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FYs 2017 and 2018 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) Program Project Selection
Bret Martin, MPO Staff
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Each year, the Raleigh Urbanized Area (UZA) is apportioned formula grant funding by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program. Section 5310 funds are available for capital and operating expenses that support the provision of transportation services to meet the specific needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. The City of Raleigh/GoRaleigh, the federally recognized designated recipient of Section 5310 funding for the Raleigh UZA, and CAMPO developed and adopted a program management plan in June 2015 that lays out the policies and procedures for project selection, funding distribution and administration of projects supported by the funding.
In accordance with the program management plan, for FYs 2017 and 2018, GoRaleigh administered a call for eligible projects from March 9, 2017, through April 7, 2017, to solicit applications for projects that would make use of the Raleigh UZA’s Section 5310 funding. To assist potential applicants with the application process and an understanding of project eligibility, an application workshop was held March 16, 2017, and a recorded Power Point presentation/webinar was available on GoRaleigh’s website during the call for projects period. A total of $1,175,909 is available to be awarded for eligible projects for the FYs 2017 and 2018 call.
In response to the call for projects, a total of five (5) applications were received from various agencies. A project selection committee comprised of representatives from CAMPO and the Towns of Wake Forest and Cary convened on April 13, 2017, to review the applications and make a recommendation on which projects should be awarded funding based on selection criteria outlined in the adopted program management plan. All five (5) applications were determined to be eligible for the available funding.
The total aggregate request for Section 5310 funding among the five (5) applications was $1,770,460, which is substantially higher than the amount made available for allocation to applicants. The project selection committee’s recommendation in the form of a recommended program of projects is provided as Attachment A for this item. The project selection committee recommended to fully fund the requests received by the three (3) non-profit agencies that propose to provide travel training, essential trips, and volunteer driving programs for elderly persons and persons with disabilities (i.e., Alliance of Disability Advocates, Arc of the Triangle, and Center for Volunteer Caregiving). For the remaining two requests from GoRaleigh and Wake County TRACS, the project selection committee recommended partial funding to support technology upgrades for GoRaleigh’s paratransit services and expansion vehicles and associated paratransit service technology upgrades for Wake County TRACS. The CAMPO TCC concurred with the project selection committee’s recommendations.
Requested Action: Action Consider endorsement of the FYs 2017 and 2018 program of Section 5310 projects as recommended by the Executive Board for approval.