[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 142 (Monday, July 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44394-44399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-18563]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program; Tribal
Transit Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability: Solicitation of Grant Proposals
for FY 2011 Tribal Transit Program Funds.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of $15,075,000 in
funding provided by the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations
Program (Tribal Transit Program (TTP)), a program authorized by the
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Section 3013(c). This notice is a
national solicitation for grant proposals and it includes the selection
criteria and program eligibility information for FY 2011 projects. This
announcement is available on the FTA Web site at: http://www.fta.dot.gov. FTA will announce final selections on the Web site and
in the Federal Register. Additionally, a synopsis of the funding
opportunity will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide
electronic grants Web site at http://www.grants.gov.
DATES: Complete proposals for the Tribal Transit program announced in
this Notice must be submitted by September 26, 2011. All proposals must
be submitted electronically through the grants.gov apply function. Any
Tribe
[[Page 44395]]
intending to apply should initiate the process of registering on the
grants.gov site immediately to ensure completion of registration before
the submission deadline. Instructions for applying can be found on
FTA's Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tribaltransit and in the
``Find'' module of grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the appropriate FTA Regional
Administrator (Appendix A) for proposal-specific information. For
general program information, contact Lorna Wilson, Tribal Transit
Program, (202) 366-0893, e-mail: lorna.wilson@dot.gov. A TDD is
available at 1-800-877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Overview
II. Program Purpose
III. Program Information
A. Eligible Applicants
B. Eligible Projects
C. Cost Sharing and Matching
D. Proposal Content
E. Evaluation Criteria
IV. Technical Assistance and Other Program Information
Appendix A FTA Regional Offices
Appendix B Tribal Transit Program Technical Assistance Contacts
Appendix C Discretionary Schedule
I. Overview
Section 3013 of SAFETEA-LU, [Pub. L. 109-59 (August 10, 2005)]
amended 49 U.S.C. 5311(c) by establishing the Public Transportation on
Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program) (TTP). This
program authorizes direct grants ``under such terms and conditions as
may be established by the Secretary'' to Indian tribes for any purpose
eligible under FTA's Nonurbanized Area Formula Program, 49 U.S.C. 5311
(Section 5311 program). A total of $15,075,000 is currently available
for discretionary allocation.
II. Program Purpose
TTP funds are to be allocated for grants to federally recognized
Indian tribes for any purpose eligible under the Section 5311 program.
The Conference Report that accompanied SAFETEA-LU indicated that the
funds set aside for Indian tribes in the TTP are not meant to replace
or reduce funds that Indian tribes receive from States through FTA's
Section 5311 program. TTP funds are meant to complement any 5311 funds
that applicants may be receiving. These funds will be competitively
allocated to support planning, capital, and operating assistance for
tribal public transit services. Geographic diversity will be considered
during the allocation of TTP funds.
III. Program Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include Federally-recognized Indian tribes or
Alaska Native villages, groups, or communities as identified by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in the U.S. Department of the Interior
(DOI). To be an eligible recipient, a tribe must have the requisite
legal, financial and technical capabilities to receive and administer
Federal funds under this program. To verify federal recognition a tribe
may submit a copy of the most up-to-date Federal Register notice
published by DOI, BIA: Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive
Service from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. Applicants
must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
database and maintain an active CCR registration with current
information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or
an application or plan under consideration by FTA.
B. Eligible Projects
Grants can be awarded to recipients located in rural and small
urban areas with populations under 50,000 not identified as an
urbanized area by the Bureau of the Census and may be used for public
transportation capital projects, operating costs of equipment and
facilities for use in public transportation, planning, and the
acquisition of public transportation services, including service
agreements with private providers of public transportation services.
Under DOT Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) regulations,
public fixed-route operators are required to provide ADA complementary
paratransit service to individuals who are unable to use fixed route
due to their disability or a fixed route being inaccessible.
Coordinated human service transportation that primarily serves elderly
persons and persons with disabilities, but that is not restricted from
carrying other members of the public, is considered available to the
general public if it is marketed as public transportation. Examples of
eligible TTP projects are start-up service, enhancement or expansions
of existing services, purchase of transit capital items including
vehicles, and planning or operational planning grants.
C. Cost Sharing and Matching
Projects selected for funding under the TTP can be funded up to 100
percent federal share of project costs.
D. Proposal Content
1. Proposal Submission Process
Project proposals must follow the submission guidelines that are
provided at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tribaltransit. A synopsis of this
announcement is also posted in the ``FIND'' module of the grants.gov.
E-mail, mail and fax submissions will not be accepted.
Complete proposals for the Tribal Transit program must be submitted
electronically through the grants.gov Web site by September 26, 2011.
Applicants are encouraged to begin the process of registration on the
grants.gov site well in advance of the submission deadline.
Registration is a multi-step process, which may take several weeks to
complete before an application can be submitted successfully. In
addition to the Mandatory SF424 Form that will be downloaded from
grants.gov, FTA requires applicants to complete the Supplemental FTA
Form to enter descriptive and data elements of individual program
proposals for these discretionary programs. These supplemental forms
provide guidance and a consistent format for applicants to respond to
the criteria outlined in this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and
described in detail on the FTA Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tribaltransit. Applicants must use this Supplemental Form and attach it
to their submission in grants.gov to successfully complete the
application process. Within 24-48 hours after submitting an electronic
application, the applicant should receive an e-mail validation message
from grants.gov. The validation will state whether grants.gov found any
issues with the submitted application. As an additional notification,
FTA's system will notify the applicant if there are any problems with
the submitted Supplemental FTA Form. If making a resubmission for any
reason, include all original attachments regardless of which
attachments were updated. Complete instructions on the application
process can be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov/tribaltransit.
Important: FTA urges applicants to submit their applications at
least 72 hours prior to the due date to allow time to receive the
validation message and to correct any problems that may have caused a
rejection notification.
The following information must accompany all requests for TTP
funding.
2. Proposal Information
i. Name of Federally recognized tribe and, if appropriate, the
specific tribal agency submitting the application.
ii. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
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number if available. (Note: If selected, applicant will be required to
provide DUNS number prior to grant award.)
iii. Contact information including: Contact name, title, address,
congressional district, fax and phone number, and e-mail address if
available.
iv. Description of public transportation services including areas
currently served by the tribe, if any.
v. Name of person (s) authorized to apply on behalf of the tribe
(signed transmittal letter) must accompany the proposal.
vi. Technical, legal, and financial capacity to implement the
proposed project.
3. Project Information
i. Budget: Provide the Federal amount requested for each purpose
for which funds are sought and any funding from other sources that will
be provided. A Tribe may allow up to fifteen percent of the grant award
for planning and the indirect costs rate may not exceed ten percent.
ii. Project Description: Indicate the category for which funding is
requested; i.e., start-ups, enhancements or replacements of existing
transit services or planning studies or operational planning grants.
Provide a summary description of the proposed project and how it will
be implemented (e.g., number and type of vehicles, service area,
schedules, type of services, fixed route or demand responsive), route
miles (if fixed route), major origins and destinations, population
served, and whether the tribe provides the service directly or
contracts for services and how vehicles will be maintained.
iii. Project Timeline: Include significant milestones such as date
of contract for purchase of vehicle(s), actual or expected delivery
date of vehicles, and service start-up dates.
E. Evaluation Criteria
FTA will divide proposals into three categories for evaluation. The
three evaluation categories are as follows:
1. Start-ups--Proposals for funding of new transit service include
capital, operating, administration, and planning.
2. Existing transit services--Proposals for funding of enhancements
or expansion of existing transit services include capital, operating,
administration, and planning.
3. Planning--Proposals for planning include funding of transit
planning studies and/or operational planning.
Applications will be grouped into their respective category for review
and scoring purposes.
Tribes that cannot demonstrate adequate capacity in technical,
legal and financial areas will not be considered for funding. Every
proposal must describe the tribe's technical, legal, and financial
capacity to implement the proposed project.
i. Technical Capacity: Provide examples of the tribe's management
of other Federal projects. What resources does the tribe have to
implement a transit project?
ii. Legal Capacity: Provide documentation or other evidence to show
that the applicant is a federally recognized tribe and an authorized
representative to execute legal agreements with FTA on behalf of the
tribe. If applying for capital or operating funds, does the tribe have
appropriate Federal or State operating authority?
iii. Financial Capacity: Does the tribe have adequate financial
systems in place to receive and manage a Federal grant? Describe the
tribe's financial systems and controls.
a. Evaluation Criteria for Start-Ups and Existing Transit Service
1. Project Planning and Coordination
In this section, the applicant should describe how the proposed
project was developed and demonstrate that there is a sound basis for
the project and that it is ready to implement if funded. Proposals will
be rated whether there is a sound basis for the proposal and if it is
ready to implement. Information may vary depending upon how the
planning process for the project was conducted. Project planning and
coordination should consider and address the following areas:
i. Describe the planning document and/or the planning process
conducted to identify the proposed project.
ii. Provide a detailed project description including the proposed
service, vehicle and facility needs, and other pertinent
characteristics of the proposed service implementation.
iii. Identify existing transportation services available to the
tribe and discuss whether the proposed project will provide
opportunities to coordinate service with existing transit services,
including human service agencies, intercity bus services, or other
public transit providers.
iv. Discuss the level of support either by the community and/or
tribal government for the proposed project.
v. Describe how the mobility and client-access needs of tribal
human service agencies were considered in the planning process.
vi. Describe what opportunities for public participation were
provided in the planning process and how the proposed transit service
or existing service has been coordinated with transportation provided
for the clients of human service agencies, with intercity bus
transportation in the area, or with any other rural public transit
providers.
vii. Describe how the proposed service complements rather than
duplicates any currently available services.
viii. Describe the implementation schedule for the proposed
project, including time frame, staffing, procurement, etc.
ix. Describe any other planning or coordination efforts that were
not mentioned above.
2. Demonstration of Need
In this section, the proposal should demonstrate the transit needs
of the tribe and discuss how the proposed transit improvements will
address the identified transit needs. Proposals may include information
such as destinations and services not currently accessible by transit,
need for access to jobs or health care, special needs of the elderly
and individuals with disabilities, income-based community needs, or
other mobility needs.
Based on the information provided, the proposals will be rated on
whether there is a demonstrated need for the project and how well does
the project fulfill the need.
3. Demonstration of Benefits
In this section, proposals should identify expected project
benefits. Possible examples include increased ridership and daily
trips, improved service, improved operations and coordination, and
economic benefits to the community.
Benefits can be demonstrated by identifying the population of
tribal members and non-tribal members in the proposed project service
area and estimating the number of daily one-way trips the transit
service will provide and or the number of individual riders. There may
be many other, less quantifiable, benefits to the tribe and surrounding
community from this project. Please document, explain or show the
benefits in whatever format is reasonable to present them.
Based on the information provided proposals will be rated based on
four factors:
i. Will the project improve transit efficiency or increase
ridership?
ii. Will the project improve mobility for the tribe?
iii. Will the project improve access to important destinations and
services?
iv. Are there other qualitative benefits?
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4. Financial Commitment and Operating Capacity
In this section, the proposal should identify any other funding
sources used by the tribe to support existing or proposed transit
services, including human service transportation funding, Indian
Reservation Roads, or other FTA programs such as Job Access and Reverse
Commute, New Freedom, Section 5311, Section 5310, or Section 5309 Bus
and Bus Facilities.
For existing services, the proposal should show how TTP funding
will supplement (not duplicate or replace) current funding sources. If
the transit system was previously funded under section 5311 through the
State's apportionment, describe how requested TTP funding will expand
available services.
Describe any other resources the tribe will contribute to the
project, including in-kind contributions, commitments of support from
local businesses, donations of land or equipment, and human resources,
and describe to what extent the new project or funding for existing
service leverages other funding.
The tribe should show its ability to manage programs by
demonstrating the existing programs it administers in any area of
expertise such as human services. Based upon the information provided,
the proposals will be rated on the extent to which the proposal
demonstrates that:
i. This project provides new services or complements existing
service;
ii. TTP funding does not replace existing funding;
iii. The tribe has or will provide non-financial support to
project;
iv. The tribe has demonstrated ability to provide other services or
manage other programs; and
v. Project funds are used in coordination with other services for
efficient utilization of funds.
b. Evaluation Criteria for Planning Proposals
For planning grants, the application should describe, in no more
than three pages, the need for and a general scope of the proposed
study.
The application should address the following:
1. Is the tribe committed to planning for transit?
2. Is the scope of the proposed study for tribal transit?
c. Note on Continuation Projects
If an applicant is requesting FY 2011 funding to continue a project
funded previously with prior year resources, tribes must demonstrate
that their project(s) are in an active status to receive additional
funding. Along with the criteria listed in Section 111.5.a, proposals
should state that the applicant is a current TTP grantee and provide
information on their transit project(s) status including services now
being provided and how the new funding will complement the existing
service. Please provide any data that would be helpful to project
evaluators, i.e., ridership, increased service hours, extended service
routes, stops, etc. If you received a planning grant in previous fiscal
years, please indicate the status of your planning study and how this
project relates to that study.
IV. Technical Assistance and Other Program Information
This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372,
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.'' FTA will consider
applications for funding only from eligible recipients for eligible
projects listed in Section 3. Due to funding limitations, applicants
that are selected for funding may receive less than the amount
requested.
Complete applications must be submitted through grants.gov by
September 26, 2011. Applicants may receive technical assistance for
application development by contacting their FTA regional Tribal
liaison, or the National Rural Transportation Assistance Program
office. Contact information for technical assistance can be found in
Appendix B.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.
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APPENDIX A
FTA Regional and Metropolitan Offices
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Richard H. Doyle, Regional Robert C. Patrick, Regional
Administrator Region 1-Boston, Kendall Administrator, Region 6-Ft.
Square, 55 Broadway, Suite 920, Worth, 819 Taylor Street, Room
Cambridge, MA 02142-1093, Tel. 617-494- 8A36, Ft. Worth, TX 76102,
2055. Tel. 817-978-0550.
States served: Connecticut, Maine, States served: Arkansas,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Louisiana, Oklahoma, New
Island, and Vermont. Mexico and Texas.
Brigid Hynes-Cherin, Regional Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional
Administrator, Region 2-New York, One Administrator, Region 7-Kansas
Bowling Green, Room 429, New York, NY City, MO, 901 Locust Street,
10004-1415, Tel. 212-668-2170. Room 404, Kansas City, MO
States served: New Jersey, New York.... 64106, Tel. 816-329-3920.
New York Metropolitan Office Region 2- States served: Iowa, Kansas,
New York, One Bowling Green, Room 428, Missouri, and Nebraska.
New York, NY 10004-1415, Tel. 212-668- Terry Rosapep, Regional
2202. Administrator, Region 8-
Letitia Thompson, Regional Denver, 12300 West Dakota
Administrator, Region 3-Philadelphia, Ave., Suite 310, Lakewood, CO
1760 Market Street, Suite 500, 80228-2583, Tel. 720-963-3300.
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124, Tel. 215- States served: Colorado,
656-7100. Montana, North Dakota, South
States served: Delaware, Maryland, Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Leslie T. Rogers, Regional
and the District of Columbia. Administrator, Region 9-San
Philadelphia Metropolitan Office, Francisco, 201 Mission Street,
Region 3-Philadelphia, 1760 Market Room 1650, San Francisco, CA
Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 94105-1926, Tel. 415-744-3133.
19103-4124, Tel. 215-656-7070. States served: American Samoa,
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Office, Arizona, California, Guam,
1990 K Street, NW, Room 510, Hawaii, Nevada, and the
Washington, DC 20006, Tel. 202-219- Northern Mariana Islands.
3562. Los Angeles Metropolitan
Yvette Taylor, Regional Administrator, Office, Region 9-Los Angeles,
Region 4-Atlanta, 230 Peachtreet 888 S. Figueroa Street, Suite
Street, NW Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 1850, Los Angeles, CA 90017-
30303, Tel. 404-865-5600. 1850, Tel. 213-202-3952.
States served: Alabama, Florida, Rick Krochalis, Regional
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Administrator, Region 10-
Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Seattle, Jackson Federal
Carolina,Tennessee, and Virgin Islands. Building, 915 Second Avenue,
Marisol Simon, Regional Administrator, Suite 3142, Seattle, WA 98174-
Region 5-Chicago, 200 West Adams 1002, Tel. 206-220-7954.
Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60606, States served: Alaska, Idaho,
Tel. 312-353-2789. Oregon, and Washington
States served: Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and
Wisconsin.
Chicago Metropolitan Office, Region 5-
Chicago, 200 West Adams Street, Suite
320, Chicago, IL 60606, Tel. 312-353-
2789..
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APPENDIX B
Technical Assistance Contacts
Alaska Tribal Technical Assistance Program: Kim Williams, University
of Alaska, Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756720, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6720,
(907) 842-2521, (907) 474-5208, williams@nushtel.net, http://
community.uaf.edu/~alaskattac,
Service area: Alaska.
National Indian Justice Center: Raquelle Myers, 5250 Aero Drive,
Santa Rosa, CA 95403, (707) 579-5507 or (800) 966-0662, (707) 579-
9019, nijc@aol.com, http://www.nijc.org/ttap.html,
Service area: California, Nevada.
Tribal Technical Assistance Program at Colorado State University:
Ronald Hall, Rockwell Hall, Room 321, Colorado State University,
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1276, (800) 262-7623, (970) 491-3502,
ronald.hall@colostate.edu, http://ttap.colostate.edu/,
Service area: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah.
Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP): Bernie D. Alkire, 301-E
Dillman Hall, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend
Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295, (888) 230-0688, (906) 487-1834,
balkire@mtu.edu, http://www.ttap.mtu.edu/,
Service area: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania.
Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program: Dennis Trusty,
United Tribes Technical College, 3315 University Drive, Bismarck, ND
58504, (701) 255-3285 ext. 1262, (701) 530-0635,
nddennis@hotmail.com, http://www.uttc.edu/forum/ttap/ttap.asp,
Service area: Montana (Eastern), Nebraska (Northern), North Dakota,
South Dakota, Wyoming.
Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program: Richard A. Rolland,
Eastern Washington University, Department of Urban Planning, Public
& Health Administration, 216 Isle Hall, Cheney, WA 99004, (800) 583-
3187, (509) 359-7485, rrolland@ewu.edu, http://www.ewu.edu/TTAP/,
Service area: Idaho, Montana (Western), Oregon, Washington.
Tribal Technical Assistance Program at Oklahoma State University:
James Self, Oklahoma State University, 5202 N. Richmond Hills Road,
Stillwater, OK 74078-0001, (405) 744-6049, (405) 744-7268,
jim.self@okstate.edu, http://ttap.okstate.edu/,
Service area: Kansas, Nebraska (Southern), Oklahoma, Texas.
Other Technical Assistance Resources
National RTAP (National Rural Transit Assistance Program): Contact:
Patti Monahan, National RTAP, 5 Wheeling Ave, Woburn, MA 01801,
(781) 404-5015 (Direct), (781) 895-1122 (Fax), (888) 589-6821 (Toll
Free), pmonahan@nationalrtap.org, http://www.nationalrtap.org.
Community Transportation Association of America: The Resource
Center: 800-891-0590, http://www.ctaa.org/.
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[FR Doc. 2011-18563 Filed 7-22-11; 8:45 am]
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