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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - November 17, 2010 J-04AGENDA ITEM :70A A% CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION Im AGENDA TITLE: Select Project Nominationsfor San Joaquin Council of Governments' One Voice Trip MEETING DATE: November 17,2010 PREPARED BY: City Manager RECOMMENDED ACTION: Select project nominationsfor the San Joaquin Council of Governments' One Voice trip. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) is again developing regional priorities in preparation for the annual "One Voice" lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., in April 2011. The One Voice trip is an opportunity for all jurisdictions in the county to work cooperatively to secure federal funds. There is no guarantee of success, and the One Voice trip is only one of several ways in which the City lobbies to fund needed projects. SJCOG again invited the City to submit two projects for consideration: One regional transportation project and one local project, transportation or otherwise. The grant request is limited to $5 million, as noted in the COG evaluation criteria checklist. City staff recommends submitting two projects to SJCOG with a history of endorsements by the City Council: the Lodi Lake Park Nature Area Protection Project and improvements to Harney Lane. The Lodi Lake project was the City's top priority the past two years, and funding for Harney Lane improvements has been requested the past three years. This year's Harney Lane request is focused on obtaining funding for a grade separation project at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. The City Council is well aware of the eroding riverbank in the Nature Area near Pigs Lake. This year's request has a different twist and is based on feedback received in connection with the City's unsuccessful application to repair the riverbank with Proposition 84 bond proceeds. The state Resources Agency, which manages the Proposition 84 parks programs, said the City's solution of hardening the riverbank with rock was not an environmentally sensitive repair. Instead, the grant reviewers recommended building a berm trail on the southern and western edge of Pigs Lake and letting the riverbank fail. In that case, the berm would protect the low-lying areas of the Nature Area from flooding and Pigs Lake would become a seasonal inlet (depending upon river levels), serving as a place for aquatic species to rest while migrating. A preliminary estimate of this alternative's cost is $1,983,600, with most of it ($1,528,000) based on placing and compacting 19,100 square yards of fill for a 1,085 -foot berm. Plant material is estimated to cost $125,000 with a 20 -percent ($330,600) contingency factored into this rough estimate. APPROVED: I V Kon'hkt Bartlam, Interim City Manager Select Project Nominationsfor San Joaquin Council of Governments' One Voice Trip Page 2 While this revision does result in the surrender of some of the riverbank, it is a more environmentally palatable project to entities such as the Resources Agency that control grant funds, and fewer permits would be required. For the regional transportation project nomination, staff recommends the grade separation at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. This project is estimated to cost approximately $20 million. On June 17, 2009, the City Council voted in favor of making Harney Lane its priority for Measure K railroad grade separation funding. With new development and projected growth in the region, Harney Lane will become an increasingly important east -west corridor for the City. Motorists are currently subject to approximately 680 minutes of vehicle delay each day due to trains on Harney Lane, and anticipated development will only increase this in the future, resulting in a greater potential for accidents. A grade separation will provide safe community access for all modes to transportation to nearby commercial centers and schools. Public safety will also be enhanced through improved response times for emergency vehicles, and vehicle emissions will be reduced as motorists can avoid delays waiting for trains to pass. FISCAL IMPACT: Award of funding for the Lodi Lake Park Nature Area Protection Project would protect the General Fund from being used to pay for future emergency repairs; award of funding for the Harney Lane grade separation would free transportation funds for other needed projects. FUNDING AVAILABLE: Not applicable. 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