HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 10/31/2023 - Memorandum From Kerri Ishmael Re: Q3 2023 Grants UpdateFinance Administration
215 N. Mason St
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6788
MEMORANDUM
Date: October 26, 2023
To: Mayor and Councilmembers
Thru: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Travis Storin, Chief Financial Officer
From: Kerri Ishmael, Senior Analyst, Grants Administration
Subject: Q3 2023 Grants Update
Summary
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an update on grant opportunities pursued during Q3 2023 and
notice of awards received during Q3 2023, as well as view of Q4 offerings and known pursuit of funds.
Reported grant information relates only to federal and state grant opportunities. All private grant opportunities, as a
part of philanthropic funding, are supported, tracked, and reported through City Give. Information provided below is
further divided by Service Area, with key highlights by departments in pursuing these funding opportunities, as well
as awards by departments having a significant impact on our communities that align directly with the City’s strategic
objectives.
Funding Opportunities Applied for in Q3
Total Ask
Funds
PDT
$81,272,327
SSA
$9,000
Community
Services
$5,100,000
Connexion
$10,249,414 Police
$264,991
Q3 2023 - Ask for Funds by Service Area
Total $96,895,732
Total # of
Applications Total Ask for
Funds
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A total of 15 funding opportunities were pursued during Q3 2023, totaling $96,895,732, with asks varying from
multi-million-dollar infrastructure upgrades and investments to replacement of gas-powered lawn and garden
equipment in support of reducing the City’s carbon footprint. Specifically:
• Transfort put forth an ask for $72 million under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Small Starts Capital
Investment Grant program for the West Elizabeth Corridor project. The project proposes a Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) service along the corridor, with incorporation of a consistent sidewalk and bike network. The focus
being to respond to current and future multimodal transportation needs by increasing and improving transit
offerings, as well as bicycling and walking infrastructure.
o The West Elizabeth Corridor will provide multimodal transportation options to connect to Colorado
State University’s (CSU) Foothills Campus, CSU’s Main Campus, and the Mason Express Bus
Rapid Transit (MAX), which reaches both the Downtown Transit Center and South Transit Center.
In connection with CSU’s Foothills Campus, Transfort more recently was awarded $10.7 million
under the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) highly competitive Rebuilding American
Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant program to support the Foothills Transit
Station, with a roundabout at the intersection of Overland Trail and West Elizabeth. This project
supports connections west of the CSU campus along the West Elizabeth Corridor.
• PDT’s FC Moves in collaboration with Engineering and Traffic put forth an ask for the Citywide Arterial
Street Low Stress Bike Network Implementation project in support of:
o An implementation project along the Harmony Corridor from JFK Parkway to I-25 West Frontage
Road for incorporation of separated bike lanes, bike phasing at signals, traffic signal timing
improvements and vehicle lane narrowing. Proposed mitigation measures support the City’s (1)
Vision Zero Action Plan to mitigate speed-related risks and to reduce serious injuries and fatal
crashes and (2) Active Modes Plan to provide safe facilities in support of increased active modes
users.
o A supplemental planning project that expands on the Active Modes Plan to identify specific
causes of crashes and explore feasibility of various arterial improvements such as separated bike
lanes, protected intersections, lane diets and road diets. The study will include 27 miles of arterial
roadways bounded by College Avenue, Horsetooth Road, Overland Trail and Laporte Avenue.
o A demonstration activity to test the effectiveness of temporary protection along Centre Avenue
from Worthington Circle to Bay Drive. The project proposes the use of temporary separators
(flexible posts) to compare before and after data on multimodal usage and vehicular speeds. This
pilot project is ideal in testing the effectiveness of countermeasures as a means of providing
access to safe active modes of transportation.
Total project costs are $10.1 million, with a request for $8 million from DOT’s FY23 Safe Streets and
Roads for All Grant program.
• PDT’s FC Moves in collaboration with Engineering, with support from Natural Areas and Parks, put forth an
ask under the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Grant program. The City, in partnership
with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Larimer County, requested $803,000 in support
of a Community Planning Grant. The project, which is partially within Fort Collins city limits and partially within
the City’s growth management area, will address the barriers and burdens caused by US 287/College Ave by
planning for safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle facilities along north College Ave and parallel
routes. The planning area is bounded by College Ave on the north, Redwood Street on the east, the Poudre
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River on the south and N. Shields Street on the west. The City will work with the community, including
members of the City’s largest mobile home communities (Poudre Valley Mobile Home Community, North
College Mobile Home Community and Hickory Village) in identifying preferred alternatives for safe and
equitable access to daily destinations. The project will also explore additional connections via a regional trail
spur and potential connections through future City-owned natural areas, with the goal in developing 30%
design for preferred alternatives.
• Recreation put forth an ask under the new Climate Resilience Challenge Grant program, part of the state’s
Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Fund, to support design and construction of the Southeast Community
Recreation Center. The City, in partnership with Poudre River Public Library District (PRPLD) and Poudre
School District (PSD), is committed to building a community center that supports a multipurpose innovation
area, outdoor aquatics facility and potential future indoor aquatics facility. PRPLD will fund separately a full
service library to be located within the Southeast Community Center, with PSD donating the 10-acres of land
PSD Donated Land. The City requested $5 million to support funding for completion of proposed Phase II of
the Southeast Community Center, which increases the size and scope of the facility. The ask aligns with grant
program goals, as well as plans and priorities of the City and priorities of the Governor, including providing
equitable access to recreational experiences and multimodal transportation options; reaching goal of 100%
renewable energy through a LEED, Gold build that incorporates solar power; providing affordable and
accessible childcare; and utilizing the facility as a communication hub to support the community during an
emergency event.
• Connexion, in partnership with Larimer County, put forth several asks under the Colorado Broadband Office’s
Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Grant program, to fund broadband infrastructure for unserved
and undeserved locations. The ask for funds supports providing reliable and equitable broadband to the rural
communities of: (1) Risk Canyon; (2) Poudre Park; (3) Red Feather Lakes and (4) Rustic to Colorado State
University Mountain Campus. A total of $10.2 million was requested from Colorado Broadband, with Larimer
County and Poudre Valley REA contributing the remaining $3.4 million of total project costs.
Funding Opportunities Awarded Q3 2023
$18,168,340
$3,336,495 PDT,
$1,337,900
Utilities
$693,595
SSA
$295,000 Community
Services
$100,000
Ops
Services
$910,000
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A total of 6 awards, totaling $3,336,495 were received during Q3 2023, corresponding to efforts by many
departments in support of furthering existing programs, as well as supporting new opportunities that align with
several strategic objectives of service areas. Specifically:
• Parks successful ask for $100,000 under the Regional Air Quality Council’s (RAQC) Mow Down Pollution
Grant program, with 100% of such funds provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment. In addition to the $100,000 provided through RAQC, the City will provide an additional
$35,000 to replace gas-powered lawn and garden equipment with rechargeable or corded electric-powered
alternatives, which supports the City reducing its carbon footprint.
• Energy Services being awarded $693,595 from the Department of Energy (DOE) in support of a
collaborative project in development and implementation of a zero-carbon code standard for future builds.
The City was the only municipality to receive an award through the DOE’s Resilient and Efficient Codes
Implementation Program implemented through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), with only
twenty-seven national awards. Energy Services is collaborating with the Colorado Energy Office, University
of Central Florida, and International Code Council on the project that spans the next few years.
• Operation Services awarded the full ask of $910,000 from the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment’s new Clean Fleet Vehicle & Technology Grant program in support of replacing light, medium
and heavy-duty vehicles with compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled vehicles in support of lower emissions,
reduced fuel costs and improved fuel efficiency, as well as electric-powered vehicles.
• Environmental Sustainability’s successful ask under the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment’s (CDPHE) Waste Diversion on the Front Range enterprise fund to upgrade equipment at the
Timberline Recycling Center. The $295,000 awarded from the state will allow for the addition of equipment
to increase recycling capacity, as well as replace equipment that has reached the useful life. Considering
the Timberline Recycling Facility supporting Fort Collins and neighboring cities and towns, these upgrades,
and replacements to increase recycling capacity will further increase waste diversion.
• PDT’s FC Moves in collaboration with Engineering and Traffic successful ask for $1.3 million under the
Colorado Department of Local Affairs (CO DOLA) IIJA Local Match program in support of meeting, in part,
the required match associated with the $10.1 million in project costs proposed for the Citywide Arterial
Street Low Stress Bike Network Implementation project. The $1.3 million is contingent on the City
receiving the full ask for funds from DOT under the FY23 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant program.
The DOT is proposed to announce awards in December 2023.
Outcome in relation to the $18,168,340 in ask for funds includes a $3.2 million request under the FTA’s Bus and
Bus Facilities Grant program in support of updating the City’s remaining bus stops to current American with
Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. In addition, Transfort put forth an ask under FTA’s Low or No Emission Grant
program for four battery electric buses and associated equipment for buses and Transit stations, totaling $7.7
million. While not successful in either request for funds Transfort repurposed these efforts in Q4, as noted below,
under the North Front Range MPO’s 2023 Call for Projects.
The City was awarded 18% of total requested funds.
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The City is awaiting the outcomes on several grant applications, with total asks of $96.3 million.
A Look Ahead at Q4 2023
BIG efforts by FC Moves, Engineering and Transfort in response to the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning
Organization’s (NFRMPO) 2023 Call for Projects. Here’s a quick look at the request for funds in Q4.
For those not connected to the purpose of the NFRMPO, as noted HERE the NFRMPO is required by the federal
government as it covers ~ 675 square miles in Northern Colorado, including the City of Fort Collins. Elected officials
from each member government, which includes City of Fort Collins, and representatives from state departments sit
on the Planning Council - NFRMPO, which enacts the policies, plans and recommendations of the NFRMPO. The
NFRMPO provides funding for transportation projects, as well as regional transportation planning and other valued
services in support of each member government. Source of funding is from both federal and state grant programs.
The NFRMPO 2023 Call for Projects requests applications for eligible projects under several federal funding
programs, including the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), Surface Treatment Block Grant (STBG),
Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) and Transportation Alternatives (TA) program. A total of $22 million is available
for allocation under these federal programs. Member governments responding to the request for projects by
NFRMPO submitted applications by October 6th, with the Planning Council - NFRMPO making recommendations
on funding in January 2024.
Pending Funding Asks
PDT $80,727,172
SSA $9,000
Community
Services, $5,000,000
Connexion, $10,249,414 Police $264,991
12 Applications in Q3, Totaling $96,250,577
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PDT’s Engineering put forth requests totaling $8 million corresponding to the:
College and Trilby Intersection Reconstruction project - Request for $1.7 million to fill the funding gap for the
project estimated at $16.7 million. The City has funds committed through other federal and state grants, as well as
City funds.
Power Trail project – Request for $3.2 million to fill the funding gap needed in completing the last gap in the
Power Trail, providing connectivity from the Poudre River Corridor to the Big Thompson Corridor.
Taft Hill Corridor project (from north of Horsetooth Road to south of Brixton Road) – Request for $3.1 million on
behalf of both the City and Larimer County, as majority of project is in unincorporated Larimer County. The City and
Larimer County will partner on this project in support of addressing congestion and safety issues through
incorporation of a 4-lane arterial street, curb and gutter improvements and a raised protected side path for
pedestrian and bicycle lanes.
PDT’s FC Moves put forth requests totaling $2.3 million corresponding to the:
Taft Hill Crossing Improvements Project – Request for $1.5 million for design and construction of pedestrian
and bicycle crossing improvements at the S. Taft Hill Road intersections with Imperial Drive and Brixton Road. Both
intersections are recommended in the City’s Active Modes Plan, supporting equitable access to safe pedestrian
and bicycle facilities.
Mason Trail Crossing Improvements Project – Request for $822,000 for design and improvements to existing at-
grade crossings of Mason Trail and W. Prospect Rd., Spring Creek Trail, W. Harmony Road, and Southeast
Frontage Road. Proposed improvements include trail widening, queue space widening, trail relocation, ADA ramp
improvements, improved landings, new sidewalk connections, and signal improvements.
Transfort put forth requests totaling $2.8 million corresponding to:
Upgrades to Transfort Bus Stops for ADA compliance – Request for $538,000 in support of upgrading several
of the remaining sixty-seven bus stops. This project supports the goal of having all four hundred and fifteen bus
stops owned and maintained by Transfort fully complaint with ADA standards.
Purchase of Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) – Request for $2.24 million to replace two heavy-duty, compressed
natural gas fueled buses that have surpassed their useful life with BEBs. The proposal aligns with many City plans
and goals, including Transfort’s goal of a full zero-emission fleet.
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