Title
Planning and Building Department, Airports Division, recommending the Board:
1) Accept grant award and provide advance approval of two grant agreements as part of the 2021 Federal American Rescue Plan Act distributed through the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, under the Airport Rescue Grant Program, in the amount of $32,000 for the Placerville Airport and in the amount of $22,000 for the Georgetown Airport, each for a four-year term, and
2) Authorize the Planning and Building Department Interim Director, or successor, to execute all associated documents, subject to review and approval by County Counsel.
FUNDING: Federal Aviation Administration Grants (Federal Funds).
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Placerville and Georgetown Airports are eligible to receive grants under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 2021 (Public Law 117-2). These funds will assist airports to address the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will distribute these grants under the Airport Rescue Grant Program (ARGP). The County will receive a grant for $32,000 for the Placerville Airport and $22,000 for the Georgetown Airport to be used for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, and combating the spread of pathogens at the airports.
The FAA will send grant applications to airport sponsors (the County) and in accordance with Board Policy A-6, Airports Division staff will obtain the Planning and Building Department Director's signature on the grant applications and return them to the FAA. Upon receipt of the signed grant applications, the FAA will expedite its grant award process by preparing and sending two grant offers with two grant award letters and two grant agreements to the County for signature, and these will include a firm date by which the grant agreements must be signed and returned. This is typically a very compressed time frame of no more than a day or two to return the agreements. The grant agreements are standard federal grant agreements and the County will be unable to make any changes. Due to this compressed time frame for completing the grant agreements, staff is requesting advance approval of acceptance of these funds. Grant agreements from June 2021, which were administered under a similar process, are attached as an example.
Airports Division staff will forward the two grant agreements to County Counsel for expedited review, and upon approval, the Planning and Building Department Interim Director, or designee, will execute the original and sponsor copy of each grant agreement, and staff will forward the grant agreements back to County Counsel for the required attorney certification on the grant agreements, which must follow the sponsor’s authorized representative’s signature.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board may decide not to accept these FAA grant funds.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel will review and approve the two FAA grant agreements and will provide the required attorney certification on the grant agreements.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
These grants provide additional funding to support airport operations to address the COVID-19 public health emergency with no requirements for reimbursement or the inclusion of local matching funds. There is no impact to the General Fund and there is no Net County Cost associated with this item. These grant funds will be programmed in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Upon award of the FAA grants, the Planning and Building Department, Airports Division, will forward the two FAA grant agreements to County Counsel for review and approval.
2) Upon County Counsel’s approval of the two FAA grant agreements, the Planning and Building Department Interim Director, or designee, will execute the two FAA grant agreements and staff will send copies to the Clerk of the Board.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Public Safety, Good Governance, Infrastructure
CONTACT
Chris Perry,
Interim Director
Planning and Building Department