SR-410-008 (9)
Council Meeting: March 23, 2004 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute An Agreement with the
California Department of Transportation for Use of Federal Grant Funding for
The Pedestrian Extension to the Downtown Transit Mall
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager
to execute a Program Supplement Agreement with the California Department of Transpor-
tation (Caltrans) for the expenditure of federal grant funding on the Pedestrian Extension
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to the Downtown Transit Mall Project, a pedestrian and streetscape project on 2 and 4
Streets between Wilshire Boulevard and Colorado Avenue.
DISCUSSION
At a July 29, 1999 Board meeting, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) approved a future-year grant to the City of Santa Monica for a Pedestrian
Extension to the Downtown Transit Mallto implement the next phase of the City’s adopted
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“Downtown Urban Design Plan” along 2 and 4 Streets from Wilshire Boulevard to
Colorado Avenue. The grant is federal Transportation Enhancement Activities (TEA)
funding, which is administered by the Caltrans. Caltrans requires a jurisdiction to adopt a
resolution and execute a Program Supplement Agreement in order to be eligible for
reimbursement.
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Although the State has reduced transportation funding in the past year to address its
deficit, these funds are not in jeopardy because TEA is a federally funded program. Even
though MTA, in its role as the Countywide transportation funding agency, has suspended
the awarding of new projects because of concerns over the budget, it has determined that
there are sufficient funds to make good on old TEA project commitments.
The City previously finalized a required Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the MTA and
obtained approval from Caltrans to proceed with the design (“Preliminary Engineering”)
phase of the project. Based on these approvals, the City is moving forward with the
procurement of a design team for the project and will return to Council for approval of a
design contract this spring, 2004. However, Caltrans requires that the Program
Supplement Agreement be fully executed, including adoption of the attached resolution.,
as a necessary step before the City is eligible to process invoices for reimbursement.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of the attached resolution will allow the City to execute agreements to receive the
TEA grant funding described above. The project is fully funded by grant dollars. The total
project budget of $2,769,000, consisting of $2,169,00 TEA and $600,000 Proposition C
Local Return funds, has already been programmed into Capital Improvement accounts.
No additional appropriation is required. The revenue budget will be included in the City’s
FY 04-05 budget.
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the City
Manager to execute a Program Supplement Agreement with the California Department of
Transportation for the receipt of grant funding for the Pedestrian Extension to the
Downtown Transit Mall project.
Prepared by: Suzanne Frick, Director
Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director
Planning and Community Development Department
See adopted Resolution No. 9935 (CCS).
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