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FOR COUNCIL MEETING OF:AGENDA ITEM NO.:

TO: ~ ~ N D CITY COUNCILFROM: LINDA N O R ~ ~ A N A G E R

December 12, 20117 (c)

SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CITY OF SALEM AMERICAN RECOVERY ANDREINVESTMENT ACT ACTIVITIES

ISSUE:To provide the City Council with an update on the City's American Recovery andReinvestment Act of 2009 activities.RECOMMENDATION:Information OnlyBACKGROUND:On February 13, 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act(Recovery Act) of 2009. President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law four dayslater. The Recovery Act was designed with the intent of creating new and savingexisting jobs, spurring economic activity and investment in long-term economic growth,and fostering unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in governmentspending.FACTS AND FINDINGS:The Recovery Act allocated additional funding to existing programs and establishedfunding for new programs. Depending on the program, funds were either disbursedfrom state or other governmental agencies acting as a pass through, distributed throughexisting federal agency formula distributions, or allocated through competitive grantprograms (also known as discretionary funding programs).The City applied for and received funding through each of the three mechanisms notedabove. Applications totaling nearly $83.7 million were prepared and submitted by staffto federal and state agencies.Projects submitted by City staf f resulted in awards totaling over $13.5 million. Whilethese projects have provided direct benefit to the City and City staff was instrumental insecuring the awards, in several instances the funding was directed to and managed byother agencies. The awarded projects discussed below have been divided into twocategories: City Managed and Other Agency Managed Projects. The followingparagraphs summarize the status of projects within these categories.

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City Managed ProjectsRecovery JAGIn August 2009, the Salem Police Department received $572,169 in Recovery fundingfrom the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant (JAG). The intent of the grantis to provide federal, state and local jurisdictions with funds needed to support lawenforcement. Other local agencies including Keizer Police Department, Marion CountySheriff, Silverton Police Department, Stayton Police Department and Woodburn PoliceDepartment were also named as recipients of this JAG grant totaling $818,000. As thelead agency, the Salem Police Department has been assigned monitoring and reportingresponsibilities.The Salem Police department has used the Recovery funding to purchase severalpieces of equipment to enhance the department's approach to community educationand crime prevention and increase the department's effectiveness and efficiency. Grantpurchases include a mobile interactive crime prevention unit, in-car video systems forpatrol vehicles, a license plate recognition system, fingerprinting equipment and othersafety items.The immediate impact on the department and community will not be seen for severalmonths. Due to the complexities of the grant, many of the purchases took longer thanexpected and the items are just now being placed into service. To date, 75% of fundinghas been expended. The remaining funds have been committed and are expected tobe expended by July 2012.Community Development Block GrantThe City received a formula allocation of $390,778 through the Recovery ActCommunity Development Block Grant (CDBG-R) program. The CDBG-R funds werecoupled with funding from other sources to complete a $1.3 million rehabilitation of thenorth and south wings of a medical facility in West Salem servicing homeless and lowincome patients. The rehabilitation will increase the efficiency of patient flow andprovide a dozen new exam rooms, more nurse stations, and additional storage formedical records.The rehabilitation and expansion project was completed in February 2011. TheNorthwest Human Services facility now has the capacity to serve 4,000 additional newpatients. The project created an average of 1.8 jobs per quarter of construction activity,and the rehabilitation will allow for the creation of three new, permanent positions.Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-HousingThe Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) wasestablished to assist families/individuals at risk of becoming homeless and those whoare currently homeless and stand in need of temporary assistance. The City subgranted its $597,562 formula grant, less a small amount for administrative costs, to theMid-Willamette Community Action Agency. The agency has used the funds to provideimmediate housing assistance to more than 127 households in the form of rent, utilities,Page 2 Update on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Activities

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moving costs, security deposits, and case management. The City has released nearly$500,000 to Mid-Willamette Community Action Agency as the agency has submittedrequired client documentation. It is anticipated that the remaining funds will beexpended by June 2012.Public Housing Capital FundsThe Salem Housing Authority (SHA) received a Public Housing Capital Fund formulaallocation of $984,210 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development shortlyafter the passage of the Recovery Act. SHA used Recovery Act funding to offset thecost of exterior painting at Glen Creek Village and roof replacements on 30 publichousing apartments and 18 public housing units. A majority of the grant ($7 47,000) wasdedicated to energy upgrades in 72 public housing units scattered throughout thecommunity. Upgrades included energy star windows, solar water heaters, energy starfurnaces and ductwork, additional attic and floor insulation, and energy efficiencylighting.

All construction work was completed and funds expended by April 2010. Employmentactivity was reported in two quarters with an average of 3.2 FTE positions per quarter.The roof replacements and energy efficiency improvements will help preserve andextend the longevity of these publicly-owned assets, increase the level of comfortexperienced by residents, and reduce the utility cost burden to current and futureresidents.Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECGB)Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants are intended to reduce fossil fuelemissions, reduce energy consumption, and improve energy efficiency in buildings,transportation, and other sectors while promoting job creation through a sustainableenergy strategy and targeted projects to achieve stated goals. The City received aformula grant allocation of $1,521,200 for these purposes.On October 26, 2009, the Council approved the work plan and budget of $79,342 fordeveloping an energy strategy and designing supportive actions, as required by thegrant. On December 14, 2009, the Council approved the Energy Efficiency andConservation Strategy that includes both community and municipal componentsdescribed in further detail below.The community strategy consists of four distinct projects:

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ($5,000 budget)- The City partnered withECOTality and Salem Electric to install14 publicly available charging stations incentral Salem in August 2012. The City will continue to support this installationthrough the provision of informational materials, data tracking, and on-goingoutreach, as appropriate. As of early November, the charging stations had beenaccessed by 182 users.

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Salem Commercial Lighting Loan Program ($150,000 original budget; $50,000revised budget) - The Program was designed to provide 1% loans to Salembusinesses that completed an energy efficient lighting retrofit project. Designedin partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon, Portland General Electric, SalemElectric, and West Coast Bank, the Program has generated interest but just oneapplication to date. In August 2011, Council approved redirecting $100,000 ofthe funds allocated for this Program to an energy efficient lighting project atRiverfront Park.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections and Access ($85,000 budget)- The projectaims to improve access to bicycle, pedestrian, and transit connections consistentwith the Willamette River Crossing Alternative Modes Study. Targeted projectsinclude installation of new bicycle lane markings (sharrows) and signage, as wellas covered bicycle shelters and storage lockers. This project is currentlyunderway with an anticipated completion date of June 2012. Energy Strategy Outreach and Awareness ($64,964 budget)- To ensure that the

City's efforts continue into perpetuity, as outlined in the grant requirements, theCity established the Energy Strategy Task Force (Task Force) and publishedSalem's Community Energy Strategy. With support from the Task Force, theEnergy Strategy was published and distributed, Energy Strategy actions wererefined, Salem's Energy Inventory Report was published, energy and costsavings tools and resources were added to the City's website (SustainableSalem), and two annual energy efficiency awareness forums were held. Grantfunded activities will conclude with the March 12, 2012 Salem-KeizerSustainability Summit at the Salem Conference Center. Expenditures related toresearch and development of extensive website content and tools, coordinationwith partners, and public outreach have totaled approximately $43,000, whileabout $19,000 has been dedicated to staff time to support the activities underthis project.

The municipal strategy identified upgrades in City facilities that would result in thegreatest energy efficiencies and cost savings. Efforts have focused on four distinctprojects: Improve Energy Efficiency in Lighting Systems ($375,965 budget)- Lightingsystem improvements were completed in September 2011 at the Salem PublicLibrary, City Hall, Council Chambers, West Salem Library, and City ShopsComplex. During the design phase, Energy Trust of Oregon estimated thatenergy savings for these lighting upgrades would amount to a 50% reduction in

energy usage costs, which the City has begun to recognize. Lighting Upgrades at Downtown City Park ($100,000 budget)- The RiverfrontPark pedestrian walkway lighting project is scheduled for completion in May2012. This project will improve public safety, reduce operating costs, andaddress load burden issues with the current circuitry. Funding for this projectwas redirected from the Salem Commercial Lighting Loan Program.


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Improve Energy Efficiency in Building Heating and Cooling Systems ($450,271original budget; $621,712 revised budget) - Projects have focused on Heating,Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment replacements and increasedenergy monitoring at City Hall, City Shops Complex, Liberty Parkade, andChemeketa Parkade. Improvements at Chemeketa Parkade and most of CityHall are now complete, including the replacement of a forty-year-old electricboiler with a more efficient natural gas boiler. The remaining projects arescheduled for completion by March 2012. Additional funding for this project wasredirected from identified projects that were not chosen for completion or did notmeet the City's sustainability goals.

Install Solar Powered Compacting Trash Cans ($137,000 budget)- The projectfocused on the installation of Solar Powered Compacting trash cans in Cityparks where units are in remote or frequently emptied locations. A total of 33compacting receptacles have been installed, and to-date the City hasexperienced a reduction of more than 1 000 vehicle miles traveled to theselocations. Allocating less staff time to driving to locations to determine whethertrash cans need emptied is one strategy that has increased productivity andallowed the maintenance of more park land without increases to staff levels.Grant activities began in August 2009 and will continue until the grant closes in August2012. As of October 31, 2011, project expenditures have totaled $1,343,273. Expectedcosts for all activities will be approximately $1,719,105, including $206,023 fromincentive funding provided by the Energy Trust of Oregon and Salem Electric. Reportedquarterly jobs represent a combined assessment of 11.31 jobs created or retained overthe seven working quarters.Local Energy Assurance PlanningIn April2010 the City was awarded a $175,000 Local Energy Assurance Planning Grantfrom DOE. Funds received under this award will enable the creation of an energyassurance plan for the City of Salem. The plan will address how the City will recoverand restore energy to interrupted critical functions following an emergency event andestablish the methods and priorities by which critical facilities will be brought back online. This planning effort will provide an enhanced awareness of large scale energyissues and substantive working documents to assist in a methodical, early recoveryfrom an extended energy disruption.The University of Oregon Community Service Center (CSC) is leading a collaborativeeffort between a city staff workgroup, critical private entities, and utilities within the Cityof Salem. This effort has created an interagency energy working group that produced adraft annex to the Salem Emergency Management Plan and a draft City of Salem LocalEnergy Assurance Plan. The draft annex was tested with participants from the workinggroup and other interested parties during a tabletop exercise on October 5, 2011. Anafter-action conference was held on November 15, 2011 to address lessons learnedfrom the LEAP tabletop exercise. City emergency management planners from Fleet,Public Works Water Division, Information Technology and the Fire Department continueto extend the lessons learned into enhanced planning and coordination with suppliers.Page 5 Update on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Activities

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The reported job creation. over the past four working quarters is .80 FTE. Expendituresto date equal $50,783, and a payment is pending for an additional $50,000. A finalphase payment to esc for $62,331 will be remitted at the completion of the project-nolater than March 31, 2012. The remaining $11,886.00 will be allocated to Salem'sadministrative costs.Other Agency Managed ProjectsTransportation Infrastructure: Pavement ResurfacingIn November 2010, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) completed a $3.9million Recovery Act project to restore and resurface several segments of Salem arterialstreets. The project contributed to the overall objectives of the Recovery Act byinvesting in Salem's transportation system and providing work for local contractors andsuppliers. Recovery Act funds were used to resurface segments of seven arterialstreets: Hyacinth Avenue NE, Chemawa Road NE, Kuebler/Cordon Road SE, CapitolStreet NE, Summer Street NE, Market Street NE, and 13th Street SE.Most of the work provided a new lift of asphalt on each street segment. Additional workincluded minor base repairs in failure areas, striping, ADA ramp upgrades, and signalupgrades. ODOT was responsible for the management and reporting of this project.Transportation Infrastructure: Pedestrian/Bicycle PathwayODOT is currently managing a project with a total budget of $247,000 to construct alighted, concrete multi-use pathway for pedestrians and bicycles in Wallace Marine Parkbetween the Union Street Railroad Bridge and Glen Creek Road. A total of $50,000 ofRecovery Act funding was awarded for preliminary engineering. The remaining projectfunds will come from federal surface transportation funding and Salem Urban Renewalmatching funds. The objective of the project is to increase safety for pedestrians andbicyclists accessing the Union Street Railroad Bridge by creating a separate route fromthe existing vehicular roadway in Wallace Marine Park.The project began in May 2009 but has been delaye.d due the environmental clearanceprocess, a budget shortfall, and the work backlog at ODOT during the peak period ofARRA project delivery. Additional federal grant funding has been requested to addressthe budget shortfall. Construction is currently scheduled for summer of 2012 but couldbe delayed until 2013, depending on the outcome of the grant application. All ARRAfunds will be expended before the required deadline of September 30, 2015. As themanaging agency, ODOT is responsible for overall job creation and expendituretracking for this project.Transportation Infrastructure: Pedestrian/Bicycle BridgeIn spring of 2009, the City of Salem was awarded $3.5 million in stimulus funds fromODOT's transportation enhancement program for the second phase restoration of theUnion Street Railroad Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge. The project has resulted in the


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encapsulation of lead-based paint, painting, bridge repairs, and installation of securitycameras.After a competitive bid process, ODOT awarded the restoration contract to S&KPainting Inc, a contractor out of Clackamas, Oregon. Painting and camera installationstarted November 2009 and was completed on May14, 2010. Project savings andadditional transportation enhancement funds were used to complete a minor pier repairand add security lighting to the towers in September 2011. ODOT has assumedresponsibility for job creation and expenditure tracking on this project.Diesel Emissions Reduction ActThe City of Portland directed the submission of a successful, multi-agency Recovery Actgrant application to reduce diesel emissions in Oregon. Approximately $203,000 of thegrant award was used to retrofit 28 pieces of City of Salem equipment with compatibleemissions reduction devices, primarily diesel oxidation catalysts and closed crankventilation filters.According to the Environmental Protection Agency's diesel emissions reductioncalculator, devices installed on Salem's fleet will reduce emissions of .02 tons ofparticulate matter (PM), .04 tons of hydrocarbons (HC), and .12 tons of carbonmonoxide (CO) on an annual basis. The devices will produce an estimated reduction inemissions of .24 tons of PM, .45 tons of HC, and 1.52 tons of CO over the lifetime of theequipment.Emergency Watershed Protection ProgramThe US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)was allocated Recovery Act dollars to carry out a flood plain easement and naturalhabitat restoration project at Salem's Minto-Brown Island Park. The project will restore167.5 acres to a natural, native condition and maintain new plantings for a period ofthree years. One of the project benefits will be improvement in downstream waterquality with the reduction of erosion in the easement. The total estimated amount of thegrant is $1,559,407, including the easement purchase price of $683,512.50.NRCS is primarily responsible for the management of the project and associatedreporting requirements, but the agency has partnered with the City in the developmentof the restoration plan and coordination of site activity. Following a number of publicmeetings in late October and November 2009, a restoration plan was finalized.Restoration activities including the control of invasive species, native grass seeding,and tree and shrub planting began in April 201 0 and were completed by December2010. The project is now in a three-year maintenance period that will focus on thecontinued control of invasive species, establishment of trees and shrubs, and increasingplant diversity.


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