Section 761.165.22. Application.

       165.22(1)  Submission. An eligible applicant shall complete and submit an original and four copies of a project application on a form prescribed by the department.

        a.           An eligible applicant may submit more than one application in a funding cycle.

        b.           Two or more eligible applicants may submit a joint application and are encouraged to do so when a project requires mutual action. A joint application shall designate a lead applicant to serve as the principal contact with the department.

        c.           The deadlines are January 2 and July 1 or the first workdays following those dates.

  d.                Applications shall be submitted to the office of project planning. To be considered in the current funding cycle, an application must be received by project planning by 4:30 p.m.       on the day of the deadline.

       165.22(2)  Contents of application. Each application shall contain the following:

        a.           The applicant’s name, mailing address and telephone number, and the contact person who will serve as liaison with the department.

        b.           A project concept statement including a location map, a cross section and a sketch of the project. The proposed project need not be designed before applying, but the concept must be reasonable from a transportation engineering standpoint and detailed enough to generate project cost estimates.

        c.           An itemized cost estimate for the total project showing for each item the cost and funding source.

        d.           A time schedule for the total trail project with the applicant’s written assurance of project completion as scheduled. A time schedule adjustment may be approved by the department if the project involves unusually complex studies, extensive real estate negotiations, extensive analyses for environmental clearances, complex planning for associated developments, or another compelling reason.

        e.           An adequate justification for the recreational trails project based on the project eligibility criteria in subrule 165.12(2) and the evaluation criteria in subrule 165.26(2).

        f.            An official endorsement of the application from the responsible authority and written assurance from that authority that the total trail used to justify the project will be adequately maintained and made available for the intended public use for a minimum of 20 years after completion of the project except as approved by the commission.

       165.22(3)  Funding requests.

        a.           An applicant shall specify in the application the amount of the funding grant requested from the recreational trails fund and may offer a matching fund contribution larger than is required.

        b.           In lieu of a grant request, an applicant may request alternative funding, such as a loan at below market interest rate, a no-interest loan, or a partial repayment of principal.

        c.           If recreational trails funds are loaned as matching funds, the value of the loan repayments for matching fund purposes shall be based on net present value.