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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOMPASS Funding Rail with Trail Letter C� fIEN .D L4,, MEMO TO CITY COUNCIL Request to Include Topic on the City Council Agenda From: Kim Warren, Pathways Project Manager Meeting Date: March 26, 2024 Presenter: Kim Warren Estimated Time: 15 minutes Topic: Rail with Trail Pathway Update and Funding Background: Staff has been working on a multi-use pathway that would parallel the rail corridor from NW 3rd Street to NW 8th Street and connect to Broadway Ave. Planned future segments of this pathway will complete a pedestrian connection between Meridian Road and Linder Road. In 2018,the City purchased a lot on NW 3rd Street to obtain Right of Way (ROW) for the first phase of the pathway. The City planned to trade a portion of the property to Friends of Children and Families (FOCAF) in exchange for the land behind their fence line, which would complete the full ROW for the pathway and allow the project to move forward. FOCAF had expressed a willingness to trade, but the trade could not be executed until an existing bond on the property matured at the end of 2023. After the bond matured staff entered into the due diligence phase of the process, which required title reports for the properties involved in the land trade. In the course of reviewing these reports, it was discovered that a strip of land immediately south of the FOCAF property was owned by Nampa and Meridian Irrigation District (NMID). Under the terms of the City's Master Pathway Agreement with NMID, all that is needed to construct the pathway across this property is a simple license agreement. A land trade is no longer necessary at this time. Next Steps: Due to rising costs over time, additional piping, and a possible trailhead at this location, our current Federal Grant of$540,000 is insufficient to complete the project.We are proposing to request additional TAP-TMA funding in the amount of$500,000 to cover the total cost of project engineering and construction. The City is obligated to pay 7.34% of the total project cost as defined in the State/Local agreement previously approved by Council. Our Current budget for this project is sufficient to cover the additional match amount. This request for additional funding amount has been vetted with the City's Grants Committee. If the additional funding request is approved we will begin project engineering, with the goal of starting construction after the irrigation season of 2025. Recommended Council Action: Authorize the Mayor to sign the attached authorization to apply for additional funding. Mayor Robert E. Simison City Council Members: E Joe Borten, President IDIAN'11:7-4� Liz Strader,Vice President Doug Taylor John Overton Anne Little Roberts Luke Cavener March 26, 2024 Matt Stoll, Executive Director COMPASS 700 NE 2"d Street, Suite 200 Meridian, Idaho 83642 Re: KN 13918- Rail With Trail Pathway Dear Mr. Stoll, The City of Meridian respectfully submits this letter requesting additional funds for the Rail with Trail Pathway project (KN 13918). This project was initially awarded TAP-TMA funding in 2016. Due to delays in securing right-of-way, construction was eventually delayed to FY2025. Design and design oversight were obligated in FY2022 as advanced construction (Local) ($120,000) and $493,000 is currently programmed for construction in FY2025. In the years the City has been working to assemble complete right-of-way for the pathway, costs for design and construction have risen significantly. As a result, we are requesting an additional $500k in order to complete the project. Phase Total Current Needs Total Adjusted FY2025 Funds FY2025 Funds Construction Engineering $1,000 $0 $1,000 (ITD) Construction Engineering $10,000 $0 $10,000 (LHTAC) Construction Engineering $36,000 $144,000 $180,000 (Consultant) Construction $493,000 $356,000 $849,000 Total $540,000 $500,000 $1,040,000 The City recognizes that the required match will also increase with these additional federal funds and is willing to match accordingly. Thank you for your consideration of this request. We appreciate the continued support of COMPASS for this project as we work to implement the local Rail With Trail Pathway. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (208)489-0529. Sincerely, Robert Simison, Mayor City of Meridian