Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/08/2018

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• If the total requests for reimbursement grants exceeds 40% of the total biennial CIP, regional park implementing agencies should submit plans to the Council as to how they intend to spend the reimbursement grant. This information is necessary to ascertain whether or not state bonds can also be used to finance the reimbursement grant in addition to Council bonds. If the total dollar amount of requests for reimbursement requiring Council bond funding exceeds the amount of Council bonds available for that biennial CIP, regional park implementing agencies will be asked to modify their CIP requests for reimbursements for that biennium so that the amount requested for reimbursement does not exceed the amount available. The Council will use best efforts to implement this reimbursement policy as described above. However, the Council does not, under any circumstances, represent or guarantee that reimbursement will be granted, and expenditure of local funds never entitles a regional park implementing agency to reimbursement. Finance - Strategy 7: Regional trail corridors that may be used for transit in the future are eligible for Regional Parks System funding if it is clear the corridor will be used as a trail for at least 10 years. Regional Parks System funds should only be used to acquire or develop a corridor identified for future transit use in a Council -approved transit implementation plan when there is a guarantee that the trail facility will be operational for its useful design life, as negotiated by the transit provider and the regional park implementing agency. As defined by the Federal Highway Administration, the useful design life of a trail is 10 years or more. In cases where trail recreation is to be a permanent partner with transitways, within the corridor, Regional Parks System funds will be used only for that part of acquisition and development attributable to trail use. Occasionally, existing corridors previously used for railroad or road transportation becomes available for new uses. This is particularly true of railroad rights -of -way that are no longer required for service. The most likely new uses for these corridors are either recreational trails or transitways such as light - rail transit, commuter rail, or bus rapid transit. The availability of these corridors may offer excellent opportunities for the regional trail system to expeditiously acquire links that would otherwise have to be assembled on a parcel -by -parcel basis. All surplus corridors put on the market should be evaluated for their suitability as additions to the regional trail system. If an available corridor traverses an area with high -quality natural resources, or if it constitutes part of a link in the regional trail system, the corridor should be considered for trail use as part of the Regional Parks System. In some cases, available corridors do not provide any linkages or offer any potentially interesting trail recreation experience. In these cases, the corridors are not suitable for inclusion in the Regional Parks System. However, where either the linkage or natural resources criterion or both are met, two potential problem situations occur. First is a situation where the surplus corridor is wide enough to accommodate permanent use both as a transitway and for recreational trail purposes. It is hoped that differences between the transportation use and the recreation use can be resolved so that both types of activity can become permanent, valuable additions to the metropolitan area. Planning, development and management arrangements will have to be worked out among the various interests involved.