community placemaking by improving public spaces for walking and recreation.
(4) Advance equity for underserved communities.
Applications are due on February 1, 2022 and each project application needs to include, but not be limited to, community litter abatement and beatification. Each award is capped at $5 million although there is no minimum award. The grant program is aimed at shovel ready projects that must be completed by June 30, 2024.
The selection criteria for the applications will focus on the demonstrated benefits and needs of the project per the following criteria:
· Demonstrated need of the applicant and ability to achieve the program’s goals. · Demonstrated enhancement and beautification of a public space(s), including improved access to the space.
· Enhanced greening to provide shade, reduce the urban heat island effect, and use native, drought-tolerant plants.
· Abatement of litter and debris to improve access and use of public space(s). · Public engagement that reflects community priorities and is consistent with local or regional plans such as General Plans, Improvement Plans, bicycle and/or pedestrian plans, and complete street plans. The project should also align with the public outreach that occurred during the preparation of these plans.
Initially, staff considered a multitude of projects that included the harbor, such as the seawall, the international boardwalk, and building improvements among others. Staff also looked at the right-ofway on the southeast corner of Inglewood Ave. and Grant Ave. as a potential project application.
However, due to reasons summarized below those projects would not fit the parameters of the grant program for the City.
· Seawall - does not fit the parameters of beautification of a public space and it is unlikely that it
N.2., File # 22-3566 Meeting Date: 1/18/2022
· Seawall - does not fit the parameters of beautification of a public space and it is unlikely that it would be completed by June 30, 2024.
· International Boardwalk - would have to go through a complete plans and specifications phase, as well as permitting by federal/state agencies such as the Army Corp of Engineers, and would not meet the deadline of June 20, 2024.
· Pier building Improvements - this is not a funded project and has not gone through a community engagement process. It is not clear that this would meet the stated goals of the grant, which must include litter abatement.
· Right-of-Way at Inglewood Ave and Grant Ave. - the Metro Active Transport (MAT) grant is a potential alternative source of funding for this project. The MAT grant was awarded to the City for bicycle improvement along the Ripley Ave./Redondo Beach Blvd bicycle corridor. The MAT grant does not require local matching funds and therefore would be a potentially better source of funding for this particular project.
Given the aforementioned reasons, staff is looking at potentially submitting applications for the following two projects with the following estimated amounts:
· $1.5 million for North Redondo Beach Bike Path Extension Landscape Improvements o The NRBBP project currently has $1 million of budgeted Measure M funds for the design and construction of new concrete and decomposed granite bicycle and pedestrian pathway extensions. An award of CCLGP grant funds would complement and complete the current project with adjoining landscape improvements. · $1.85 million for the Beautification of Catalina Medians o The Catalina Medians do not have a current funding source and therefore local matching funds would need to be identified in the amount of $617,000 to move forward with this application. There was a draft master plan concept developed in early 2020 that could be vetted by the City Council and used as a basis for grant project design.
Following grant application submittal, the City would be notified on March 1, 2022 if awarded a project(s) and a grant agreement with the State would be prepared and presented to the City Council for approval.
COORDINATION
This report was coordinated by the Public Works Department.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact to the City associated with the submittal of a grant application, however as noted in the report, matching funds will need to be identified for each awarded project.
N.2., File # 22-3566 Meeting Date: 1/18/2022
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
Clean California Local Grant Guidelines