COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Department of Parks

 

DATE:

May 21, 2007

BOARD MEETING DATE:

June 5, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

David G. Holland, Director, Department of Parks

SUBJECT:

Acceptance of a $260,305 Grant from the California Air Resources Board for the Purchase of Three Off-Road Diesel Vehicles for the Department of Parks’ Construction Equipment Fleet and Plug-In Diesel Particulate Filter Retrofit Equipment for these Three Vehicles

 

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution 1) authorizing the acceptance of a $260,305 California Air Resources Board Low-Emissions Construction Equipment Grant for the purchase of three off-road diesel vehicles and plug-in diesel particulate filter retrofit equipment for these three vehicles; 2) authorizing the Director of the Department of Parks or his designee to sign the grant agreement with the California Air Resources Board; 3) waiving the competitive procurement process; 4) authorizing the Purchasing Agent to enter into a Purchase Order with John Deere Equipment and Pape’ Machinery and a Purchase Order with Tractor Equipment Sales for the purchase of the three off-road diesel vehicles and plug-in diesel particulate filter retrofit equipment for these three vehicles; and 5) authorizing the allocation of up to $66,299 from the Parks Department’s Vehicle Replacement Fund as matching funds for the grant.

 

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment.

Goals 14 and 15: Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship. Residents have access to green space, such as parks and recreational opportunities.

 

These three off-road diesel vehicles will support a large number of park construction and maintenance projects while producing less Nitrous Oxide (Nox) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions.

 

BACKGROUND:

Construction equipment emits significant quantities of toxic diesel particulate matter and nitrogen oxides that form smog and particles in the atmosphere. On November 7, 2006, California voters approved a Transportation and Air Quality Bond Act (Prop. 1B) by which a one-time allocation of $25 million is being granted for the purchase of low-polluting construction equipment for public agency construction fleets. Further, in 2007, the California Air Resources Board will propose legislation for in-use off-road equipment to reduce emissions that will apply to both public and private fleets. The Low-Emissions Construction Equipment Grant Program funding assists public agencies in providing leadership in cleaning up their fleets in advance of this proposed legislation, while also providing early emission reductions and relieving some of the financial burden. Due to legislative constraints, the funds must be allocated by June 30, 2007.

 

The Parks Department proposes to use the grant funds to acquire one (1) John Deere 605C Crawler Loader with 4045T Power Tech engine and two (2) Case 580 XT Skip Loaders with 4T 390 CNH engines. The John Deere and Tractor Equipment Sales Companies are recommended as the vendors as they are pre-approved by the California Air Resources Board for meeting the required emissions standards.

 

DISCUSSION:

The Parks Department maintains a five-year list of road equipment that needs to be replaced. Based on the amount of funding available, equipment is replaced when it has reached the end of usable life. For this grant application, the Department selected three pieces of older construction equipment that could not be retrofitted to current standards, were less efficient and emitted higher quantities of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. A requirement of the grant program is to decommission the old equipment following our regular surplus practices.

 

The project must be fully implemented between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 to qualify for the funds. The equipment is custom made and expected to take one year from order date to delivery date. To meet the grant timeframe, the equipment would need to be ordered immediately upon submittal of a certified copy of the Board of Supervisors’ resolution to the California Air Resources Board.

The Department will submit Annual Usage and Maintenance Report to the California Air Resources Board for four years ending with a report in June 2011.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

There will be no impact on the County General Fund. The project match of up to $66,299 will come from our Department Vehicle Equipment Replacement Fund in lieu of other lower priority vehicle purchases.