M E M O R A N D U M
To: Honorable Mayor and Town Council
From: Rafael G. Casals, Town Manager
Date: August 19, 2015
Re: Authorization to Enter Into a Local Agency Program (LAP) Agreement for Safe Routes to School Project at Cutler Bay Middle School
REQUESTTitle
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF CUTLER BAY, FLORIDA, APPROVING THE LOCAL AGENCY PROGRAM (LAP) AGREEMENT WITH THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (FDOT) FOR THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL (SRTS) CUTLER BAY ACADEMY OF ADVANCED STUDIES (CUTLER BAY MIDDLE SCHOOL) PROJECT; PROVIDING FOR AUTHORIZATION; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is empowered by legislative authority to contract with other local agencies to plan, develop, design, acquire right-of-way, and construct transportation facilities. The Department reimburses these local agencies for services provided to the public. The formal name given to this project is the Local Agency Program (LAP). Authority for LAP is provided in Sections 20.23(3) (a), 334.044(7), 339.05, and 339.12 of the Florida Statutes.
The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is administered by FDOT, and is a result of the Highway Funding Act - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. TAP focuses on improvements that create alternatives to transportation for the non-motorized user and enhancements to the transportation system for all users. Transportation alternative projects are federally funded, community-based projects that expand travel choices and improve the transportation experience by improving the cultural, historic, and environmental aspects of Florida’s transportation infrastructure. Projects considered for funding include, but are not limited to construction of bicycle/pedestrian facilities, conversion of abandoned railroad corridors, inventory control/removal of outdoor advertising, vegetation management, historic preservation, environmental mitigation activities, and safe routes to school project that improve safety of children as they walk or bike to school.
The Town adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in 2011 with the objective of identifying “transportation alternatives to ensure that all levels of users have a choice when deciding how to get to and from a variety of places in the Town and regional facilities” (pg. 22). This includes developing and enhancing pedestrian and bicycle facilities throughout the Town in order to encourage parents to allow their children to walk or bike to school and/or recreation areas. As a result of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, the Town retained Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (KHA) to perform a pedestrian safety audit of the existing conditions along Gulfstream Road between SW 210 Street and Franjo Road, including the potential for pedestrian improvements associated with Cutler Ridge Middle School. This study was completed in June 2013.
The Town’s proposed project was endorsed by the Miami-Dade Public School Board on June 19, 2013. This endorsement allowed the Town to submit a “Florida Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Application” to the Florida Department of Transportation to fund the “Safe Routes to Cutler Bay Academy of Advanced Studies, Cutler Ridge Campus” (now known as Cutler Bay Middle School) Project (Attachment “A”). The Town received notification that the application for funding was approved by the Florida Department of Transportation on July 21, 2015 (Attachment “B”).
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend that the attached resolution authorizing, the Town Manager to enter into a Local Agency Program Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation in order to allow the Town to receive funds for the Safe Routes to School Project at Cutler Bay Middle School. Authorizing the Town Manager to execute the agreement and all future forms and agreements required for the Town’s participation in the program on behalf of the Town.