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File Number: 21-692 <br />the application criteria for securing potential funds through the above-referenced grant program. <br />The Recreation and Human Services Department subsequently organized community meetings <br />with various local community and non-profit organizations in order to solicit feedback on the types <br />of park amenities that members of the public might want to see at the park, in the event grant <br />funds were awarded. As part of those efforts, a list of potential park amenities was developed, <br />which could include new playground equipment that is accessible to users of all abilities, including <br />those with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. <br />The City of San Leandro submitted its application for this grant in Fall 2019, estimated to cost up <br />to $4.47 million. Although feedback from State staff indicated that the City’s application was very <br />well conceived, the City was ultimately notified that it was not awarded funding through the <br />program as part of that round of funding, which was highly competitive. In June 2021, the City <br />Council then authorized City staff to apply again for the same project via a new grant application <br />cycle. The estimated total cost of all potential improvements remains unchanged from that which <br />was submitted in 2019 - up to $4.47 million. Subsequent to submitting the second application, <br />staff was contacted by the state advocacy consultant (Townsend Public Affairs) regarding a <br />potential opportunity to secure a portion of the requested project funding for Memorial Park <br />through another source. More specifically, thanks to the office of State Senator Nancy Skinner in <br />partnership with Townsend Public Affairs’ advocacy efforts, Senator Skinner in her role as State <br />Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee chairperson was able to embed a direct $2.75 <br />million allocation of funds towards this project as a line-item earmark within the adopted current <br />fiscal year state budget. After being notified of this funding award, staff subsequently modified the <br />state grant application to reduce the requested funding amount from $4.47 million to $1.72 <br />million, to reflect that $2.75 million had already been awarded for the project. That reduced-level <br />application is now in process and the City expects to receive notification on the outcome of the <br />grant application process in the first quarter of calendar year 2022. <br />Irrespective of whether or not the grant application is awarded, per State requirements, the City <br />Council must adopt a resolution in order to accept the $2.75 million in funding that was already <br />appropriated by the State legislature for the project. To the extent the City is successfully awarded <br />the additional $1.72 million in funding through the modified grant application, the City Council <br />would have a subsequent opportunity to review and consider the proposed grant before <br />accepting the grant funds. Alternatively, if the City is unsuccessful in obtaining that additional <br />funding, the scope of the project could be commensurately reduced to align with the existing <br />$2.75 million funding allocation that was already secured through the state earmark. In either <br />scenario, the grant program does not require any local financial match from the City, beyond the <br />use of staff time and ongoing maintenance costs, which could be absorbed using existing and <br />projected City resources, which are already being utilized to maintain the existing park space. <br />A copy of the resolution is included in the City Council agenda packet for this item, which is <br />virtually identical to the City Council resolution that was adopted in 2019 for this same purpose. <br />Overview of “Per Capita Grant Program” funding request <br />In addition to the above project, thanks to the efforts of Townsend Public Affairs, the City was also <br />made aware of another potential source of funding that could be used for other park-related <br />projects in San Leandro. More specifically, in addition to the competitive grant funds that were <br />made available by Proposition 68, that ballot measure also authorized a direct allocation of funds <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 12/2/2021 <br />160