Subject:
Title
Save Our Indian River Lagoon Contingency Funding Request for the City of Titusville Draa Field Vegetation Harvesting Project
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Fiscal Impact:
$29,053 from Save Our Indian River Lagoon Contingency Funds
Dept/Office:
Natural Resources Management Department
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested the Board 1) authorize the Chair to execute Agreement SOIRL 20-111(B) with the City of Titusville for expansion of the Draa Field Vegetation Harvesting Project and 2) confirm signature authority of the County Manager for future allocations of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Contingency Fund when the change in funding is less than $100,000 and is recommended by the Citizen Oversight Committee.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
The City of Titusville Draa Field Vegetation Harvesting Project, completed in June 2021, consisted of harvesting aquatic vegetation from the Draa Field Pond. Harvesting aquatic vegetation removes nutrients and avoids decomposition and the associated reintroduction of nutrients into the lagoon.
The city’s original project request was approved in the 2020 Plan Update based on an anticipated Total Nitrogen reduction benefit of 574 pounds, worth $57,360 of Save Our Indian River Lagoon Trust funding. However, based on certified lab reports, the final project removed 785.57 pounds of Total Nitrogen which would have been eligible for $86,413 of Save Our Indian River Lagoon Trust funding.
Section 5.1 of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan allows the Contingency Fund Reserve to be used to increase funding for approved projects that can be “expanded or altered to provide greater nutrient reduction benefits than planned… Contingency funds can be allocated at the rate for that project type established in the most recently adopted plan update.”
In this case, the cost-share rate from the most recent plan update is $110 per pound of nitrogen load reduction. Based on an actual nitrogen load reduction of 785.57 pounds, the project is eligible for a potential funding increase of $29,053 (for a maximum cost share of $86,413) as partial reimbursement for the City’s total cost of $115,261.40.
Section 5.1 of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan requires that increases in cost share greater than 10% of the contract value be evaluated by staff and then presented to the Citizen Oversight Committee for “a recommendation to the County Manager or County Commission (based on respective signature authority adopted in County contracting policy)”.
The Citizen Oversight Committee reviewed this Contingency Fund request on August 20, 2021 and recommended approval of a funding increase of $29,053.
In contrast, the City of Titusville Osprey Pond Managed Aquatic Plant Systems (MAPS) project was approved for $60,000 but was completed at a total cost of $37,500, saving the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program $22,500.
After experiencing the benefits of the projects, the City of Titusville now plans to purchase their own equipment for harvesting aquatic vegetation from their ponds on a routine basis.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
Please execute two original copies of Agreement SOIRL 20-111(B) as provided in Attachment A