Title
Request to Authorize the Town Manager to Accept a Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is for the Town Council to consider authorizing the Town Manager to accept the award of a 2023 Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning
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Contact
CONTACT INFORMATION: Christina Moon, Planning Administrator, 919-918-7325, cmoon@carrboronc.gov <mailto:cmoon@carrboronc.gov>; Patricia McGuire, Planning Director, 919-918-7327, pmcguire@carrboronc.gov <mailto:pmcguire@carrboronc.gov>
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate _X_ Comprehensive Plan __X_Other
Council Direction Statement
This agenda item is necessary for the Town to accept the award of the grant and to enter into a municipal agreement with NCDOT to receive funding. Safe Routes to School is an important national program that promotes walking, biking, and rolling to school to encourage physical activity and healthy lifestyles at a young age, activities that further the Town’s efforts toward Racial Equity and Climate Action. Racial Equity Pocket Questions are completed in Attachment B. ]
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Information
INFORMATION: On April 12, 2023, staff received notice that the Town’s application for a 2023 Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure grant had been selected for funding. The Town has been awarded a grant of $89,349 with no required local match.
Funds from the grant will be used to update the Town’s adopted Safe Routes to School Strategic Action Plan, to include Morris Grove Elementary School and McDougle Middle School, update demographic information and begin to conduct travel audits to inform possible walk/bike to school routes. The adopted plan may be found here: <https://www.carrboronc.gov/741/Safe-Routes-to-School>). Carrboro staff will continue to work with staff at Chapel Hill and the Chapel Hill Carrboro City School System (CHCS) toward a more district-wide Safe Routes to School program in the future.
The Town has not yet received a municipal agreement (MA) from NCDOT to begin the project, and anticipates that the agreement may arrive during the summer. The purpose of this agenda item is for the Council to consider authorizing the Town Manager to execute the agreement so that the process for developing and advertising a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek consulting services may move forward.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: The total project budget is $89,349 of federal funds. No local match is required.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: The Town Manager recommends that the Town Council consider adopting the resolution provided (Attachment A) authorizing the Town Manager to accept the award of the 2023 Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Grant, to enter into a municipal agreement with NCDOT and to begin to develop an RFP for consulting services.
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