OpportunityTitle: Groundwork Indianapolis (GW INDY) Launch and Capacity Building
Description: NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service&#65533;&#65533;&#65533;s intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition. ABSTRACT Funding Announcement P15AC00207 Project Title Groundwork Indianapolis (GW INDY) Launch and Capacity Building Recipient Groundwork USA Principle Investigator / Program Manager Anjali Chen Total Anticipated Award Amount $87.998.00 Cost Share 47,902.80 New Award or Continuation? Continuation of Cooperative Agreement P15AC10704 Anticipated Length of Agreement From date of award until December 30, 2016 Anticipated Period of Performance Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement Statutory Authority 54 USC 1001702(a) CFDA # and Title 15.921 Rivers, Trails and Conservation Activities Single Source Justification Criteria Cited (2) Continuation NPS Point of Contact June Zastrow 303-987-6718 june_zastrow@nps.gov OVERVIEW Cooperative Agreement P15AC10704 was entered into by and between the Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), and Groundwork USA (GW USA) for the purpose of supporting the reuse of Brownfields and other derelict sites for conservation, recreation, economic development, and other community benefit through development of Groundwork Trust Organizations as part of the GW USA Initiative. Brownfields are defined as derelict sites that have been contaminated or perceived to have been contaminated through previous uses of the site. GW USA, the national office of the GW USA network, is a critical component of the Groundwork model. Its mission is to support the development of the existing and new Groundwork Trusts, promote and coordinate the work of the network, access national resources and partnerships to support local projects and programs, and establish and maintain best practices across the network of Groundwork Trusts. Unless otherwise specified herein, the terms and conditions as stated in the Cooperative Agreement will apply to this Task Agreement. The objectives of this task agreement are to support the work of GW Indianapolis to: &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; Undertake the planning and development activities to engage GW INDY in the clean-up and reuse of brownfields and derelict lands for greenspace and other community benefits; in building trails and park improvements; improving access to healthy foods and community gardens; and improving community connections with local waterways and water bodies. &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; To plan and develop opportunities for the GW INDY Green Team to participate in service learning activities in their communities and in National Parks. &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; To assess projects, programs and operations of GW INDY at the completion of its first year of operation as part of an operations review with GW USA and to develop a two-year strategic plan for building the capacity of GW INDY. RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT A. GW USA agrees: 1. That the funds made available through this Task Agreement will be used to support the work of GW Indianapolis to: undertake the planning and development activities to engage GW INDY in the clean-up and reuse of brownfields and derelict lands for greenspace and other community benefits; build trails and park improvements and improve access to healthy foods and community gardens; improve community connections with local waterways and water bodies; plan and develop opportunities for the GW INDY Green Team to participate in service learning activities in their communities and in National Parks; develop a GW INDY website and other outreach materials; and plan and organize a one-year operations review with GW USA and Board Workshop and develop a two-year strategic plan for building the capacity of GW INDY. 2. That the funds provided under this Task Agreement cannot be used for construction documents or construction of specific projects. 3. To support the work of GW INDY to develop and implement a Green Team Environmental Service Learning Program including written program materials in accordance with Groundwork USA best practices, by accomplishing the following tasks: a) Drawing on Green Team Programs at existing GW Trusts, develop a plan for the GW INDY Green Team, including, but not limited to, program overview, program timeline and curriculum. Topics for the curriculum should include, but are not limited to, water quality monitoring, river conservation, pollution, brownfields, bird and wildlife conservation and other topics related to learning about the urban environment; b) Identify potential service learning projects that the Green Team could participate in as part of the program such as supporting reuse of the Carrier Bryant site, development of the CSX Rail Trail, community gardens, cleanup and trail development along the canal right of way and activities at National Parks; c) Develop partnerships with public and private sector agencies and organizations, including workforce development agencies, to plan and implement the GW INDY Green Team and the service learning project activities they would participate in and to recruit the youth participants; d) Develop outreach materials to engage local youth, partners and community members with the Green Team program and materials to recruit youth such as application forms, permission slips and activity waivers drawing on the materials that already exist in the GW network; e) Plan and organize a service learning project with a local National Park in conjunction with the NPS &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; GW USA Green Team Partnership Program; f) Document the programs activities and prepare a report highlighting accomplishments, assessing outcomes and recommending any changes. 4. To support the work of GW INDY to engage community members in planning for the reuse of Brownfields in their community, such as the Carrier Bryant site, by accomplishing the following tasks: a) Working with the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development and the City of Indianapolis Brownfield Redevelopment Program, identify the most appropriate site for community engagement and opportunities for GW INDY to conduct programming on the site based on the outcome of the EPA supported Area Wide Planning process. Review site conditions with input from the City and identify the appropriate areas to carry out community programming. Program possibilities include but are not limited to environmental science, community clean ups, urban agriculture, multi-generational programming, food and nutrition hands on educational activity; b) Recruit community partners and volunteers to participate on project and to help develop the programming; c) Develop outreach materials to inform community members about the program and invite their participation; d) Document the activities on the selected brownfields site with pictures and videos. 5. To support the work of GW INDY and the Northwest Area (NWA) Quality of Life Food Access goals and engage youth and seniors participation in the neighborhood community gardens network, by accomplishing the following tasks: a) Identify and select partners to work with to support community gardening and improve access to healthy foods in the community; b) Work with partners, such as the NWA Garden Committee, to identify priorities within the Food Access goals that provide youth engagement opportunities, including but not limited to assisting with the neighborhood food forests; assisting with clean up and maintenance of established community gardens; assisting senior residents in establishing and maintaining personal gardens; c) Prioritize opportunities to develop and improve community gardening and healthy food access. Engage and recruit youth and other community members and train volunteers to participate in neighborhood community gardens and food access projects and programs identified as priorities; d) Develop outreach materials to inform community members about the program and invite their participation; e) Document the activities supporting community gardens with pictures and videos. 6. To support the work of GW INDY to create a working partnership with the City of Indianapolis Parks Department to develop a plan for the CSX Rail Trail project, by accomplishing the following tasks: a) Identify key community partners responsible for and already engaged in planning for the CSX Rail Trail; b) Work with the City and existing partners to identify opportunities for GW INDY to support the planning and development of the CSX Rail Trail, including developing a timeline for action to move the project forward; c) Work with the City and existing partners to identify opportunities for GW INDY to help engage the community in planning the trail though community meetings and workshops to solicit community feedback. 7. To support the work of GW INDY to clean up and improve access along the water supply canal right of way corridor in the communities it serves, by accomplishing the following tasks: a) Identify and select organizations and agencies to partner with, such as the Reconnecting Our Waterways partnership in Indianapolis, to help improve the canal right of way corridor in the communities GW INDY serves; b) Participate in partnership activities to plan and implement improvements to the canal right of way and identify projects that GW INDY can take the lead on such as path clearing, removal of invasives, arts and cultural activities to engage the community and improving pedestrian access to the corridor from the surrounding neighborhoods; c) Develop opportunities for youth and other community members to participate in as volunteers or members of the GW INDY Green Team; d) Develop outreach materials to inform youth and community members about the program and invite their participation; e) Document the activities undertaken to improve the canal right of way, improve access and engage community members with pictures and videos. 8. To support the work of GW INDY to develop a website to inform the community about the work of GW INDY and opportunities to get involved in accordance with the national Groundwork website template. Work closely with GW USA to implement the standardized Groundwork design template for the GW Indianapolis website. 9. To work with GW INDY to assess projects, programs, and operations by accomplishing the following tasks: a) Organize an operations review with GW USA and GW Indianapolis staff and board members in accordance with GW USA Operation Review guidelines to assess development of GW INDY in its first year of operation; b) Plan, organize, and complete a Groundwork Indianapolis staff and board member day-long workshop. Topics to be covered include: 1) Findings and recommendations from the operations review with GW USA; 2) Board member and executive director roles and responsibilities in management of the organization; 3) SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of Groundwork&#65533;&#65533;&#65533;s mission and work in Indianapolis, IN; 4) Developing and prioritizing actions for the staff and board to undertake to address critical issues and opportunities identified as part of the SWOT analysis; 5) Initiate work on a strategic plan to build the capacity of GW Indianapolis over the next two years, including a board development plan; c) Document the discussions, findings and recommendations from the one-year operations review and the daylong workshop. 10. To support the work of GW INDY to develop a two-year strategic plan, approved by the GW INDY Board of Directors, for building the capacity of GW INDY, drawing on the findings and recommendation of the operations review with GW USA, by accomplishing by following tasks: a) Review the status of GW Indianapolis projects, programs and operations; b) Assess upcoming needs and opportunities and build upon the accomplishments to date to develop a GW Indianapolis two-year strategic plan to guide development of GW Indianapolis, including, but not limited to, operations, staffing, projects, programs, financials, governance, board recruitment, and long-term sustainability; c) Submit the strategic plan to GW USA for review and approval. GW USA will notify the NPS of the outcome of that review and approval process. 11. To support the work of GW Indianapolis to document all funding, in- kind services, volunteer hours, materials and equipment leveraged by GW INDY for its projects, programs and operations. 12. To maintain a photographic record and list of accomplishments for all projects undertaken by GW Indianapolis in accordance with GW USA standards. 13. To submit quarterly narrative progress reports to the NPS documenting the work completed on the tasks outlined above and required quarterly financial reports, in accordance with NPS requirements. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT Substantial involvement on the part the National Park Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. In particular, the National Park Service will be responsible for the following: B. NPS agrees: 1. That the funding under this Task Agreement may be used to support the work of GW INDY to: undertake the planning and development activities to engage GW INDY in the clean-up and reuse of brownfields and derelict lands for greenspace and other community benefits; build trails and park improvements and improve access to healthy foods and community gardens; improve community connections with local waterways and water bodies; plan and develop opportunities for the GW INDY Green Team to participate in service learning activities in their communities and in National Parks; develop a GW INDY website and other outreach materials; and plan and organize a one-year operations review with GW USA and Board Workshop and develop a two-year strategic plan for building the capacity of GW INDY. 2. To support GW USA and GW Indianapolis with the funding from this Agreement to accomplish the tasks of this agreement. 3. To support the work of GW USA to link GW Indianapolis with other Groundwork Trusts that can assist with accomplishing the tasks of this agreement. 4. To participate in the work of GW USA and GW Indianapolis to accomplish the tasks described, especially the development of the CSX Rail Trail, Green Team Program and activities with National Parks, canal corridor right of way improvements for community access, and assessment of GW INDY projects, programs and operations as part of developing the two-year strategic plan. SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award. The justification must address one or more of the following criteria as well as discussion of the program legislative history, unique capabilities of the proposed recipient, and cost-sharing contribution offered by the proposed recipient, as applicable. In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria: (1) Unsolicited Proposal &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives; (2) Continuation &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity; (3) Legislative intent &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress&#65533;&#65533;&#65533; intent to restrict the award to a particular recipient of purpose; (4) Unique Qualifications &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications; (5) Emergencies &#65533;&#65533;&#65533; Program/award where there is insufficient time available (due to a compelling and unusual urgency, or substantial danger to health or safety) for adequate competitive procedures to be followed. The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: (2) CONTINUATION SINGLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION DESCRIPTION: THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD This is a Task Agreement (P15AC01206) under Cooperative Agreement (P15AC10704) in the amount of $87,998.00 with a period of performance from date of award until 12/30/2016. STATUTORY AUTHORITY A. 54 U.S.C. 101702 (a) (formerly 16 U.S.C. &#65533;&#65533; 1g): Cooperative Agreements, Transfer of Service Appropriated Funds
GrantorContactEmailDescription: June_Zastrow@nps.gov
GrantorContactText: June Zastrow, 303-987-6718&lt;br/&gt;June_Zastrow@nps.gov&lt;br/&gt;