 Good morning everybody. This is Tony Deng, Executive Director with California walks and I wanted to welcome you all to today's webinar on the active transportation program Today I'll be joined by my colleague Linda commution the senior policy advocate with the California bicycle coalition And the two of us are here representing the active transportation resource team Which is a collaboration between with the rails to trails conservancy California walks the California bicycle coalition and the local government Commission and as a team we are working across the state to provide technical assistance to disadvantaged communities with a focus on Riverside and Tulare counties so today we'll be going over some major changes in this next round of funding for the active transportation program and With that I will turn it over to my colleague Linda who will be walking us through today's agenda Good morning everyone. Thanks for joining us. We're really excited to be able to get just on this conversation we've been involved with the development of the the draft guidelines and the applications and we're excited to to roll out the updates and get everyone Up and ready for application. So today we'll be talking about just a general overview about the active transportation program a bit of history and Go into cycle for Timeline so what to expect and when Key changes to the ATP guidelines is is going to be the bulk of our conversation And the the application types in the overview And we'll talk a little bit about lessons learned from previous cycles and We have a list of resources to help you as you prepare your applications And we want to spend a good amount of time at the end to to take your questions. Feel free to send your questions into the the question box and that you have And also feel free to email us any questions and we'll try and get to those as well All right, let's get started All right, so I'm going to dive right into an overview of active transportation program Just to make sure that everybody's on the same page To those of you who have been deeply involved in ATP since its inception welcome back And to those of you who are new to all this welcome to the madness so the active transportation program is California's sole source of dedicated funding for investments in walking biking trails and safe routes to school programs Currently it's funded at roughly two hundred and twenty three million dollars annually And the call for projects happens every even numbered year with this current round of funding Otherwise known as a cycle of funding cycle four is slated to open this spring So what types of projects are Accepted in the active transportation program. We generally categorize it along three different lines One is infrastructure projects so that can encompass anything from new or improved bikeways or walkways Two different types of safe routes to school improvements to make it easier for kids to walk and bike to school Or safe routes to transit projects to make it easier for folks to walk and bike to a transit stop or station Bike parking and recreational trails or trail heads that improve connections to non motorized corridors The second big category is non infrastructure. So that is Any sort of educational? Encouragement evaluation or enforcement program This also includes a temporary demonstration style events or pop-up events And I should note that in addition to infrastructure and non infrastructure You are allowed to Submit a combined what's called a combined project So a project that includes both an infrastructure component and a non infrastructure component And in fact, that's the type of approach that that we have seen be very successful in past cycles And it's something that we encourage applicants to do The last type of project that is accepted in this program are for plans And so these are for community-wide pedestrian bicycle Master plans or safe routes to school master plans or a combined active transportation plan One thing to note here is that These plans really should be in or serving a predominantly disadvantaged community And and the thinking behind that is we want to make sure that communities with few or little resources Are able to to access this program because eventually in the future the program might Make having a plan and having projects identified within a plan or requirement for all project types But that's not the case right now and we want to spend the time Making those investments to make sure that all communities have robust planning efforts and prioritized project lists at the local level So who can apply? Generally it's local regional and state agencies transit agencies Public schools and school districts are eligible to apply And federally recognized tribal governments are allowed to apply one thing to note with all of this is that The the big determining factor With who can apply is whether or not the entity can enter into a master agreement with caltrans and entering into a master agreement with caltrans is a very lengthy and time consuming process and and It's a lengthy process and so If your if the entity who's proposing an application doesn't have a master agreement in place Already, it's it's likely pretty difficult to get one set up in time for this cycle so if if you are currently an entity that doesn't have a master agreement or Your non-profits or other sort of organization that's looking to to promote a project really Make sure that the local agency or regional agency that you're collaborating with has that master agreement in place So I wanted to go over a little bit with over the statutory goals of the program the program has five main statutory goals The first being increasing walking and biking for transportation Give me one second Hey, linda. Can you hear me? I'm getting some questions saying people have trouble with audio I see that too. So if you're having trouble with audio, it might be that you it might be your computer Or it could be that you can call in there's a phone Line i'm hearing things clearly on this end Uh But we'll see how we'll we'll be doing as we go through if if yeah, I hear other comments says sounds fine here Just fine. So it might just be Your device so you can also call in there's a call in number with your registration email that you can Use and the audio should be clear on that too okay So back to the statutory goals of the program that first one is increase in walking and biking for transportation So the second statutory goal of the program is To improve the safety of people walking and biking here in in california Currently over one in four traffic fatalities involve somebody walking and biking and so we know that Pedestrian safety and bicycle safety is a very large issue in california And that's why it's one of the statutory goals of this program Another goal of the program is to reduce vehicle use and greenhouse gas emissions The next goal of the program is to enhance public health and reduce childhood obesity And the last goal of the program is to ensure benefits to disadvantaged communities So the the thinking behind that statutory goal is that For a lot of disadvantaged communities. They have been faced with decades of disinvestment and so And particularly in the transportation arena and so this program is really trying to proactively address That historical disinvestment of those communities So one interesting thing about this program is that it splits into three different competitions and so 50 percent of the funding in the program is administered by the california transportation commission in a statewide competition 40 percent is administered by the large Metropolitan planning organizations in the state in a in regional competitions For communities in their jurisdiction and i'll go over which MPOs those are And then lastly for communities that don't fall within a large metropolitan planning organization Those communities are eligible to also compete in the small urban and rural competition Which is also administered by the california transportation commission One thing to note here is that the program does what's called sequential project selection So applicants to the program Should be submitting to the statewide competition for a first attempt at securing funding Then any unfunded application in the statewide competition gets kicked down to the regional competitions or to the small urban and rural competition for a second chance at getting funding So here are the MPOs that receive funding to run regional competitions So they cover our largest metropolitan areas in the state. So that's the bay area And that competition is run by the metropolitan transportation commission Then southern california run by scag san diego run by sandag Sacramento area run by sacog and then we have five MPOs in the central valley that also run regional competitions In fresno cairn sandalkeen stanislaus and teleri One thing to note here is that the regional competitions may have additional rules or different questions from the statewide competition. So If you're interested in making sure that your Application is competitive for both the statewide and regional competition We really advise you to check in with your mpo To to see if they have already started their guidelines Development process for their regional competition and or their supplemental questions for their regional applications A little bit about Sorry, like tahoe cog is also part of this round. Thanks victoria for Thanks I always forget about them because they split state lines Okay, uh going into the current ATP funding sources So the ATP is funded through a mix of state and federal funding sources So, um, it's funded through the state highway account. So for those of you who have been in this a long time Those funds are comprised of what was formerly the bicycle transportation account and the state's safe routes to school program Then there is some federal funding. So, um This transportation alternatives program that has been renamed to something monstrous that I don't even want to attempt to say But that is now That is still in the program as well as a small piece of the federal recreational trails program Then there are other federal funds that support the program And then most recently, uh, there Has been some additional funding Put into the program by the road maintenance and rehabilitation account or sp1 And so, uh, just uh, so so everyone can kind of see The impact of sp1. So cycle three Programmed about 264 million dollars. Uh, and for cycle four, uh, we have 446 million dollars to to program in all of the components One thing to note here is that a hundred million dollars, uh in fiscal year 21 22 and 22 23 are being held in reserve for atp cycle five, uh, and I will get into uh, why that was, um Done later when we talk about guidelines changes Um, and just to put that all into perspective, this is a little graph I put together showing the available amounts of funding each of the program cycles as well as the requested funding amounts in each of the cycles. So as you can see, um, Uh, you know cycle four has a nice uptick in funding, uh, but it's still a kind of pales in comparison to The amounts of funding that's that has been historically requested And uh, I'm anticipating that we'll likely see a lot of, um, Request for funding this cycle as well So just know that this is a very competitive program and you all are are doing a good job by showing up early in the process to learn about the guidelines changes and Application changes now so that you can be prepared to submit a competitive application In terms of timeline, I'm just going to go over a very, uh, uh, brief timeline And I should note that, um, you can look at page two of the atp guidelines for the full timeline But uh, we're anticipating that the guidelines are adopted it on May 16th Currently they're in final draft format and they will be presented at the CTC meeting, I believe next week, um for a CTC review Then after the guidelines are adopted, the state call for projects will be opening And folks will have until July 31st to submit their application to The state, uh, competition One thing to note here is that, uh, all of the regional competitions have different Deadlines and timelines that may or may not align with the state timeline So please again, uh, consult with your MPO and their their websites and their guidelines for those dates And then lastly at the end of this year on December 31st, we're anticipating, uh, CTC to Issue their staff recommendations for the statewide competition and the small urban and rural competition So, uh, in terms of, uh, some of the key guidelines changes we wanted to go over, um, the first one I wanted to go over was, uh, the fact that we are now switching to a four-year programming cycle So what that means is that, uh, program applicants will now have Four full years to, uh, to complete a project as opposed to in cycles one through three Uh, folks had between, uh, two to three years to complete a project So, uh, we're hoping that that will, um, help folks, uh, better plan and deliver projects And part of why we've kept, uh, the hundred million in reserve for fiscal years 21, 22 and 22, um, 23 is, uh, to allow for cycle five to also be a fully, uh, funded four-year programming cycle Uh, I should note that for cycle four, uh, funding will be available for, uh, four fiscal years So that'll be starting fiscal year 1920 and running through fiscal year 22-23 And I will turn it to Linda Sure. And so this year you'll notice, uh, when you look through the guidelines that there is language uh, specifically calling out transformative projects and that the commission is encouraging applicants to, uh, provide a transformative benefit to their community or region for the projects that you're applying for and it's specifically laid out as, uh, as general and broad but there is some detail within some of the applications that we'll review a little bit later but the intention behind the conversation and, and, and what, what this has, uh, how this isn't unfolded through the, the development of the applications and the drafts is that we really want to be able to, uh, use this funding to, to create big changes in your communities and be able to get people biking and walking, uh, faster and, and with a bigger investment. So the, the piece of this, this project language is to say, how can we make a bigger investment? What kind of transfer, transformation can happen? And it's not just size, it's not just the size of investment but it's also the quality. So really looking at, um, even if it's a smaller, uh, investment but what are the, can you get a really lot of, a big benefit out of putting in protected bike lanes instead of just a class two bike lane. So looking at the quality of your projects and also, uh, maybe the size and the level investment, thinking about how to, to create the networks, um, that could really get people to use the facility in a, in a way. The, the next big change to the guidelines is, uh, related to non-infrastructure, um, programs. So there is language in, uh, the guidelines, uh, kind of, uh, further defining, uh, what startup non-infrastructure means. And so, uh, the commission has stated that it's their intent, uh, that they want to fund, uh, newer non-infrastructure programs. So in communities that have never had any sort of non-infrastructure program or non-infrastructure programs that incorporate, uh, new sorts of elements or are expanding, um, on the, the sort of non-infrastructure program work that they have been doing. And, uh, Linda will be diving, uh, more into that language when we go over the non-infrastructure application itself. Uh, the next, uh, change to the guidelines, and, and these are, um, some minor, uh, changes to the definitions related to disadvantaged communities. Uh, so, um, uh, the minor changes are just, um, minor updates or rent, well, I guess I should step back. For, for those of you who are new to the Active Transportation Program, uh, there are a number of ways to qualify as, um, a disadvantaged community in the program. The first option is, uh, to use the median household income metric from the American Community Survey or the census. Um, so for this cycle, we're using the 2012 to the 16 American Community Survey data. So that means that if your community, uh, your census tract, um, makes less than 50, about $51,000 a year, uh, that census tract qualifies as a disadvantaged community. Uh, the second, um, option is to use the Kalen virus screen 3.0. So Kalen virus screen is a tool that was developed by, um, Cal EPA to help identify, uh, disadvantaged communities for the greenhouse gas reduction fund. Uh, and so in the ATP, um, you are considered a disadvantaged community under this metric if you are within the top 25% of Kalen virus screen. So that means that if your census tract that you're serving, that your project is serving has a score that is greater than or equal to 39.34. Um, the third, uh, metric that, uh, you can use to qualify as a disadvantaged community applies to safe routes to school programs, uh, and projects. So, um, the metric there is, um, participation rates in the free or reduced meal program. Uh, and, uh, you qualify as disadvantaged if, uh, your school has greater than a 75% participation rate in that program. Um, uh, holdovers from the last cycle for disadvantaged, uh, alternative disadvantaged communities definitions include all federally recognized tribes. Um, they are, um, just considered disadvantaged communities for the purposes of this program. Uh, and then small communities that feel like the official data sources, um, aren't accurately reflecting, um, their income levels. Um, for those communities you are able to, uh, conduct and submit a quantitative assessment, uh, that documents how you meet the, uh, the income criteria. Uh, the last, uh, available option for disadvantaged communities is facing a little bit of a change. Um, but it is a, uh, the option for a regional definition. And so, uh, these regional definitions have to be, uh, an official adopted definition of disadvantaged communities in a regional transportation plan. Uh, and that definition has to go, has to have gone through a robust public participation process. Uh, now the one caveat with the regional definitions this cycle is that, um, the regional, uh, transportation planning agencies must, uh, and, uh, metropolitan planning organizations must submit, uh, their regional definitions to, uh, the California Transportation Commission by June 1st, uh, in order to be considered. And then California Transportation Commission staff will be reviewing these proposed regional definitions, uh, and getting back to folks about whether or not, um, they will be accepting, uh, those proposed regional definitions, uh, as, uh, qualifiers for the disadvantaged communities, um, portion of the program. The next major change, uh, that you'll see between last year's application and this year's different applications is that the public health question in the past that was a standalone question asking about sort of the, the public health engagement and environment and the local health issues, uh, and how the project is addressing those issues is now folded into the statement of needs question within each of the applications. Um, what this means is that, you know, the commission is looking for, uh, how are you, how are you address, how are you taking into the local public health concerns, uh, taking them into consideration, looking at health disparity, uh, connecting with the local health departments, understanding that your project has a place in supporting the health and the well-being of, of the community that you're trying to reach. And so are you taking a deep dive into the health data that's available, um, for your area? And the applications actually, uh, and we'll speak to this a little bit further, but, uh, provide some suggestions on where to look for that, uh, not really looking at state and national data in the past. Um, we've noticed that applicants sort of use very general, uh, data when it comes to this question. So really the question is trying to understand the, the local needs, uh, for, um, walking and biking in relationship to public health. And then, um, the last major change, which is probably the most significant change, um, is, uh, that there will now be different application types, a total of five different application types, depending on what you are applying for. So, um, part of the rationale behind this move, um, was particularly for, um, planning applications and non-infrastructure applications, uh, in past cycles, all, um, these different project types had to fill out the same application. And so, um, you know, we got some very, we did not get the, the most useful information from, you know, planning applications or non-infrastructure applications because the applications, uh, themselves were very geared towards infrastructure projects. So with this cycle, there will be, um, separate applications, uh, uh, for planning type projects, separate applications that are for non-infrastructure projects. Uh, and then for infrastructure-style projects, um, there was the decision made to, um, have different application types depending on the, uh, total project cost of the, of the project. Um, and the idea behind that is, is that, um, uh, the California Transportation Commission felt that it was, uh, unfair to ask, uh, the same amount of information from a project requesting $500,000 as opposed to a project that's requesting like $10 million. And so, um, as we walk through the, uh, uh, infrastructure applications, you'll kind of see that, uh, the larger your project is, the more, uh, information and additional questions, uh, you'll be asked to answer. Um, now with all of that said, we did want to point you to the California Transportation Commission's website, uh, here on the screen, uh, because, you know, the guidelines are still in draft form and the applications are still in draft form. So, um, please, we encourage you to, uh, visit this website, uh, in the, uh, coming months to, uh, get the most up-to-date information from the California Transportation Commission. And so actually if, if you wanted to open up that link, I, I added it in the chat box because, um, it, it might be helpful for you to visually look at the different applications as we move through. We're going to be doing more of an overview of the major changes of each, uh, application and as it relates to that project. But if, you know, you're a visual learner like me, I'd love to see things as I go through. So, this, this is where you would find the link to the applications that we're speaking about today. So the first thing we want to talk to you about is the plan application. And this is, uh, really for, for the development of a community-wide bicycle, pedestrian, safe routes to school or active transportation plan. And it's, it's going to be predominantly based in a, in a disadvantaged community. And up to 2% of statewide competitive funding and small urban rule funding is dedicated, uh, to plans. And in the large MPOs, uh, they can set aside also up to 2% of the funding. Uh, and this, this plan application also has an appendix A of the guidelines, the, the ATP guidelines. At the end of the guidelines, you'll see a guidance for the plans and it lists out components that have to be include, included in, uh, your application or for the plan. Uh, and if for some reason it can't be included, then you have to, to, to say why. And so, uh, so just going into, uh, the different questions that the plan will be asking, we've laid it out, uh, the, the, the five applications for you to see just how, uh, the points break down. There's 100 points possible for each of the, the applications. This is how the draft applications are set now. Uh, and, and the green highlights the question that, uh, you know, you've seen in the past it, there's been some minor tweaks here and there. And then the orange is completely new to the application for that particular project. And so for the plan application, it's really just addressing four major areas. Uh, first you need to be demonstrating, uh, where that, where the plan is going to be and if it's in a disadvantaged community and it's right now set to 30 points. So this is really the, the weight of, of, um, the, most of the points of this plan, although there's a good split between the others too. So again, you're looking at how to identify the, the community and, and, and tracking what, what you're going to use. Um, and, and how it's going to benefit, um, benefit that community. So then the, the next question that is new is giving priority to new plans. So it's the, the commission is looking to see if, uh, the ATV funds can be allocated for plans that are where a community does not have a plan or doesn't have a bicycle pedestrian plan. And if they only have one, then there's more points for that as well. So, um, something to note in all of these is that the commission will also have a rubric, uh, and we'll, we'll, we'll mention this at the end as well is that with the rubric and the application, you'll be able to see how the points are allocated and what you want to be aiming for. So, um, so again, priority for new plans, um, versus ones that are being updated. And in the statement of need, uh, for the plan, uh, this is where we see, um, you know, similar to what has been in the past as far as, uh, describing the need, but here we see that we want to understand where is, where is their insufficient, uh, infrastructure, uh, looking at some of the, the safety issues, the lack of connectivity, and again, the public health, uh, concern and how you can fold that into your, uh, uh, narrative. And then, uh, public participation and planning is very much, um, similar to what it's been in the past, uh, not a lot to, to dive into there. Uh, um, basically you need to be demonstrating that you're engaging with those that are going to be affected by the plan. Um, those who are affected by the plan are involved in the process and, uh, are, are involved throughout the process. And, and especially because this is for a disadvantaged community or geared towards disadvantaged communities, uh, how are they being involved is really demonstrating how that it happens is really key to getting the points here. Uh, and lastly, the implementation, uh, and, and plan development. This is also a new question for this area. Uh, you're looking at how is, you know, you're prioritized, you want to be prioritizing projects that can, uh, actually, you know, be implemented soon after the plan is, is done and identifying any funding sources, other than the ATP that then would be available for that. So, uh, part of this application is also completing the 22 plan, which is, uh, basically a scope of work identifying what I just mentioned is, is those projects and, and how the plan is being developed and, uh, more along the lines of being able to take your narrative and make it into something that can be counted for. Uh, if you, for some reason, you know, if you're on this call and you're not a jurisdiction, uh, or an agency and you don't know if your community has a bike or a ped plan, you can go to, uh, CalBikes website. We have an inventory, uh, and, uh, maybe that can lead you to having that conversation with your, um, local agency, if whether or not this is a good project for your community to take on. Next we'll go into non-infrastructure application. Uh, this is, uh, projects eligible for this are education, encouragement, and enforcement activities that further the goals of the ATP. Um, so, uh, oftentimes safe routes to school programs, um, uh, and this can is, and one of the changes here this year is, um, the, what Tony had mentioned earlier that, that focusing on startup programs or prioritizing startup programs where there haven't been before, uh, or expanding or adding new components to existing programs, but this funding would not fund existing or ongoing program operations. So you have to demonstrate that either it's a new program entirely, or it's an expand expansion of one that exists. Uh, and the other key component of the non-infrastructure application is that you do have to demonstrate sustainability. Commission is looking for, uh, you know, uh, applicants to be able to carry forward the program and not just make it a, a one-time experience. So again, uh, a point breakdown of what's, what's, you know, the same and new. We're looking at, um, benefits to the sandwich community. So this is back to the, the 10 points, uh, across the rest of the application. Um, you know, I'm demonstrating again where, where the project is or, and where the program is, and, uh, who it's reaching. And, uh, then you're looking at the statement of need here is, uh, a major part of the application. So this is where you want to spend a good amount of your time thinking about why this project is needed, why this program is needed and who it's reaching, uh, and what are the, some of the issues that we're trying to address. And so part of the statement of, of, uh, need here that we'll see is, um, benefits to disadvantage. Um, I'm sorry, uh, uh, looking at again the, the, the different elements of, of what is an issue statement or a need seem it would be. So, um, you know, why that program is needed in that area. Then we're looking at, um, then across the rest of the applications, you, there's the safety, uh, demonstrating a safety component. So, um, what's the, the crash history? Again, this is similar to years past. Um, what's, uh, you know, have there been collisions? And, you know, applicants are encouraged to use UC Berkeley Safe Trek Tim's tool, which is, uh, you can find, you know, um, links to get there through the application process. And basically this helps you. The, the UC Berkeley has helped to develop, um, a specifically, um, you know, a tool design specifically, specifically for the ATP. So, uh, you know, you create a, uh, you create a, um, account and then it, you know, you, you bring together your different pieces. So unfortunately we won't have time to go into the demonstration of that, but I, I encourage you to take a look at that site to get familiar with, with what that is. Basically you'll be creating a heat map. Um, and in general, you need to be demonstrating in the safety piece, uh, you know, where, where the, the collisions or the challenges are, maybe if there's fatalities and injuries, that's where you would demonstrate it. Public participation and planning, uh, is still, um, similar in non-infrastructure piece. You know, you're, you're wanting to describe how the, your target audience has been, uh, engaged in the program and how the different stakeholders were able to incorporate their ideas into the program proposal, uh, and how they'll be continued to be engaged, um, once the plan hasn't, has been implemented. So additional, uh, changes here now. Um, one is the evaluation and sustainability piece. This is where we mentioned in the guidelines. We really want to see, um, from these, from these applications, uh, the, the effect, if, how the effectiveness of the program will be measured, what, what are you going to use, um, as your sort of, uh, you know, markers of success, uh, and what tools are you going to use in order to do that? Then, uh, again, how is your, your program going to be sustained after completion? Next level would be, uh, innovation program elements. This is thinking about, are you bringing, uh, a new non-infrastructure idea or program to your area? Uh, are you utilizing best practices, recognize best practices that have proven to be successful in similar, you know, areas that are close to your context? Uh, you know, this is a chance for you to, to describe why you chose your specific, um, elements that you are adding to your program. Looking at program scope and implementation, this is, uh, an additional form to, um, similar to the plan, uh, application where there's a 22 plan form. Uh, this has a 22 R form that has to be completed. And basically it's the scope of work, form to, uh, let the, let the commission know what activities you're planning to have and how many you intend to, uh, how many people you intend to reach and, and the likes of that. The next, uh, going into the infrastructure application. So there's three infrastructure applications that was mentioned. This is the, uh, 1.5 million and less. Um, you know, uh, we're looking at, again, the benefits to disadvantaged communities, uh, question similar to other questions, looking at how you can, uh, identify your community. Uh, and then the statement of need here, as you can see, it's 53 points. It's very weighty in this application. You really need to demonstrate, uh, you know, why you are putting, you know, what's happening here? What, what is, what is the context? Uh, why is this specific program or project rather needed here? And, uh, and part of the, part of the reason that this is a, uh, uh, a heftier discussion is that, uh, heftier points is that not only are you describing your, your needs, but you're also, uh, discussing what the proposed project will do in terms of closing gaps or creating new routes. Uh, this is where you'll be providing a map, you have to provide a map. And, uh, again, describing the, the needs in terms of public health is now centered here in this question. Uh, similar to question before there's safety component, but in the, in the infrastructure applications, you do have to describe safety countermeasures. So when you describe your issue in part A, how then are you, uh, what is that you're using to then, uh, counter those, those issues? Uh, and so, uh, what specific infrastructure components and pieces, um, or what are the outcomes that would happen because of your, uh, uh, infrastructure project? Uh, then public participation and planning. Uh, we see here similar to before, again, you know, who was part of the process. Um, you know, what, what do you have intended for, uh, people being involved now and afterwards? How will they continue to be engaged? And lastly, part of this, uh, this piece is a scope and, um, plan consistency. Often we see that applicants, uh, describe one scenario, but they're not really consistently showing what, how they're going to address it. So this is just a two points, although not very many points, but still enough to, um, here to check off your box to make sure that things are consistent across the board. Okay. Um, so this is Tony again. I'll be diving into the medium and large infrastructure applications. Uh, and mainly I'll be focusing in on the areas where it differs from the small infrastructure application. And then there are some completely new questions to both the program that are only applicable to the medium and large infrastructure applications. So, um, here's this morning breakdown. So first, uh, we start off with, um, benefiting disadvantaged communities. So again, like the small infrastructure projects, you're asked to identify, uh, the specific census tracts, uh, that your project is impacting. And, uh, like the small infrastructure application, you're required to identify how your project closes the gap or provides a connection or addresses some sort of active transportation deficiency, uh, that meets an important need of the disadvantaged community. Uh, now beyond that, uh, medium infrastructure applications, uh, must also explain how the disadvantaged community residents will have physical access to the project. And medium infrastructure project applications will also be asked to illustrate, um, and or provide documentation for how the proposed projects was requested by or supported by disadvantaged community residents. Um, I will say that this section will be evaluated on how well an applicant really articulates, uh, how the project, uh, provides a direct benefit to disadvantaged communities, whether the project project is located, uh, within a disadvantaged community and whether the project is located within or provides a direct benefit to a severely disadvantaged community. So, um, I believe in all of the application types there, there is, um, a set number of points set aside for severely disadvantaged communities. So I believe that's defined as, um, communities less than or equal to 60% of the statewide median household income. And so that will just be automatically calculated in all the applications based off of the, uh, census information that you're providing. Uh, now moving on to the statement of need, uh, it's worth 43 points in the medium infrastructure application. So, um, as Linda mentioned, uh, in this section, you're asked to provide current count data and methodologies for how the data was collected. Um, however, the section is not, that part of the section is not scored. Um, then there are really two, uh, main components to, uh, the statement of need that really allow an applicant to narrative, narratively describe how the community, um, or to describe the community's need for the proposed project. So applicants are asked to describe, uh, the issues a project will address and how the project will benefit non-motorized users. Um, and then applicants are asked to describe how the proposed project best addresses the need outlined, uh, that they just outlined. Now, uh, moving on to the safety section, uh, as with the small infrastructure projects, the medium infrastructure applications are asked to describe the project locations, bicycle and pedestrian inclusion history and to provide that supporting data. Uh, applicants are again strongly encouraged to use the Safe Trek, uh, TIMS ATP tool to generate the maps and the data. Uh, and, uh, as with the small infrastructure projects, uh, medium infrastructure applications are asked to, uh, demonstrate how the proposed countermeasures in the project directly address the underlying factors that contribute to, uh, pedestrian and bicycle collisions in the area. Uh, in other words, um, this section of the application is really asking you to analyze the collision data that you provide and to explain how the proposed project features best address the safety issues or needs that are surfaced in the data analysis. Uh, moving on to, oh, sorry, I will slow down. Sorry about that. Uh, moving on to, uh, public participation. So, uh, with public participation, uh, similar to the small infrastructure, uh, projects, uh, the medium infrastructure applications are asked to describe the, uh, to describe the community-based public participation process that identified or developed, uh, the proposed project. Now, uh, in addition to that, uh, medium infrastructure, uh, applications in particular are asked to describe, uh, the type of feedback that they receive during their public participation process and to explain what alternatives were considered in the proposal development. So that's the kind of the key, uh, differentiation between the small and medium infrastructure applications with regard to the public participation and planning question. Uh, now the next question for the medium infrastructure, um, application is a completely, uh, brand new, uh, section. Uh, and this is, uh, present in both the medium and large infrastructure applications. So it's a question around con, uh, context-sensitive bikeways and walkways and innovative project elements. So, um, for the context-sensitive question, applicants are asked to explain how the project utilizes the, uh, recognized best solutions for the local context. So, uh, another way to think about that is, um, really ask yourself, is the facility, uh, being proposed, um, appropriate after you analyze, um, the, the local context for traffic volumes, speeds, a level of stress, land uses, et cetera. Um, so for example, is, is throwing down a, uh, minimum width bike lane on a 50 mile per hour street really context-sensitive? And, and I would argue that that is not context-sensitive. And so, uh, you will be, um, evaluated on, on how well you're, um, proposing a particular, uh, project feature that matches the local context. Uh, I should also add that this, uh, question includes some language around, uh, level of stress. And so I'll just read it out to you guys. Um, if the stress level, uh, on, uh, facility is medium or high, is the project going beyond minimum design standards to maximize potential users of all ages and abilities? So again, um, when you are, uh, crafting your, uh, particular project, really, uh, do that, uh, in-depth analysis of what's going on there out in the street. You know, don't rely on, uh, Google a street view to, uh, assess a particular, um, uh, feature for an application. Actually go out there, uh, and experience the conditions on the ground to really help inform the type of facility that you're proposing. Uh, the second component of this question relates to innovative project elements. And so applicants are asked, uh, to share whether the project proposes, uh, any solutions that are new to the applicant's region, uh, or, or, um, whether innovative project elements were considered, uh, but not selected. And if, if they were not selected to explain why. Uh, the next section, which is applicable to both medium and large infrastructure applications is, uh, leveraging funds. So, um, this is, um, pretty similar to past cycles where you earn, uh, points on a sliding scale. You basically earn, uh, one point for every 5% of, uh, leverage funding that you can bring, uh, to the table to support the project. Uh, one thing to note here is that, uh, in-kind funding for staffing does not qualify as leverage funds. And, uh, in the applications themselves, um, uh, Caltrans, uh, recommends that you, uh, contact them if you have any questions around, uh, what, what qualifies as leveraged funds. Uh, and then, uh, the last component is around, uh, the scope plan consistency. So that's a, a similar, uh, question across, um, all of the infrastructure applications. Um, one thing I wanted to note since we did get a question around the California Conservation Corps, um, and, and why there's a penalty for it. So, uh, within the Active Transportation Program's, um, enabling statute, there, there is language in there, uh, around partnering with the core. And so, um, all applicants, uh, in previous cycles and in this one are, uh, going to be asked to at least, uh, submit their, uh, project application to the core for, um, uh, evaluation of whether or not the core can, um, partner on that particular, uh, project application. And so you will only, uh, receive that penalty if you did not, uh, initiate that conversation. And, and I believe the core has set up, um, a process in the last cycle that they're continuing to refine in this cycle. And we can work to get more information about, uh, what that process looks like for this cycle in particular. Now, uh, finishing out with the large infrastructure applications. So, uh, again, the disadvantaged communities kicks off the application. Uh, the requirements for this question are the same, uh, for large infrastructure as with medium infrastructure, uh, with the exception that there, there is a much stronger expectation that you'll be, uh, the applicants will provide, uh, documentation to demonstrate how the proposed project was, uh, supported by or requested by disadvantaged community residents. Now, uh, the statement of need again, uh, pretty similar to the medium infrastructure application, uh, with the exception that there, um, I believe there will be a greater expectation for, uh, applicants to clearly discuss how the proposed project best addresses, uh, the need that is, uh, outlined in this, uh, section by the applicant. Uh, for safety, uh, again, same, uh, questions and requirements as the medium infrastructure, but there will be, uh, a greater expectation the applicants will demonstrate how the proposed countermeasures in the project directly address those, uh, underlying factors that contribute to the, uh, pedestrian and bicycle collisions in the area. Uh, for public participation, uh, again, uh, pretty much the same questions as the medium infrastructure application covering, uh, again, the community-based, um, um, process, uh, in developing the application, describing who was engaged, how they were engaged, and to summarize their feedback. Uh, the key difference between medium and large is that large infrastructure applications will be evaluated for, uh, whether or not the proposed project is listed in an approved, uh, transportation plan. And, and that question is going to be worth one point. Um, then the, the next section is the context sensitive bikeways and walkways and the innovative project elements. And, uh, that question is exactly the same for medium infrastructure and large infrastructure projects. Now, um, getting to a brand new question, um, so as, uh, Linda mentioned in the, um, guidelines changes discussion, there, there, um, is now a new question around transformative projects, and this applies, uh, only to large, uh, infrastructure projects. And so, uh, this question is rather open-ended at the moment. There may be some refinements that happen between now and the, uh, opening of the call for projects, but, uh, for now, the applicant is, uh, basically asked, uh, to describe the transformative nature of their infrastructure, uh, project, and they are asked how the project will transform the non-motorized environment. Uh, and lastly, they are asked to discuss how other new or proposed, um, uh, projects or policies in the vicinity of the proposed project amplify the transformative nature of the proposed project. So, in, uh, another way to think about it is you can ask yourself, is the proposed project part of a whole suite of projects that will help to transform a neighborhood or a community's, uh, walking and biking conditions? Uh, then, uh, the next, uh, part of the large infrastructure application is around cost-effectiveness. So, uh, this is a question that, uh, has existed in the past. For this cycle, this question will only apply to large infrastructure projects. And, um, it really boils down. So, with this question, um, you're not being asked to use a cost-benefit analysis, um, or anything like that, um, although you're not precluded from doing so. Um, but I think for the California Transportation Commission, it really boils down to, uh, uh, one simple question, which is, um, why the proposed project is the best use of state resources. I think that is the, the key question that the, uh, commission is trying to evaluate with cost-effectiveness. Uh, then for leveraging funds and for the scope plan consistency, those questions are the same as the medium infrastructure applications. So, um, I know we went through that all very, very quickly. Um, we just had to do that just for time. And, uh, at the end of, uh, this webinar will go over, uh, a number of different resources that will be going over a lot of this in much more depth than will be going, uh, over today. Uh, and with that, I will turn it over to Linda to go over, uh, some lessons learned that might, uh, from previous cycles that might help you as you're, uh, gearing up for cycle four. Thanks, Tony. So, yeah, definitely what we've seen and just generally before diving into what we have here on the screen, the demand for the money available has continued to outpace what is available. So we're really seeing a lot of communities want to bring these dollars to their local area, but, uh, you know, not as much, even though there's been an influx of funding, uh, you know, we're still expecting the demand to be high this year. Uh, so in the past, it's been very competitive and we still expect that with that said, uh, you know, bringing better projects and hopefully this, the streamlining of these applications, we'll see a lot of great projects being funded this year. So, um, a strong trend has been towards both applications that are encompassing both walking and biking. And so, you know, you want to look at that, that together and then, uh, you know, going into some of these, these points here, you really want to tailor your application and your project to really demonstrate that you're meeting the goals of the ATP program. Uh, you know, are you increasing biking and walking? Are you, uh, addressing public health? Are you looking at how to get people out of their cars and, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Uh, there's definitely in the guidelines a way that you can see if your project is lining up with those goals. Another important, uh, you know, lesson and things that we want to see demonstrated in applications is that are you, uh, engaging in different sectors? Are you, um, engaging different stakeholders? Who are you really reaching with this project and its development? Uh, and, uh, you know, the, some, you know, the purpose of, for example, the public health component is that are you really engaging with, uh, public health, um, in a, in a meaningful way to really address the issues through your, your projects. And so, uh, you know, are you consulting with your local bike or walk coalition? Uh, are people seeing this project and are they involved with it? So really great applications demonstrate that they were able to do that. And so, uh, the other thing is that data, you know, is it, you're really going to get further when you're able to demonstrate, uh, your project is, um, using meaningful legitimate, uh, data and it's based on the target community and you're presenting it clearly and understandably. Uh, and so we're really looking for that as well. Other lessons, you know, moving, um, moving into some just, just tips, tips for success. Um, you know, you really want to read instructions, guidelines and the scoring Rubik's care, scoring Rubik's carefully. Uh, some of the, the best applicant applicants and those that often are shown in, in success stories, they, they say time and again, we read everything, clear, carefully, we follow the instructions and we use the rubric and the scoring rubric is not available now, but we'll be by the, by the time of the call of applications and the call for projects. And so really take a look and, and line up, you know, your, your narratives, your, your, uh, your application with, with where the points are going to be given most. And you want to focus your efforts and, you know, on the largest parts of the, the points, but don't neglect any question, you know, every point counts here. Uh, and learn from the winners. Like I mentioned, there's three cycles now worth of high scoring projects and, you know, you can, um, take a look at those. Some of those are, you know, listed on the website, uh, on the CTC website, uh, or, you know, perhaps you are one of those, uh, recipients and, uh, could, could be giving pointers to others too. So we hope to engage with you as well. Lastly, uh, think about incorporating standards of tomorrow in your designs and in your, in your program. Uh, we really want to start moving away with just, just doing the, the things that we were doing in the past in terms of design and, and knowing that, that doesn't necessarily create the change we want to see in our communities. So are you looking at the latest design standards? Uh, you know, are you having the conversation with, with your walk and bike advocates at the local level and your public health department? Um, where can you turn to, and certainly you can turn to Cal Bike and Cal Walk for, for these questions, but are you really going to make this a robust, robust, uh, application? And lastly, um, Tony has some resources to go over to mention here for you. Well, I don't hear Tony. Sorry, I was on mute. There you go. Um, so as I mentioned earlier, there are going to be a lot of different resources that, that are coming that are already available or that will be coming online shortly for folks, uh, to help you prepare your applications for ATP cycle four. Uh, so the first one I wanted to mention is the Cal Trans Active Transportation Resource Center. The, the website is right there. Uh, they are, uh, preparing a series of what they're calling flash training webinars. So these webinars will be, um, covering some of the, the new tools and requirements, including the, uh, UC Berkeley Safe Trek Tim's, uh, tool. They'll be kind of walking through, um, exactly how you use that tool. I believe they'll be, uh, walking through the non-infrastructure application, uh, and the planning applications as well. Um, I also know that the, uh, California Department of Public Health staff at the ATRC are also available to answer questions around, um, program development implementation and evaluation for non-infrastructure applications. So, uh, highly encourage you to, uh, reach out to them. Uh, they are, uh, the non-infrastructure wing, the, the public health folks are referred to as the Active Transportation Safety Program. Uh, and you can reach them at, uh, atcdph.ca.gov. Uh, and they also have a wealth of resources and case studies, um, from different communities, uh, across California making, uh, different non-infrastructure, uh, programs work. Um, the, the second resource I wanted to highlight is the Active Transportation Resource Team. So that is CalBike, CalWalks, Railster Trails and Local Government Commission. Uh, we will be, uh, hosting, uh, uh, a couple of in-person, uh, workshops in Riverside and Tulare counties, uh, between April 2nd and April 5th. And we're also, um, offering, uh, in-person, uh, one-on-one consultations, uh, to help you, uh, through your project development. So if you're interested in that, uh, please contact Barry Bergman. Uh, his email is right there. Uh, and there is a short form to fill out, uh, if you are interested in accessing that assistance. Uh, the next, um, opportunity or resource is, uh, a newly funded, uh, pilot program from the Strategic Growth Council. So, uh, it's called the Pilot, uh, CCI, ATP Technical Assistance Program. Uh, and this program, uh, involves, uh, the same team members. So, uh, it's being led by Local Government Commission and involves, uh, Railster Trails, CalBike, uh, and CalWalks. Uh, and the goal of this program is to provide some really in-depth technical assistance for, um, three to five disadvantaged communities across the state. Uh, if you're interested, uh, in accessing that technical assistance, you must fill out a survey. So I've put the link here, and the surveys are due April 6th. Uh, the last, uh, resource I wanted to highlight is, uh, CalWalks is able to provide one-on-one, uh, application assistance, uh, for disadvantaged community applicants. And we have a focus for communities located in the Central Valley, uh, the North State, North Coast, or San Bernardino County. So, uh, we'll be releasing a public, uh, kind of, uh, application, uh, in the coming weeks. But for now, if you are interested, please contact, um, Esther Postiglione, who is our state policy manager at the email on the screen. Uh, I think with that, Linda, we will move on to questions, but, um, I think I'll just leave up the resources page, um, so folks can, uh, grab what they need. Sure, thanks. Or, there you go. Okay. So, uh, let's get started. Should we just go through this? Um, we have one question here. Going back to the, what can be qualified as a, or used to identify a disadvantaged community, there's a question about if the healthy health disadvantage index can be used. So the answer is no. And also the health disadvantage index is now the healthy places index. Uh, and the healthy places index can be used to help you identify, uh, the local public health data that you can use, or you would need to demonstrate in your statement of need. So it's definitely one of the tools to use to, to get that information, but it won't be, uh, a way to qualify for disadvantaged communities. So we have another question here. Does teaming with a local community-based organization help the chances of a local government agency? Um, so I would say that there's nothing, um, in the application in and of itself, that would, um, that would, you know, be reward, be rewarding an agency for working with a local community-based organization. However, I will say that, um, you know, public participation, as you, as you've seen, um, us run through all the application types, public participation is a very big component of all the applications. And so, uh, we strongly encourage local government agencies to work with, um, community-based organizations to really, uh, beef up the public participation, um, component of their application. Uh, and in particular, if you, as an agency, uh, completed, you know, public participation process many, many years ago for a project that you're finally proposing to the ATP, um, I would strongly encourage you to look to your nonprofit and community-based organization, um, partners now to basically initiate, you know, a smaller follow-up round of informal public participation, just to make sure that your public participation is, uh, is fresh and relatively recent and still resonates with the community that you're trying to serve. Great. So, let's see. Let's go to, um, any idea how long it will take CTC to review regional disadvantaged community definition? If someone submits it now, will they likely be heard before cycle begins and they know the project can be submitted? So, Tony, you want to take this one? Yeah, I am not sure how long it will take. Um, I think that is going to be up to Lori at CTC, and I know that she has committed to involving, um, members of the Active Transportation Program Technical Advisory Committee to help review those definitions. Um, so, um, I don't have an answer. We can circle back with Lori to kind of get a better sense. Um, but my, my personal sense is they probably won't know, um, by the application deadline, but that is just my personal thoughts on the issue right now. But we will circle back with CTC just to, um, get a clear answer on, um, when they expect, um, those decisions to be finalized. Okay, we have another question here. Uh, for plans, are disadvantaged communities limited to those identified by SB 535? Uh, so the top 25% of DAC statewide or AB 1550? Uh, and the answer is no, uh, for the Active Transportation Program, uh, like I mentioned, there's a menu of options, uh, to qualify as disadvantaged communities, and some of those overlap with, uh, the definitions that were posed in the, uh, question, uh, but there are more than, uh, those, so I'll just run through them, uh, again, so that everybody, uh, can, uh, remember them. So the first one is, uh, income. So, uh, less than or, um, less than or equal to 80% of the statewide meeting household income. There's the CalEnviroScreen definition. So if, uh, a community is within the top 25% of CalEnviroScreen, there is, um, the, uh, for safe for us to school projects, you can use the free reduced meal program participation rates. And so to qualify there, you have to have a participation rate of 75% or higher. Um, if you're a federally recognized, uh, tribe that you qualify as the disadvantaged community for this program, for smaller communities that feel like they, uh, the official data sources don't reflect, uh, their income levels, you may submit a quantitative assessment that documents, um, the income levels of that particular community. Uh, and then lastly, uh, regional definitions may be considered. Um, regional definitions have to be, uh, adopted, uh, in a regional transportation plan. Uh, they have to meet, uh, you know, federal Title VI, uh, requirements and they had to have gone through a robust public participation process. And again, regional definitions must be submitted to the CTC for review and approval by June 1st. And actually we have, um, Emily Abrams, thanks for adding that the determination of eligibility will be by June 29th. It is in the, the, uh, the guidelines now that the regional definition will be determined by June 29th. So, um, you know, it is during the application period, but it's, uh, before you have to submit. Okay. We have a question around, uh, with H-SIP funding included in ATP, will cities be included from appliance? The H-SIP call for projects that has been funded by H-SIP. So, um, I should put a footnote. So, um, the funding sources for the H-SIP in the guidelines states, uh, H-SIP, so Highway Safety Improvement Program funds or other federal funds. And, uh, with the fund estimate that the CTC just released a few days ago, um, that has clearly, that has said explicitly that this cycle of funding will not be including any Highway Safety Improvement Program funding. So, the state will be using other federal funds, um, uh, in the cycle of ATP. Okay. We have another question. Uh, do ATP reviewers like to see actual bike ped counts or count estimates? Tony, you have some thoughts on that? Yeah. So, um, as a reviewer, I think it's really important to provide counts because you need to establish a baseline. Otherwise, how are you going to measure your project's success? And, regardless of what the reviewers think, uh, uh, the program, uh, is statutorily required to collect this information. So, uh, even though you're not being scored on providing counts and documenting your methodology, it's, uh, it's a baseline, uh, screening requirement. So, please, uh, don't, um, don't ignore that section of the application. Okay. We have some questions just to clarify some of the, the public health aspect. So, public health is added to the need statement, statement of need. Will applicants still be required to partner with local public health departments? And also, what do you see as the role of local public health departments? So, uh, as far as if the applicants have, are still required as far as points, the way that the, the, the, the public health question has been laid out in the applications now is to, you're basically describing the health disparity or the conditions. Uh, and in order to do that, I mean, perhaps you, you don't need to go to your public health department, but part of the rubrics, I imagine what we have submitted, uh, and so this hasn't been, um, finalized, but the breakdown of those points will be asking, was the local public health department, uh, engaged? And so, uh, it's, you'll see in the rubrics that you, you do want to demonstrate that there has been engagement. Let's see, we have a question here. Um, for ATP projects that were submitted previously and not funded, can the applicant get feedback from CTC or Caltrans on how they were scored and how to improve? Uh, and the answer to that is yes. Um, if you were the project sponsor or the applicant, uh, you may request from, uh, CTC, um, all of the evaluation documents. So, um, during the evaluation process, the reviewers actually are required to, uh, document how they scored you and to provide feedback. Um, I will say that the feedback has been kind of spotty depending on the reviewer team. So even if you kind of get those review sheets back, they may not have the information you're looking for. Uh, but I know that Lori in the past has said that she is more than happy to talk to any project applicant who wants to, um, understand how they did in past rounds and to, and to get some advice. Great. So one question is, can you clarify how safe routes projects under infrastructure are different from education, encouragement, and evaluation, et cetera, programs? Couldn't safe routes apply under both project categories? And the answer is yes. Uh, they're in the rubrics again, uh, in the infrastructure pieces, you, uh, you, you would get extra points, if your infrastructure is, uh, your infrastructure project is benefiting students. Um, and then as far as the non-infrastructure or a plan, a safe routes plan, then those would be separate applications. Yeah. And I think there, um, and it's probably oversight for me not putting it under the non-infrastructure piece. But, um, one thing we want to highlight with the non-infrastructure, uh, component of this program is that it's not just limited to safe routes to school, uh, education and encouragement programs. Um, you can reach other populations as well. So you can do senior focus, safe routes for seniors programs. You can do community-wide education or encouragement programs and the like. Okay. We have a question here around, uh, the TIMS calculator. Uh, is the TIMS calculator going to be used for the BC ratio? Or is there a different calculation? So, um, uh, the TIMS calculator is a tool, um, that's used mostly for the highway safety improvement program. Uh, this tool is not going to be used for the active transportation program. So, uh, when you go to TIMS.Berkeley.edu to access their tools, they'll have different tools. And for ATP, there is a standalone ATP, uh, map viewer tool. And, uh, that is the tool that you'll be using to, um, collect and present the safety collision information. And there's no, uh, cost-benefit calculation that's included in that. Um, and when we went through the, uh, different application types, none of the application types require you to conduct any sort of cost-benefit analysis. Uh, for large infrastructure applications, there are, there is a question around cost-effectiveness. Uh, you are allowed to, to use a cost-benefit analysis or ratio of your choosing, but you're not required to. Uh, and again, with, with that cost-effectiveness question, you're really trying to answer why your proposed project is the best use of state resources. Okay, great. So, related to bike and ped-count question, can you clarify when automated counters are eligible within the ATP? Uh, so I think that's definitely a Caltrans question for the final definitive answer, but, uh, my recollection in past workshops is that Caltrans has said that they are eligible, uh, expenses. And I know Emily is on the line, so if Emily, you have an, if you have a definitive answer, you can let me know. I think that's, that's what I also remember as well. So, um, we'll wait to hear if there's anything different than that. So it looks like we have a question around, you know, what would a perfect public participation score entail? Um, so I think that with public participation, um, you just want to really make sure that you are meaningfully engaging the population that the project is trying to serve. So if you are, um, so, so, you know, making sure that, um, the project area residents are able to attend different meetings, so making sure that your, uh, meetings or public participation opportunities are at convenient times, are at convenient locations. If you're trying to serve populations that include folks who are, um, non-English speaking, making sure that you provide, uh, translation and interpretation services, making sure that you provide child care so that parent working parents can participate, uh, in things like that. I don't know, Linda, if you had anything to add on public participation? Yeah. I mean, again, we don't have the, the updated rubrics, but from what I remember is some of the best applications they demonstrated public participation through showing, uh, sign-in sheets, um, you know, showing the number of, of workshops they had, uh, showing, um, certainly, uh, letters of support was, was one, but, uh, I think what we're, what they're looking for is just, you know, are you going, are you going to the public? Are you asking the public to come to you? Are you engaging with those in your community that, uh, you know, want to see these projects happen? One thing that happened, for example, is that, uh, an ATP project was awarded in the augmentation this last year. And then I remember some of the, the bike advocates saying, well, you know, maybe that, that actually wasn't the best project for that particular area. So that made me think that maybe you're, some of the applicants are, are not engaging with those that are, you know, deeply engaged with, um, the bike purple or walk community. And so are you reaching, um, are you reaching teachers? Are you reaching students? You know, if you're doing a safe routes program, you know, your constituency or the students themselves. So how are you demonstrating that, um, you know, they're, they're, um, they have buy-in as well. And, and I guess, uh, another way that, um, I've been thinking about this is I can, I think it's very easy to see what bad public participation looks like. So I can give you some examples from applications I've reviewed. So, uh, some applicants I've seen, um, consider their public participation process, simply posting a city council meeting notice. And that's it. Like literally that's it. So they didn't, they didn't really try or, um, you know, it's one Facebook posts or something. So, uh, I think like for evaluators, evaluators and reviewers can, can very easily tell when an applicant has not even tried to engage, uh, you know, the public that they're trying to serve. And then, um, going back to the automated counters piece, we did get an answer from Emily at Caltrans. Uh, yes, automated counters are allow, allowable expenses under ATP. However, they must be a part of a larger project. So you can't just apply, uh, uh, just for automated counters as a project. One question is, which grant application type should we use for safe routes to school? Would it be plan or infrastructure? So depends if it's a safe routes to school plan, then you'd want to use the plan application. Uh, and again, that's, uh, the application that's specifically geared towards disadvantaged communities. You want to make sure that you do qualify under that. And, uh, if it's infrastructure, you know, the components of safe routes to school can, can fall into the infrastructure. So it depends if it's a plan or if it's components of a safe, safe routes to school plan. And, uh, I'm just going to unmute Victoria. Hey, Victoria, do you want to just share what you chatted to me? Sure. Sorry. I was typing and, um, I'll see if I can actually read my own notes because I'm not good talking like off the cusp like you are, Tony. So I was just going to say to the point before about, um, what do you see the role of local public health? Um, and I just, so I'm Victoria Castodio from the active transportation resource center. I'm here also at the California Department of Public Health, um, working on chronic disease prevention and injury control, um, as well as health equity and some of the priorities of our department. Um, and I wanted just to reiterate that we know that local health departments have been providing a lot of leadership around active transportation for some time now, um, definitely in the realm of community engagement. A lot of local health departments have, um, other, uh, public health programs that function at the community level. They are aware of kind of the, uh, the relationships, um, and, um, partners and people at different institutions that are kind of the go-getters who can kind of really make the work happen, get, um, the public out to meetings. Um, you can also, um, sometimes piggyback on existing, um, you know, community meetings that are happening around other health issues. Um, local health departments have been essential at merging transportation planning discussions with local health priorities and initiatives. Again, um, I mentioned chronic disease, injury prevention, climate health, um, and they've also kind of been able to tie in the transportation discussions into their local community health assessments. Um, and then finally, I just wanted to, um, say that, you know, local health departments, um, all over are, are essential at highlighting health disparities. Um, again, so recognizing the communities that are most in need, um, uh, through, you know, that, that are, it's indicated through data so they can help with those data components. Um, so if you haven't already, um, enlisted your local public health, um, partners in your project or application planning, um, what you can do is reach out to the HRC using our, um, our general, um, email atcdph.ca.gov. And what we can do is try to connect you to the right person at your local health department, um, to try to get them involved with your efforts. Um, we know that there's, um, you know, there's always priorities with public health efforts, um, happening, but, um, this is a great time to kind of, um, reach out to us as that we can help you, um, extend your, uh, extend your partnerships around your active transportation planning. Thanks, Tony. Thanks, Victoria. Thank you, Victoria. Uh, so we have a question here. Do you have a dollar amount in the guidelines for plan or non-infrastructure? Uh, there is a minimum request for funds, and so that minimum is $250,000. And, uh, it doesn't apply to non-infrastructure infrastructure projects, uh, Safe Routes to School projects, recreational trails, and plants. So no, there is, there's not a minimum or a maximum, I guess, for, uh, plants and non-infrastructure. But I think our recommendation is, you know, make sure that your funding or request is commensurate with the types of activities that you are proposing. And, uh, like Victoria said, uh, CDPH is available, uh, to help with non-infrastructure, um, you know, program development and scoping. So, um, definitely reach out to, um, those folks. If you write an ATP grant for a project, are you still later able to bid on it and work on it later if it gets funding? Uh, I'm not quite sure I understand. Tony? Are you, uh, is this person from a non-profit or something like that? I'm not sure. It's Jonathan Delgado. Should we let him, let's, let's see if we can, Jonathan, we're gonna unmute you, Jonathan, so you can ask your question. Unmute. Jonathan. Yes, hello. Hi, you asked a question and I understand it. Oh, thank you. Sorry. So, we are writing an ATP grant for a agency and we are wondering if this grant gets funding, would be, would we be prohibited from bidding on this project and doing design work for it? Is it a conflict of interest if we write the grant for it and then later we are trying to do designs for it? That's a great question. I don't think this is, yeah. Yeah, I'm not sure I have an answer for that. We can definitely circle back with Caltrans, but regardless of who writes the application, it still has to go through a competitive bid process. So, yeah, we can, we can check in with Caltrans to see if that is a conflict of interest or not. So, you, Tony, you had talked about this first one, right? Does teaming with a local CBO help chances of local government agency? Did we go over that earlier? Yeah, I think we went over that. Okay. So, here's another question. If your city does not have a disadvantaged community, is it worth the effort to apply losing 10 points? Wow, we would need a whole other webinar for this one, wouldn't we? I highly encourage you to think about one, you know, if you're looking after those, if you're looking for those 10 points, then maybe you would want to see where in your community you would be able to fall under one of the disadvantaged community's definitions. I can't imagine that every community, there's a community out there that doesn't have, you know, that and maybe it is the case. And if it is the case, I still encourage you to apply because especially in the infrastructure, it is just 10 points. There's a lot of ways to demonstrate need and there's a lot of ways to demonstrate that, you know, you want to bring ATP dollars to your community. I imagine if you speak with your local walk-in bike advocates, they would show you some projects that would be worthy of these points and so or worthy of the projects in the funding. So, I wouldn't be discouraged by the disadvantaged community piece that that effort is there to really put an emphasis on where we have historically not invested in communities. However, I would encourage you to still look for projects and engage with your community and it might be that, you know, when you're speaking with your local health department, there's a way to address a local concern through a really great application, project application. So, it's a it's a bit of a process but please reach out to us if this is still an issue for you. All right, so we're coming around to the end of our webinar here. And let's see. Okay, just in relation to the just the question I just answered, we have thanks Marvin for chiming in. I would point out that even if an agency might not be competitive at the state level due to lack of disadvantaged community, they would probably still be able to get funding through the MPO level. Very great point. You know, you would want to see if that's available for you as well. All right, thanks everyone for attending. That's the end of our questions here and I hope this was useful. Please continue to reach out to us and you know, we'll continue to be able to provide support and check out our websites and check out the links that we've we've sent will be sending around the the recording and the slides and please check your emails for that. Thanks and have a great day. Thanks everyone. Bye.