How to plan Walk to School Day; New MoDOT Safe Routes to School funding round this fall - meeting notes

Notes from the August 28th, 2012, meeting of the Missouri Safe Routes to School Coalition.  This meeting covered two main topics:

• Planning a Walk to School Day at your school - presenter Meg McFarland of Briarcliff Elementary
  

  Briarcliff Elementary Walk to School Day 2011
• MoDOT announces new SRTS grant round for fall 2012 - presenter Jeff Cremer of MoDOT

Below are brief notes from the meeting.  If you'd like more information, follow the links provided or contact the presenters or Missouri Safe Routes to School Coalition Organizer Brent Hugh, director@mobikefed.org

Meeting Notes - 28 August 2012, by teleconference

0. Introductions


1. Organizing your own Walk to School Day - Meg McFarland, Briarcliff Elementary
      Contact: mmcfarland1@kc.rr.com      

      Walk to School Day - Oct 3

      Walk to School Month - October

      Meg's presentation online: http://mobikefed.org/sites/default/files/Briarcliff-Walk-to-School-Day-Presentation-2012.pdf

      More info/register your WTSD events: http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/
 

2. MoDOT SRTS Program and new call for projects - Jeff Cremer, MoDOT SRTS Coordinator
     Jeffrey.Cremer@modot.mo.gov

     - SRTS Call for Projects this fall

       Sept 1st grant application period opens
       Nov 5th closes
       Grant announcement January 2013

      Call for new projects starting next week, SRTS of at least $4.2 million.  Programming 10% for non-inf, about $420,000.  Remainder for infrastructure.
       Online application process, similar to previous rounds.
           MoDOT SRTS web site: http://www.modot.mo.gov/safety/saferoutestoschool.htm  (This is the old site and out of date, but many of the guidelines will be similar/tweaked for 2012.  There will be a new web site for 2012 and this site will be moved.)
            New SRTS grant application and informational materials won't be available until about mid-September
      
       Different from previous rounds:
            In past, one MoDOT coordinator traveled the entire state and viewed all projects, then statewide committee scored all.
            Now SRTS apps will be sent to district Transportation Enhancements committee.  Districts will score & rank each project.  Then those will be sent to the statewide committee for final decisions.  Local MoDOT staff & committees are more familiar with local area and needs.

      Local contacts for each district: http://www.modot.org/business/manuals/LPAContacts.htm
      School or district who wants to submit an application must partner with city/county and co-applicant.

       Can a local public health agency submit an application?  Yes, but they must have partnership with county OR city.
       How about a nonprofit? For infrastructure, must partner w/ city/county. For non-infrastructure, he is still working this out . Possibly could be local MoDOT district or MPO, RPC.
      
       Statewide training/workshops for this funding round? Yes, in some form.  May be presentations, webinar, written materials--still figuring that out.

      Main focus: Can this project **be delivered** within two years.  Have partnered with city?  Have done community involvement?  Affected property owners on board?  What challenges does your project face & how are you planning to overcome them? They want to fund projects that can be delivered.

     Non-infrastructure:  The main focus is how to actually get more students walking to school and to improve safety.  If education program, what curriculum will you teach.

    Crossing guards:  Can non-infrastructure funding be used for crossing guards?  SRTS non-infr funding can be used for *training* for crossing guards, but not for stipends to pay them to do the crossing guard works.  Signs etc can be purchased with SRTS non-infr funds.

      - Missouri's current position on SRTS with MAP-21 and MoDOT direction on MAP-21

           For 2013, all SRTS funding is lumped in with a larger new program called "Transportation Alternatives".   This starts in FY 2013 (which starts Oct 1, 2012).

           Federal Highway Admin is still writing all the rules & regulations for this new program.  So the $4.2 is the 2012

           MoDOT is using the flexibility in MAP-21 to continue SRTS and TE for the funding round this fall exactly as they have in recent years.  That way they don't have to wait until FHWA comes out with their regulations.

          Infrastructure projects:  You can apply for funding for BOTH Transportation Enhancements and SRTS.  You won't get double funded but you will increase your chances of getting funded from one or the other.  TE requires 20% match.

          In future, SRTS projects will probably require a 20% match.  However for this round, match is not required for SRTS.  "Soft match" may be available in some cases but is getting harder to get approved through FHWA.
   
     $20 million in 2013 vs $13 million in 2014.  So MAP-21 is cutting the available funding through the LPA program by a considerable amount.

    Q: MoDOT has some discretion about how they spend about 50% of the total Transportation Alternative (TA) funds.  Has MoDOT decided how they will hand up this 50%?  A: MoDOT will set up focus groups around the state to give input on those decisions and give a recommendation to the Hwy Commission.  MoDOT wants to make certain changes in the program.   MoDOT will want to make 'politically neutral' changes to the program.  Any such changes would be made starting with 2014 funding.

    MoDOT will provide funding for the SRTS coordinator for the next four years (optional under MAP-21).  They want to be sure that all SRTS are completed and have that technical support through completion--until all SRTS funding is completely switched over to the new TA program.

MoDOT's LPA Training Program:

  - This will be required for every agency/person who wants to oversee an LPA grant (like SRTS grants).  Best to take the training ASAP if interested in applying for SRTS or TA funding.

    http://www.modot.org/business/lpa/cert_train.htm

 - FHWA essential videos on SRTS & TA funding.  MoDOT has put links to those videos in its EPG guidance on these programs:

   http://epg.modot.org/index.php?title=Category:136_Local_Public_Agency_(LPA)_Policy

Get on the MODOT 'contact us' page and sign up for LPA updates to receive announcements for grants etc.
 

Web sites and resources mentioned by Jeff as helpful for the SRTS application and funding process:

• LPA Website http://www.modot.org/business/lpa/
• LPA Training http://www.modot.org/business/lpa/cert_train.htm
• LPA District Contacts http://www.modot.org/business/manuals/LPAContacts.htm
• FHWA Essential Videos https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials/index.cfm
• LPA Manual (EPG 136) http://epg.modot.org/index.php?title=Category%3A136_Local_Public_Agency_(LPA)_Policy

3. Update on SRTS in the new federal transportation bill, MAP-21 - Brent Hugh, Missouri SRTS Coalition

More information on the changes in MAP-21 and how the new programs and policies can help to move forward programs like SRTS from national bicycle & pedestrian groups:

  https://www.saferoutespartnership.org/national
  http://www.advocacyadvance.org/