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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/21/2012 - RESOLUTION 2012-075 AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TDATE: August 21, 2012 STAFF: Craig Foreman AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL 27 SUBJECT Resolution 2012-075 Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Grant Agreement with the State Board of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund for the City’s Portion of the Poudre River Corridor and Regional Trail Initiative Grant. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Great Outdoors Colorado has awarded a grant to Larimer County for its Poudre River Corridor & Regional Trail Initiative project. Larimer County is the lead agency for the grant application that includes the City of Fort Collins, Town of Timnath, Town of Windsor, and the City of Greeley. The grant request includes open space acquisitions, trail easements, and trail development along the Poudre River from Fort Collins to Greeley. The total grant project cost is $8,074,826, with the Great Outdoors Colorado grant being in the amount of $5,098,150. The City of Fort Collins portion of the project is $1,558,880, with the Great Outdoors Colorado grant amount being $737,597. The City’s portion of the project involves a new trailhead parking lot along Strauss Cabin Road, extending the 10-foot wide concrete Poudre River Trail to the west side of I-25, an overpass of I-25 and short trail connection to Timnath’s trail east of I-25. The total length of new trail will be about 0.5 mile. The trail placement on Arapaho Bend Natural Area has been coordinated with the Natural Resource staff. Construction of the project is scheduled to start in 2013. Pursuant to the grant agreement, the City has until September 2015 to complete the project. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The City’s Parks and Recreation Policy Plan in 1996 and in 2008 showed the Poudre River Trail connection to Timnath. The trail segment on Arapaho Bend Natural Area is shown on the Cache la Poudre River Natural Area Management Plan completed in 2011. Obtaining the Great Outdoors Colorado funds will make the trail overpass possible by 2015. W ithout this grant, the project would have had to be phased over several years as City trail funding would allow. FINANCIAL / ECONOMIC IMPACTS The City of Fort Collins has been awarded a grant of $737,597 from Great Outdoors Colorado for the development of the Poudre River Trail connection to Timnath. The total cost for this trail section, overpass of I-25 and trailhead parking lot is estimated at $1,558,880. The City’s cost share of $821,283 is available in the Conservation Trust Fund, the Natural Areas Paved Trails Fund, and the Natural Areas Public Improvement Fund. The awarding of this grant will provide funding to free-up City funds for other needed trail projects. Funding for the annual operation and maintenance cost of the 0.5 mile of new trail, overpass and trailhead parking lot is estimated at $10,000 and is included in the 2014 Park Maintenance and the Natural Areas Maintenance budget offers. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS The new trail on the Arapaho Bend Natural Area will be located to minimize impacts to the natural area and the Poudre River’s more sensitive environment. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. August 21, 2012 -2- ITEM 27 BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Parks and Recreation Board has been informed of the project over the past year through staff updates. The Land Conservation and Stewardship Board was informed of the project numerous times of the past year through staff updates. PUBLIC OUTREACH The trail connection to Timnath was discussed with the community during the 2008 Parks and Recreation Policy Plan Update. The connection is frequently noted in news articles about future trail segments. ATTACHMENTS 1. Location map ZIEGLER RD MAIN ST INTERSTATE 25 E HARMONY RD STRAUSS CABIN RD E HORSETOOTH RD E COUNTY ROAD 38 S COUNTY ROAD 5 INTERSTATE 25 GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD BNSF RAILROAD Larimer & Regional County's Trail Poudre Initiative River Grant Corridor Map A L e g e n d Major Roads Poudre River Natural Area Prop. Concrete Trails © Proposed Trail Connection Timnath Proposed Lot and Restroom Parking PAREA ARAPAHO NATURAL BEND Proposed Trail Overpass I-25 ATTACHMENT 1 RESOLUTION 2012-075 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 COLORADO TRUST FUND FOR THE CITY’S PORTION OF THE POUDRE RIVER CORRIDOR AND REGIONAL TRAIL INITIATIVE GRANT 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 2011 the GOCO Board created a statewide grant program pursuant to which eligible entities could apply for river-based land acquisition and/or developed recreation project grants; and WHEREAS, on June 19, 2012, the GOCO Board approved portions of a grant application submitted by Larimer County, the City of Fort Collins, the City of Greeley, the Town of Windsor and the Town of Timnath (collectively, the “Grantees”), for a project that would include open space acquisitions, trail easement acquisitions, and trail development along the Poudre River from Fort Collins to Greeley (the “Project”); and WHEREAS, the GOCO Board agreed to fund $5,098,150 of the total Project cost of $8,074,826 (the “Grant”); and WHEREAS, the City’s portion of the Project – which includes construction of a new trailhead parking lot along Strauss Cabin Road, extending the Poudre River Trail to the west side of I-25, construction of an overpass over I-25, and a short trail connection to Timnath’s trail east of I-25 – is expected to cost $1,558,880, and the City portion of the Grant would be $737,597; and WHEREAS, in order to receive the Grant funds, the Grantees must enter into a Grant Agreement with the GOCO Board; 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 each Grantee to provide the GOCO Board with a resolution adopted by its governing body authorizing the Grantee to accept the Grant, subject to the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement, and designating an appropriate official to sign the Grant Agreement on such Grantee’s behalf; and WHEREAS, the Grant Agreement further requires that the Grantees complete the Project no later than June 19, 2015; cooperate with the GOCO Board on publicity, public information and signage for the Project; 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 obtain the matching cash and in-kind contributions required by GOCO policy, although no Grantee is responsible for the financial obligations of any other Grantee; and WHEREAS, City staff recommends 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 $737,597 in Grant proceeds for the City’s portion of the construction of the Poudre River Corridor and Regional Trail, 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 21st day of August, A.D. 2012. __________________________________ Mayor Pro Tem ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk