Title
Approval of 2015 Neighborhood Matching Grant Allocation
Recommended Action
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve Neighborhood Matching Grant Amounts as follows, contingent on negotiation of agreements with respective neighborhood associations to complete each project in 2015:
Bigelow Neighborhood Association (NA): $2,718 (2 grants)
Bigelow Highlands NA: $1,250 (2 grants)
Carlyon/North NA: $3,700 (1 grant)
Downtown NA: $2,920 (1 grant)
Eastside NA: $500 (1 grant)
Goldcrest NA: $3,000 (1 grant)
Merryman Place NA: $1,350 (1 grant)
Northeast NA: $3,331 (4 grants)
South Capitol NA: $227 (1 grant)
Upper Eastside NA: $4,000 (1 grant)
TOTAL: $22,996
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve recommended funding for 2015 matching grants for 10 Recognized Neighborhood Associations.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Sadlier, Neighborhood Liaison, Community Planning & Development (CPD), 360.753.8031
Presenter(s):
Michelle Sadlier, Neighborhood Liaison
Background and Analysis:
The Neighborhood Matching Grant program helps Olympians help themselves by providing matching funds for community projects.
When the program was established, the Olympia City Council stated that its goal is "to encourage projects that foster civic pride, enhance and beautify neighborhoods, expand citizen involvement, and promote the interests of the Olympia community. To accomplish this goal, the Olympia City Council will make available grant funds to Recognized Neighborhood Associations up to a 50/50 matching basis. The City Council firmly believes that community participation and commitment to accomplish improvements within our City are mutually beneficial to all Olympia residents."
For 2015, the City Council approved a budget of up to $23,000.00 to be used for the Neighborhood Matching Grant program. All Recognized Neighborhood Associations (RNAs) in good standing were invited to apply for grant funds. The deadline for submittal was March 9, 2015. The City received 22 applications from 14 different RNAs totaling approximately $40,000.00 in requested matching grants from the City.
Review of the applications was handled by a team of five (5) raters who used the six (6) criteria provided with the application to assess each application. The review team consisted of City staff representing Public Works; Parks, Arts and Recreation; and the Building and Planning Divisions of CPD, as well as a neighborhood leader from one of the City's RNAs. The criteria used for review were that the application demonstrated that the project:
1. Will result in a direct and lasting environmental benefit to the neighborhood and/or wider community,*
2. Will foster community engagement and enrichment opportunities,*
3. Is ready to begin after funding has been approved,
4. Is likely to be completed by December 31, 2015,
5. Is easily accomplished with volunteers, and
6. Does not require extensive City staff involvement to be completed successfully.
* Weighted double because they speak directly to the City Council's goals for the program as described above.
The resulting ranking of projects is provided in Attachment 1.
Because the requested amount of grant funds is well over the amount of funds approved for this year's grant projects, City staff recommends approval of funding for the top 15 projects, with some grants recommended at a lower amount than that requested. Attachment 2 provides a summary of all projects, including reasons for recommended alterations to grant amounts. Full copies of proposals are also available for review in the City Council's office.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
As demonstrated by the large number of applications, there is strong interested among NAs in this program. The wider community of Olympia is strengthened by the environmental health and vitality of its neighborhoods. The proposed projects provide environmental, aesthetic, and community engagement benefits to City residents and businesses.
Options:
Note: All options would be contingent on negotiation of agreements with respective neighborhood associations to complete each project in 2015.
1. Approve the Neighborhood Matching Grants as listed in Attachment 1,:
2. Approve partial or full funding of a subset of grant requests which the Council sees as consistent with the goals of the program.
3. Provide additional funding and staff resources and approve all projects for which applications were received.
Financial Impact:
The 2015 budget provides up to $23,000.00 to be used for the Neighborhood Matching Grant program. If all recommended matching grants are approved, the total City match would fall within the budgeted amount.
The estimated staff time to support each matching grant ranges from 27 to 68 hours, totaling 405-1,020 staff hours for the 15 recommended projects.