TITLE: Title
CIP Ordinance Updates for Morgan Creek Greenway and South Greensboro Street Sidewalk
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to amend the Capital Project Ordinances for the Morgan Creek Greenway and South Greensboro Street Sidewalk to reflect the reallocation of Orange County Transit funds and the allocation of STBGDA-CRRSAA funds
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DEPARTMENT: Planning & Finance
CONTACT INFORMATION: Christina Moon - 919-918-7325, cmoon@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:cmoon@townofcarrboro.org>; Patricia McGuire - 919-918-7327, pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org>; Arche McAdoo, 919-918-7439, amacadoo@townofcarrboro.org; Cary McNallan, 919-918-7301, cmcnallan@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:cmcnallan@townofcarrboro.org>
INFORMATION: At the November 17, 2020 Town Council meeting, staff provided an update on the Morgan Creek Greenway (TIP # EL-4828A) regarding an option to pursue the original greenway alignment, and noted that a source for additional funds would be need to be identified (Town of Carrboro - Meeting of Town Council on 11/17/2020 at 7:00 PM (legistar.com) <https://carrboro.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=802057&GUID=EA26A3D2-8C54-4EBA-B51F-AD10522C5B55&Options=&Search=>). Staff subsequently submitted a request for additional Orange County Transit funds to cover the additional costs associated with the redesign. GoTriangle has been closely monitoring the transit tax revenues during the last year, and while revenues are beginning to pick up, GoTriangle staff and the Orange County Transit Plan Staff Working Group are not yet ready to recommend new expenditures. In an effort to allow for the Morgan Creek Greenway project to move forward, the Town has requested that $175,000 of Orange County Transit funds earmarked for the South Greensboro Street Sidewalk project (TIP # C-5650) be reallocated to the Morgan Creek Greenway. This would cover the redesign costs and associated permitting so that the Town could prepared updated bid documents and advertise the greenway project for construction. The existing allocation of $199,800 of transit funds intended to be used toward the local match for the construction of the Morgan Creek Greenway would not be affected.
The proposed reallocation was included in the Orange County Transit FY22 Workplan and approved by the Staff Working Group at its June 1, 2021 meeting. An excerpt from the meeting agenda showing the proposed FY22 Workplan is provided (Attachment C). The GoTriangle Board of Trustees is scheduled the FY22 budget and Workplan at its June 23rd meeting. The reallocation would be revenue neutral; the Town’s total allocation of Orange County Transit funds would remain the same.
The Town has been allocated $206,343 of Surface Transportation Block Grant - Direct Attributable (STBGDA) funds as a result of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) through the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro (DCHC) MPO (Attachment D). The $206,343 CRRSAA funds would be applied to the South Greensboro Street sidewalk project to make up for the reallocated transit funds; no local match would be required. As transit tax revenues get back on track, staff will continue to seek opportunities for additional funding through the Orange County Transit Plan.
Amendments to the Capital Improvement Project Ordinances have been prepared for both projects to reflect the described changes: Morgan Creek Greenway (Attachment A), South Greensboro Street Sidewalk (Attachment B). There is no additional cost to the Town associated with either amendment.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: $175,000 of Orange County Transit funds would be reallocated from the South Greensboro Street sidewalk project to the Morgan Creek Greenway project, increasing the Morgan Creek Greenway project budget by $175,000.
$206,343 of CRRSAA funds would be applied toward the South Greensboro Street Sidewalk project. The South Greensboro Street sidewalk project budget would increase by $31,343.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Town Council approve the amendments to the capital project ordinances: Morgan Creek Greenway Capital Project Ordinance (Attachment A) and the South Greensboro Street Sidewalk Capital Project Ordinance (Attachment B), contingent upon the GoTriangle Board of Trustee’s adoption of the FY22 budget on June 23, 2021.