Title
Dept/ Agency: Economic and Housing Development
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Application for Grant Funds
Purpose: Application for Grant Funds to support the development of vacant Green Acres land into the Frederick Douglass Park.
Entity Name: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Green Acres Program
Entity Address: 501 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Grant Amount: $750,000.00
Total Project Cost: $1,000,000.00
City Contribution: $250,000.00
Other Funding Source/Amount: $0.00
Grant Period: N/A
Contract Basis: ( ) Bid ( ) State Vendor ( ) Prof. Ser. ( ) EUS
( ) Fair & Open ( ) No Reportable Contributions ( ) RFP ( ) RFQ
( ) Private Sale (X) Grant ( ) Sub-recipient ( ) N/A
List of Property: Frederick Douglass Park
(Frederick Douglass Park/Block 2563/Lots 1 and 76/Central Ward)
Additional Information:
Deferred 7R2-a 020619
body
WHEREAS, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Program (“State”), provides loans and/or grants to municipal and county governments and grants to non-profit organizations for assistance in the acquisition, development, and stewardship of lands for outdoor recreation and conservation purposes; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark (“City”) wishes to develop vacant Green Acres land into the Frederick Douglass Park, having both passive and non-passive park activities; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to further the public interest by obtaining funding in the form of a $750,000.00 grant from the State to fund the development of vacant Green Acres land into the Frederick Douglass Park (the “Project”); and
WHEREAS, the City pledges to contribute funds in the amount of $250,000.00 (the “Pledged Funds”) from its Open Space and Recreation Trust Fund towards the Project; and
WHEREAS, Old Third Ward Redevelopment, LLC, the designated redeveloper of the Frederick Douglass Park (hereinafter, the “Redeveloper”) agrees to reimburse the Pledged Funds to the City; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Economic and Housing Development recommends that the City make application for such a grant; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Economic and Housing Development has prepared an application package, entitled “Green Acres 2019 Submission for Frederick Douglass Park” (the “Application”), annexed hereto as Exhibit ‘A’; and
WHEREAS, as a condition of the Application, on October 5, 2018, the City did advertise for a public meeting for comment to be held on October 22, 2018; and
WHEREAS, the public meeting for comment was held on October 22, 2018, and no objections were voiced to the Application or Project; and
WHEREAS, the State shall determine if the Application is complete and in conformance with the scope and intent of the Green Acres Program, and notify the City of the amount of the funding award; and
WHEREAS, the City is willing to use the State’s funds in accordance with such rules, regulations, and applicable statutes, and is willing to enter into an agreement with the State governing the use of the funds for the Project.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Mayor and/or his designee, the Director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development is hereby authorized to execute the Application in substantially the same form attached, with such revisions as deemed advisable by Counsel for the Department of Economic and Housing Development or the Corporation Counsel for the City, and any amendment thereto as an authorized representative for the City of Newark for grant awards from the NJDEP Green Acres Program for the purpose of developing vacant Green Acres land into the Frederick Douglass Park.
2. Matching funds in the amount of $250,000.00 will be provided from the City’s Open Space and Recreation Trust Fund. Redeveloper shall reimburse the Pledged Funds to the City.
3. Attached is a full Certification of Funds from the Director of Finance stating that there are available, sufficient and appropriate funds in the amount of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars and Zero Cents ($250,000.00), for the purposes set forth herein and the line appropriations which shall be charged as follows:
Bus. Unit Dept. ID Div/Proj. Acct. # Bud Ref.
NW026 BS 32710 B2019
4. A certified copy of this Resolution will be forwarded to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program.
5. The Director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development shall file a fully executed copy of the Application in the Office of the City Clerk.
6. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution authorizes the Mayor and/or his designee, the Director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development to make an application for grant funds from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program in the amount of $750,000.00 for the development/transformation of vacant Green Acres land into the Frederick Douglass Park. The City will pledge $250,000.00 in matching funds from its Open Space and Recreation Trust Fund towards the project.