Referred to:  The Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee (Chairman Cahill and Legislators Corcoran, Criswell, Hewitt, Litts, Maloney and Sperry), and The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chairwoman Petit and Legislators Erner, Fabiano, Litts, and Nolan)

Chairman of the Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee, Brian B. Cahill, and Deputy Chair Herbert Litts, III offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Department of Planning; and

WHEREAS, the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) includes a grant program known as Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT); and

WHEREAS, this Program provides funding to ensure surface transportation resilience to natural hazards including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Planning acting has host agency for the Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) has completed a Critical Transportation Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment (the “Assessment”) of the County’s transportation system; and

WHEREAS, key recommendations in the study are to conduct a needs-based assessment of the system and a risk-informed prioritization to address the vulnerability of the County’s critical transportation infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) has identified the PROTECT grant opportunity from FHWA as a means of funding the key recommendations in the Assessment and as a metropolitan planning organization is an eligible entity for the PROTECT funding; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Planning Department acts as the host agency for the UCTC; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Executive, as Chair of the UCTC, is authorized to submit an application for PROTECT funding to address the key recommendations as the UCTC Vulnerability Assessment as well as any necessary assurances and certifications as needed to FHWA; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that a copy of all grant applications submitted shall be filed with the Clerk of the Legislature prior to or immediately upon submission to FHWA,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                       NOES:    

Passed Committee: Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture on _____________.

Passed Committee: Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation on _____________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

GRANT FUNDIING ANTICIPATERD TO BE 100% OF TOTAL PROJECT COSTS