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Merced receives CARB planning grant to advance South Merced mobility planning
Summary
City staff told the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission the recently accepted CARB planning grant (Connect South Merced) will fund two years of community engagement and mobility planning in South Merced, is roughly $400,000, and will fund an administrative assistant paid by the grant.
Merced staff on Wednesday briefed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission on a California Air Resources Board planning grant the city calls Connect South Merced, saying it will support two years of community engagement and mobility planning focused on a neighborhood south of Highway 99.
"Over the next 2 years, the grant will allow the city to work with South Merced residents to identify transportation needs and priorities," the senior planner said during the presentation, describing the grant as a strategic, planning-only award that can position the city to pursue Transformative Climate Communities implementation funding.
Staff said the grant award is "a little over $400,000" and that the city will not use general funds for the work. The city will ask the council to authorize an administrative assistant position to support grant administration and community outreach; that position, staff said, will be fully funded through the grant for the duration of the project.
The grant, staff said, is intended to finance outreach and planning that includes pedestrian safety, bicycle connectivity and public-transit access, with an emphasis on reducing transportation barriers in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Staff named nonprofit partners that will support outreach in South Merced, including Valley Onward and the Lao Family, and said those groups will deploy promotoras and multilingual engagement to reach Hmong, Hispanic and other residents.
Jennifer Black, a senior public information officer, told commissioners the grant will produce deliverables and reports that are shared publicly and submitted to CARB. "So conversations like that will be had during the process of outreach for these grants," she said, adding that progress reports could be brought back to BPAC as the planning progresses.
Commissioners asked whether the planning grant could directly fund interventions (for example temporary traffic treatments) and staff said CARB planning funds are strategic and not intended for on-the-ground construction or demonstration projects; those would be pursued later through implementation grants if priorities are identified and funding obtained.
Staff invited BPAC members to participate in outreach events and to help publicize engagement opportunities. "I want you to talk about it," the senior planner said, asking commissioners to share outreach dates and encourage participation among neighbors and community organizations.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the grant; staff said the council already accepted the award and that staff will return to council with implementation actions, including the personnel authorization.
