The Measure X Safe Routes to School Program has identified areas of need across Monterey County to prioritize safe routes to school planning efforts. Communities in the Salinas Valley are amongst the most transportation disadvantaged in the County and based off of collision data, each city has a need for improved safety especially around school sites. Transportation Agency staff recommends partnering with the Monterey County Health Department and Ecology Action to develop a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant application for the Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan. All partners are eligible sub-applicants according to the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Guidelines.
If awarded, the nearly three-year planning process will identify barriers to safe access to all K-12 public schools in the cities of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City and recommend infrastructure and non-infrastructure improvements. The Plan will be written with implementation in mind and organized to enable jurisdictions to develop competitive grant applications.
The Transportation Agency will serve as the Lead Agency, responsible for administering the grant, requesting reimbursement from Caltrans, overseeing and participating in outreach and project delivery in compliance with state, federal and local requirements. Ecology Action will be the Implementing Agency responsible for managing the planning process, facilitating partner meetings and community engagement, collecting and analyzing data, developing draft and final planning documents and submitting invoices to the Transportation Agency. The Monterey County Health Department will be a Partnering Agency responsible for assisting the Implementing Agency in community engagement especially with non-English speakers and health-disadvantaged populations. The Planning team will work closely with each of the School Districts, schools, public works staff from each of the four cities and the County and local advocacy groups to develop a plan that meets the needs of each community and is implementable.
Applications for the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant will be due in January 2021. A budget for the Plan is in development but will not exceed the maximum grant award amount of $700,000. The Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning grants require a minimum 11.47% match, which is approximately $90,000. TAMC staff recommends using Measure X Safe Routes to School Program funding for the grant match to minimize financial impacts to the jurisdictions and partner agencies. Additional matching funds may be required due to the size and scope of the project, in which case it is recommended that Measure X Safe Routes to School Program funds be used in an amount not to exceed $130,000.