TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Action Regarding the Approval of Proposed North Port Projects for Sarasota County Resilient SRQ Program Funding
Recommended Action
Approve proposed North Port projects to submit to Sarasota County for Resilient SRQ program funding consideration.
Background Information
Sarasota County is a direct recipient of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. The County will be awarded $201.5 million in funding to deliver unmet needs assistance to the community from the impacts from Hurricane Ian. The funding supports the Sarasota County Program, Resilient SRQ program. The County has undertaken a process of gathering input from its communities to understand potential opportunities and projects that will help with assessment of unmet needs, develop an action plan, and determine potential overarching funding allocations to HUD eligible use topic areas, such as infrastructure and mitigation.
CDBG-DR funds come with many rules. Projects that are nearing the end of design may not be suitable for CDBG-DR funding because of the required specialized environmental review process, particularly for projects where digging is required. Other program rules require that these funds:
• Be used for housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization or mitigation.
• Address an unmet need without an alternative revenue source (i.e. not funded from current City revenues or reimbursable by another governmental agency from Hurricane Ian related programs).
• Must meet one of the following HUD national objectives:
o Benefit Low to Moderate Income (LMI) persons;
o Eliminate or prevent slum or blight;
o Address an urgent demonstrated need (an immediate threat);
o Tie back to Hurricane Ian.
• Be expended within six (6) years.
City staff met on June 21, 2023 to discuss City and community project ideas. Some proposed projects for your consideration are as follows:
City needs:
• Water control structure rehabilitation.
• Harden and improve bridges, including water and sewer lines on bridges.
• Water and sewer service to Warm Mineral Springs/surrounding commercial area.
• Home buyout/land acquisition in flood prone areas (including any remaining Tier I and Tier II Myakkahatchee Creek vacant and developed properties)
• Drainage improvements in Highland Ridge, McKibben and area surrounding Talon Bay.
• Land acquisition for east/west connector.
• Utilities AMI metering project for utilities leak detection.
• Water storage study for stormwater and water supply.
• Spring Haven Extension project.
• Price Boulevard Phase II - Sumter Boulevard to just past North Port High School Widening for evacuation shelter access.
• Utilities Administration Building (administration building severely damaged, rebuilding in new location, need additional funds).
• Public Works Building Phase II (operations building severely damaged, need additional funds).
• Fire Station 81 (building severely damaged, may need rebuilt).
• Myakkahatchee Creek blockage removal.
• Utility Asset Management Program.
Community needs:
• Help for businesses along US 41 - projects that prevent blight, hook up to sewer, parking north and south side.
• Cowork Hive/business incubator support.
• One Stop Non-Profit Center.
• Homeless Center.
• Funds to support Suncoast Technical College.
• Additional funding for Boys and Girls Club.
• Affordable housing and rehabilitation projects.
Once Commission approves North Port’s proposed projects, the Grant Division Manager will submit the information to Sarasota County and begin collection project details to submit. North Port must submit our list to county by tomorrow, June 28, 2023.
Strategic Plan
Quality of Life
Infrastructure & Facilities Integrity
Environmental Resiliency & Sustainability
Economic Development & Growth Management
Financial Impact
Not applicable.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. CDBG Disaster Recovery 5-24-23 County presentation
2. Resilient SRQ Example Activities
Prepared by: Valerie Malingowski, Grant Division Manager
Department Director: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager