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Subject
FY 11 Federal Funding Priorities
Recommendation
Approve projects for submittal to the Congressional Delegation for funding consideration in the FY11 Federal Appropriations process.
Discussion
Background:
Each year, Rockville works with its lobbyists to secure federal funding for upcoming capital improvement projects. Rockville is making preparations in coordination with its lobbyists, Holland and Knight, to request funds through the federal FY11 Appropriations process. The Mayor and Council will take action on these funding requests at their January 11, 2010 meeting.
An interdepartmental team of staff from the Public Works, Community Planning and Development Services, Police, and the City Manager’s Office held meetings in the fall of 2009 with Holland and Knight to discuss projects suitable for federal funding. Staff developed its list of priorities and is composing white papers for the FY11 Appropriations requests. These materials will be finalized and ready for transmittal to the Congressional Delegation by late January 2010 after Mayor and Council approval at the January 11, 2010 meeting. The materials will be used when the Mayor and the City Manager meet with our Federal Delegation in February 2010, and by legislators and Congressional staff that will review the requests.
The requests are considered through the annual Congressional Appropriations process. The federal fiscal year is from October 1 through September 30. Requests are submitted in late January and the City is usually informed by the late fall if it will receive funding. If funds are earmarked, Rockville must then apply for the money and meet all federal requirements. Holland and Knight indicated if the City receives funding in the FY11 Appropriations process, it would be available by spring of 2011.
Staff is seeking approval for its list of recommended FY11 Appropriations requests. If the requests are approved, staff will coordinate with Holland and Knight to compose transmittal letters to the Federal Delegation that will be signed by the Mayor, and finalize the project white papers. Holland and Knight will forward the transmittal letters and white papers to the Federal Delegation in late January 2010, and the Mayor and Council will receive copies of the submissions. The following information provides more details about the specific projects the City is seeking federal resources for:
FY11 Appropriations Requests:
Rockville is making several requests for funding through the Federal Appropriations process that occurs on a yearly basis. The funding is allocated via earmarks through the state.
The following projects are recommended for submittal to the Congressional Delegation:
1. Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Improvements $3,000,000
This project funds the construction of approximately 4.8 miles of sanitary sewer infrastructure rehabilitation at a cost of $3,000,000 identified through a comprehensive Preventative Maintenance Program. System rehabilitation improves the condition of the sewer system, which increases the life cycle of the infrastructure and reduces infiltration and inflow (I/I), which decreases flow in the sewers. Inflow occurs when stormwater enters the sanitary sewer system through roof drains connected to the system, through manhole covers, or through illegal and undetected storm sewer connections. Infiltration occurs when groundwater seeps into the sewer through cracks and holes in the pipeline, pipe connections, or manholes.
The Operations and Maintenance Division in the Public Works Department is performing closed circuit television (CCTV) inspections of all the sanitary sewer lines and manholes over a ten-year period. CCTV inspections include a condition assessment using the industry standard Pipeline/Manhole Assessment Certification Program (P/MACP) coding system. Through this assessment, pipes and manholes are ranked to determine the type of rehabilitation needed. The assessment system helps the City eliminate the most critical deficiencies and I/I sources in the sanitary sewer system. The City conducts rehabilitation activities such as manhole rehabilitation, sewer liner installation, and dig and replacement of sewer pipes to repair or replace the pipes and manholes, which reduces I/I. The reduced levels of I/I decreases flow in Rockville’s and WSSC’s sewers, and ultimately reduces flow to the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plan (WWTP).
By implementing this program, Rockville is working proactively to:
- Maintain the City’s infrastructure assets;
- Decrease the operation and maintenance costs at the Blue Plains WWTP by reducing overflows to the plant;
- Assure the City has sufficient sewer capacity in the future; and
- Maintain the health and safety of the public.
This program is also responsive to federal and state regulations pertaining to sanitary sewer operations. The Clean Water Act dictates municipalities must regulate wastewater collection and disposal systems to prevent overflows. Chesapeake Bay initiatives include the reduction of wastewater impacts on streams by reducing wastewater overflows.
2. Planning, Engineering, and Design for the Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard Project $1,000,000.
This request for $1 million in FY 11 Federal Appropriations funding is directly linked to the City’s Transportation Equity Act (TEA) request, which was approved by the Mayor and Council and submitted to the Congressional Delegation in January 2009. The FY11 Appropriations funding is being requested for the planning, engineering, and design needed for the City to move forward with the implementation of the project. The TEA request is for $7,520,000 for the planning, engineering, design, construction, right of way acquisition, and coordination with Montgomery County and the State of Maryland to convert a section of Rockville Pike into a boulevard that would simultaneously move a large volume of traffic, while safely accommodating multi-modal traffic. This project is a key concept in the vision for the draft Rockville Pike Plan. Congressman Van Hollen is championing the project on the City’s behalf.
The City is in a position to move forward with the request, while the Rockville Pike Corridor Plan is under development, because the federal process does not require a completed planning document prior to the submittal of a funding request. To be successful in securing federal funding, municipalities like Rockville must request funds early in the process, and anticipate the long lead-time for a project to be reviewed and approved by Congress, the President, and the appropriate funding agency. This is a strategy to ensure the money is not only available prior to construction, but also to maximize use of federal funds. Federal supplanting rules prohibit the use of funds once project construction is underway.
The FY11 Federal Appropriations request for $1 million in planning, engineering, and design funding for the TEA project, was previously submitted as an FY10 Federal Appropriations request. It was not funded, due to amount of funding available through the House Transportation and HUD Appropriations sub-committee and the priority levels that were assigned to requested projects. TEA is the federal government’s umbrella funding bill for transportation projects. It is usually renewed on a cycle of every five years. The funding is 80% federal with a 20% local match. The reauthorized funds will pass through the State. Holland and Knight indicated if Rockville was successful, TEA funding could be available in 2011. TEA is currently being funded by a continuing resolution that will expire on February 28, 2010. Holland and Knight indicated at that time we should have a better sense of when the funding could become available.
It was anticipated that Congress would reauthorize TEA in 2009; however, that did not transpire because Congress was focused on passing the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) and Health Care reform legislation for much of 2009. Congress will not take action on the 2009 TEA reauthorization until after the mid-term elections in late 2010. Since Congressional action on the 2009 TEA reauthorization has been delayed until late 2010, it is prudent to move forward with the $1 million in FY11 Federal Appropriations request. FY11 Federal Appropriations items will be reviewed throughout 2010, and the TEA reauthorization will begin in late 2010. As stated above, while the two items are traveling on separate funding tracks, they are directly linked. Please see the following section for a detailed description of the Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard Project.
Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard TEA Project Submitted in January 2009
Rockville’s request for $7,520,000 in Federal TEA funds was approved by the Mayor and Council and submitted to the Federal Delegation in January of 2009. The total cost of the project is $9.4 million. The 20% local match requirement would require Rockville to provide $1,880,000 if this request was approved. This project would involve the planning, engineering, design, construction, right of way acquisition, and coordination with the State Highway Administration and Montgomery County to convert a section of Rockville Pike into a boulevard. The draft Rockville Pike plan recommends a multi-way boulevard that would simultaneously move a large volume of traffic, while safely accommodating multi-modal traffic. A key element in the plan includes improvements to the streetscape and sidewalk areas such that the transit, pedestrian and bicycle experience will be greatly enhanced, thus encouraging the use of these other modes.
The project concept is for the City to be the demonstration pilot for the Rockville Pike corridor. Montgomery County is discussing the same concept as part of the development of the White Flint sector plan. This would be a long-term project with duration of approximately twenty years. The requested funding is for the first phase of the project, which would focus on pedestrian safety enhancements.
The design of the boulevard maintains the same 84-foot curb-to-curb section that accommodates MD 355’s existing six travel lanes but expands beyond them to include wider sidewalks, a two-lane access road (one lane of which is devoted to buses and bicycles), one lane of parallel on-street parking, and a tree-lined island to protect local traffic and pedestrians from through traffic. This would also include the acquisition of right-of-way from the State as well as easements from private property owners to achieve the desired effects.
Traffic and Transportation staff have identified two segments of the south portion of MD 355 to construct the first access roads to begin the implementation of the boulevard concept. The access roads would be constructed on the east side of MD 355. The sections that would be converted are a 1,200 section from Halpine Road to Congressional Lane and a 1,200 foot section from Templeton Place to the Woodmont Country Club driveway. Please see Attachment A for a description of the Avery Road Reconstruction project, which was also submitted in January 2009 for consideration by the Federal Delegation through the TEA reauthorization.
Benefits of FY11 Appropriations Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard Request
The benefits associated with moving forward on the FY 11 Appropriations request for $1,000,000 in Planning, Engineering, and Design for the Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard Project are as follows:
- The Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard TEA request has already been formally submitted to the Federal Delegation, and Congressman Van Hollen is championing the project for the City.
- Given the huge cost of implementing this project, it can only be constructed with Federal funding support.
- Rockville has achieved much success and received strong support from the Federal Delegation in recent years. During challenging fiscal times when the State has cut the City’s FY10 budget by $2.4 million, with more reductions expected in FY11, tapping into Federal funding has never been more important.
- The Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard TEA request and the FY11 Appropriations request are submitted ahead of a completed Rockville Pike Plan because it takes a significant amount of time for the TEA reauthorization process to occur. In order for the City to leverage the Federal funds, it had to submit the request early in the process, when the vision for Rockville Pike Plan is in the conceptual development phase.
- Federal funding is more likely to be awarded to multi-jurisdictional demonstration projects such as the Rockville Pike MultiWay Boulevard, which improve transportation corridors, support mixed-use development, and encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation such as walking, bicycling, and transit.
- While the City must move forward with the FY11 Federal Appropriations and the TEA request, the Mayor and Council will have the opportunity to influence and shape the final outcome of the Rockville Pike plan through the formal approval and adoption process.
- Should the FY11 Federal Appropriations request and the TEA request be approved, there will be ample opportunity to ensure the construction of the Rockville Pike Multiway Boulevard project is representative of what is ultimately approved in the Rockville Pike Plan.
3. Police Technology Upgrade $500,000
The funding would allow for the purchase of the following equipment: mobile data terminals (computers, including mounts and hardware), blue tooth radio technology, portable radios, an automated finger printing machine, flat screen televisions and computers for the Police Mobile Communications Center, in-car camera video systems, and portable fingerprinting units.
This Police technology upgrade project would enable the Rockville City Police Department to continue to provide state-of-the-art community policing services to the public. The technology would provide the means for officers to work smarter, and further promote efficiency and effectiveness in many facets of day-to-day police operations. In a growing community that is rapidly changing, making use of the latest technology is a key way that the Rockville Police Department continues to improve its services and keep the community safe.
Mayor and Council History
This item has been coming before the Mayor and Council for approval on a yearly basis since FY03. In FY05 Rockville received $970,000 in funding for the Town Square shuttle. In FY06 the City received $4 million in Transportation Equity Act funding for the Baltimore Road improvements project. In FY09 the City received $500,000 in sanitary sewer rehabilitation and $325,000 in Police technology funding. In FY10 the City was approved for $750,000 in sanitary sewer rehabilitation funding, $650,000 for the hardening and retrofitting of the Police Station against natural disasters, and $100,000 in Police technology upgrade funding.
Next Steps
Upon Mayor and Council approval of the recommended funding requests, the FY11 Appropriations white papers and transmittal letters, will be submitted to the Congressional Delegation in late January 2010. Subsequently, meetings with the Congressional Delegation and the Mayor and the City Manager will take place. Holland and Knight is working with Congressional staff to schedule the meetings for February 24, 2010.
Holland and Knight will track the City’s requests as they are reviewed by Congress and will keep staff informed of developments. Staff will provide future updates to the Mayor and Council as information becomes available.
City Manager:
Scott Ullery, City Manager
Approved on: 12/31/2009
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