REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt a Resolution to Accept One Bay Area Grant Cycle 2 for Vehicle Emission Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) Grant Funds and Approve Budget Modification No. 37 in the amount of $2,428,000.
Report
GRANT SUMMARY
The City has recently secured grant funds from One Bay Area Grant Cycle 2 (OBAG 2) for Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) through a competitive selection process: The City submitted two applications as reported to Council in the May 4, 2017 City Manager Biweekly Report:
VERBS is focused on reducing greenhouse gases by promoting walking, biking, transit, and carpooling to school, targeting grades K-12. The program will build on and expand the existing Safe Routes to School Program efforts within the City. In April 2017, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) released the VERBS Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-2022 call for projects. The competitive FY 2018-2022 VERBS Program is funded through Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. The City submitted the following two projects requesting $1,919,000 in VERBS grant funds with a local match totaling $509,000; both were selected for award as follows:
• Homestead Road at Homestead High School-Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements - $1,265,000 ($1,000,000 grant / $265,000 local match). The City of Cupertino has committed to contribute up to 10% of the total project cost that is $126,500 towards the local match required, which will be reimbursed to the City pending the City of Cupertino Council action anticipated in April 2018 (Attachment 1). The proposed improvements include traffic signal modification at Homestead Road/Mary Avenue and Homestead Road/Kennewick Drive intersections, pedestrian access enhancements such as installation of high visibility crosswalks, accessible pedestrian signals, shortening crossing for pedestrians, installation of green buffered bike lanes along Homestead between MacKenzie Drive and Mary Avenue, and improvements of the existing path for bicycles to the high school from eastbound Homestead Road to the Mary Avenue Bridge Trail;
• Pedestrian and bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements - $1,163,000 ($919,000 grant /$244,000 local match). This project will improve safety for students walking and biking to school in Sunnyvale by enhancing and/or modifying signing and striping and installing ADA compliant curb ramps at thirty-four (34) locations, and installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons system (RRFB) at five (5) locations.
Council must adopt a resolution (Attachment 2) to allow submittal of the projects to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for final approval and for the City to accept the OBAG 2 VERBS grant funds. Following MTC final approval, funds will be programmed for design and construction in early 2018, with the ultimate obligation deadline being 2021.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan, Chapter 3, Land Use and Transportation Element:
• Goal A: Coordinated Regional and Local Planning - Protect the quality of life, the natural environment, and property investment, preserve home rule, secure fair share funding, and provide leadership in the region.
• Goal B: Environmentally Sustainable Land Use and Transportation Planning and Development - Support the sustainable vision by incorporating sustainable features into land use and transportation decisions and practices.
• Goal C: An Effective Multimodal Transportation System - Offer the community a variety of transportation modes for local travel that are also integrated with the regional transportation system and land use pattern. Favor accommodation of alternative modes to the automobile as a means to enhance efficient transit use, bicycling, and walking and corresponding benefits to the environment, person-throughput, and qualitative improvements to the transportation system environment.
Pursuant to Sunnyvale Charter Section 1305, at any meeting after the adoption of the budget, the City Council may amend or supplement the budget by motion adopted by affirmative votes of at least four members to authorize the transfer of unused balances appropriated for one purpose to another, or to appropriate available revenue not included in the budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4) in that it is a fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost for projects associated with the OBAG 2 VERBS grant is $2,428,000. The total grant amount awarded is $1,919,000. Total matching funds in the amount of $509,000 are required to receive the awarded grants and are recommended to be funded from Transportation Impact Fees. A breakdown of the cost by project is shown in the following table:
|
Project |
Grant Award |
Local Match |
Total |
|
Homestead Rd. at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements |
$1,000,000 |
$265,000 |
$1,265,000 |
|
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements |
$ 919,000 |
$244,000 |
$1,163,000 |
|
Total |
$1,919,000 |
$509,000 |
$2,428,000 |
Receiving $1.919 million in grant funds is a net positive effect on the overall City transportation Capital Improvement Program. For the Homestead Road at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements, $126,500 in local match is proposed to be reimbursed by the City of Cupertino. If the City of Cupertino contribution is not approved, additional Transportation Impact Fee funding will be recommended at a separate date to cover the local match.
An estimated annual operational and maintenance (O&M) costs of approximately $10,000 per year is anticipated to begin FY 2021/22 for maintenance of the new RRFB’s (5). There will be no O&M cost needed at Homestead/Kennewick and Homestead/Mary as these signals are existing and covered within the Traffic and Transportation Operating budget.
Budget Modification No. 37 has been prepared to reflect the final OBAG2 VERBS grant award. The Projects appropriation include a transfer of $382,500 from Transportation Impact Fees for the local match.
Budget Modification No. 37
FY 2017/18
|
|
Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
|
Capital Projects Fund/General Assets Sub-Fund |
|
|
|
|
Transfers In |
|
|
|
|
Transfer from the Capital Projects Fund/Traffic Impact Fee Sub-Fund (NEW PROJECT - Homestead Rd. at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements) |
$0 |
$138,500 |
$138,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transfer from the Capital Projects Fund/Traffic Impact Fee Sub-Fund (NEW PROJECT - Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements) |
$0 |
$244,000 |
$244,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
|
Homestead Rd. at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements - City of Cupertino Reimbursement |
$0 |
$126,500 |
$126,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Homestead Rd. at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements - OBAG Grant |
$0 |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements - OBAG Grant |
$0 |
$919,000 |
$919,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
NEW PROJECT - Homestead Rd. at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements |
$0 |
$1,265,000 |
$1,265,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW PROJECT - Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements |
$0 |
$1,163,000 |
$1,163,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital Projects Fund/Traffic Impact Fee Sub-Fund |
|
|
|
|
Transfers Out |
|
|
|
|
Transfer to the Capital Projects Fund/General Assets Fund (NEW PROJECT - Homestead Rd. at Homestead High School - Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvements) |
$0 |
$138,500 |
$138,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transfer to the Capital Projects Fund/General Assets Fund (NEW PROJECT - Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements) |
$0 |
$244,000 |
$244,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reserves |
|
|
|
|
Capital Reserve |
$19,774,245 |
($382,500) |
$19,391,745 |
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt the required resolution to allow submittal of the projects to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for final approval, and to accept One Bay Area Grant 2 for Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) Grant Funds, and Approve Budget Modification No. 37 in the amount of $2,428,000 to recognize grant revenues, recognize the reimbursement from the City of Cupertino, appropriate the City’s matching funds obligation, and appropriate funds to construct the projects.
Staff
Prepared by: Carmen Talavera, Senior Traffic Engineer
Reviewed by: Shahid Abbas, Transportation and Traffic Manager
Reviewed by: Jennifer Ng, Interim Assistant Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Wayne Tanda, Interim Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Timothy J. Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Interim Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. City of Cupertino Letter of Support
2. Resolution