TRANSPORTATION FOR LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

Overview and Summary

The TLC program's purpose is to fund planning for transportation projects in Chittenden County that:
* Support a community's development and/or redevelopment activities;
* Will be conducted through a collaborative and inclusive planning process; and
* Enhance a community's identity and overall quality of life. Grants range from approximately $4,000 to $20,000 and require a 20% non-federal match. A total of $40,000 is available.

General TLC Program Goals:

* Develop innovative community-based projects whose transportation elements can compete for capital funding at the regional level through the TIP process.
* Forge unique partnerships between local jurisdictions, community organizations, transportation service providers, and the development community.
* Make a significant contribution to the creation of a livable community.
* Provide "success stories" to encourage integration of transportation and land use throughout the region.

How Does the TLC Program Work?

Through the TLC Program, the CCMPO will help good project ideas become reality by facilitating technical planning assistance and by funding community planning efforts. There is a total of $40,000 in federal funds available for grants to Chittenden County grantees. A 20% minimum non-federal match is required. Grants may range from $5,000 to $20,000.

Eligible Projects

Technical planning assistance projects will focus on defined locations or problems such as improving an existing pedestrian crossing, locating a multi-use path between neighborhoods and schools or enhancing safety and security at existing transit stops. Community planning projects would be broader in scope. Examples include developing a village pedestrian circulation plan, assessing neighborhood traffic calming strategies or measuring the feasibility of a local jitney transit service. A listing of projects funded through the TLC program is included in the application materials.

TLC grants will help fund technical experts, which can help jump-start a specific project by helping to define its general concept, assisting with planning and implementation, or facilitating community input.

In addition, grant applicants may also wish to review and take into consideration the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s project development guidelines for Enhancement Program grants, since the statewide Enhancement Program is likely to be at least one possible source of capital funding for projects developed through the TLC program.

The CCMPO strongly encourages TLC applications for planning work on projects focused on transit-oriented development and design, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly development and design, and transportation projects specifically designed to facilitate and encourage non-single occupant vehicle access to designated growth centers and recreational facilities.

Note: Because the TLC program uses federal transportation planning funds, only planning activities are eligible. Examples of tasks that cannot be funded through the current TLC grant program include preliminary engineering, final design, preparation of environmental documentation, right-of-way acquisition, preparation of bid documents, and construction. The TLC program may eventually include grants that fund projects through construction a well as planning. In the meantime, projects identified through the TLC program can compete for funds through the CCMPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) or the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s Enhancement Program; and/or may be funded in municipal capital programs. If you have a question about whether or not your project is eligible, please contact Peter Keating at 660-4071 x232 or pkeating@ccmpo.org.

Who May Apply for TLC Grants?

Local governments, community-based organizations, and transportation service providers may receive funding for planning projects or technical assistance. Please note that the required minimum 20 percent match for grants MUST be derived from non-federal sources.

How Are Projects Selected for Grants?

The CCMPO will evaluate each planning project against the program’s selection criteria (see below). The CCMPO will use a TLC Project Selection Committee comprised of representatives of cross-disciplinary organizations to review and recommend projects for grants. The committee will make recommendations to the Executive Director, who will, in consultation with the Executive Committee, seek the CCMPO Board’s concurrence with project grant awards. (A separate process will eventually be developed for capital projects.)

What Are the TLC Planning Project Selection Criteria?

The overall goal of CCMPO’s TLC program is to help local areas develop and plan community-oriented transportation projects (such as streetscapes and pedestrian, transit, and bicycle-oriented developments) that can then compete for capital funding at the regional level through the TIP process or be funded through other state and local programs. (The attached pages describe the TLC program project evaluation criteria and their relative weights in the application scoring process.)

Grant Administration

The CCMPO will make grants on a schedule of a maximum 80 percent federal and minimum 20 percent non-federal funds. A project sponsor is required to provide the minimum 20 percent match from non-federal sources if its proposal is selected for a TLC grant. In-kind services (i.e., the value of staff time) may be used for some or all of the non-federal match, but documentation adequate to support the grantee’s claim for in-kind service credit must be provided with the grant application. The documentation should indicate the estimated hours and rates by labor class and task.

All grants under this program will be paid out on a reimbursable basis. After a grant agreement is executed between the CCMPO and the grantee, the grantee may bill the CCMPO on a monthly basis for payment. Documentation of work and progress on the TLC project must be provided with each bill. The CCMPO will provide additional detailed billing information to each grantee.

A grantee will also be required to submit a brief final report on the project funded for CCMPO review under the TLC grant prior to receiving final payment on the grant. The CCMPO may use this information to provide future years’ grant applicants with work examples and for TLC program publicity.

Procurement Procedures

Because federal funds are being used for the TLC Grant program, the procurement procedures described in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 49 § 18.36(d)) must be satisfied. For materials, equipment or services less than $100,000, price or rate quotations must be obtained and documented from an adequate number of qualified sources. Three sources are generally considered adequate. The grantee must maintain documentation of the selection procedure followed for possible CCMPO inspection.

Questions? Contact Peter Keating, of the CCMPO at 660-4071 x232 or at pkeating@ccmpo.org.