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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/16/2005 - RESOLUTION 2005-093 AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER T ITEM NUMBER: 24 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: August 16, 2005 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Craig Foreman SUBJECT Resolution 2005-093 Authorizing the City Manager to Enter Into a Grant Agreement with the State Board of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund for the Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon Community Park. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. FINANCIAL IMPACT The City of Fort Collins has been awarded a grant of$200,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado for the development of the Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon Community Park. The grant request was made in partnership with All Children Together (ACT), a group of dedicated community members committed to raising funds for the playground. The total cost for the playground is estimated at about $1,000,000. The Colorado Eagles Foundation has agreed to match gifts from the community, dollar for dollar, up to $250,000. Funding from park impact fees is available for the City's share ($300,000) of the playground. Pursuant to GOCO regulations the City has until July of 2007 to construct the playground. Funding for the operation and maintenance of the playground and for Spring Canyon Community Park is expected through the Budgeting for Outcomes process. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Council-adopted Parks and Recreation Policy Plan identifies the development of the Spring Canyon Community Park as the City's sixth community park. Community parks are designed to serve the recreational needs of about 20,000 people. The City has been collecting impact fees to build this park since 1996. Community parks are developed with large playgrounds that contain a variety of play equipment that can be enjoyed by children of all ages. The City's funding for playgrounds is sufficient to comply with the guidelines contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, these guidelines do not fully integrate play and socializing between able-bodied children and children with disabilities. A fully accessible playground with a play surface and equipment that can be enjoyed by more children with disabilities would be a significant addition to our park system and a great benefit to our community. There are presently about 4,000 children with disabilities in our community who August 16, 2005 -2- Item No. 24 will be able to play along side of able-bodied children at this playground. An Inspiration Playground has additional elements that allow for children to play side-by-side on sensory rich structures that encourage integration and the development of cognitive, emotional, physical, and social skills for all children. The playground will include a water splash play area that will also be accessible. The City's public design process in 2004 included information about an Inspiration Playground at the Spring Canyon Park. The concept for the playground was well received by the community. Olander Elementary School, adjacent to the park, houses a severe, adaptive skills and moderate needs program. This program serves children with special needs in a full-inclusive model. Currently, the school has very limited play equipment that promotes the full inclusion of all children. A new sidewalk will link the school directly to the Inspiration Playground in the park. RESOLUTION 2005-093 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE BOARD OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS COLOR-ADO TRUST FUND FOR THE INSPIRATION PLAYGROUND AT SPRING CANYON COMMUNITY PARK WHEREAS, the Board of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (the "GOCO Board") is a political subdivision of the State of Colorado which invests a portion of the net proceeds of the Colorado Lottery in the State's parks, wildlife, open space and recreational resources; and WHEREAS, in 1994 the GOCO Board created a statewide grant program pursuant to which eligible entities could apply for grants for local government parks and outdoor recreation projects; and WHEREAS, the GOCO Board approved a grant application by the City and All Children Together (ACT) for a local government grant to be used for construction of the Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon community Park (the "Project"), and has awarded to the City a grant in the amount of $200,000 to be used together with matching funds to construct the Project; and WHEREAS, the total cost of the Project will be approximately $1,000,000 with additional funding coming from ACT, the Colorado Eagles Foundation, and park impact fees; and WHEREAS, the City is authorized to enter into intergovernmental agreements, such as a grant agreement, to provide any function, service or facility, under Article II, Section 16 of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins and Section 29-1-203, C.R.S.; and WHEREAS, the GOCO Grant Agreement, a copy of which is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and available for public inspection (the "Grant Agreement"), requires a resolution, adopted by the governing body of the Grantee, authorizing the execution of the agreement and approving its terms and conditions; and WHEREAS, the Grant Agreement further requires that the City operate and maintain the Project for not less than 25 years, subject to the annual appropriation of funds, allow reasonable public access to the Project, and cooperate with the GOCO Board on publicity, public information and signage for the Project; and WHEREAS, City staff has recommended that the City Council approve the Grant Agreement as described herein. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the City Manager is hereby authorized to enter into the Grant Agreement with the GOCO Board obligating the City to use the $200,000 in grant proceeds for construction of the Inspiration Playground at Spring Canyon Community Park, in substantially the form of agreement as is on file in the office of the City Clerk, and that the terms of the Grant Agreement are approved together with such other terms and conditions as the City Manager, in consultation with the City Attorney, determines to be necessary and appropriate to protect the best interests of the City. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 16th day of August, A.D. 2005. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk