Title
Memorandum of Agreement with Clackamas County and Metro for Managing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Coalition Assessment Grant
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff recommends that the City Commission approve the attached Memorandum of Agreement for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Coalition Assessment Grant.
BACKGROUND:
In December of 2015, Metro, Clackamas County, and Oregon City applied for a $600,000 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Coalition Assessment Grant, focusing on a 9-mile stretch of the McLoughlin Corridor. The focus area includes the Cities of Milwaukie, Gladstone, and Oregon City, along with the unincorporated neighborhoods of Jennings Lodge and Oak Grove. The focal point of the application was the Willamette Falls site in downtown Oregon City, where funds will be used to address existing hazardous material contamination in the existing buildings. This past May, Metro was notified by EPA that the application had been selected for full funding, in one of the most competitive application cycles since the inception of the Federal Brownfield Grant program.
Project area includes portions of Milwaukie, through the McLoughlin corridor, to Oregon City
• Project area includes portions of Milwaukie, through the McLoughlin corridor, to Oregon City
• Grant will focus on:
o Petroleum-former gas stations, service stations, car repair/storage facilities
o Hazardous substances-asbestos, lead based paint, other hazardous chemicals
• Grant allows for assessment of properties and development of remediation plans
• No grant funds can be expended on remediation (clean-up)
• Applicants are not eligible to obtain funds if they are a responsible party to the contamination or helped exacerbate the contamination
• Grant runs for 3 years and will be administered by Metro staff
• The grant will leverage existing CPD Grants, investment in the Willamette Falls site, and the newly opened Orange Line
• Ultimate outcomes include: healthier communities, job creation, economic opportunity, efficient use of land
Per our original EPA application, a Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement is required between all parties to the grant application. The agreement between the City of Oregon City, Clackamas County, and Metro outlines roles and responsibilities on the grant, and allow for all parties to appoint 4-5 representatives to the Advisory Group/Task Force. This group will help develop prioritization criteria that will serve as guiding principles in awarding grant funding. Task Force members will serve for 3 years and meet quarterly to review candidate sites that seek grant funds. Additionally, Oregon City and Clackamas County will provide staff support for the quarterly Task Force meetings, as well as ongoing public outreach within the corridor. The MOA is needed to start the grant program. Appointment of the 4-5 representatives by Oregon City to the Advisory Group/Task Force will occur in the fall after the MOA is signed.
BUDGET IMPACT: No matching funds required-staff support only