Okaloosa County BOCC — March 18, 2014 — _Supplemental Intro — reading text

based on the ability of the Committee to generate resources to adequately monitor and assess all of the publicly funded reefs. Our records indicate public reefs were first deployed in June 1988 and there are currently hundreds of sites that are qualified for the monitoring program. The Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Monitoring Plan ranks several "Levels" of artificial reef monitoring in terms of importance and feasibility. While the long-term goal of the Artificial Reef Program and Monitoring Plan may be to perform all levels of monitoring, fiscal and operational constraints may restrict monitoring activities to those deemed necessary or important. The County intends to maximize the use of volunteers to monitor its artificial reefs. The County will also proactively involve motivated local businesses and organizations in data collection regarding the physical condition, human use, and biological monitoring. Five Year Local Artificial Reef Management Plan Attachment 16 contains the Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Plan, which the OCARP updated in 2011. The County is currently updating the plan to address the comprehensive activities of the program through 2019. Within the past two years, Okaloosa County has significantly increased the budget allocated to artificial reef planning and construction. OCARP has continually identified the importance of artificial reef management and is currently adding an additional staff member to spearhead new artificial reef efforts. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  8 of 11 In addition to planning the Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo sites, OCARP has been proactive in the expansion of artificial reef deployment areas. In January 2014, the County received FDEP permits for Fish Havens 17, 18, and 19. The future Fish Havens 17 – 19 are ¼ nautical mile square deployment areas available for multi-reef construction efforts that will increase the presently low reef site density in the western portion of the County. Marine Advisory Board The Okaloosa County Marine Advisory Board (MAB) is in a state of transition. The current MAB is being reconfigured to include other organizations involved with marine-related functions other than artificial reefs. This transition, facilitated by the Okaloosa County Extension Office Sea Grant representative, will be called the Okaloosa/Walton Marine Science Extension Advisory Committee. Attachment 17 presents a current roster of membership. Permits As noted previously, the two tables below indicate the status of permits for the five deployment locations. All four sites located in reef deployment areas within State waters have been permitted by the FDEP and are projected for approval by the USACE in early 2014. FDEP Reef Area FDEP Permit Number Expires Fish Haven 13 46-0309090-002-EG 3/8/2017 Fish Haven 14 46-0309090-003-EG 3/8/2017 Fish Haven 15 46-0315101-001-EG 1/25/2018 Fish Haven 16 46-0315102-001-EG 1/25/2018 LAARS A * NA NA *Located in Federal Waters NA – Not Applicable USACE Reef Area USACE Project Number USACE Permit Number Expires Fish Haven 13 SAJ-2011-03485 SAJ-2011-03485(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 Fish Haven 14 SAJ-2013-02668 SAJ-2013-02668(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 Fish Haven 15 SAJ-2012-03221 SAJ-2012-03221(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 Fish Haven 16 SAJ-2012-03222 SAJ-2012-03222(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 LAARS A * NA 199603565(IP-DH) March 31, 2013** ** Extended in 6-Month Increments until Reauthorization Approval is Granted. NA – Not Applicable Attachment 18 contains USACE permit 199603565(IP-DH), under which the County will deploy any material in Federal Waters (LAARS Site A) within the funding constraints or material that could not be placed within the Fish Haven reef sites in State waters. Attachment 18 also contains FDEP permits for Fish Havens 13 – 16, which contain reef sites Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  9 of 11 Local Demand and Public Access (Attachments 19 – 20) Public Support Attachment 19 includes emails and letters of public support from municipalities, businesses, and individuals for the continued construction and monitoring of the artificial reef program in Okaloosa County. All of these documents of support have been collected in the recent past. Public support of the program is not limited to the past six months but is a perpetual support of OCARP goals and activities such as reef construction/maintenance in general. Presence of a Navigable Inlet Attachment 20 contains figures depicting the relative location of the proposed reef sites to the nearest navigable inlet access point — East Pass, Destin, FL. The County assumes that the successful contractor candidate will use this inlet for transport of all materials proposed for deployment for this effort. East Pass provides ample access to the proposed reef sites. Material Transport and Ownership (Attachments 21 – 23) Material Logistics Attachment 21 includes the logistics plan for the materials proposed for deployment in this effort. Two primary transport operations will occur — terrestrial transport from the material location to the staging area and marine transport from the staging area to the proposed reef sites. Whether the materials are staged or loaded directly onto the marine transport will be at the discretion of the successful contractor candidate. Availability of Materials The USAF has donated the primary material designated for this effort. The USAF decided to repurpose the material over two years ago but has not been able to move forward with use due to lack of funds. A USAF material inventory in February 2014 indicates a steadily growing stockpile of clean concrete suitable for artificial reef construction. The Fort Walton Beach material was also obligated for this effort over two years ago and is currently staged at a County facility. Attachment 22 includes the inventory of both the USAF and FWB material. OCARP has consulted with the USAF for its continued support and the USAF both supports this effort and will work closely with OCARP in the management of this effort. Proof of Ownership Attachment 23 provides written confirmation that the material has been committed to this effort from the USAF by the USAF Research Laboratory senior staff responsible for the construction and use of the targets as well as the ultimate disposition after its intended use. Project Practicality (Attachments 24 – 26) Estimate of Handling and Transportation Cost Attachment 24 — Due to insufficient availability of applicable estimates of cost for transport for materials such as those being donated from the USAF Research Lab, OCARP will rely on the result of responses to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to determine the cost of handling and transportation. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  10 of 11 OCARP or its consultant will prepare an RFP for transportation and deployment of the proposed material. OCARP will publicly advertise the RFPs and send the RFP to a minimum of five vendors known to have the capability to complete this proposed project in a safe, economical, and timely manner. One particular interested vendor has been deploying artificial reefs since 1986 and has experience with both prefabricated concrete modules, vessels, and other secondary materials. Experience has proven these vendors not only capable, but also proficient in executing the artificial reef grant projects. The RFP will solicit cost of mobilization/demobilization and cost per ton of deployed material. The County will process the responses to the RFPs and will put the entirety of the project funds towards placing the maximum amount of material, constructing as many of the five proposed reefs as possible. The awarded bidder’s proposal will determine the final cost and ultimate scale of the project. Financial Match Attachment 25 — The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners will match $20,000 to the $60,000 grant request. The County is excited about the potential outcome of this FWC 2014-15 Grant Application and the positive impact it could have on the overall project. If OCARPreceives the requested funds, the project will have total funding of $240,000. This level of funding will allow the construction of an economy of scale project, noticeably larger in scale to OCARP’s past efforts. Considering the typically high cost of mobilization, securing this grant will greatly affect the scale and overall success of the project. Artificial Reef Construction/Monitoring Budget Attachment 26 — The local FY14 budget for construction and monitoring of artificial reefs managed by Okaloosa County through OCARP is $120,000. The funding is allocated through the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department and managed by OCARP. As proposed in the previous year supplemental grant, the County matched $80,000 with FWC and held in reserve $20,000 for this proposed project. The reserved $20,000 was subsequently allocated as the financial match for this current construction grant application. Additionally, the County allotted $20,000 for construction-phase services and engineering for the artificial reef projects, including construction drawings, technical specifications, construction administration, and certification. OCARP expects to continue to obligate funds in FY15 to the continuation of deployment of USAF material and may be able to apply funds through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process to complete the deployment of the current USAF inventory. Baseline monitoring primarily for construction objective verification is included in this project. While out-year monitoring budgeting for monitoring is desired by OCARP, construction funding will be the primary budget focus. A cultural change and other reef program objectives will need to be accomplished before funding earmarked for monitoring will be realized. However, OCARP believes that demonstrating positive and sustainable economic impact and public perception will be the keys to making monitoring a required budget element. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  11 of 11 Non-profit Eligibility Verification (Attachments 27 – 28) 501(C)(3) Tax Status Attachment 27 presents the Okaloosa County Tax Status certificate. Corporation's By-Laws and/or Articles of Incorporation The ordinance/resolutions provided in Attachment 28 demonstrate the commitment of the County to Artificial Reef programs. Procurement of Commodities or Contractual Services (Attachment 29) Procurement of Commodities or Contractual