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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: May 10, 2021 <br />TOPIC: Surface Transportation Block Grant — "Call for Projects" <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Support Staff Action <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Josh Fredrickson <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Support action to issue a call for projects utilizing Federal funding allocated by <br />Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) rural Surface <br />Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding obligation prior to August 31, 2021. <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br />• Recent decision to change design consultants at Kachess Lake Culvert <br />replacement project forces reconsideration of using STBG funds allocated to <br />County Lead Agency through WSDOT's Local Programs. <br />• There is a known funding need supporting the City of Cle Elum's 2nd Street <br />improvement design proposal. <br />• There is a known funding need supporting the City of Ellensburg's Reecer <br />CreekfUniversity Way traffic signal installation project. <br />• Failure to obligate FY 2021 STBG money could result in the money reverting to <br />the State. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Kittitas County Public Works supports the WSDOT STBG program as a County Lead <br />Agency through solicitation of projects from jurisdictions within the County. A call for <br />projects is typically a two-year cycle, or biennial, with Public Works monitoring project <br />progress to ensure obligation of awarded funds within the allocated time frame. Public <br />Works (PW) has been efficiently utilizing STBG money for the past six years. Most <br />recent funding awards were to the City of Kittitas, City of Ellensburg, and the County. <br />We recently applied project savings from Bullfrog Road revitalization efforts to Kachess <br />Lake Culvert replacement, believing 2021 construction was likely. Unfortunately, PW <br />has been forced to change consultants late in the design process. This decision now <br />imperils our ability in meeting our forecasted obligations of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 <br />construction funding. Our decision results in the repayment obligation of approximately <br />$70,000 and imperils approximately $372,401 in federal funding. It appears that the City <br />of Kittitas is on track to obligate approximately $502,000. Additional funding <br />consequences subsequent to non -obligation include a reduction in the next FY available <br />funds. For example, Kittitas County programs $864,000 in STBG funding per year. If <br />Page 1 of 4 <br />Public Works "Work Session Staff Report", 2021 <br />