Subject
title
Ratify and approve the City Manager’s earlier execution of a Grant Agreement with the Chesapeake Bay Trust to fund tree planting at RedGate Park and Arboretum.
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Department
Recreation & Parks
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council ratify and approve the City Manager’s earlier execution of the attached Grant Agreement between the Mayor and Council and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Discussion
On August 26, 2024, the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) awarded Rockville a $181,720 grant to fund planting 954 trees within an area just over two acres in the southern section of RedGate Park and Arboretum. After legal review, and with concerns regarding timing of execution to ensure receipt of funds, the City Manager executed the Grant Agreement and is requesting ratification of that execution. The signed agreement is due to CBT no later than September 30. Staff was unable to bring this item before this agenda because staff was negotiating with the CBT to ensure that the City would be able to reduce the tree planning requirement if the grant was reduced. Once this approval has been granted by Mayor and Council, the City Manager will provide documentation of that approval to the CBT.
This is the second grant from CBT to help address the reforestation and arboretum component of the RedGate Park Master Plan. The approved Master Plan identifies approximately 29 acres of new forest, primarily along the southern, eastern, and northern perimeters of the park where it can most effectively connect existing (but fragmented) forest stands, fill gaps in the forest habitat, and increase riparian buffers along drainage systems.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Recreation and Park Advisory Board has been informed of this grant opportunity and will be briefed on the award at their September 26, 2024, meeting.
Fiscal Impact
Grant revenues and expenditure appropriations of $181,720 will be included in the next FY 2025 budget amendment. No matching funds are required for this grant.
Next Steps
If ratified by the Mayor and Council, the City Manager will provide the CBT with documentation of the ratification and approval.