09-TXDOT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM APPLICATION

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Item No. 9 Memo�andum TO: City Council John Godwin, City Manager FROM: Shawn Napier, P.E., Director of Engineering, Planning & Development SUBJECT: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM APPLICATION DATE: 1-8-2013 BACKGROLTND: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced the call for nominations in September this year for communities to apply for federal highway funding assistance made available through the Transportation Enhancement Program. The City of Paris has an opportunity to expand the Trail de Paris in parts of West Paris. The project is proposing to provide a transportation corridor between Heritage Park, the Justice Elementary Safe Routes to School project, Leon Williams Park, the Boys & Girls Club, Red River Valley Fairgrounds and T.G. Givens School. This project is part of the overall master plan for the Trail de Paris. City Council approved an initial application at the October 22, 2012 CiTy Council meeting. The project has changed twice since that initial approval. The grant requires all Right-of-Way (ROW) to be acquired or include a commitment letter from current property owners. The owners have been unwilling to work with the City on the project. After the first plan did not work it was revised to relocate the project to cross Kiamichi railroad ROW. The grant also requires a right- of-entry letter for all railroad encroachments. The railroad is in the process of being sold to another railroad and the legal department did not want to deal with any new permits during the sale. The plan that is before you will cross Bonham Street and go north on both sides of NW l ltn Street. STATUS OF ISSUE: Approve the TxDOT application and submit to the state for consideration. If awarded the City will have several options: The first option would be to try and acquire the two parcels of land and build the project as originally proposed. The second option moved the project to the west and would go north on NW 12t" Street crossing the railroad which would require an encroachment agreement from Kiamichi Railroad or its new owner. The third option would be to go north on NW l lth Street as proposed with this application. The least costly of all the projects is option #1. The last option would be not to approve the application. BUDGET: The project estimate has been increased from $533,259.72 to $696,207.00. The grant requires at least a 20% match. The City match portion is estimated at $181,014.00, this match would not be required until the 2013-2014 budget year. The grant does not include the engineering cost that is estimated at $90,000.00, which means the estimated cost is $271,014.00.