AGENDA #4f
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Loss of Adopt-a-Trail Grant for the Dry Creek Trail
DATE: April 26, 2004
The attached ordinance would amend the budget to eliminate a $4,630 Adopt-a-Trail grant for the construction of a 6-8 car parking lot along Erwin Road. Bids received exceeded the total amount of funding available for the project.
In 2000, the Town purchased a 34-acre tract of open space located at the southwest corner of Erwin Road and I-40 from the developers of the Springcrest Subdivision.
In June 2003, the Council accepted a $4,630 Adopt-a-Trail grant from the State for construction of a 6-8 car gravel parking lot and a series of natural surface trails on the 34-acre open space property.
The purpose of the parking lot was to provide safe access to the 34-acre parcel of Town property at the southwest intersection of I-40. Our plan at that time was to build the parking lot and then use volunteers to construct a series of natural surface trails throughout the property.
On March 25, 2004, we opened bids for construction of the parking lot. We received three bids of $35,350, $59,400, and $82,100. We expected that the bids would exceed the amount of the grant. Unfortunately, the bids also exceeded the combined amount of money available from the grant, Greenways CIP funds, and remaining Dry Creek Project funds. On April 2, we notified the State office administering the grant that we would not be able to complete the project by the deadline of May 22, 2004.
The high cost of the project can be attributed to a number of factors including the unusually poor soils at the site, design features required by NCDOT, and design features requested by Town departments. The primary design feature requested by Town staff that affected the cost was a bio-retention area for stormwater runoff.
In the past the State would routinely grant extensions for grant recipients. However, this year we were notified that extensions would not be granted for any reason. This new policy did not allow us the time to redesign the parking lot, re-bid, and construct the project by the deadline.
NEXT STEPS
We are currently working on a pedestrian/bicycle bridge project that when completed will allow safe access to the site from the Springcrest neighborhood. It is possible that the bridge could be installed by the spring or summer of 2005.
We believe that eventually a parking area will be required. Currently, Direct Allocation funds for the construction of the Dry Creek Trail are programmed through the Metropolitan Planning Organization for FY 2007-08. At that time a parking lot could be constructed as part of the overall trail development.
Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council enact the attached budget ordinance that would amend the budget to eliminate a grant of $4,630 from the Multi-Year Non-Bond Capital fund.
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CAPITAL PROJECTS ORDINANCE FOR VARIOUS CAPITAL PROJECTS (2004-04-26/O-2)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that, pursuant to Section 13.2 of Chapter 159 of the General Statutes of North Carolina, the capital projects ordinance for various capital projects funded from a variety of sources is hereby amended as follows:
The capital projects as authorized by the Town Council includes various capital projects funded from grants, the Capital Improvements Program funds, and other miscellaneous sources of revenue for a variety of projects extending beyond one fiscal year.
The Manager of the Town of Chapel Hill is hereby directed to proceed with implementation of these projects within terms of funds appropriated here.
Revenues anticipated to be available to the Town to complete the project are hereby amended as follows:
Current Budget Revised Budget
Total 4,060,474 4,055,844
SECTION IV
Amounts appropriated for capital projects are hereby amended as follows:
Current Budget Revised Budget
Total 4,060,474 4,055,844
SECTION V
The Manager is directed to report annually on the financial status of the project in an informational section to be included in the Annual Budget, and shall keep the Council informed of any unusual occurrences.
SECTION VI
Copies of this projects ordinance shall be entered into the Minutes of the Council and copies shall be filed within 5 days of adoption with the Manager, Finance Director and Clerk.
This the 26th day of April, 2004.