Subject:
Title
Cooperative Funding Agreement with Southwest Florida Water Management District for Brooker Creek Preserve Hydrologic Restoration.
label
Recommended Action
Recommended Action
Approval of the Cooperative Funding Agreement with Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) for Brooker Creek Preserve Hydrologic Restoration.
Approval of request for an exemption of Pinellas County Resolution No. 06-70 relating to contractual indemnification by the County with SWFWMD for Brooker Creek Hydrologic Restoration.
Cooperative Funding Agreement #15C00000093 in the amount of $350,000, with $350,000 County match and is effective upon execution of the Chairman of the Governing Board of SWFWMD. Approval of authority for the Chairman to sign and the Clerk to Attest.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Practice Superior Environmental Stewardship
3.2: Preserve and manage environmental lands, beaches, parks, and historical assets.
3.3: Protect and improve the quality of our water, air and other natural resources.
Summary:
This project will rehydrate wetlands, restore natural hydrology via filling of ditches and swales, replace and/or upgrade drainage pipe, treat invasive exotic plants and provide installation of site appropriate native restoration plants at Brooker Creek Preserve. This project implements Best Management Practices (BMP) outlined in the Brooker Creek Watershed Alternative BMP Analysis jointly prepared for SWFWMD and the County in December 2009. It also implements the current land management plan of the Brooker Creek Preserve. This project will result in improved habitat and biodiversity in the preserve and will provide downstream water quality improvement for Lake Tarpon.
Background Information:
The Cooperative Funding Agreement currently contains task deadlines in the performance schedule (Exhibit “A”, page 3) that are not achievable. Per SWFWMD, these task deadlines may be readily modified after the agreement is executed. Paragraph 1.1 in the agreement allows SWFWMD’s contract manager to approve requests to extend a project task deadline set forth in the agreement. Per SWFWMD, this process has been used successfully with other agreements where the first milestone in the schedule could not be met because the contract has not been executed. SWFWMD is agreeable to this process for this grant agreement.
Pinellas County actively pursues cooperative funding from SWFWMD and other sources to pay for important projects. In an effort to maintain consistency with all of their cooperating agencies, SWFWMD will not make changes to their agreement for an individual cooperating agency. Cooperative funding agreements, such as this; through SWFWMD do not increase the liability to the County beyond an acceptable level of risk. Without SWFWMD as an additional funding resource, this would limit external funding sources for current and future projects.
Fiscal Impact:
Grant revenue of $350,000 is matched by Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds of $350,000 for a total project cost of $700,000. CIP is budgeted in Environmental Conservation Projects Program; Habitat Restoration/Enhancement. Future operations and maintenance costs are anticipated to be minimal as this project will improve erosion areas and may reduce current maintenance.
Staff Member Responsible:
Paul Cozzie, Director, Parks and Conservation Resources
Partners:
Southwest Florida Water Management District