Placement: Consent Agenda
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Approve Amendment to Recreational Trails Grant Program Agreement #T2121.
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Submitted By: Carrie Wilbur, Project Manager, CIP.
Strategic Plan Link: The City's Goal to enjoy culture, nature and fun activities.
Summary Brief (Agreements/Contracts only)
1. Prepared by: Carrie Wilbur, Project Manager, CIP.
2. Parties: City of Port St. Lucie and Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
3. Purpose: To amend the Recreational Trails Program Agreement to remove The Port Preserve Trail located at 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL 34984. Wilderness Trail will remain in the agreement.
4. New/Renewal/Modified: Modified.
5. Duration: N/A.
6. Benefits to Port St. Lucie: Trail development & construction is one of the City’s main Strategic Priorities. Trails are consistently one of the highest-ranking amenities within the City and is highlighted as a priority project for FY 2024/2025.
7. Cost to Port St. Lucie (Annual and Potential): No additional cost to the City.
Presentation Information: Available upon request.
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council approve Amendment #1 to Agreement No. T2121 for the Recreational Trails Program Grant and authorize the City Manager to sign the amendment and any future amendments or modifications related to this agreement, if needed.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and approve Amendment #1 to Agreement No. T2121 for the Recreational Trails Program Grant.
2. Move that the Council not approve Amendment # to Agreement No. T2121 for the Recreational Trails Program Grant and provide staff with direction.
Background: Wilderness Trail is located at 2701 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34984. This trail runs along Cambridge Drive and is located within the 85 acres of Wilderness Park. The Port Preserve Trail is located at 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34984. It is located to the south of Pioneer Park. Walking and hiking trails ranked #1 in the PSLPRD 10-year Master Plan Needs Assessment and has been adopted as a key recommendation of the City’s adopted Strategic Plan.
Through the collaborative efforts of the High-Performance Public Spaces Team, consisting of Parks & Recreation staff and other City of Port St. Lucie department representatives, the Multi-Modal Plan and Sidewalk Master Plan priority projects were ranked and prioritized to determine the best fit for future trail projects. Of the trails assessed, Wilderness Trail ranked the highest and conceptual design began in February 2021. Public meetings were held in March 2021 and June 2021, surveys were conducted, and stakeholder meetings were held in May 2021 to solicit input for the design of the trail. CAPTEC Engineering, Inc., utilized the input provided to further develop the concept to present to City Council for this review.
The Wilderness Trail Conceptual Design was presented and approved by City Council on March 21, 2022.
Construction is currently pending commencement of the Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant application submitted for this project in March 2021. Pre-agreement documentation was submitted by the City to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and approved in August 2021. In February 2022, the City received notification that the project ranked #2 on the priority list for funding. The RTP Grant agreement was received for execution and returned to FDEP in August 2022. The fully executed agreement was received from FDEP in February 2023.
Issues/Analysis: The original design plan included both the Port Preserve Trail and the Wilderness Trail. The two trails were connected by a sidewalk which runs adjacent to The Anchorage on the St. Lucie Townhome Community. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection required the City to provide Right of Way (ROW) Documentation for this connection piece. This ROW documentation is not readily available and is causing delays to the project. By separating the two trails, each project can proceed independently, whereby the Wilderness Trail grant commencement will not be delayed by awaiting ROW documentation. Additionally, the Port Preserve Trail project can begin without the delay of grant approval.
Next Steps:
1. Upon Council approval and signature, Amendment #1 to Agreement No. T2121 will be returned to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for their signature.
2. Once FDEP signs the amendment, the City will receive final approval to proceed with the project.
3. At that point, the City can go out for bid for the construction of the Wilderness Trail.
Financial Information: Approving this amendment will not affect the original RTP grant award amount of $500,000
Special Consideration: N/A.
Location of Project: 2701 SE Westmoreland Blvd.
Attachments:
1. Amendment #1.
2. Original Contract.
3. Presentation
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: 24260-04
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Russell Ward, Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by Richard Berrios, City Attorney.