HomeMy WebLinkAboutres2018-025WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2018 131
CLEARANCES
Initial
Date
Date Received in Council Office
Agenda Date
Assigned to:
Originator:
4/5/2018
5/8/2018
SCOTW /Council
Division Head
7/10/18
Finance /Council
Dept. ad:
He
_>
Prosecutor:
1
Purchas in .e/Budget:
1
Executive:
TITLE OF DOCUMENT:
Resolution authorizing allocation of Reet I funding for building expansion
ATTACHMENTS:
SEPA review required? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
Should Clerk schedule a hearing ? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
SEPA review conipleted? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
Requested Date:
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SUMMARY STATEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this iten: is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing, you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate.
Be clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
Resolution authorizing the allocation of Reet I funding to support the construction of a multi -use building expansion at the East Whatcom Regional
Resource Center
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COMMITTEE ACTION:
COUNCIL ACTION.•
5/8/2018: Held in Committee and forwarded motion to
5/8/2018: Held in Committee
request the administration meet with proponents to see
7/10/2018: Substitute Approved 6 -0, Res. 2018 -025
where they can lower the cost of the project and give
an update in four weeks
7/10/2018: Forwarded substitute to Council for approval
S
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Related County Contract #:
Related File Numbers:
Ordinance or Resolution
Number: Res. 2018 -025
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing
on the County's website at: www.co.Whatcom.wa.us /council.
PROPOSED BY: BUCHANAN
INTRODUCED: MAY 8, 2018
RESOLUTION 2018- 025
AUTHORIZING THE ALLOCATION OF REET I FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE
CONSTRUCTION OF A MULTI -USE BUILDING EXPANSION AT THE EAST WHATCOM
REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER
WHEREAS, the Opportunity Council (OC), together with Whatcom County, the East
Whatcom Community Council, and other interested citizens, created a proposal that will add
new multi -use buildings at the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center for multiple
purposes including youth recreation activities and other community gatherings and for a
food bank aggregation and redistribution center to support hunger relief efforts in the east
Whatcom foothills; and
WHEREAS, on May 12, 2015, the Whatcom County Council approved a Resolution
which authorized the County Administration to submit a Washington State Department of
Commerce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application that the OC prepared
for submittal, requesting a $750,000 grant to assist with the construction of the multi -use
building; and
WHEREAS, the County Administration submitted the CDBG proposal and received
notification in August 2015 of a CDBG award of $750,000 contingent upon Whatcom
County's commitment of $300,000 in matching funds; and
WHEREAS, the Whatcom County Council authorized an allocation $300,000 in Real
Estate Excise Tax (REET 1) funds in October 2015 to support the design and construction of
the proposed facility and encouraging OC to pursue other funding; and
WHEREAS, the revised construction cost estimates raised the project total to
$2,500,000 due in part to fire suppression systems and additional parking requirements;
and
WHEREAS, OC pledged in October 2015 its commitment to securing $500,000 or
more in additional matching funds and Opportunity Council has secured $1,025,000 in
additional matching funds from public and private sources, for a total of $2,075,000 raised
to date; and
WHEREAS, OC has succeeded in raising $7,000 for every $1,000 in initial County
funding, a 7 -to -1 leveraging ratio, to reach a total of $2,075,000 secured to date; and
WHEREAS, the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center has been hugely
successful, and the proposed expansion, Phase 2, is urgently needed to serve the existing
and growing needs in eastern Whatcom County, especially in the areas of youth recreation,
access to food, and the growing need for community programming and meeting spaces; and
WHEREAS, in a typical month, the calendar includes dozens of community group
meetings, plus over 600 people referred to other services and programs, plus proving space
for two Head Start classrooms, plus providing space for the mobile food pantry that
currently operates twice per month; and
WHEREAS, OC, with the County Executive's encouragement, worked with the
members of the East Whatcom Community Council, Whatcom County Parks Department,
Foothills Food Bank, Bellingham Food Bank, and other agencies to decide what facilities to
include in the Phase 2 expansion of the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center and how to
pay for the cost of construction and operations:
WHEREAS, members of the East Whatcom Community Council including OC have
asked the County to increase its share of the funding by $115,000;
WHEREAS, the additional amount, $115,000, needed to reach $2,500,000 can be
found in the REET 1 revenues that were higher than expected in 2017 and are projected to
be steady or growing in 2018 and 2019;
WHEREAS, OC has over - performed what the County asked in late 2015, raising
$1,025,000 instead of $500,000, from non - County sources and has raised a total of
$1,775,000 to date for the EWRRC expansion, Phase 2;
WHEREAS, many area families with low income gain better access to services, food,
employment, housing, and health care as a result of services offered through the EWRRC by
OC and other agencies;
WHEREAS, other agencies can expand their services in the Foothills, in collaboration
with OC, Foothills Food Bank, and others; for example, Meals on Wheels can increase its
presence in the East County if it has access to frozen food storage after completion of the
EWRRC expansion;
WHEREAS, the EWRRC expansion 2 will create a year -round emergency repository
of food, currently not available due to lack of food bank storage and the absence of local
grocery stores, so that in case of a state of emergency or disaster, the Foothills population
will have a hub of food access and through the services of the Foothills Food Bank, people
will have better access to healthy food for better health outcomes throughout the year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Whatcom County Council hereby
authorizes the County Administration to allocate $115,000 in REET I funds to support the
construction of the proposed facility.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Whatcom County Council authorizes the
County Executive to proceed as previously agreed with the OC for the funding, design,
construction and operation of the proposed facility.
iotn day of July --,2018.
. - -c Gout4 � WHATC COU fk IL
WHATC M CO N INGTON
Dana Brawn -DaA;" Rud Browne,
Clerk of he Eow�r4_ �1$ Council Chair
. 1
APPRO ED sTO F
ivil Deputy Prosecutor
2