2023 03 21 City Council Packet

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PUBLIC WORKS

TO: Mike Keith, Interim City Manager

FROM: Ben Burchfield, Public Works Director

DATE: March 10, 2023

SUBJECT: Council Approval of Notice of Intent to Apply for Multi-Modal Access Grant

The Public Works Department is requesting Council approval to submit a Notice of Intent to apply
(NOI) and, if determined to be eligible, submit a full application for Multi-Modal Access Grant
(MMAG) funding to support implementation of the Historic Downtown Transportation
Alternatives (HDTA) project. Considering that the project includes state routes throughout the
proposed scope of work, it stands to reason that it will be extremely competitive in the selection
process for funding. The included report from Stantec for the January HDTA Stakeholder meeting
discusses proposed improvements that would be pursued, 5-point intersection being the top
priority.

Being selected for funding would provide appreciable financial support in the construction of the
project, as the MMAG funding cap is $1,250,000 and is a 90/10 cost-share with the state covering
90% of the cost of the approved scope of work. Leveraging TDOT dollars when and where we can
allows our local dollars to go further.

The application window is as follows: — the NOI must be submitted from April 26, 2023, to May
16, 2023. After the NOI application window closes, TDOT will review all NOls submitted and then
notify eligible applicants to submit a full application between May 31, 2023, and July 13, 2023.
Awards would tentatively be announced in December 2023. Because we are already under
contract with Stantec in accordance with TDOT RFQ requirements, have a defined scope of work,
and have conducted extensive public input efforts, our application and project eligibility for
funding is strong. The Department will also be pursuing Transportation Alternatives Program
(TAP) funding for the HDTA project to help supplement local dollars to the maximum extent
practicable later this year. In summary, MMAG is one of the best sources of State funding to aid
municipalities in pursuing improvements to State Routes within their jurisdictions.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me to discuss.

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