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<br /> <br /> <br />August 1, 2024 <br /> <br />Chris Heineman <br />City Administrator <br />Sent via email <br /> <br />RE: Proposal: Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program Community Planning Grant <br />Application <br /> <br />Dear Chris: <br /> <br />We are pleased to present the following proposal to support the City of Little Canada in pursuing FHWA <br />funding to address community connectivity issues around Interstate 35E. This effort is anticipated to <br />include the pursuit of a Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program Planning Grant. We have <br />detailed our anticipated scope of services, schedule, and an estimate of fees. <br /> <br />Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program Community Planning Grant <br />Application <br />The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the RCP program to provide discretionary grants to <br />eligible entities to plan, design, and construct eligible projects that advance community-centered <br />transportation connection projects, with a priority on projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. <br />The RCP NOFO solicits grant applications for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot discretionary grant <br />program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) USDOT offers two grant types: 1) Capital <br />Construction and 2) Community Planning. <br /> <br />The RCP program aims to achieve the following: <br /> <br />• Prioritize disadvantaged communities; <br />• Improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and recreation; <br />• Foster equitable development and restoration; <br />• Reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other <br />transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including mobility, <br />access, or economic development. <br /> <br />Community Planning Grants will provide funds for planning activities to support future construction <br />projects and allow for innovative community planning to address localized transportation challenges. <br />Projects may address: <br /> <br />• Planning to restore community connectivity <br />• Community/public engagement <br />• Assessing environmental impacts from transportation in underserved communities (i.e., air <br />quality, greenhouse gas emissions, extreme heat hotspots, gaps in tree canopy coverage, or <br />flood-prone transportation infrastructure) <br />• Developing local anti-displacement policies and community benefit agreements