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H&R Meeting 05.16.23 Packet Materials - FINALHealth & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 HEALTH & RECREATION COMMITTEE MAY 16, 2023 MICHAEL LABAGH, RECREATION DIRECTOR RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE Winter Recap •Youth Basketball Clinic •Country Line Dancing •Kid’s Swim Night Out •Drop-In Sports high attendance •Pickleball Single Day Tournament •Volleyball Single Day Tournaments •Consistent aquatics offerings Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE 2022 | 2023 Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 Month Avg Daily Visits Total Monthly Visits Admissions Revenue January 437 | 556 13,569 | 17,252 $79,263 | $106,473 February 528 | 580 14,808 | 16,246 $76,077 | $98,368 March 531 | 625 16,490 | 19,393 $98,555 | $119,304 April 455 | 491 13,664 | 14,731 $64,972 | $75,902 May 423 13,125 $87,347 June 461 13,837 $97,875 July 487 15,099 $111,949 August 488 15,157 $91,093 September 425 12,766 $68,347 October 308 9,553 $59,428 November 448 13,445 $152,888 December 459 14,233 $180,557 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE Facility Update •Steam/Sauna Remodel in progress •Pool maintenance closure •Technogym cardio equipment installation May 23-25 •Saturday Pool Hours: Begin May 20, 10:00am opening Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE Summer Programming Outlook •Expanded summer camp! Tu/Th-26- 30 kids, MWF-up to 50 kids •Beach Volleyball League •Youth Basketball Clinic •Outdoor Basketball Tournament •Pickleball tournaments, clinics, drop-in play and private lessons Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE Summer Programming Outlook •Dunk-N-Dash race series •Drop-In Open Water Swim •Open Water Swim Meet •Rec Swim Meet •Swim lessons -doubled offerings •Swim Instructor and Lifeguard Training •Outdoor Fitness Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE Community Swim Program May is National Water Safety Month! •In the U.S. drowning takes an average of 3,500-4,000 lives per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day. •Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury related death for children ages 1-4. Drowning remains in the top 5 causes of unintentional injury related death from birth to 54 years old. •Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for 1-4 year olds who take formal swim lessons. https://ndpa.org/drowning-quick-facts/ Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 RECREATION DEPARTMENT UPDATE Community Swim Program •Avon Elementary School swim lessons •Berry Creek Middle School swim lessons •Lessons are offered through the American Red Cross for all ages 6 months and up, including adults! •Recreational, Age-Group, Senior swim team levels offered through USA Swimming •Implemented free Personal Flotation Device (PFD) program •Expand all offerings as staffing and pool space allows Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 LA ZONA PLANNING PROJECT UPDATE Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 •Designs for Options 1, 2 & 4 •Finalizing service agreement •Design complete by August 2023 •Identify cost savings •Maximize facility space •Design with parking structure in mind 1st Floor 2nd Floor EAGLEBEND POCKET PARK •Current & future development •Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant opportunity •Community Outreach plan •Visioning process •Partner with Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement (EVOM) •Current park amenities:picnic table, bench,play structure,swing set,dog waste station, gravel path Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 EAGLEBEND POCKET PARK Community Outreach •What is most important for the Town to focus on when conducting Community Outreach? •What amenities and/or improvements should be prioritized when redeveloping this park? •Comments,questions,discussion… Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 THANK YOU! Health & Recreation Committee Meeting May 16, 2023 970.748.4021 pmckenny@avon.org TO: Honorable Mayor Phillips and Council members FROM: Eric Heil, Town Manager, Patty McKenny Deputy Town Manager RE: Resolution 23-02 Authorizing Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Grant Application DATE: February 23, 2023 SUMMARY: Resolution No. 23-02 (Attachment A) is presented for Council’s consideration and serves as one of the documents necessary for completing the final Community Impact Fund Grant application for submittal to the Great Outdoor Colorado (GOCO) for the Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project. The Town’s proposal includes a request for GOCO Community Impact Funds in the amount of $325K and a commitment from the Town of Avon for a cash match of $150K and in-kind services of $45K. Formal action would be required to support the resolution and the town’s application for the funding process. See below for brief project description and Attachment B for complete concept materials submitted for the first round of review by GOCO staff: BACKGROUND: Town Staff and Sustainable Strategies (“S2”) DC (grant administration consultants) submitted a concept paper and materials (Attachment B) to GOCO staff for their initial review of the project as part of the third cycle of requests for the Community Impact Program (Attachment C). The Town was notified by Dan Omasta, North / Central CO Program Officer, on February 16 the town’s project concept paper was reviewed along with 33 other concept papers, that included $22M in funding requests, so it is quite competitive. He also invited the town to submit a full proposal, as follows: Congratulations! Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project has been recommended to submit a full proposal. Staff will work with S2 to fine-tune the application for final submittal by March 20. GRANT PROGRAM: A general statement about the GOCO Community Impact Program is shown below in the box with details found in Attachment C. The Town and S2 targeted the Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project because it met many of the GOCO program objectives. 970.748.4021 pmckenny@avon.org COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAM Great Outdoors Colorado’s (GOCO) Community Impact Program seeks to enhance a community’s quality of life and access to the outdoors through investments in capital infrastructure projects and the community- driven processes that inform them. We believe when partners work together with community members in project visioning and design, and when processes elevate unheard voices, outdoor connections are more impactful, and communities become more cohesive and inclusive. The pocket park transformation project addresses three GOCO program values outlined below: 1. Equitable access | We partner with communities to break down barriers to the outdoors. 2. Youth connections | We believe children and their families deserve opportunities to get outside and experience all the benefits of doing so. 3. Community vitality | We invest in conservation and outdoor recreation efforts that support communities and quality of life. Town will kick off the community visioning process in May with the Health and Recreation Committee and a partnership with the Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement (EVOM) who will help support the bilingual public outreach effort. Design efforts would occur in 2023 and construction would be slated for spring 2024. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: The Town will submit a Grant Application to GOCO outlining the components of the pocket park improvements. GOCO funds are slated to be awarded in June 2023. If awarded the funding, a budget amendment will be required to proceed with design and construction. Attachment B includes a preliminary budget for the park project and includes a request for $325K in GOCO funds; $150K cash funds from the Town; $45K in-kind contribution from the Town. There have been some funds budgeted in 2023 and 2024 for town park improvements shown below. It is also noted the Developer of McGrady Acres paid $52/per square foot for their land and they deeded .14 acres (6,098 square feet) to the Town, which is a value estimated at $317,116. The Developer also remitted $249,667 cash as a fee in lieu of providing total required park land. Current CIP Budget 2023 2024 Saddleridge Park $25,000 $100,000 Eaglebend Pocket Park $0 $100,000 TOWN MANAGER RECOMMENDATION OR COMMENTS: I recommend the Mayor sign the final Resolution 23-02 once the final application has been completed. The town’s match is estimated not to exceed $150,000 cash contribution and $45K in-kind contribution and would require a supplemental budget amendment later this year if GOCO funds are awarded. The final form of the resolution will be approved by the Manager and Town Attorney. 970.748.4021 pmckenny@avon.org PROPOSED MOTION: “I move to approve Resolution 23-02, authorizing and supporting the Community Impact Grant application to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for the Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project.” Thank you, Eric and Patty ATTACHMENT A: Resolution No. 23-02 Supporting GOCO Community Impact Grant Funding Application ATTACHMENT B: Concept Paper for Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project ATTACHMENT C: GOCO Community Impact Program ATTACHMENT A Resolution No. 23-02 February 28, 2023 Page 1 of 2 RESOLUTION 23-02 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AND SUPPORTING A COMMUMITY IMPACT GRANT APPLICATION TO GREAT OUTDOORS COLORADO FOR THE EAGLEBEND POCKET PARK TRANSFORMATION PROJECT WHEREAS, the Town of Avon (“Town”) is a political subdivision of the State of Colorado, and therefore an eligible applicant for the community impact grant program offered by Great Outdoors Colorado (“GOCO”); and WHEREAS, Great Outdoors Colorado invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces awarding competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife; and WHEREAS, the Town will undertake a neighborhood visioning process partnering with Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement (“EVOM”) to engage the East Avon neighborhood to help design and provide ideas about reinventing the Eaglebend Pocket Park; this process helps the project align with the GOCO program values that would create “equitable recreational access, youth connections, and community vitality” in the neighborhood; and WHEREAS, the Town is highly committed to transforming Eaglebend Pocket Park, an underutilized and outdated park and turn it into a vibrant community asset with new and updated park equipment, amenities and services for the residents of Avon; and WHEREAS, the Town has been invited by GOCO Program Officer to submit a Community Impact Fund Grant Application, after having received a favorable review of the town’s concept paper, to request a total of $325K in GOCO funding with a Town of Avon cash match of $150K and in-kind services of $45K for the design and construction of the Pocket Park; and WHEREAS, the Avon Town Council finds that the Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project will promote the health, safety and general welfare of the Avon community. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWN OF AVON, COLORADO, THAT: Section 1. The above recitals are hereby incorporated as findings by the Town. Section 2. The Town Council of the Town of Avon supports the Community Impact Fund Grant Application and will authorize the expenditure of funds necessary to meet the terms and obligations of any grant awarded pursuant to a Grant Agreement with GOCO. ATTACHMENT A Resolution No. 23-02 February 28, 2023 Page 2 of 2 Section 3. If a grant is awarded, the Town of Avon hereby authorizes the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem to sign a Grant Agreement with the GOCO. ADOPTED FEBRUARY 28, 2023 BY THE AVON TOWN COUNCIL By: Attest:___________________________ Amy Phillips, Mayor Miguel Jauregui Casanueva, Town Clerk COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAM CONCEPT PAPER 1 Project Summary Information Project Title: Applicant Organization(s): Applicant Name(s): Partner Organization (if applicable): Partner Name (if applicable): Amount Requested: Estimated Total Project Cost: Estimated Grant Period (years): Brief Project Description (limit to space provided without expanding the text box; use 10 pt font) ATTACHMENT B Proposed Project: The Town of Avon seeks $325,000 in GOCO Community Impact funds, with a local cash match of $150,000 and in-kind commitment of $45,000 for its “Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project,” which will turn an underutilized pocket park into a community treasure for the residents of East Avon. Built around 2002, Eaglebend Pocket Park lacks modern, accessible playground equipment, access to drinking water, attractive landscaping, picnic shelters or shade structures. With GOCO funds, Avon will undertake a neighborhood visioning process, design and reinvent the park. Initial improvements that the Town will propose as possible upgrades to the community include a new playground with accessible equipment, a picnic shelter, picnic tables and benches, bike racks, and a water fountain/bottle filling station to reduce single use plastics. The Town has not determined that it will include these project amenities in the final design. Rather, they are a framework to initiate a community visioning process, particularly with the surrounding neighborhood. The Town of Avon has decided that it is critical for the process to focus on inclusiveness, equitable recreation, and water conservation. Towards those ends, the Town will work with the surrounding neighborhood to rename the park, will create signage in English and Spanish, and will include an upgrade to the irrigation system to reduce water use in the park with efficient watering practices. Community Need: Improvements to the local pocket park are critical for expanding equitable recreation. According to the 2020 American Community Survey (ACS), 66.4% of the surrounding residents rent their homes, 80% are low income, 68% are Latino, and 27% of the total population is under 12 years of age. While residents of Avon enjoy access to outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities within the Town and the surrounding White River National Forest, 12.4% of residents who live near Eaglebend Pocket Park lack access to a vehicle, which inhibits them from easily recreating. Eagle Bend Pocket Park is the only neighborhood park on the valley floor and the larger regional park, Harry A. Nottingham Park, is almost a mile away from the neighborhood. The park is within walking distance to the Eaglebend Apartment complex which has 240 affordable workforce housing units with young families. The expanded park will also benefit children attending a day care facility that is slated for development in the future. The Town of Avon selected Eaglebend Pocket Park as its highest priority since it is 20 years old, poorly serves the existing neighborhood because of its limited and aging facilities, and there was an opportunity to collaborate with a developer to expand and improve the park. A future development, McGrady Acres, will build 24 townhomes including one deed restricted workforce housing unit next to the park. A condition of the development agreement was the donation of 6,098 square feet (¼ of an acre) that will be added to the pocket park to create space for the additional improvements. The Town has estimated the value of the land to be $317.116. The cash match of $150,000 for this project is from the developer with an in-kind match of $48,000 in Town of Avon staffing resources to oversee the community visioning process and the final construction. Community-Driven Vision & Continued Engagement: Eaglebend Pocket Park is foremost a neighborhood park, and the Town will work closely with the Latino community to ensure the new park amenities are tailored to their recreational needs. The Town of Avon will kick off the community visioning process at its Health & Recreation Committee meeting on May 16 to explain the potential project and help shape the community outreach process. The town will also work with community partner Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement (EVOM) to support a bilingual public outreach effort (in English and Spanish) to incorporate the neighborhood’s feedback into the final design of the pocket park. Staff, working with EVOM, will follow best management practices for bilingual outreach. The Town of Avon will translate all meeting materials into Spanish, hold two public meetings in the neighborhood this summer that will include translation services, create and deploy surveys, and provide childcare and virtual options at public meetings. To increase the attendance of residents of Eaglebend Apartments, Staff will hold a meeting in the community room of the apartment complex and coordinate with the property management company to provide outreach material to residents in English and Spanish. The company that is selected for design work will integrate community feedback into the initial conceptual vision and hold a public meeting in English and in Spanish gain feedback on the progress of the design. Public meetings will be coordinated with the Town of Avon and EVOM to ensure appropriate translation services occur. The Town will provide an opportunity for the surrounding neighborhood to rename the park and will encourage the community to celebrate the Latino culture through this process. Intended Outcomes & Benefits: The Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project will expand and transform an outdated, underutilized pocket park into a vibrant community asset. While the final design of the park will be determined in a community driven process, the Town envisions updated accessible playground equipment for children up to age 12, picnic shelters and tables for community parties, bike racks to encourage multimodal access to the park, and a water fountain to ensure that children stay well hydrated in the dry climate. The new amenities will increase outdoor recreation for a low-income, young Latino population, serve a new townhouse development, and families throughout Eagle County using a proposed regional childcare facility. The park will also serve east Avon (Village at Avon), which is slated for additional residential and commercial growth in the coming years. Partnerships: The Town of Avon will partner with Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement (EVOM) to create a replicable model on working with the Latino community to expand equitable recreational access. EVOM is a group of organizations and community members, led by Walking Mountains Science Center, whose mission is to provide equal access to outdoor spaces and opportunities for youth and families in the Eagle Valley. Staff at Walking Mountain Science Center and EVOM specialize in Latino outreach and increasing equitable recreational access. The grant will include funding to cover the expenses of the Walking Mountain Science Center. The Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project will revitalize the aging park for the surrounding neighborhood, whose children will enjoy the park for many years to come. The Town of Avon will improve the quality of life and recreational amenities for all residents but needs GOCO’s support to turn this vision into a reality. 1 Date Secured GOCO Funds Matching Funds $325,000.00 1-Jun $150,000.00 subtotal $325,000.00 $150,000.00 TOTAL SOURCE OF FUNDS $475,000.00 Use of Funds (CASH)GOCO Funds Matching Funds Total Funding Public Outreach TBD $25,000.00 $0.00 $25,000.00 Design TBD $30,000.00 $0.00 $30,000.00 Construction TBD $110,000.00 $10,000.00 $120,000.00 Irrigation TBD $35,000.00 $0.00 $35,000.00 Park Equipment TBD $100,000.00 $0.00 $100,000.00 TBD $0.00 $70,000.00 $70,000.00 TBD $0.00 $5,000.00 $5,000.00 TBD water fountain / water bottle station $25,000.00 $0.00 $25,000.00 TBD Signage TBD $0.00 $40,000.00 $40,000.00 Contingency $25,000.00 $25,000.00 subtotal $325,000.00 $150,000.00 $475,000.00 Use of Funds (IN-KIND)Matching Funds Construction subtotal $0.00 GOCO Funds Matching Funds subtotal $325,000.00 $150,000.00 $475,000.00 CASH OR IN-KIND Total Funding Town of Avon, Colorado $45,000.00 $0.00 $0.00 $45,000.00 $520,000.0068% 63% PROJECT BUDGET & DETAILS APPLICATION SCOPE OF WORK Source of Funds (CASH) GOCO Community Impact Funds Town of Avon, Colorado Source of Funds (IN-KIND) Description Description Site work and prep for new equipment and irrigation Contract services for public outreach Final design/drawings bi-lingual signage (English-Spanish) playground equipment picnic structures and benches bike rack Improve irrigation system enhancing water conservation efforts OTHER LEVERAGED RESOURCES (OPTIONAL) Description TOTAL USE OF FUNDS* GOCO % of project value contingency at 5% of the total budget subtotal TOTAL PROJECT VALUE GOCO % of project cost project management / construction * The Total Use of Funds must equal the Total Source of Funds in the section above. Town of Avon Eaglebend Pocket Park Transformation Project Budget Narrative Public Outreach ($25,000 GOCO) The Town of Avon anticipates partnering with Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement (EVOM) which is led by the Walking Mountains Science Center, for public outreach services. $25,000 will cover EVOM’s costs to perform public outreach in English and Spanish. Signage ($40,000 TOA) The Town of Avon intends to model the final park sign on the monument sign recently built at Avon’s City Hall. A picture is included in the packet. In-Kind Other Leveraged Resources ($45,000 TOA) The Town of Avon will oversee the public outreach process and construction management. McG r a d y A c r e s R E s i d e n t i a l Dev e l o p m e n t P r o j e c t (Un d e r C o n s t r u c t i o n ) Existing Park Expanded Park Area Existing Open Space (River) Expanded Open Space Area Future Childcare Facility Future Bus Stop GOCO Grant Application SITE Highw a y 6 Regio n a l B i k e P a t h Poten t i a l RR C r o s s Sidew a l k Pe d e s t r i a n P a t h MCGRADY ACRES EAGLEBEND PUD Situs Address TRACT 0-2 (Park), MCGRADY ACRES Tax Area SC044 - AVON (TOWN) - SC044 Parcel Number 2103-073-14-007 Owner Name TOWN OF AVON Situs Address 005415 EAGLEBEND DR Tax Area SC044 - AVON (TOWN) - SC044 Parcel Number 2103-073-14-008 Owner Name TOWN OF AVON Situs Address TRACT: O-1 (Open Space) MCGRADY ACRES Tax Area SC044 - AVON (TOWN) - SC044 Parcel Number 2103-073-14-020 Owner Name TOWN OF AVON Tax Area SC044 - AVON (TOWN) - SC044 Parcel Number 2103-073-14-007 Owner Name TOWN OF AVON 0.84 ACRES 0.66 ACRES 0.44 ACRES 0.28 ACRES TRAER CREEK View from the North Existing Swing Set Existing Play Structure Town of Avon - Eaglebend Pocket Park Existing Bench Land for Park Expansion Sign Style – Will Propose Renaming Park to Celebrate Latino Community as Part of Visioning Process Town of Avon - Eaglebend Pocket Park 1 COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAM Great Outdoors Colorado’s (GOCO) Community Impact Program seeks to enhance a community’s quality of life and access to the outdoors through investments in capital infrastructure projects and the community-driven processes that inform them. We believe when partners work together with community members in project visioning and design, and when processes elevate unheard voices, outdoor connections are more impactful and communities become more cohesive and inclusive. People and communities experience a multitude of benefits from an increased connectedness to the outdoors ranging from improvement to physical and psychological health, to diversified local economies, to educational impacts and more. Funding for the outdoors can also be a meaningful equity lever in Colorado – and a means to address issues of disparity and disproportionality. When developing local projects, we ask partners to consider the multi- faceted benefits of outdoor recreation and outdoor education and advance the most needed and urgent projects that will serve the highest and best interests of their communities. Through this program, GOCO invites partners to apply for funding to develop and revitalize parks, trails, school yards, fairgrounds, environmental education facilities, and other outdoor projects as identified and prioritized by the communities they serve. To facilitate project outcomes, applicants may request funding, as needed, for the following components: ●Local capacity building through investments in existing staff, community members, and/or consultants ●Community planning, organizing and collaboration to identify existing barriers to outdoor experiences and solutions for overcoming them ●Land acquisitions ●Site-specific, community-centered design ●Storytelling, project communications, and celebrations Proposed projects must reflect one or more of GOCO’s program values as identified in our 2020 strategic plan and outlined later in this document. These values are intentionally open to interpretation and definition by our partners; how they are or could be reflected in each community is unique. And not every project will integrate multiple values. Projects that demonstrate several values, as well as projects that embody a singular value, can have ATTACHMENT C 2 meaningful impacts and significant merit. GOCO regional program officers look forward to working with partners on project visioning and development to ensure your valuable time is spent on projects that will compete well in this program. Please connect with us early so that we can provide guidance on competitive proposals, review our concepting to application framework, and have our team provide feedback on draft materials. We know the community needs of our statewide network are vast and we look forward to hearing your ideas and working with you to advance projects throughout Colorado. ABOUT US: GOCO invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state's parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. Our independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has committed more than $1.3 billion in lottery proceeds to more than 5,300 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. For more information, please visit www.GOCO.org. General Guidance and Grant Information BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Contact your GOCO regional program officer to discuss your project in detail using the contact information on our staff webpage. Together, you will determine whether your vision will compete well in the Community Impact Program. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY: This program is open to entities eligible to receive GOCO local government and open space funds as listed below. Ineligible entities can partner with an eligible entity to apply. As always, GOCO strongly encourages partnerships. a. Colorado municipality or county b. Title 32 special district eligible to receive distributions from the Conservation Trust Fund c. Political subdivision of the State of Colorado that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas d. 501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas, e.g., land trusts e. Colorado Parks and Wildlife APPLYING: Applicants should work with their regional officer through a concepting process, which can take several months or longer depending on the proposal. GOCO will accept draft concept papers on a rolling basis and can provide feedback. As part of an iterative process, staff 3 will reflect on the readiness and competitiveness of a proposal and make recommendations regarding a concept paper submission. Staff collectively considers all concept papers submitted in a cycle and will invite the most competitive projects to submit a full application. GOCO may ask clarifying questions of applicants at the concept or application stage to better understand your project. Staff may coordinate site visits to learn more about the opportunities in a community and hear more from the residents and stakeholders involved in planning processes. We may also seek additional written information for certain proposals. The content of conversations and any additional information submitted become part of the concept or application and open for discussion during staff or peer review as a means of vetting the merit of individual projects. All application materials and related communications may be subject to Colorado Open Records Act requests. PROGRAM VALUES: Projects should encompass one or more of GOCO’s program values as identified in our 2020 strategic plan: Resource conservation | We value strategic land conservation and resource protection work. Outdoor stewardship | We support sustainability of and improvements to the state’s natural and recreational resources. Community vitality | We invest in conservation and outdoor recreation efforts that support communities and quality of life. Equitable access | We partner with communities to break down barriers to the outdoors. Youth connections | We believe children and their families deserve opportunities to get outside and experience all the benefits of doing so. GRANT AMOUNT AND MATCH REQUIREMENTS: GOCO will consider grant requests between $100,000 and $1,000,000, with consideration for requests outside that range on a case-by-case basis. Please remember that GOCO serves communities throughout Colorado and appreciates applicants keeping requests reasonable and reflective of expected outcomes. Applicants will work with their GOCO regional program officer to customize a match amount for your project based on your community’s ability to match and to identify expenses eligible as match. 4 TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION: Applicants will work with their GOCO regional program officer to customize a timeline for your project based on the various deliverables. GOCO will prioritize projects that will begin immediately upon notice of award or execution of a grant agreement. PROPERTY OWNERSHIP: The applicant or partner entity must own or have control over the property upon which the proposed project will take place. GOCO requires a formal agreement between parties when the applicant is not the owner or controlling entity. Applicants seeking funding for projects involving federal land must discuss the proposal with GOCO staff prior to submitting a concept paper or application. GOCO cannot fund the recreational development of a property that a government entity condemned specifically for that recreational development. GOCO may consider participating in recreational development on lands previously acquired through condemnation for a purpose other than recreational development. PUBLIC ACCESS: The public must have reasonable public access to any project funded by GOCO. WILDLIFE REVIEW: Applicants should work with their GOCO regional program officer and the local CPW Area Wildlife Manager (AWM) to understand, document, and mitigate any impacts to wildlife habitat. We ask that you contact the AWM well in advance of the application deadline. SITE VISITS: GOCO staff may conduct site visits scheduled in collaboration with the project leads identified in the concept paper or application. ELIGIBLE COSTS AND MATCH: The following table, though not comprehensive, outlines specific eligible costs for this program. Please discuss any potential project expenses with GOCO to determine the eligibility of those expenses prior to applying. ELIGIBLE COSTS Costs associated with project planning/coordination/implementation/communications/ celebration Staff expenses incurred by the applicant and any contracted service providers for professional services directly related to project outcomes and administration. Costs of surveys, engineering, design, GIS/mapping, land acquisition due diligence costs, etc. Costs associated with volunteer engagement and retention, e.g., prizes, awards, food, etc. PROPOSAL REVIEW: The guidelines and criteria that inform GOCO’s project review and decision-making process is available on our website. GOCO strives to support applicants through the application process with feedback and guidance to minimize the investment of partner time and resources on concepts and applications deemed less competitive. GOCO is committed to a 5 fair, equitable, and efficient review process from concept papers to applications and will use a consensus-based process to arrive at funding recommendations. GOCO relies upon the collective wisdom of reviewers rather than vesting power or authority in individual reviewers. GOCO staff will review concept papers on a rolling basis, prior to the concept paper submission deadline for the concurrent grant cycle. The concepting stage is an iterative process between GOCO’s regional program officers and partners to generate the best possible proposal for any given grant round. GOCO staff will evaluate the merit of each proposal and assess the project’s relative potential to help advance one or more of GOCO’s program values. The review is comprehensive across GOCO’s four base programs – Community Impact, Stewardship Impact, Planning & Capacity, and Land Acquisition. GOCO staff will invite successful concept paper applicants to submit a full application and will provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants. Invited applications submitted by the due date are subject to a formal peer review process where GOCO will convene a group of peer reviewers to evaluate project merit. Reviewers will assess each application, including any additional supplemental or clarifying information submitted. As with the concept paper review, GOCO will provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants. Grant Administration Information If a grant is awarded, GOCO will assign a Grants Officer to work with the project lead on all aspects of grant administration including execution of a grant agreement, due diligence items, reporting criteria, grant payment options, and signage requirements. GOCO prefers to disburse funds on a reimbursement basis with a single payment occurring when the project is completed. However, grantees can request one progress payment of up to 75% of the grant amount prior to project completion with the remaining 25% paid upon project completion. Should either reimbursement option create barriers for project completion, please discuss available alternatives, including partial advanced payments, with your regional program officer. Please contact a Grants Officer now if additional grant administration information is a necessary consideration prior to application. You can find relevant contact information at the link below. Contact 6 Our Grant Programs team is available to discuss your project and proposal so feel free to reach out using the contact information found on our staff webpage. We look forward to working with you! COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAM APPLICATION 1 Checklist To ensure equity among applicants we ask that you adhere to the following when submitting materials. Please do not submit additional documents outside of those requested below. ☐ Project Summary Information form ☐ Responses to Proposal Narrative prompts ☐ Limit narrative responses to 6 pages ☐ Use 11 pt or larger font and 1-inch margins for formatting ☐ Do not include letterhead or organizational logos as part of the narrative ☐ Please limit the use of hyperlinks. Hyperlinks to other materials, such as a project website, may be included to demonstrate project elements that cannot be illustrated as an attachment due to scope or file size. ☐ Budget and optional budget narrative* ☐ Resolution from governing body of each applicant ☐ Wildlife Review* ☐ Indication of support (up to five e.g. letters of support from partners, community members, volunteers; summary of media articles, broadcasts; testimonials, etc.) ☐ Applicants may consider providing the following attachments: ☐ Maps or diagrams (up to two pages; highly recommended to provide a sense of location, community assets, and scope of work) ☐ Planning documents (extract up to two pages of pertinent information, e.g. infographic, process outlines, comments, data) ☐ Photos (up to two pages) ☐ Timeline * Please use the template or form provided on the program page. 2 Project Summary Information Project Title: Applicant Organization(s): Applicant Name(s): Partner Organization (if applicable): Partner Name (if applicable): Amount Requested: Estimated Total Project Cost: Estimated Grant Period (years): Brief Project Description (limit to space provided without expanding the text box; use 10 pt font) 3 Proposal Narrative Please submit a concise narrative using the following prompts. Responses need not follow the formatting below but should answer all considerations put forth. Please limit narrative responses to 6 pages: ● Describe the proposed project and the community need it will address related to outdoor recreation and/or outdoor education. Discuss the multi-faceted benefits of this project and how it will enhance your community’s quality of life. ● Reflect on the community-driven nature of this project and what that means for your community. Discuss efforts to date or any anticipated work to involve community members in project visioning and design and to elevate unheard voices in your community. ● Reflect on the intended outcomes of your project and the multiple benefits it will provide for your community and discuss the partnerships you have or will pursue to achieve those benefits. Discuss the nature of each partnership and what it will bring to the table.