BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Approval of Fiscal Year 2018 Grants for Safe, Clean Water Program for Pollution Prevention (B3) Projects.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
A. Review and discuss staff’s recommendations for Fiscal Year 2018 Safe, Clean Water Grant Pollution Prevention (B3) grant program awards;
B. For proposals submitted for Pollution Prevention (B3) grant program, authorize the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), following California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, to approve and execute agreements in a total amount not to exceed $501,046.07 for the six projects as outlined in this memorandum; and
C. Authorize the CEO to execute no-cost extensions (up to 12 months) in the grant agreements as outlined in this memorandum.
Body
SUMMARY:
On November 1, 2017, the District released grant funding to seek projects that support Priority B of the Safe, Clean Water Program, which is to reduce toxins, hazards, and contaminants in local waterways. Project B3 under the Safe, Clean Water Program authorizes grant funding for pollution prevention efforts. Grant applications were accepted until January 13, 2018.
The funding availability in FY 2018 for the B3 Pollution Prevention program is $500,000. The District received six (6) applications for a total funding request of $770,840.10. Staff recommends funding all 6 applications at a reduced amount for a total not-to-exceed $501,046.07. Staff’s recommendation is $1,046.07 over the funding limit; however, there are sufficient funds in Project B3 to cover this minimal overage.
Background
The Safe, Clean Water Grants Program provides seven grant cycles for each program priority. FY2018 is a grant year for B3 Pollution Prevention. Grant applications were released on November 1, 2017. Outreach efforts included the following:
• Sent request for proposals to existing key stakeholders in the Santa Clara County;
• Sent notification to local elected officials, city managers, and executive leaders in the County;
• Sent notification to countywide neighborhood associations, community leaders, civic organizations; and local nonprofits;
• Issued a press release about the grant opportunity on November 1, 2017;
• Made ongoing announcements at community meetings, including Creek Connections Action Group, a consortium of public agencies and non-profit organizations that share a goal of protecting Santa Clara County's waterways. These agencies include the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation, and the City of San José and various other city agencies;
• Posted notice of the grant opportunity on District’s social media sites and eNews, including paid social media ads;
• Posted notice of the grant opportunity on San Francisco Bay Joint Venture’s website; and
• Hosted two pre-proposal workshops (December 7 & 14, 2017).
Proposal Review Process
The review panel for the grant applications consisted of two internal staff and two external reviewers from the community. The internal panelists included staff from the District’s Administrative Services and from the Watershed Stewardship & Planning Division. The external panelists included staff from a local, community-based organization serving underserved communities in San Jose and staff from an East Bay nonprofit that works on economic and environmental justice policies. The proposals were scored based on the evaluation criteria identified in the proposal guidelines (see Attachment 1). Additionally, staff performed a comprehensive review of all the proposals to assess the diversity of the projects, including proposals to work in underserved communities; equitable representation of all seven Board member districts; and proposals submitted by applicants who have not received a District grant in the past. Applicants were given additional considerations if they met any of these factors in staff’s comprehensive review process.
Funding Recommendations
Scores and ranking of the proposals are presented in Attachment 2. Staff combined the total scores from the four review panelists with the comprehensive review considerations and used the final scores to rank the applicants. Staff recommends funding all six grant proposals at a reduced level - 65% of their funding request - not to exceed $501,046.07. The funding recommendations are as follows:
• Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District for a total amount not to exceed $70,636.22 for Reducing Pollutant Source Loads;
• Downtown Streets Team for a total amount not to exceed $122,279.63 for El Camino Clean Up;
• Downtown Streets Team for a total amount not to exceed $122,279.63 for Penitencia Creeks Team;
• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority for a total amount not to exceed $84,500 for Keep Santa Clara Valley Beautiful;
• Grassroots Ecology for a total amount not to exceed $70,605.60 for Westwind Barn Stormwater Infiltration Project; and
• City of Milpitas for a total amount not to exceed $30,745 for Contaminant Overflow and Backflow Prevention Project.
Next Steps
If the Board approves staff’s grant funding recommendations, the CEO will execute grant agreements for the awarded projects after they comply with CEQA requirements. Grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement with the District by June 30, 2018. Projects will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021 (3 years to complete the project). Grant agreements will include provisions to allow no-cost extensions and amendments, if necessary, to achieve project outcomes. The CEO will have authority to execute these amendments. However, any amendments requesting changes in scope of work or not-to-exceed funding would require Board approval.
The grant agreements will contain provisions related to communications including: inclusion of Safe, Clean Water logo on all project materials presented to the public; District must review and approve all materials that include Safe, Clean Water logo; mention of “Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program” as appropriate when funding sources for the project are printed or presented; early notification to and invitations provided to the District for any project-related events; and invitation with speaking roles for District Directors to project groundbreaking and opening ceremonies. The grant agreements will also contain provisions requiring grantees provide a web posting of their final report, prepare a project factsheet or make a presentation to the Board or at an event hosted by the District when the project is completed. Additionally, grantees will be required to provide demographic data on any activity that involves community engagement, education, or outreach.
Other provisions may include clear success measures, adherence to the project schedule, and guidelines regarding when contract revisions are necessary for changes in the project scope, schedule, and budget.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Financial impact associated with this item is limited to the proposals approved for funding per Board action.
The recommended Board action is to approve a total of $501,046.07 for six grant proposals. This amount is covered in the FY18 budget under project #26061006.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA (per CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(a)) because it does not commit the District to a definite course of action, and therefore has no potential to result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect environmental impact. Specifically, it is a government fiscal activity which is not a project because it does not involve commitment to any specific project that may result in a potentially significant environmental impact, per CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4). The Board action is approval of a staff recommendation to fund projects following project-specific District CEQA compliance, and is not a commitment to fund those projects. It does not foreclose alternatives or mitigation measures, including the alternative of not proceeding with a project, that ordinarily are part of project-specific CEQA review. The CEO will execute project-specific funding agreements only after District CEQA compliance is completed. For public agency projects, the grantee will be the lead agency and must submit evidence of CEQA compliance (adopted Negative Declaration, certified EIR, or Notice of Exemption) to the District, which will serve as Responsible Agency. For non-government grantees, the District will serve as lead agency.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Evaluation Criteria
Attachment 2: Scoring Matrix
Attachment 3: Support Letter, Grassroots Ecology, Los Altos Hills
Attachment 4: Support Letter, Loma Prieta RCD, USDA
Attachment 5: Support Letter, Loma Prieta RCD, UCCE
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Rick Callender, 408-630-2017