Resolution - #09-04-080 - 04/14/2009

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Councilmember Look introduced the following resolution and moved for its adoption: RESOLUTION #09-04-080 RESOLUTION REQUESTING CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR A REALLOCATION/EXTENSION OF CONGESTION MITIGATION AIR QUALITY (CMAQ) GRANT AWARD WHEREAS, in 1990, Congress amended the Clean Air Act (CAA) to bolster America's efforts to attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This allowed more stringent control measures and stronger more rigorous linkage between transportation and air quality planning; and WHEREAS, in 1991, Congress adopted the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (IS TEA), which authoriied the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) program, and provided $6.0 billion in funding for surface transportation and other related projects that contribute to air quality improvements and reduce congestion; and WHEREAS, the CAA amendments, ISTEA and the CMAQ program together were intended to realign the focus of transportation planning toward a more inclusive, environmentally-sensitive, and multimodal approach to addressing transportation problems; and WHEREAS, the CMAQ program was reauthorized in 2005 under the Safe, Accountable Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which provides over $8.6 billion in funds to State DOT's, MPO's and transit agencies to invest in projects that reduce criteria air pollutants regulated from transportation-related sources over a period offive years (2005-2009); and WHEREAS, the City of Ramsey constructed a 590 stall parking ramp utilizing assessments paid by the Developer as well as other funding such as the Livable Communities grant ($2.2 million) administered by the Met Council and FTA grant ($420,000); and WHEREAS, the City of Ramsey received approval for an additional $3.5 million of CMAQ money for a 200-stall expansion of its existing parking ramp, requiring an $876,000 local match plus engineering, architectural, and design expenses; and WHEREAS, this grant money needs to be spent by June 2010 or it will be lost; and WHEREAS, based upon slower than projected growth of the area surrounding the transit center, staff is recommending that the City pursue the reprogramming of this money to other transportation improvements in the area. Two related local projects of higher priority appear to meet the criteria of the original CMAQ funding; the Ramsey Rail Station and the Armstrong Boulevard interchange project.