Hello, my name is Carrie Banks and I manage the Stream Continuity Program within the Department of Fish & Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. We’re here today to learn about the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program.
Before we do so, I will take a few minutes to talk about the Division and the Stream Continuity Program. The Division of Ecological Restoration, or DER, works with community-based partners to restore aquatic ecosystems throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. DER supports a multitude of restoration initiatives including dam removals, culvert replacements, and the restoration of streams, floodplains, wetlands, and cranberry bogs.
Within the Stream Continuity Program, DER has a staff dedicated to focusing on culverts and small bridges. We aim to remove barriers to fish and wildlife movement, reconnect upstream and downstream habitat, and to restore natural stream processes.
Many of the 25,000 culverts and small bridges crossing our streams in Massachusetts are municipally owned and managed and barriers to fish and wildlife. In order to restore and reconnect our streams, we recognize we need to work with our towns to replace road-stream crossings with structures meeting the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards.
Our Stream Continuity Program encourages assessments of road-stream crossings; maintains a network of culvert replacement training sites across the state where we provide in-depth training opportunities for local road managers; develops tools and resources (e.g. provide sample bid requests and scopes of work; recommended qualifications for consultant firms; and examples of design plan details); and offers Technical Assistance to help municipalities identify, plan, and implement successful projects.
Our Program also administers seed funding through the Division’s Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program. This municipal grant program is offered annually.
The purpose of this funding is to encourage municipalities to replace culverts that meet improved structural and environmental design standards and flood resiliency criteria.
Massachusetts municipalities interested in replacing undersized, perched, and/or degraded culverts with structures that meet the goals of the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards, particularly in areas of high ecological value, are encouraged to apply.
This is a competitive grant program and has limited grant funding. Annual funding requests well exceed available funding. We encourage interested municipalities to discuss their projects with DER staff prior to the posting of the annual request for responses (RFR) for the grant program.
The Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards were developed in 2005 as guidelines on how to properly build a road-stream crossing to accommodate for fish passage and river processes.
If you look at the stream crossing in the photo, the crossing spans the streambanks, provides a natural substrate within the culvert with a comparable depth and velocity upstream and downstream. Even through high flows and low flows the crossing should maintain a natural stream channel that keeps the road open and accessible with very little maintenance.
All applicants should become familiar with the Stream Crossing Standards. The Standards are provided in the website link included the full grant announcement.
There are many benefits to structures that meet the Stream Crossing Standards.
In the past, traditional culverts were often only designed to carry water under the road. As we all know, streams move not only water, but sediment, wood, and debris as well. As you can see from the photo on the left, traditional culverts can block the movement of fish and wildlife, restrict hydraulic capacity (which can lead to clogging of the culvert, downstream scour, and erosion of structural components), making the culvert susceptible to failure and damages.
Structures meeting the Stream Crossing Standards, as pictured to the right, reconnect access to critical habitat for fish and wildlife; allow for the natural movement of sediment and wood and give the stream channel room to adjust; improve flood resiliency and reduce probability of flood-related damages; maintain road access for emergency, residential, and community services. Ultimately, they create a cost-effective structure with longer lifespans.
Interested applicants should view the full grant announcement at the website link shown on this slide (https://www.mass.gov/how-to/culvert-rpelacement-municipal-assistance-grant-program).
The website contains all grant materials pertaining to this funding opportunity, including the Pre-RFR documents and Frequently Asked Questions.
We strongly recommend all potential grant applicants participate in the Pre-RFR Informational Conference Call and/or submit a project inquiry as outlined on the website. Please keep in mind, under state procurement regulations, DER and other state staff will not discuss projects with proponents once the RFR is issued.
In this slide, I am going to briefly highlight what is new in FY23. We encourage interested applicants to further review the Pre-RFR materials for additional details.
For FY23, we revised eligible project criteria in Section 1.4 to better align with goals of Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards. I will provide some additional details in upcoming slides.
We updated our Funding Availability Section 1.6, including typical range of awards.
We added a Mitigation Disclaimer in Section 1.5 to clarify projects with a direct connection to or obligation for compensatory mitigation are ineligible to apply.
We revised the scoring and review criteria as well as some of the application instructions in Section 3. I will provide some additional details in upcoming slides.
We updated Project Terms and provided general clarification of grant requirements.
We also revamped our appendices. This included adding a how-to guide for using the new Stream Crossing Explorer online mapper. You can see that in Appendix B: DER Tools to Determine Environmental Benefits. And we included a reference guide for typical culvert replacement tasks. You can see that in Appendix C: Proposed Work Checklist.
This slide provides an overview of the FY23 CRMA grant timeline.
During the Pre-Request for Response Period (Pre-RFR) applicants can go online to review and learn about the grant opportunity and ask DER staff both general and project specific questions about their culvert replacement project. During the Pre-RFR interested applicants can engage DER by submitting project-specific inquiries by email and/or by participating in the Pre-RFR Informational Conference Call. Additional information, including registration details, can be found on the main grant website.
The Request for Response (RFR) Period is the time-period that applicants submit their on-line applications. It’s important to note that any questions during the RFR can pertain only to questions about the application and/or application process (not project specific questions) and the questions must be submitted in writing ONLY during a Question and Answer Period.
The grant applications are due on March 14 by 5:00pm.
Grant awards are anticipated to be announced by July. All applicants will be notified by email and informed of the status of their proposed project, whether they’ve been approved or not.
The contract duration for the grant awards will be through June 30, 2023.
DER seeks projects in ecologically high value areas. Projects should remove barriers to fish and wildlife, reconnect upstream and downstream habitat, and restore stream processes.
Only projects that intend to meet the goals of the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards will be considered.
In-kind replacements and/or slip lining projects are not eligible projects under this grant program.
Eligible applicants include ALL Massachusetts municipalities. If you’re applying for a project which crosses municipal boundaries, you may submit a joint application. In these cases, a lead municipality should be identified to serve as the lead applicant and fiscal agent.
If your municipality has been awarded funding in previous years and your grant is in good standing with DER, you may apply for continued work on that project OR you may apply for a new project.
Each municipality may submit one grant application for this funding opportunity.
As noted in previous slides, the primary goal is to restore fish and wildlife passage and reconnect stream habitat.
For this upcoming funding opportunity, applicants are allowed to propose up to 3 culvert or bridge replacements within the same local connected stream network per application. This is intended to increase the potential ecological benefits of the proposed projects.
Please note: In cases where multiple structures are being proposed by adjacent municipalities under a joint application, no more than 3 structures on the same local stream network can be included in the joint application.
Proposed structures must be located on a public way, owned and maintained by the municipality, and cross a freshwater, non-tidal river or stream channel. The stream can be either intermittent or perennial.
Projects where a culvert will be completely removed and the road decommissioned are also eligible for funding.
I’m now going to take a few moments to describe what we mean by a local connected stream network and the ability to apply for multiple projects through this upcoming grant round.
In this example, you may decide to apply for field data collection and design for Structure #1 (i.e. Side Street). You may also include Structure #2 (i.e. Main Road) in your application as both sites are located on the same stream reach (i.e. Trout Brook). You may mix and match the proposed phases of work based on the individual structure needs. For example, if design for Structure #2 has already been completed, then you can apply for field data collection and design for Structure #1 and Permitting for both Structure #1 & #2. Please keep in mind, any work that you propose must be completed by June 30, 2023.
In this example, you may decide to apply for both Structure #1 and Structure #2 where Bridge Street crosses over Trout Brook. In cases where you might have another road-stream crossing occurring between proposed project sites, then please note in your application if you are (1) planning to replace the Route 22A structure or (2) if the existing structure facilitates fish and wildlife passage. In an example like this, the project would be less competitive if the Route 22 A culvert is a considerable barrier to fish and wildlife passage AND is not being addressed.
This is an example of two structures located within the same local connected stream network. Here we see Structure #1 is located on Trout Brook and Structure #2 is located on a tributary to Trout Brook.
DER seeks projects where the combined benefits to local stream connectivity and ecology are significantly reconnecting upstream and downstream habitat. DER will evaluate all these projects on the overall ecological benefits.
Proposals which include culverts and bridges scattered geographically around your community or not hydrologically connected will not be competitive for funding. In these cases, municipalities should instead choose to submit one structure for consideration.
Any phase of a culvert replacement can be funded through this grant program, from project planning to construction. However, all proposed work must be completed within Fiscal Year 2023.
Typical project phases include the Field Data Collection phase (where you collect enough information to be able to make recommendations for a replacement structure), Design and Engineering, Permitting, and Construction.
Individual awards typically range from $25,000 to $400,000, depending on the number of structures, project phases, and work proposed. Awards over $200,000 are anticipated for construction projects only. Based on the total available funding expected for this upcoming round, awards are not anticipated to exceed $400,000, regardless of the number of structures proposed. For further details, see Section 1.7 Funding Availability, in the Pre-RFR.
There is no match requirement for this grant program. Although DER will award funding to cover a full phase of work (e.g. design and engineering), DER does not anticipate being able to provide funding for the full cost of a culvert replacement (e.g. field data collection, design, engineering, permitting, and construction).
We encourage applicants to report known sources of funding for the proposed project (both secured and anticipated funding).
Projects seeking construction funding should demonstrate the ability to obtain and secure the balance of funds prior to the start of the grant contract period, which will be July 2022.
Applications will be evaluated by an inter-agency grant review committee. The committee will use the grant criteria to assess, score, and rank proposals based on the evaluation criteria in the Grant RFR. We encourage applicants to review the evaluation criteria in the RFR, especially as some of the criteria and scoring have been adjusted since the last round.
In general, DER seeks projects that are located in areas of High Ecological Value; meet our Program Priorities; have demonstrated municipal support; have identified potential pathways for funding, as well as how DER financial assistance will help the Municipality advance the culvert replacement project towards implementation; and are ready for Proposed Phase of Work, that is, the project has been properly scoped, budgeted and the timeline adequately meets the grant program criteria and project goals. We’re lastly looking for projects that provide a Multiple of Project Benefits. So not only providing benefits to the environment, but also public safety, climate resiliency, and socio-economic benefits to environmental justice neighborhoods and/or the surrounding community.
Applications which provide more specific details regarding project benefits are likely to score better overall, than applications where general statements are made about project benefits. For example, quantify and/or provide back-up documentation (such as newspaper articles, reference local or regional plans, dates of flooding and damage occurrences, number of businesses/residences impacted by the damages, as well as any cost savings that may be achieved by the project).
In FY23, we have incorporated environmental justice criterion to align with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Environmental Justice Policy, released in June 2021.
For the new EJ Criterion, there is a weblink to the EEA’s Environmental Justice Interactive Map Viewer, pictured here. You can search by project address and location.
Projects located in a mapped Environmental Justice neighborhood will receive 5 points and projects located within 0.5 miles of an EJ Block Group will receive 3 points. Up to an additional 3 points may be awarded to projects with direct project benefits to an EJ Community and/or for projects ranked highly for environmental benefits.
Applicants should describe any relevant climate resiliency, public safety, and/or socio-economic benefits for the EJ community in your application.
And as you can see in this example, we have a crossing located on a coldwater stream, just upstream of a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and it is a crossing which ranks highly for one of the best opportunities to reconnect upstream and downstream habitat in the state. Thus, it would receive a high score under the Benefit to the Environment criterion and be awarded additional points under the EJ criterion.
Once a grant is awarded, a final contract between DER and the municipality is subject to negotiation of an agreed upon scope of work.
All technical deliverables and reports produced under the contract shall be delivered to DER.
Structures will remain the property of the municipality.
DER reserves the right to fund a portion, modify, or amend the scope and/or add or delete tasks of any project proposal in coordination with the applicant to more closely meet the purposes of the program. Applicants will have the option of rejecting the grant award if the revised scope does not meet their goals.
The payment procedure is by reimbursement for costs incurred during the grant contract period, and only tasks identified in the scope are eligible for reimbursement.
The Grant Application Deadline is March 14th at 5:00pm. Applications received after the deadline will automatically be rejected, so please plan accordingly. We encourage applicants to submit in advance of this deadline, and just to clarify again, applications can be submitted starting February 14th.
Now we’ll provide an overview of some of the application elements.
All applications must be submitted online through the Online Submission Portal. No paper applications will be accepted.
Application forms can be found on our website along with instructions on how to apply.
The required documents needing to be submitted with a grant application online include the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Application Form and project photos. Supporting Documentation should also be submitted as part of the project for any work that has been completed, especially for projects that are in later phases of work, such as construction.
Required documents can be uploaded in Microsoft Word, or to reduce file size, the document may be converted and uploaded as an Adobe PDF.
You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application and supporting documentation within two days following submission
This is a snapshot of the application form. Applicants will type their responses into the Word .doc form. The form boxes will expand as needed. Instructions for each field are provided in Section 3.3 of the Pre-RFR.
If you applied for last year’s CRMA grant, the application form has changed slightly. The key difference is the culvert location information will be submitted via the online portal. Be sure to review the questions in the Pre-RFR before preparing to submit to ensure you have all the required information.
For project photos we’d like applicants to include views of the Culvert inlet and Culvert outlet for all of the road-stream crossings being proposed.
You may also include these other views: Road Over Culvert, Upstream of the Culvert and Downstream of Culvert, and other photos of relevant details.
Photos may be uploaded as one document or individually. Please keep in mind, all documentation submitted via the online portal cannot exceed 20 MB. We recommend each photo being 2MB or less.
For any supporting documentation, please submit electronic copies of all the relevant work completed to date on the proposed culvert replacements.
Supporting documentation may include Field Notes, Technical Reports and Analyses, Design Plan Sets, Permits, Cost Estimates, Design or Construction Bids.
More advanced projects, or those requesting construction funding, should include supporting documentation.
Electronic submission is via our online portal. The link to the online submission portal will be provided upon release of the RFR.
Applicants will click on the link for the portal, fill in basic details about their project, and upload their application documents.
You should receive an email confirming receipt of the application within two business days.
Please note, NEW this year: Applicants will have the option to “save and resume for later.” The online portal will generate a link to the application form that you must save in your records and/or fill in your email address to have the link emailed to you. We recommend both copying and saving, as well as emailing to yourself.
We thank everyone for joining us. Please feel free to contact us with questions. This is the contact information during the Pre-RFR and RFR periods.
If you’re interested in learning more about whether your proposed project is a good fit for our grant program, then please see our second online presentation, Tips for a Successful Project.
We look forward to reviewing your proposed projects for the CRMA Grant. Thank you.