TITLE
Consider a memorandum/resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the United States Army Garrison Fort Hood for the submission of a Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAAG) application, funding a Robert Gray Army Airfield project.
SUMMARY
AGENDA ITEM
DEAAG Grant Application for Robert Gray Army Airfield Project
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT
Aviation
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant Program (DEAAG), created in 1997, is an infrastructure grant program designed to assist defense communities that are responding to or recovering from either expanded or reduced military missions or that have been positively or negatively impacted by a change in defense contracts or an announced change. Funding can also be used proactively to support installations in the event of a change or announced change by the Department of Defense. This funding is available to local municipalities to be used for negatively or positively affected communities or for projects that will increase the military value of the military installation. Grants awarded may range from $50,000 to $5,000,000 per project.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
A team from the City of Killeen and Fort Hood met to discuss and ultimately determine projects which met the criteria set forth in the basic grant guidelines and selected a project that is critical to the mission of Fort Hood as well as provides beneficial use to the Killeen Fort Hood Regional Airport (KFHRA) and the City of Killeen. This project is the renovation and rehabilitation of the Robert Gray Army Airfield (RGAAF) Army Radar Approach Control (ARAC) facility. The ARAC houses equipment that enables qualified personnel to control all aircraft within a sixty (60)-mile radius of RGAAF. More importantly, this facility directly controls the restricted airspace and military operating areas around Fort Hood used for the training of its troops, including necessary live-fire training and unmanned aerial systems operations. Without this facility, Fort Hood would be unable to meet its power projection mission, its training mission, and its Army aviation mission. Equally, without the ARAC, the KFHRA would not function as the region’s premier commercial service airport. This facility is a high-priority project which meets the needs of the Army, the City, the community, and the DEAAG Program. The project grant will be requested to fund 74% of the total project cost; 19% of the cost funded will be provided by the United States Army Garrison at Fort Hood (USAG-FH); the remaining 7% will be contributed through in-kind services provided by the USAG-FH and the City.
FISCAL IMPACT
Total project cost is estimated to be $5,348,000. The grant will fund $4,000,000, with a $1,000,000 match to be funded by the USAG-FH conveyed through a memorandum of agreement with the City of Killeen. The remaining $348,000 are “in-kind” services provided by USAG-FH and the City to include storage of the mission essential equipment, temporary maintenance facilities, utilities, all permitting and environmental, and project management and administration.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommend the Council approve the submission of a DEAAG application.