Agenda - Council - 10/24/2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Brian Olson From: Jo Ann Olsen [JoAnnOlsen @Isadesigninc.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 2:41 PM To: Jim Norman; Brian Olson; Patrick Trudgeon; Heidi Nelson Cc: Tim Kirchoff; James Lasher; Keller, Dave Subject: Bus grant - CMAQ grant 10/19/2006 Page 1 of 2 I just wanted to again summarize the process and provide an update. The Park and Ride Expansion and Bus Operation CMAQ grant application was selected as part of the 2005 regional solicitation. Typically, these funds are programmed in the later years of the draft TIP, 2009 and 2010, and then they go through a public review and comment process as part of the TIP, in accordance with federal rules. The City of Ramsey submitted a request to the Metropolitan Council and was approved for Advance Construct - which moved the projects to the 2007 -2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The 2007 -2010 TIP was adopted by the Metropolitan Council, then sent to MnDOT where it was approved and then sent to the federal agencies - FHWA and FTA. This final approval is the UNKNOWN date. The past two years, the FHWA/FTA has approved the TIP - which then becomes the STIP (state transportation improvement program) the end of November (22 and 26 This is what we are waiting for - FHWA/FTA approval. Again there is not a designated date, they just submit a notice to Metropolitan Council when they have approved it. Note: Bill Wheeler • (Chicago FTA) just received the STIP last week for their review and he will be talking to Susan Moe - FHWA. Advance Construction is a financing tool that allows project sponsors to pay the total project cost from their own funding sources and then receive the federal funds as reimbursement in either 2009 or 2010. It is important to note that using Advance Construction does not mean the federal funds will be available any sooner than their program year of 2009 or 2010. The TIP shows the City of Ramsey projects with a payback as follows: Park and Ride: Payback in FY 2009 (November 2008) - $3,502,800 Bus Operation: Payback in FY 2009, 2010 and 2011 - $405,518 (November2008), $416,300 (November 2009) and $416,300 (November 2010). UPDATE: I was successful at getting through to Bill Wheeler today at the Chicago FTA office. 1. He said that since they have reviewed the project and have agreed that it is a separate bus service and therefore it has been "approved" by their office, the City could choose to get the 5 week start up process started prior to the STIP being formally approved (end of November 2006). 2. He is reviewing the local /federal match. The grant was written with an 80% federal /20% local match and the TIP shows the same 80% federal and20% local breakdown of federal /local match. The Urbanized Area formula program grant instructions - for operation of service - has a formula of Total Cost less fares = Net Cost which is then split 50% federal and 50% local. I hope to hear back from him this week. 3. We also discussed what the city's options are if there is grant money left on the table after the 3 years. The process to receive the funding is: Gerry Weis, our grant manager, will write a letter in 2008 describing the elements of service to the FHWA, which then transfers the CMAQ funds to the FTA. Gerry Weis then writes a grant application and -243-