Impact
WARD: Citywide
COMMITTEE: Community Development
$ IMPACT: Up to $100,000
Title
Approval to accept a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Federal Aid Grant funded by the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) and awarded through the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) in the amount of $300,000 and authorize the Mayor to execute the Subgrant Agreement and related documents on behalf of the City of Smyrna.
Body
ISSUE: Approval of acceptance the grant award in the amount of $300,000 for the purpose of conducting a transit analysis and feasibility study for the City of Smyrna
BACKGROUND: The original grant application (the 2017 TIP Project Solicitation-Studies and Non-Capital Investment Application) was authorized for submittal by Mayor and Council in May 2017, and requested a grant of $400,000. The city allocated the required match amount of $100,000 as a CIP budget item in the FY19 budget. In December of 2017, the city was notified that the grant amount awarded was $300,000. This subsequently reduced the required match from the city from $100,000 to $75,000.
Due to funding delays at the Georgia Department of Transportation the contract was not officially forwarded to the city until February 2019.
The purpose of the grant is to fund a study that will provide an analysis, a preferred plan and strategy for addressing the future transportation and land use issues and opportunities related to the development of transit systems serving the City of Smyrna (a detailed Scope of Services is attached).
A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued for the purpose of selecting a consultant to conduct the study. The RFP will be advertised in March 2019. Those consulting firms/teams that submit proposals that qualify under the city’s RFP requirements will be evaluated and ranked by staff and a short list of three (3) firms will be established. The final three (3) firms will undergo a formal interview process. A consultant will be selected in April 2019. The consultant contract will not be executed until it is reviewed and approved by the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Smyrna Mayor and City Council. Once the contract is officially approved and executed a Notice to Proceed will be issued and the consultant will initiate the study process. It is anticipated that the study will take approximately nine (9) to twelve (12) months to complete.
RECOMMENDATION/REQUESTED ACTION: It is recommended that Mayor and Council approve the acceptance of the grant in the amount of $300,000 awarded through the FHWA Surface Transportation Block Grant Program to conduct the Smyrna Transit Analysis and Feasibility Study, instruct city staff to proceed with the RFP process and authorize the Mayor to execute the Subgrant Agreement and related documents on behalf of the City of Smyrna.