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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/18/2009 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 082, 2009, APPROPRI I ITEM NUMBER: 7 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: August 18, 2009 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Matt Wempe SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 082, 2009, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue in the Transportation Services Fund to Fund the 2009-2010 Safe Routes to School Project. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. FINANCIAL IMPACT The total cost of this project is $38,500, which is being funded from the federal Safe Routes to School Program, administered by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). While a formal contract is not required by CDOT, the City must allocate the funding in accordance with a CDOT Purchase Order. No local match is required for this grant. Federal funds (100%) $38,500 City's Local Match (0%) $ 0 Total project (2009): $38,500 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Fort Collins Transportation Planning Department has received a federal grant through the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for the FY 2009-10 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program. This funding will allow the Fort Collins Safe Routes to School Program (administered and staffed by the Transportation Planning department)to provide non-infrastructure SRTS services for five local schools: Bennett IB World School, Dunn IB World School, McGraw IB World School,Tavelli Elementary,and Lesher Middle School. Non-infrastructure SRTS services include in-class education, school site and neighborhood assessments, and walking and bicycling encouragement events. The Fort Collins SRTS program will partner with Bicycle Colorado(a non- profit organization) to provide in-class education. Additionally, the grant will cover the costs of federally-mandated data collection on walking and bicycling at the five local schools. The funding will allow the Fort Collins SRTS program to build on past successes and provide these services to additional schools. August 18, 2009 -2- Item No. 7 BACKGROUND The City of Fort Collins Transportation Planning department administers the local SRTS program. The success of the program depends heavily on collaborations with local partners,including various City departments,individual schools,Poudre School District,FC Bikes,Bicycle Colorado,and local bicycling organizations. Per the grant application, Fort Collins SRTS will complete the following activities at the five local schools during the 2009-10 school year. These activities are similar to past years, but are targeted towards new schools each school year. Federal SRTS regulations prevent a school from receiving funding more than once. Back to School Meetings — These annual meetings for parents, teachers, and students provide an opportunity to discuss the SRTS program and generate excitement. The goal of the meetings is to address parental concerns, review the walking and bicycling route maps, and increase the visibility of SRTS. In addition, SRTS staff will work to identify potential advocates and volunteers at individual schools. SRTS Curriculum — Bicycle Colorado will conduct walking and bicycling safety classes per its SRTS toolkit curriculum. Students will be taught rules of the road, street crossing safety and other necessary skills to help prevent bicycle, pedestrian, and automotive crashes. Local advocates and volunteers will participate in order to provide teachers for future classes. School Site and NeighborhoodAssessment(Site Audit)—SRTS staff and Bicycle Colorado will work with school administrators, parents, teachers, and students to identify physical and perceived obstacles to walking and bicycling. Bicycle Colorado will coordinate, with City staff, Bike Fort Collins, and other local advocates providing assistance. The assessment will be part of the SRTS Plan for each individual school. SRTS Plan—These implementation plans will be formulated for each school and largely based on the school site and neighborhood assessment findings. The findings will be reviewed at a public meeting by City staff, Poudre School District staff, school administrators, students, parents, and teachers. The result will be school specific implementation strategies comprised of both programmatic and infrastructure projects. Both the SRTS program,Poudre School District and the individual school will use the plan to identify future improvements and maintain program momentum. Encouragement Program—The program includes weekly walking and bicycling events, as well as International Bike and Walk to School Day,National Bike Month, and an end of year celebration. City staff will coordinate these events,with assistance from Bicycle Colorado, and local advocates and volunteers. Prizes and awards, such as bicycle reflectors, stickers and temporary tattoos, and drawings for larger items will be utilized. The City of Fort Collins will work with Bicycle Colorado to establish an encouragement and education program in partnership with Poudre School District. The school site and neighborhood assessments will help the City, Poudre School District, and the school community identify inconsistent or missing bicycle and pedestrian facilities and address parental and student concerns about walking and bicycling. j August 18, 2009 -3- Item No. 7 The Fort Collins SRTS program will target students, parents, school administrators, and teachers. The goal of the program is to increase the number,of children bicycling and walking by educating children and parents about the benefits of walking and bicycling. A SRTS Plan for each school will provide documentation of both infrastructure and programmatic implementation strategies to ensure momentum is sustained beyond the school year. In order to gauge the success of the program, students and parents will be surveyed before and after the program using the National Center for Safe Routes to School student travel tally and parent survey. These surveys will be administered at the beginning of the school year and at the end of the program to measure the success of the program. These surveys collect data on student travel behaviors as well as attitudes about walking or biking to school. The City will also implement school site and neighborhood assessments for each school to identify potential issues in the school's, physical environment. There are also anecdotal ways to measure success, such as approximately 30% of McGraw's total enrollment participated in Bike to School Day this past spring. Fall 2009 Safe Routes to School Schedule September 2—Autumn Bike to School Day October 7—International Walk to School Day September 9 through October 28—Walking and Wheeling Wednesdays September and October— School Site and Neighborhood Assessments (CDOT schools) Fall 2009—Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Classes (CDOT schools) ORDINANCE NO. 082, 2009 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED GRANT REVENUE IN THE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FUND TO FUND THE FY 2009-2010 SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROJECT WHEREAS, the Safe Routes to School Program, established by the Colorado Department of Transportation ("CDOT"), is designed to promote the safety of students traveling to and from school and encourage more students to choose walking or bicycling to and from school; and WHEREAS,the City's Transportation Planning division applied for and has received a grant in the amount of$38,500 from CDOT to fund non-infrastructure programming in five local schools including Bennett IB World School, Dunn IB World School, McGraw IB World School, Tavelli Elementary, and Lesher Middle School for a Safe Routes to School Project (the "Project"); and WHEREAS, the Project includes in-class education; school site and neighborhood assessments; walking and bicycling encouragement events; and federally-mandated data collection on walking and bicycling at the five schools; and WHEREAS, there is no requirement for local matching funds associated with the Project; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9;of the City Charter permits the City Council to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any,time during the fiscal year,provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations,in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS,City staff has determined that the appropriation of grant funds totaling$38,500 will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Transportation Services Fund - FY 2009-2010 Safe Routes to School project to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from unanticipated grant revenue in the Transportation Services Fund the sum of THIRTY-EIGHT THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($38,500)to provide non-infrastructure programming for five local schools in the Safe Routes to School Project. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 18th day of August, A.D. 2009, and to be presented for final passage on the 1 st day of September, A.D. 2009. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 1st day of September, A.D. 2009. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk r -2-