FROM:
Engineering
SUBJECT:
Title
Accept a Grant and Approve and Authorize City Manager to Execute the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Agreement in the amount of $15,000,000 for the Building a Better Connected Inland Empire Project at Cherry Avenue and Victoria Avenue within the Westgate Specific Plan Area
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RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
1. Authorize and approve the City Manager to execute the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant agreement for the Building a Better Connected Inland Empire project at Cherry Avenue and Victoria Avenue within the Westgate Specific Plan area.
2. Accept $15,000,000 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Building a Better Connected Inland Empire project at Cherry Avenue and Victoria Avenue within the Westgate Specific Plan area.
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COUNCIL GOALS:
• To Invest in the City’s infrastructure (streets, sewers, parks, etc.) by providing for the development of new infrastructure.
• To Invest in the City’s infrastructure (streets, sewers, parks, etc.) by improving the aesthetics of the community through code enforcement, street sweeping, and landscape maintenance.
• To Invest in the City’s infrastructure (streets, sewers, parks, etc.) by focusing on relief of traffic congestion.
DISCUSSION:
On April 14, 2022, the City of Fontana submitted an application for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant for the Building a Better Connected Inland Empire project (“Project”) at Cherry Avenue and Victoria Avenue within the Westgate Specific Plan area. This project will provide major complete streets improvements including additional lane capacity, integrated traffic system, medians with protected left turns, streetlights, signage, roundabout, raised medians, approximately 5 miles of Class II bike trails, approximately 2.5 miles of Class I bike lanes, approximately 5 miles of ADA compliant sidewalks, approximately 0.5 miles multi-use trails, pedestrian crosswalks, and countdown signal heads. The project limits are Victoria Street between I-15/Cherry Avenue Interchange westbound ramp intersection and Cherry Avenue between SR-210 and Baseline Road.
In December 2022, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) notified the City of the award of the grant in the amount of $15,000,000.00. Since then, staff have been working with FHWA and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to finalize the grant agreement.
The grant agreement spells out terms and conditions required by the FHWA, Caltrans (direct recipient) and the City (indirect recipient), including the funding obligation deadline of September 30, 2026 and full expenditure deadline of September 30, 2031, in which the City is ahead of schedule. The grant also requires the City to match a minimum of 20% of the project cost. This local match amount has been fully budgeted using Measure I Arterial find (Fund 245) and Circulation Mitigation fund (Fund 630). Since the grant was awarded, it has been brought to the staff’s attention that there may be additional funding needs to complete the project due to the recent construction cost escalation and ineligible items for the grant. The additional budget needs will be estimated, and staff will work on a funding plan and bring it forward to the Council for recommendation in the near future.
The project is currently in the Design and Environmental phase and scheduled to begin construction in early 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact associated with the approval of this item is an increase in revenues and appropriations of $15,000,000 in Fund 301 for the Westgate project at Cherry Avenue and Victoria Street project - 37600042-301-A-5352. Once approved, the agreement will be fully executed and included in the next quarterly budget adjustment report.
MOTION:
Approve staff recommendation.