Staff requests City Council approval of a resolution authorizing the acceptance of grant funds from the California Department of Transportation for two Safe Routes to School grants.

The Safe Routes to School grant program is designed to improve and enhance the safety of pedestrian and bicycle facilities and related infrastructure on identified school travel routes. California Assembly Bill 1475 established the program in 1999, and the program currently provides a total of $20 million annually to local governmental agencies based on a statewide competition for the construction funds. The Safe Routes to School grant program provides 90 percent financing for projects deemed of significant importance to school safety. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) administers the grants through the Local Programs office.

In May 2002, City Council authorized staff to apply for Safe Routes to School grants in two program areas: 1) construction of sidewalk, and 2) installation of pedestrian crossing safety devices at several traffic signals. On November 5, 2002 Caltrans notified staff that both grant applications were approved for the total requested funding of $139,500 in the Third Cycle of the Safe Routes to School program for FY 2002/2003. The two Burbank grants were among a total of 87 approved projects in the state and 14 projects approved for funding in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The two approved school safety projects include the following elements:

Sidewalk Construction � A total of 2,500 linear feet of sidewalk will be constructed near three schools to improve accessibility to intersections controlled by school crossing guards or stop signs. The total construction cost of this project is $80,000. Sidewalk will be constructed for:

George Washington Elementary School on Winona Avenue (850 feet)

Emerson Elementary School on Kenneth Road (150 feet)

Bret Harte Elementary School on Ontario Street (1,500 feet)

Pedestrian Protection at Traffic Signals � Additional safety devices will be installed at four traffic signals to extend green walk time for schoolchildren where traffic volume is high, the crosswalk is long, or traffic speeds are high. The extended green walk time will insure that children have adequate time to cross the street with minimal impact on the intersection efficiency. The total construction cost for this project is $75,000. The safety devices are planned at:

San Fernando Road and Buena Vista Street (Washington School)

Victory Boulevard and Olive Avenue (Walt Disney School)

Victory Boulevard and Alameda Avenue (McKinley School)

Alameda Avenue and Main Street (McKinley School)

The Safe Routes to School grant program funds 90 percent of the total construction cost of each project. The total cost of the two projects is $155,000, $139,500 of which is covered by the Safe Routes to School grant. The remaining $15,500 is a local contribution required by the Safe Routes to School grant.

The $139,500 covered by the grant will be initially fronted from Fund 125 (Gas Tax Fund). Caltrans will reimburse the City for these costs at the end of the project. The proposed resolution appropriates $139,500 from Fund 125 unappropriated fund balance to project number 125-PW22G-70005-0000-13992 (Safe Routes to School Grant).

The $15,500 local contribution is currently available in project number 125-PW22G-70002-0000-13542 (Flashing Beacon Crosswalk Improvements). The improvements programmed with the Flashing Beacon Crosswalk project are complete, and about $23,000 remains in the project from savings due to work performed by City forces originally programmed to be completed by contract.

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the proposed resolution accepting the Safe Routes to School grant and appropriating $139,500 from Fund 125.

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