4B, Resolution of Support - Transportation Enhancement Grant

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Resolution 2011 -040 County Road E federal application Page 2 Department may be interested in partnering on an off street shared use path on Lake Johanna Boulevard to Tony Schmidt Regional Park and the Elmer L. Andersen Memorial Trail. Staff contacted Greg Mack at the Ramsey County Parks Department and asked if they would be interested in partnering on a trail connection from the County Road E bridge to Tony Schmidt Regional Park and the Elmer L. Andersen Memorial Trail. Mr. Mack was supportive of the application and committed that if the project is chosen, the local share of their segment would be eligible for funding under the Metropolitan Council's Capital Improvement Program and the County intends to request matching funds through that program. Staff has been preparing an application for the Transportation Enhancement Program (TE) for an off street shared use trail from the County Road E bridge to Tony Schmidt Regional Park and the Elmer L. Andersen Memorial Trail. A map of the project is attached for Council review (Attachment A). The application deadline is August 22, 2011. Transportation Enhancement Program (TE): Amount of money in this pro'ram to be awarded: Undetermined Maximum award available for each project: $1 million Purpose and Vision: Transportation- related activities designed to strengthen the cultural, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the nation's intermodal transportation system. The TE program provides for implementation of non - traditional transportation projects. TE funds are directed toward projects that preserve historic, archaeological, scenic and environmental resources related to surface transportation, and to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian use. Parks and open space preserve natural resources and provide a wide variety of recreational activities. Trail corridors are intended to provide for recreational travel along linear pathways throughout the metropolitan area. If the Council supports this application, a resolution of support is required (Attachment B). Financial Implications The maximum award available for each project is $1,000,000. The TAB reserves the right to partially fund any project. The local (nonfederal) match in funding for any project must be at least twenty percent (20 %) of the total project cost. Project construction and materials, right of way and land acquisition are all eligible costs. Engineering, study completion and design are not eligible for reimbursement. This project would be eligible for State Aid funds for the local match, as well as for engineering, up to 25% of construction costs. If the City Council chooses not to allocate State Aid fund to the project, then an alternative funding source will need to be identified for the local match and all engineering fees. If funding is obtained through this process, funds would be available for construction in fiscal years 2015 and 2016. The sunset date for completion of projects awarded funding is March 31 of the year following the original program year established by the TAB. The preliminary estimate for this project is a total project cost of $1,521,302.51, including engineering. The City portion of the project is approximately 2,850 feet from the bridge on County Road E, extending onto Lake Johanna Boulevard to the border of Tony Schmidt Regional Park. The County's portion of the project is approximately 1,400 feet and extends from the Elmer L. Andersen Memorial trailhead east to the border of Tony Schmidt Regional \\ Metro- inet. us \ardenhills\PR &PW\Parks\Memos \Council Memos\Memo to CC re - Res 2011 -040 County Road E federal application080811.doc