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Community Development Agency, Transportation Division, recommending the Board consider the following:
1) Approve and accept the State of California Standard Grant Agreement CTA 16 008L with the California Tahoe Conservancy for the Meyers Stream Environment Zone/ Erosion Control Project, CIP 95179, in the amount of $1,100,000;
2) Authorize the Chair to sign the State of California Standard Grant Agreement CTA 16 008L; and,
3) Authorize the Community Development Agency Director to execute any future amendments or modifications that do not increase the proposed Grant amount of $1,100,000.
FUNDING: California Tahoe Conservancy Grant Funds. (100% State Funding)
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DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division (Transportation), recommending the Board consider the following:
1) Approve and accept the State of California Standard Grant Agreement CTA 16 008L (Grant Agreement) with the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) for the Meyers Stream Environment Zone/ Erosion Control Project, CIP 95179 (Project), in the amount of $1,100,000;
2) Authorize the Chair to sign the Grant Agreement; and,
3) Authorize the Community Development Agency (CDA) Director to execute any future amendments or modifications that do not increase the proposed Grant amount of $1,100,000.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Board approved Resolution 192-2015 on November 17, 2015 (Item 31), indicating its support for Transportation's implementation grant application to the CTC under the State’s Proposition 1, Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (2014 Water Bond). The 2014 Water Bond allocates funds for multibenefit ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration projects. Transportation’s application successfully competed with other public agencies, federally-recognized Native American tribes, and eligible nonprofit agencies and was recommended for award by CTC staff and its application review team. However, CTC also determined that Transportation's application was not eligible for approval at the March 17, 2016, CTC Governing Board meeting, since the Project's California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document had not yet been adopted by the Board. Transportation has since completed the CEQA process, and the CEQA document was adopted by the Board on July 19, 2016 (Item 28), and subsequently certified and recorded by the County Recorder-Clerk’s office.
With CEQA compliance completed, the CTC Governing Board on September 15, 2016, awarded the Grant Agreement in the amount of $1,100,000 to El Dorado County for the implementation of the Project. The Grant funds will enable Transportation to complete final plans, specifications and engineer’s cost estimate, construction management, construction, and post-construction environmental monitoring.
The Project site is within an existing residential development located in the community of Meyers in South Lake Tahoe, bordered by the Upper Truckee River to the west, Lake Tahoe Golf Course to the northwest, U.S. Highway 50/State Route 89 to the south, and Pioneer Trail to the east. The proposed Project will improve water quality by stabilizing bare soils with native vegetation, restoring and expanding stream environment zones, enhancing drainage features, and installing drainage infiltration systems to reduce stormwater runoff. The proposed improvements will reduce the discharge of sediment and pollutants to Lake Tahoe from County administered rights-of-way in the Project area. The Project will not change the use of the site or surrounding area.
During the term of the Grant Agreement, Transportation anticipates the need to request that the CTC further modify the terms of the Grant Agreement, generally related to administrative issues, project schedules, and budgets. Transportation is requesting that the Board delegate authority to the CDA Director to execute these types of amendments or modifications, provided they do not increase the proposed $1,100,000 value of the Grant. If a future amendment or modification proposes to increase the amount of the Grant Agreement, Transportation will bring it to the Board for consideration.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose to not approve and accept the Grant funds, and not authorize the Chair’s signature on the Grant Agreement. Transportation would then be unable to move forward with the Project until different funding is secured.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel and Risk Management have reviewed and approved the Grant Agreement documents.
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Department's recommendation.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will have no impact to the Net County Cost. Approval of the proposed Agreement will allow Transportation to receive $1,100,000 of State revenue through the CTC, which will be programmed as part of the 2016 Capital Improvement Program. The total Project costs of $2,544,337 will be funded by the proposed CTC Grant, United States Forest Service grants, and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency mitigation funds.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) The Clerk will obtain the Chair's signature on each of the five (5) originals of the Agreement.
2) The Clerk will send the five (5) originals of the partially-executed Agreement to Transportation-Tahoe Engineering Unit (Patty Scott), for further processing.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
CONTACT
John Kahling, Deputy Director, Engineering
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division