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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR UP TO $8,200,000 FOR A REBUILDING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SUSTAINABILITY AND EQUITY GRANT FOR RESILIENT REHABILITATION OF THE LAKEWALK.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to submit an application to the United States Department of Transportation for up to $8,200,000 for a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant resilient rehabilitation of the Lakewalk Multiuse Trail, including final design and construction.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City has the legal authority to apply for financial assistance, and the institutional, managerial, and financial capability to ensure proper planning and maintenance of the project.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City will commit to contribute at least twenty percent, or $2,050,000, of the total $10,250,000 project cost, and no less than one hundred percent of the project costs in excess of any grant provided.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City has not violated any federal, state, or local laws pertaining to fraud, bribery, graft, kickbacks, collusion, conflict of interest, or other unlawful or corrupt practices.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Duluth City Council names the fiscal agent for this project as Jen Carlson, City of Duluth Finance Director, 411 West First Street, Duluth, MN 55802.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution authorizes City of Duluth officials to submit a grant application to the United States Department of Transportation for up to $8,200,000 from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program for resilient reconstruction of the Lakewalk. The total project cost is $10,250,000 to support the development of final designs for, and construction of, improvements to the Lakewalk between Corner of the Lake Park and 26th Avenue East. The City will provide the 20% local funding match of $2,050,000 for the project from a portion of the $5.5 million in City funds earmarked in the City’s 2022 Council-approved annual bonding plan as the local contribution to reconstruction of the DECC seawall, the Lakewalk, and Brighton Beach.
The requested funding will restore and stabilize vulnerable portions of the shoreline, retreat and rehabilitate the Lakewalk, increase neighborhood and Downtown connectivity to the trail, improve accessibility and safety, and reduce congestion on the trail. The Lakewalk is the most popular public green space in Duluth, with more than one million visits per year by residents and tourists. As a multi-use trail, the Lakewalk serves as an essential transportation corridor connecting Canal Park, the Downtown area, and east Duluth. Repeated storm repairs on the Lake Superior shoreline adjacent to the Lakewalk consume finite funding. Reconstructing the shoreline and retreating portions of the Lakewalk will make Duluth far less vulnerable to harm from storms. The project will benefit residents and visitors by protecting I35, the railroad, sewer mains, and the Lakewalk from progressive damage by powerful Lake Superior storms that are eroding the adjacent shoreline.
The Lakewalk Rehabilitation Project is one of two projects being submitted by the City of Duluth for this round of RAISE grants. The Public Works and Utilities Department will be submitting a grant application for the Aerial Lift Bridge Improvement Project as described in resolution 23-0125R.