COAR 2020/2021 Grant Cycle Staff Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Oregon Department of Aviation 3040 25th Street SE Salem, OR 97302-1125 Office: 503-378-4880 Fax: 503-373-1688 January 28, 2021 From: ODA Planning To: State Aviation Board Subj: 2020/2021 COAR Grant Projects The 2020/2021 grant cycle will be the 5th grant cycle since the Aviation System Action Program began and will be the largest award to date. The $2.5 million available for this year’s program is due in large part to the CARES Act of last spring (which provided the local matching share on AIP 2020 grants). Without it, the reduction in revenues due to the pandemic would have significantly reduced the amount of available funds for this worthwhile program. The Aviation Review Committee and staff are pleased to request board approval of $2.5 Million in COAR Grants for the 2020/2021 cycle. Summary: - The Aviation Review Committee recommends awarding all application in Priority 1 ($1,766,346). - The Aviation Review Committee recommends awarding all application in Priority 2. Staff is not recommending funding of Rogue Valley International –Medford’s $500,000 and recommends funding the remaining Priority 2 projects ($572,000). - The Aviation Review Committee recommends approving all application in Priority 3. Staff is not recommending approval of projects submitted by the Sisters Eagle Airport. Staff recommends awarding the remaining $161,653 in the following order – Non-NPIAS airports (8 with the exception of Sisters Eagle Airport) followed by the NPIAS airports (8). If funds become available (due to additional federal funding of the AIP grants local matching shard) awarding additional grants as described above. The 2020/2021 COAR Grant Cycle has completed the Aviation Review Committee (ARC) phase pursuant to ORS 319.020(3)(a) and (b). The department received the following numbers of applications and funding amounts: Number of Applications Total Requested ODA Funding Total Priority 1 21 $ 1,766,346.70 Total Priority 2 6 $ 1,072,000.00 Total Priority 3 21 $ 2,177,788.50 Total 48 $ 5,016,135.20 Oregon Department of Aviation’s mission is to provide infrastructure, financial resources, and expertise to ensure a safe and efficient air transport system Staff has provided the following appendices for your review. Application and Review Materials: Appendix A contains the recommended projects list for Priority I, II and III for the 2020/2021 COAR Grant Cycle. Appendix B contains all of the application material. In the material you will find: The applications, the internal review sheet and associated scoring and the Area Commissions on Transportation (ACT) grading sheets. Board members can also find all of the application material online at www.odae-grants.com. Appendix C provides background on the project for Medford’s FAA AIP Match and resiliency grant. Appendix D provides a background on the grant eligibility for the Sisters Eagle Air projects ARC Meeting, Discussion and Recommendation: The Aviation Review Committee met via ZOOM on January 13, 2021 pursuant to OAR 738-124- 0060. Staff provided program updates and information and then proceeded to discuss the applications. Discussion and Recommendation: Discussion on applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(A), “Priority 1”: The Aviation Review Committee first reviewed applications submitted in accordance with OAR- 738-124-0035(8)(a)(A), “Priority 1”. The Aviation Review Committee discussed the tie breaking for the following projects: COAR-2021-4S1-00046, Gold Beach Municipal Airport (4S1), Apron Reconstruction COAR-2021-6S2-00013, Florence Municipal Airport (6S2), AWOS Replacement The ARC recommended breaking the tie as follows: COAR-2021-6S2-00013 then COAR-2021- 4S1-00046. Application COAR-2021-6S2-00013 provides more local match than COAR-2021-4S1- 00046. There were two applications that scored negative points. COAR-2021-DLS-00068, Columbia Gorge Regional Airport, South Apron Rehabilitation: Phase I – Design COAR-2021-S03-00026, Ashland Municipal Airport, Parallel Taxiway Rehabilitation - Phase 1 The Aviation Review Committee found that during the review of the statutory considerations the above named projects were graded in error in two areas. The first error, found in both applications, was that the airport was providing 0-25% of the project funding through sources other than Connect Oregon or ODA funds. The accurate selection for both of these applications is 76-100% of funding outside Connect Oregon or ODA. The second grading error occurred in application COAR-2021-SO3-0026. The project readiness was marked as over 24 months, when according to the application it should have been 0-6 months. Had the errors not occurred, both applications would have received marks high enough for their ACT score to be positive. As a result, the Aviation Review Committee is recommending approval for those two projects. Aviation Review Committee Recommendation: The Aviation Review Committee recommended approval of all applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(A), “Priority 1” as listed in appendix A. Discussion on applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(B), “Priority 2”: The Aviation Review Committee first reviewed applications submitted in accordance with OAR- 738-124-0035(8)(a)(B), “Priority 2”. There were no ties. Aviation Review Committee Recommendation: The Aviation Review Committee recommended approval of all applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(B), “Priority 2” as listed in appendix A. Discussion on applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(C), “Priority 3”: The Aviation Review Committee first reviewed applications submitted in accordance with OAR- 738-124-0035(8)(a)(C), “Priority 3”. The Aviation Review Committee discussed the tie breaking for the following projects: Tie #1 COAR-2021-9S3-00014, Lakeside Airport, Lakeside Airport Fencing Project COAR-2021-BNO-00042, Burns Municipal Airport, Public Water Supply Well & Water Distribution System The ARC recommended breaking the tie and approving as follows: COAR-2021-9S3-00014 then COAR-2021-BNO-00042. Application COAR-2021-9S3-00014 was a Safety Project and the applicant only submitted one application. Tie #2 COAR-2021-LGD-00029, La Grande/Union County Airport, Fuel Recovery COAR-2021-6K5-00051, Sisters Eagle Airport, Infrastructure for Growth - Jet A Fuel Tank COAR-2021-BNO-00043, Burns Municipal Airport, Jet Fuel Storage Tank The ARC recommended breaking the tie and approving in the following order: COAR-2021-LGD- 00029, COAR-2021-6K5-00051 and COAR-2021-BNO-00043. The tie breaking was primarily based on percentage of the project funded as well as the overall project costs. The applicant for COAR-2021-LGD-00029 only had one application submitted, which was another factor in the tie breaking process. Tie #3 COAR-2021-AST-00030, Port of Astoria Regional Airport, Fuel Farm Generator and Transfer Switch COAR-2021-8S4-00022, Enterprise Municipal Airport- 8S4, Airport Safety Improvements Project The ARC recommended breaking the tie and approving as follows: COAR-2021-AST-00030 then COAR-2021-8S4-00022. Application COAR-2021-AST-00030 provided more match as a portion of percentage than COAR-2021-8S4-00022. Aviation Review Committee Recommendation: The Aviation Review Committee recommended approving all applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(C), “Priority 3” as listed in appendix A. Other action items from the Aviation Review Committee: In addition, it was determined by the Aviation Review Committee that the grading process specifically related to the quantitative questions needs to be reviewed. The Aviation Review Committee requested some additional details be provided in the COAR Instructions to Reviewers documentation that would further illustrate what the Oregon Administrative Rules provide. The Aviation Review Committee also asked staff to look into the overall grading process and develop recommendations for a new process. Staff provided options to the Aviation Review Committee as follows: - Option 1: Keep current process - Option 2: Each ARC member reviews all applications and an aggregate score is calculated as the final ACT Grade. In addition, all comments would or could be considered in the Aviation Review Committee meeting - Option 3: Cohorts of the ARC group would meet and grade the materials, providing more than one set of eyes to create substantive comments and thorough grading. One grade sheet would be completed with the cohort’s collective comments and final evaluation scores. Staff polled the Aviation Review Committee and the ARC overwhelmingly supported Option 3. Staff will be developing the process for creating the ARC Cohorts for review of applications submitted under the ASAP program. Additionally, staff will be revising the Instructions to Reviewers to support the ARC Cohort process and include some additional explanatory statements on review criteria as requested. Staff Discussion and Recommendations: Discussion on applications submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(A)-(C): Staff would like to specifically call out two projects for Staff report and detailed recommendation in addition to the ARC recommendations as further described below. There are two applications submitted for more than the typical $150,000. COAR-2021-MFR-00011 Rogue Valley International-Medford 2021 AIP Projects, submitted in accordance with OAR-738-124-0035(8)(a)(A), “Priority 1” for $176,079.50. COAR-2021-MFR-00012 Rogue Valley International-Medford 2021 Pavement Maintenance, in accordance with