Title
Grant Application for Recreational Trail Program Grant Funds for Depot Park (B)
This item involves a request to submit a grant application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for Recreational Trail Program Grant Funds for Depot Park.
Explanation
The Recreational Trail Program Grant (RTP) offers up to $200,000 in funding for building non-motorized trail projects. The first trail project to be built on the Depot Park site is the Depot Park Trail, which will connect the Depot Avenue rail trail with the Downtown Connector via the southern end of the 6th Street Trail. This project is estimated to cost $700,000 and includes paving, landscaping, irrigation, benches, and lighting. The project will be built after the remediation of the former-CSX site anticipated in 2008. The grant applications are due on March 13, 2006.
Fiscal Note
The total amount of funding needed to complete the project is estimated at $700,000. The grant can provide up to $200,000 with the balance of $500,000 coming from City funds, which exceeds the $200,000 grant match requirement. With the approval of $1million in the 2007-2011 Capital Improvement Plan request for Depot Park, $500,000 of these funds can be used to cover the remaining funding gap and provide the grant match.
Recommendation
Recommended Motion: The City Commission: 1) authorize the City Manager to submit the grant application to FDEP for the Recreational Trail Program Grant Funds; 2) authorize the City Manager to allocate $500,000 to the trail project from sources dedicated to Depot Park recreation development to cover the funding gap and provide grant matching funds; and 3) authorize the City Manager to execute all documents associated with this grant, if awarded, subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and legality.
Alternative Recommendation A: The City Commission decline applying for the Recreational Trail Program Grant Funds. The resulting fiscal impact is the forfeiture of up to $200,000 in grant assistance.