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Leon County
Board of County Commissioners Agenda Item#9 March 21, 2023 |
| To: | Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board |
| From: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
| Title: | Springs Restoration Grant Amendment for Construction of the Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project |
| Review and Approval: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
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Department/Division Review and Approval: |
Alan Rosenzweig, Deputy County Administrator Ken Morris, Assistant County Administrator Brent Pell, Director, Public Works Charles Wu, Director, Engineering Services |
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Lead Staff/ Project Team: |
Anna Padilla, Stormwater Management Coordinator |
This item seeks Board approval to modify the existing Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Springs Restoration Grant Agreement to formally realize $500,000 in additional funding and to extend the term of the Agreement for the Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project to December 2024 to allow adequate time to complete the Belair Phase II construction.
This item has a fiscal impact. The FDEP grant amendment for the Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project provides additional funding in the amount of $500,000 for construction. The grant amendment requires an equal County match. The match dollars are included in the existing project budget. The increased funds from FDEP allows $500,000 in previous American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated for the Belair project to be reappropriated to support future phases of the Woodville Sewer project.
Option #1: Approve the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Springs Restoration Grant Amendment for the Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project (Attachment #1), and authorize the County Administrator to execute the grant amendment, including any future modifications, subject to final legal review by the County Attorney.
Option #2: Approve the Resolution and associated Budget Amendment (Attachment #2).
Report and Discussion
This item seeks Board approval to modify the existing Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Springs Restoration Grant Agreement to formally realize $500,000 in additional funding and to extend the term of the Agreement for the Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project (Attachment #1) to December 2024 to allow adequate time to complete the Belair Phase II construction.
This Springs Restoration Grant Amendment for the Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project advances the following FY2022-FY2026 Strategic Initiatives and Bold Goal:
These particular Strategic Initiatives align with the Board’s Environment Strategic Priorities:
Based on the shared desire to enhance water quality in our region through nitrogen reduction projects, Leon County and FDEP jointly adopted the Leon County Water Quality and Springs Protection Infrastructure Improvement Plan in fiscal year 2018. This first of its kind multiyear agreement between the State and a county was the result of Leon County’s strong commitment to reducing nitrogen levels in the primary springs protection zone and FDEP’s willingness to provide a dollar-for-dollar match toward projects in Leon County.
Leon County is committed to sewer infrastructure improvements, and has invested millions of dollars in the Primary Spring Protection Zone septic-to-sewer program. Total funding either spent or included in the five-year approved capital improvement program (CIP) is approximately $63 million, which will provide sewer to 709 homes currently served by septic tanks. Current funding for these projects consists of State grant funds, County matching funds and America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for sewer infrastructure improvements. Based on funding availability, future phases include an additional 819 lots that will be serviced by sewer. Due to increases in construction costs, the County is seeking additional matching funds from FDEP to assist in funding planned sewer projects in the Primary Springs Protection Zone. Based on recent construction bids, funds are currently not available to complete the construction of all planned Primary Spring Protection Zone sewer projects without additional matching support from the State and/or Federal governments.
To ensure the County maximizes grant leveraging opportunities, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) coordinates with department liaisons and actively seeks grant funding opportunities throughout the fiscal year. These efforts include contacting and communicating with previous funders for any new or forthcoming grant opportunities. Through timely submittals of reporting and invoices as well as satisfactory compliance with grant closeouts, as well as on-site and desk monitoring by the granting agencies, Leon County has proactively positioned itself as a responsive and accountable funding partner. Because of this accountability, agencies often contact Leon County when grant funds become available.
In addition, the County’s partnership with Patton Boggs also garners access to recently announced federal funding opportunities and OMB routinely monitors the federal Grants.gov portal for grant opportunities. The County aggressively seeks state and federal grant funding to support County projects and initiatives and has achieved considerable success in leveraging County dollars. With receipt of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding, the total County grant leverage ratio is $6.29 to $1; excluding the significant septic to sewer related grants which require one-to-one dollar match, the leveraging ratio would be $29.16 to $1.
The Belair/Annawood Sewer System Project was split into two service areas due to the adjoining but separate physical areas of the Belair and Annawood subdivisions. The service areas were designed by two engineering firms under continuing supply contracts with Leon County to accelerate the design and permitting of the project.
The Annawood subdivision roadways are publicly dedicated. As a result, the service area was able to be designed and permitted without delay. The initial phase (West Flagg Street) was completed with the adjacent Woodside Heights sewer project. Several roads in the Belair service area are private roads which require right-of-way acquisition in order to permit and construct the main-line sewer segments. Consequently, the Belair subdivision was broken into smaller service areas to complete those segments where right-of-way was already available. The second phase (Annawood/Belair Phase I) was completed in 2021. At the July 12, 2022 meeting, the Board awarded the bid to complete the work in the Belair neighborhood (Belair Phase II), including the sewer outfall into Woodside Heights, and the location of the new sewer lines across multiple private properties on Lewis Boulevard, Wheeler Drive, and Susie B Lane.
This item seeks Board approval to modify the existing FDEP Springs Restoration Grant Agreement to include an additional $500,000 with an equal $500,000 local match, for a total grant amount of $2.694 million, and to extend the term of the agreement to December 2024 to allow adequate time to complete the Belair Phase II construction. As part of the County’s plan to utilize ARPA funds for infrastructure improvements, $1.4 million in funding was previously allocated to support the completion of the Belair sewer projects. The increased funds from FDEP will allow $500,000 in previous ARPA funds allocated for the Belair project to be reappropriated to support future phases of the Woodville Sewer project.
The Belair Phase II Sewer System construction commenced in October 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by June 2023. When the project is complete, 87 properties in Annawood and Belair will be connected to the central sewer system and another 24 properties will have the ability to connect once those property owners wish to participate.
Options #1 and #2