TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Missie Barletto, Assistant Public Works Director
THROUGH: Suzanne Fisher, Assistant City Manager
THROUGH: Neal de Jesus, Interim City Manager
DATE: December 10, 2019
Title
MOTION TO APPROVE CHOICE OF DELRAY CONNECT VEHICLE STYLE TO BE PURCHASED WITH FUNDING FROM A PALM BEACH TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AGENCY (TPA) GRANT AWARD.
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to approve the choice of a vehicle to be utilized by the Delray Connect fixed route transportation services operated by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to be purchased with funding from a Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) grant award.
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Background:
The City of Delray Beach (City) was awarded a grant from the Palm Beach TPA in 2015 in the amount of $700,000 for transit improvements to replace the City's trollies fleet. At the time of the grant application, it was anticipated that the cost of replacement of the four trollies would be approximately $700,000. Since that time, TPA has adjusted the funding amount to $860,000 to account for the increased cost of vehicle replacement. Funding for this grant award is available in FY 2020. Funding utilized by the TPA to award this grant is derived from Federal transportation sources and the grant is administered through the South Florida Regional Transit Authority (SFRTA), which is certified to oversee the expense of Federal funds.
In order to meet the production deadlines for the grant, the City must report on the vehicle of choice to SFRTA by December 31, 2019. The utilization of Federal funding to purchase these vehicles requires that Federal requirements are met in the vehicle selection. Transit Research Inspection Procurement Services (TRIPS) Florida is a service provided by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) that has been in existence since 1995, providing agencies with the means of procuring quality vehicles at the lowest possible price that meet these Federal purchasing requirements. TRIPS was developed through the insight, innovation and funding from the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Office of Freight, Logistics and Passenger Operations. TRIPS is administered and managed by the University of South Florida’s (USF) Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). Staff recommends utilizing TRIPS Florida competitive solicitation to purchase the vehicles, ensuring all Federal procurement requirements are satisfied.
At the time of the grant application, the City provided management of the Downtown Roundabout trolley service that provided transportation from the Tri-Rail station on Congress Avenue to the Municipal Beach. The operation of this service has been moved to the CRA and has been rebranded as Delray Connect. On November 19, 2019, the CRA Board was tasked with choosing a vehicle to be utilized for the Delray Connect fixed route transit. The CRA Board chose a type of vehicle style known as a "cutaway" that is currently being utilized to provide the transportation service. Although not the exact model of the vehicle currently being utilized by Delray Connect, the TRIPS Florida contract list includes a very similar vehicle that is currently being operated by both PalmTran and Broward County Paratransit, utilizing a 23-foot, Ford Transit 3.7L T24 Commercial cutaway with a gasoline engine. The available budget is adequate to purchase these vehicles.
Attachments:
1) TPA Grant Application
2) Timeline to receive vehicles
3) Photograph of current Delray Connect vehicle and Ford Transit cutaway for side-by-side comparison
City Attorney Review:
N/A
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
Funding is provided through the Palm Beach TPA.
Timing of Request:
This issue is time sensitive as the City must provide a selection to SFRTA prior to December 31, 2019.