Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-14-12 Special Common Council meeting agendaOFFICIAL NOTICE OF MEETING A Special meeting of Common Council will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. in Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street, Ithaca. Your attendance is requested AGENDA 1. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS: 1.1 Request to Approve Funding Match for TIGER IV (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant Application - Resolution 2. NEW BUSINESS: 3. ADJOURNMENT If you have a disability that will require special arrangements to be made in order for you to fully participate in the meeting, please contact the City Clerk at 274-6570 at least 48 hours before the meeting. ______________________________ Julie Conley Holcomb City Clerk Dated: March 9, 2012 1. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS: 1.1 Request to Approve Funding Match for TIGER IV (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant Application - Resolution WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced the availability of funds in the TIGER IV Discretionary Grants (TIGER IV) program, which notice was published in the Federal Register on January 31, 2012, and WHEREAS, Common Council is interested in applying for a TIGER IV grant so as to make a large investment in the transportation system in the central business district in order to maintain a state of good repair, to improve the connectivity between downtown and Collegetown and Cornell, to make the downtown a more livable and sustainable environment, to strengthen the City of Ithaca’s position as a hub for the county and region, and to encourage and support economic activity in the City, and WHEREAS, staff from the Department of Planning and Development are preparing an application that will include, but not be limited to, the following components: ƒ Upgraded University/Commons Bus Rapid Transit Loop-Enhanced Buses and Stations, Queue Jumping, and Signal Preemption ƒ Dedicated Bus Rapid Transit, East State/MLK Jr. Street and Rebuild of Stewart Avenue ƒ Commons Pedestrian Road Rebuild/Interactive Digital Bus Terminal ƒ Commons Bike Share Station/Cornell Bike Share Station ƒ Ithaca Car Share Parking Space and Car ƒ Electric Car Charging Stations ƒ Privately-Sponsored Non-Transportation Amenities, and WHEREAS, State and City of Ithaca environmental quality review laws and regulations define as “Type II” (i.e., exempt from environmental review) actions that involve “conducting concurrent environmental, engineering, economic, feasibility and other studies and preliminary planning and budgetary processes necessary to the formulation of a proposal for action, provided those activities do not commit the agency to commence, engage in or approve such action”; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That, as a preliminary step intended to determine the economic feasibility of the package of transportation improvements including those listed above, the Mayor of the City of Ithaca, or his designee, is hereby authorized to submit a TIGER IV application for funding to the United States Department of Transportation in accordance with the provisions of the Notice of Funds Available, in an amount not to exceed $20,950,000.00, and be it further RESOLVED, That, upon approval of such request, the City shall conduct environmental review as required, for the projects proposed to be undertaken pursuant to the TIGER IV grant, and be it further RESOLVED, That, upon approval of said TIGER IV grant to the City, or any portion thereof, and upon completion of all necessary environmental review of the components of said project and approval of the same by Common Council, the Mayor, or his designee, is hereby authorized to enter into and execute a project agreement with USDOT, or its designee, for such financial assistance to the City of Ithaca for design, right-of-way acquisition, construction, and construction inspection of the TIGER IV application as submitted by the Mayor, approved by the USDOT, and as approved and/or modified by environmental review and any other applicable City of Ithaca review process, and be it further, RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby confirms its intention to commit funds in an amount not to exceed $3,500,000 (to be derived from serial bonds), contingent upon an award of funds from the TIGER IV program and completion of environmental review.