Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of March 10, 2020
Title
ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION APPROVING THE
ALLOCATION OF APPROXIMATELY $63,710 OF FEDERAL
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) FUNDS
FOR SIDEWALK CURB RAMPS ALONG PROSPECT AVENUE,
AUTHORIZING USE OF CDBG FUNDS FOR CONTRACTORS,
AND GRANTING THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR AUTHORITY
TO SUBMIT A NOTICE OF COMPLETION
(Community Development Director Ken Robertson)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt the FY 2020-21 budget resolution approving the FY 2020-21 CDBG allocation of approximately $63,710;
2. Approve the allocation of approximately $63,710 of Federal CDBG funds in FY 2020-21 for the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) sidewalk ramp project along Prospect Avenue;
3. Authorize the use of CDBG funds in FY 2020-21 for a construction contractor and a Contract/Labor Compliance Officer to provide direct project related services, including, but not limited to, construction management and inspections; and
4. Grant the Public Works Director authority to submit a notice of completion once work is complete.
Body
Executive Summary:
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is authorized under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The primary objective of Title I is to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. The CDBG program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), offers communities opportunities to compete nationally for funds to implement program activities that best meet the needs of their communities, in accordance with the national objectives and requirements of the CDBG program.
Approval of the Fiscal Year 2020-21 CDBG budget would allow the City to receive an allocation of approximately $63,710 and authorize staff to proceed with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) sidewalk ramp project along Prospect Avenue in the FY 2020-21. This project is part of the City’s overall effort to make its sidewalks more ADA accessible.
Background:
The Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles (CDC) administers CDBG funding on behalf of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which oversees the CDC, and 47 small participating cities throughout the County.
The CDBG Program has three primary objectives:
1. Benefit those with low and moderate income;
2. Aid in preventing neighborhood deterioration; and
3. Meet other urgent community development needs due to natural disasters or other emergencies.
The CDC works closely with diverse communities and elected representatives to assess local needs and identify funding priorities. The CDC then contracts with local agencies and organizations to provide funding for the needed services.
Discussion:
The CDC’s administrative deadlines require City Council approval of the next FY 2020-21 CDBG allocation amount and adoption of the FY 2020-21 budget before the start of the applicable Fiscal Year. The County Community Development Commission (CDC) has estimated that the City’s FY 2020-21 allocation will be approximately $63,710. Staff recommends that the Council approve the use of these funds for a construction contractor and a Contract/Labor Compliance Officer for the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) sidewalk ramp project to provide direct project related services, including but not limited to construction management and inspections. Use of CDBG funds would be included in the 2020-21 Budget under the City’s new Capital Improvement Project (CIP) 601, which would also cover materials and labor.
The ADA sidewalk ramp project would be part of CIP 601 to provide improvements and relocation of sidewalks, curb ramps and obstructions in highly traversed areas within the City in order to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the latest federal standards. The project would remove architectural and material barriers and provide unobstructed paths of travel for elderly and severely disabled adults on various City sidewalks. The project would provide for the construction of curb ramps where no curb ramps currently exist and the reconstruction of curb ramps that are too steep, deteriorated, not wide enough or create other accessibility barriers for severely disabled adults and/or elderly that use wheelchairs, canes, walkers or crutches.
The attached map indicates the locations of seven potential curb ramps proposed to be constructed or reconstructed along Prospect Ave between 3rd and 4th Streets for the FY 2020-21 project. These seven ramps are in addition to the curb ramps that were constructed with projects No. 601869-17 (CIP 687) and No. 601971-18 (CIP 691), respectively, which constructed a total of 18 curb ramps along Prospect Ave between 1st and 6th streets. No redundant construction would take place with the new project. Actual ramps to be constructed would be determined once design is completed and cost estimates are developed.
Requisite striping and signage would also be provided. In addition to the approval of the use of the CDBG funds granted to the City, staff recommends that the City Council grant the Public Works Director authority to submit a notice of completion (NOC) once the work is complete. A NOC is a legal document which, when recorded and served, shortens the time for contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and equipment lessors to record a mechanics lien, serve a stop payment notice and make a payment bond claim. The NOC must be recorded by the property owner with the Office of the County Recorder within 15 calendar days of the actual date of completion of the project.
General Plan Consistency:
PLAN Hermosa, the City’s General Plan, was adopted by the City Council in August 2017. This report and associated recommendation have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. The proposed project supports several PLAN Hermosa goals and policies that are listed below.
Mobility Element
Goal 2. A public realm that is safe, comfortable, and convenient for travel via foot, bicycle, public transit, and automobile and creates vibrant, people oriented public spaces that encourage active living.
Policy:
• 2.1 Prioritize public right-of-ways. Prioritize improvements of public right-of-ways that provide heightened levels of safe, comfortable and attractive public spaces for all non-motorized travelers while balancing the needs of efficient vehicular circulation.
Goal 3. Public right-of-ways supporting a multimodal and people-oriented transportation system that provides diversity and flexibility on how users choose to be mobile.
Policies:
• 3.1 Enhance public right-of-ways. Where right-of-way clearance allows, enhance public right of ways to improve connectivity for pedestrians, bicyclists, disabled persons, and public transit stops.
• 3.2 Complete pedestrian network. Prioritize investment in designated priority sidewalks to ensure a complete network of sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly amenities that enhances pedestrian safety, access opportunities and connectivity to destinations.
• 3.10 Require ADA standards. Require that all public right-of-ways be designed per Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards by incorporating crosswalks, curb ramps, pedestrian signals, and other components to provide ease of access for disabled persons.
Fiscal Impact:
Approving the allocation of CDBG funds would allow the City to fund required ADA sidewalk improvements with CDBG funds that would otherwise have to be allocated from other funding sources. The City currently has two ADA sidewalk curb ramp projects, CIP 687 and CIP 691 in which construction is completed and the projects are being closed out. The 2020-21 CDBG allocation of approximately $63,710 and any unexpended prior year allocations would be appropriated to CIP 601 with the 2020-21 Budget. Staff would bring specific project details back to the City Council with the 2020-21 Budget.
Attachments:
1. Resolution Approving FY 2020-21 Budget
2. CBDG Proposed Curb Ramp Locations along Prospect Avenue
Respectfully Submitted by: Nicole Ellis, Associate Planner
Concur: Ken Robertson, Community Development Director
Concur: Marnell Gibson, Director of Public Works
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager