public facilities application basics
DESCRIPTION
Public Facilities Application Basics. Public Facilities Projects. Meeting the needs of low and moderate income people in the community, using bricks & mortar, concrete & paving and piping and plumbing. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. Water & Sewer Streets & Drainage Health Care Facilities - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
2013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Public Facilities Application Basics
Page 22013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Public Facilities Projects
Meeting the needs of low and moderate income people in the community, using bricks & mortar, concrete & paving and piping and plumbing.
Page 32013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES • Water & Sewer• Streets & Drainage• Health Care Facilities• Senior Centers
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES
• Battered Women’s Shelters• Mental/Physical Health Departments• Head Start Program Facilities• Boys & Girls Clubs• Acquisition for Public Facilities
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
PROHIBITED!!
• “...the renovation or construction of new space where the primary purpose is the provision of general purpose local government”
Page 62013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMUNITY NEED
• The Community must decide what are the most severe needs for their particular community!
• City Council or County Commission will decide which project to pursue.
Page 72013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Identify Key Players
Once a project has been identified, pull together the key players – quickly!•Grant writer•Administrator (may also be your Grant Writer)•Architect / Engineer
Page 82013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
FIRST, DECIDE… How will Administration & Architect/Engineer fees be paid?
• Local Funds?• CDBG Funds?
Page 92013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Procurement - CDBG Funds• Must use formal procurement procedure
outlined in manual (Does not apply to RDC’s for administration.)
• Limits: 12% for Engineer; 10% for Architect (percent of CDBG construction, not grant amount). Break out CDBG amount from local funds on DCA-8.
• Admin. Limit: 6% of grant amount for public facilities, 7% for multi-activity or housing.
Page 102013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTSCDBG Funds
• Common rule• Maximum Competition• Advertise in local paper. Allow 30 days
response time• RFP: Send to 7 known providers for
Administration; 10 for Architect/Engineers
Page 112013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTSCDBG Funds
• Written method of selection (score sheet based on criteria listed in RFP)
• Use Pre-selection to avoid headaches• Use Conditional Contract - if grant
awarded, contract extended
Page 122013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Procurement - Local Funds
• Use local procurement policy.• Engineer/Architect fees may be used as
cash match or leverage.• Administration fees can be used as cash
match, may also be used as leverage.
Page 132013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Sample Budget – CDBG Funds
• Acquisition: $5,000• Administration (6%): $30,000• Engineering / Architect (12% / 10%):
$42,000• Construction: $423,000• Total: $500,000 CDBG
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Determine The Budget
• Figure out what the project is going to cost.
• Line items:▪ Administration fee▪ Architect/Engineering fee▪ Construction estimate▪ Acquisition
Page 152013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Budget - Revenue
• Sources of income:▪ CDBG Grant - $500,000▪ Local Matching funds - $10,000▪ Local Leverage funds - ?▪ Other Funding Agencies (USDA,
etc…)
Page 162013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Cash Match• Must be Cash!• Calculate at 5% of Grant Amount above $300,000, 10%
above $500,000.• A $500,000 Grant will have a $10,000 Cash Match
requirement. An $800,000 will have a $40,000 Cash Match.
Page 172013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Leverage = Bonus Points!
• Additional funds, land and NEW materials above the required Cash Match are counted.
• Operating budgets & salaries, already owned furnishings & equipment DO NOT count.
• Leverage will be monitored – must be realistic and achievable.
Page 182013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Construction Costs
• Your Architect or Engineer will give you the construction cost estimates.
• The Preliminary Architectural/ Engineering Report is vital to the success of your application. More on this later.
Page 192013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Determine Size of Project
• Will your budget cover the cost of the project?
• Do you need to scale back, or can you increase the scope of the project (# of streets, size of building, etc…)
• Finalize your project.
Page 202013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Determine the Beneficiaries
• For Infrastructure – survey as Area Benefit.
• Conduct door-to-door survey to count the number of people benefiting, and their low-mod status.
• Surveys must be 90%, or a statistically valid random sample.
Page 212013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Determine the Beneficiaries
• For a Building – survey using Limited Clientele benefit.
• Seniors at a Senior Center are categorically low-mod.
• Nursing home residents are NOT categorically low-mod.
• Who is going to use the building? Survey the user groups.
Page 222013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Determine the Beneficiaries
• If your low-mod percentage of residents is not at least 70%, STOP! Going any further is a waste of time!
• Can you reconfigure the project area to get above the 70% threshold?
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
• DCA-4 Description of Need.• Describe the problem and how it affects
the PEOPLE.
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
State how the identified need impacts L/M persons
• If a community has cracked sewer lines, and the treatment plant is over capacity due to infiltration, how does this affect the residents? CDBG grants are to solve people problems, not municipal problems.
Page 252013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
Quantify your needto the greatest extent possible
“There are 46 households in the target area who are not served by City sewer and whose septic tanks are malfunctioning because of poor soil conditions and small lot sizes”
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
“According to the local Health Department the coliform counts in these wells has measured X which is a definite indication of contamination.”
Page 272013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
“...the average income of these households is X and the high cost of drilling a deep well precludes these people from correcting the problem themselves. In addition, the lot sizes are so small that even if there were funds available to replace the septic tanks, that they would not work anyway.”
Page 282013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
ALWAYS DOCUMENT YOUR NEED • Letters from residents• Letter from the Fire Chief• Letter from the Health Dept.• Know the difference between letters of
documentation and letters of support
Page 292013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story• Photos – quality photos are your best
seller!• Identify location of photos (address, map)• News Reports• Mental Health Directors• AAA Directors• Building Inspectors• Reports and/or Consent orders from EPD
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
• Keep the focus on people
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
• Make sure that your project proposal addresses the need identified!
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
• If the main problem is low water pressure, but resident letters also complain about quality, does the solution cover both problems?
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Tell the Story – Sell the Story
• Avoid political pitfalls!• If the project overlaps
jurisdictions, all sides must agree in writing to the application.
Page 342013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Your Action Plan
• DCA-5 Description of Activities• Project Overview• A detailed description of each activity• Evidence of conformance with
Comprehensive Plan & Service Delivery Strategy
• Copy of Service Delivery Strategy map
Page 352013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Action Plan – Be sure to cover:
• ACQUISITION• PERMITS• TAP-ONS AND TAP-ON FEES• UTILITY RELOCATION• MAINTENANCE AND/OR OPERATION• CAPACITY• SITE• IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE• SECTION 3
Page 362013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Action Plan – Be sure to cover:
• Need for household plumbing• Abandonment of well and/or septic
tanks• Design configuration must make sense• Drainage projects - downstream
discharge area has sufficient capacity
Page 372013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Action Plan• Identify design standards and justify
their usage. 25 YEARS IS THE NORM. YOU MUST THOROUGHLY JUSTIFY ANYTHING ELSE!
• Try to avoid low density population target areas.
• Problems created by developers will not be viewed as a high severity of need.
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Action Plan – Project Impact
• The impact the project will have on the problem.
• Most importantly, the impact the project will have on the lives of the residents.
Page 392013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Financial Statements
• Document your sources for cash match and leverage with signed, original commitment letters.
• For a new program, document sources of operational funding (staff salaries, equipment, etc.) LIKE A BUSINESS PLAN
Page 402013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT
• Amount of detail depends on complexity• Professional cost estimates required• Design Standard (25 or 50 year storm)• Unusual site conditions / higher costs
Page 412013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
• Engineer/Architect signature and stamp required.
• Does Eng. Report agree with rest of application?
• Viable alternatives - “No alternative” is not a good answer. Go into more detail.
PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT
Page 422013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
MAPS
• Scale, north arrow, legend• Proposed and existing activity location• Concentrations of minorities (numbers and
percentages)• Concentrations of substandard housing• Concentrations of low-mod persons
Page 432013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
MAPS• All houses in project area - all
applications, not just Housing Applications
• Location of photos• Existing infrastructure (water lines,
sewer)• All street names - correct and legible
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Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
Maps
• Be sure to include a copy of your Service Delivery Strategy map, if possible.
Page 452013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS YOU WANT TO HEAR
• “Severity of need appears high.”• “Application is well documented.”• “Photos document the need as
described.”• “Floor plan appears to be very suitable
to the program being offered.”
Page 462013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID• “Severity of need appears low”• “Lack of documentation”• “L/M benefit stated as 36%”• “Photos don’t document the need
stated”• “Floor plan is not compatible with the
program being offered”
Page 472013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS YOU WANT TO HEAR
• “L/M residents are the primary beneficiaries of the project.”
• “Drainage outfall is addressed.”• “Required permits are addressed.”• “Program funding sources all
identified and committed.”
Page 482013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
• “L/M residents do not appear to benefit”• “Site visit did not support severity of
need as stated in the application”• “Drainage out fall not addressed” or
“Required permits not addressed”• “Budget amounts vary from DCA-1 to
DCA-7 to DCA-8”
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
Page 492013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS YOU WANT TO HEAR
• “Pressure test used to document low water pressure.”
• “Alternatives addressed, and best alternative selected for project.”
• “Design standard for drainage identified.”
• “All acquisition issues addressed.”
Page 502013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “No admin included in the budget and no explanation”
• “Program funding sources not verified”• “All funding sources not provided and
documented”• “Existing water, sewer or street maps not
included”
Page 512013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “Architectural fees too high”• “No pressure test info provided to
document claim of low pressure”• “No alternatives addressed”
Page 522013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “Did not address maintenance”• “No architectural report included,
cost estimates not professionally prepared”
• “Ineligible program proposed”
Page 532013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “Cannot determine cost per sq. ft.• “Existing building location not identified
on map”• “Acquisition not addressed”• “DOT permits not addressed on state
highway for sidewalks, curb & gutter”
Page 542013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “Survey methodology questionable, not a random sample”
• “10-inch water line to serve 165 appears to be larger than necessary--no justification provided.”
Page 552013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “Abandonment or limiting use of wells not addressed (narrative &/or budget)”
• “Application narrative refers to need for a new pump station but no $$ in budget”
Page 562013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
REVIEW COMMENTS TO AVOID
• “Community center has no planned activities, appears to be more of a gathering place”
• “Drainage study did not specify a design standard”
Page 572013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR
• DCA-6 Issues:• Identify the number of households
interviewed, not just the number of people.
• Include a spreadsheet summary and copies of a few survey forms.
Page 582013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR
• DCA-6 Issues:• We do not need to see a copy of every
survey form.• Identify any vacant units or businesses
on the spreadsheet summary and maps.
Page 592013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR
• Be very clear in identifying leverage as either cash or in-kind.
• All leverage must be identified as either cash or in-kind.
Page 602013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR• Make sure match letter commitment
matches DCA-8 and project budget shown in cost estimate.
• Please place match letter right behind DCA-8.
Page 612013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR• Buildings - If acquiring, a Purchase
Agreement is needed.• Buildings - For a new service or group, we
need a complete business plan. Identify the funding sources for the staff & activities. If staffed by volunteers, include their commitment letters. List hours of operation.
Page 622013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR• If narrative claims water damage to
homes from flooding, include photos documenting the damage. Identify location of photos on map.
• If application claims sewage in yards or backing up in homes, document with photos.
Page 632013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics
COMMON MISTAKES FROM LAST YEAR• If application includes any letters written
in Spanish, please include a translation as well.
• We do not need to see procurement documentation for architect/engineers/administrators.
Page 642013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance DivisionRevised Strategy Criteria for 2013• Applications will be compared on their support
for comprehensive neighborhood revitalization or target population needs
• Competitive applications will plan to address most or all target area or target population community and economic development needs using CDBG and locally driven approaches
• Documentation and results measures are important
December 12-14, 2012
Page 652013 CDBG Applicants’ Workshop
Community Finance Division
Public Facilities Application Basics