Bay County, Florida RESTORE Act Project
Pre-proposal Form
Fall 2014
Project Number (For Staff Only) Submittal Date
Purpose: This form is designed to assist citizens, businesses, public or private organizations, and
local governments wishing to submit a project for consideration of funding from the Gulf Coast
Restoration Trust Fund Direct Component dollars allocated to Bay County by the 2012 RESTORE
Act.
Funds are provided to Bay County, as a federal grant, usually on a project-by-project basis.
Organizations wishing to manage a project must have the capacity to manage a federal grant
and comply with all of its requirements.
A maximum of $6.3 million will be available for this funding cycle. Projects not funded in
this cycle may be proposed in future application cycles.
NOTE: ** Only information submitted on this form will be considered. Complete the form,
save it and email it to RESTOREproposals@baycountyfl.gov. You will receive an email
confirming receipt of your pre-proposal. Please note that Florida has a very broad Public
Records Law and your email communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure.
Criteria for eligible projects
A proposed project must meet all the following criteria in order to be eligible for Bay County's Direct
Component funds:
1. Within Bay County or adjacent surface and Gulf waters, or with an identified and strong benefit
to the County
2. Addresses one or more RESTORE Act eligible activities http://tinyurl.com/
RESTOREActEligibleActivities
3. Addresses one or more Bay County Multi-Year Implementation Plan Objectives http://tinyurl.com/
GoalsObjBayMYIP
4. Is not fully funded by another source of money
5. Has a recognizable public benefit
Bay PRP 2014-009
10/22/2014
Project Name (Character count limited to 250)
Project Proposer Name (Character count limited to 50)
Affiliation (Character count limited to 50)
Position (Character count limited to 50)
Mailing Address
Street / P O Box
City State Zip Code
E-Mail Address Web-Site
Phone Number Fax Number
Project Description (Character count limited to 500)
Project Size (acres)
Public Benefit (Clearly and briefly describe anticipated outcomes and benefit to the public.
Complete only those that apply) (Character count limited to 300 on each topic)
Economic
Panama City Beach Sports Village - Phase 2A: The Sporting Grounds (Softball)
Dan Rowe
Bay County Tourist Development Council
Executive Director
17001 Panama City Beach Parkway
Panama City Beach
FL
32413
drowe@visitpanamacitybeach.com
(850) 233-5070
(850) 233-5072
The Sporting Grounds project will expand existing athletic facilities by adding five (5) softball
fields with artificial turf infields and outfields. One (1) field will be upgraded to a Championship
Field with expanded seating and other amenities suitable for tournament championships and
other marquee games. This is a stand-alone phase of the larger Panama City Beach Sports
Village Project.
30
Additional fields will help maintain the current tournament base, attract new events and allow
more teams to play in existing tournaments without displacing local league play. New
opportunities to increase year-round occupancy will yield a total incremental economic impact
of $5.7 million annually.
Environmental
Social
Other
RESTORE Act Direct Component eligible activity that the project undertakes (Check only
those that apply)
Activities Eligible for Funding
Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and
wildlife habitats, beaches, and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region
Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, and natural resources
Implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation
management plan, including fisheries monitoring
Workforce development and job creation
Improvements to or on State parks located in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill
Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, including port
infrastructure
Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure
Planning assistance
Administrative costs of complying with this subsection
Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast Region, including recreational fishing
Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast Region
Recreation-related capital projects will not only enhance the visitor experience; they will foster a
healthy/active lifestyle among local residents. Expanded facilities will relieve field congestion
and ensure local sports enthusiasts have ample opportunities and venues to pursue their
activities.
Sports-related tourism is seen as a major growth opportunity by other destinations which have
begun to aggressively develop and market new venues. Expansion of Panama City Beach's
existing facilities will allow the destination to maintain its market share and reputation as "the
place to play."
Bay County RESTORE Act Multi-Year Implementation Plan objectives addressed (Check only
those that apply; read full text of each objective before checking the box. Full text can be
downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/GoalsObjBayMYIP
)
Economic Development and Job Creation
Objective 1.1 Diversify the Economy
Objective 1.2 Contribute to infrastructure
Objective 1.3 Expand airport economic benefits
Objective 1.4 In-demand job training
Objective 1.5 Workforce development fund
Objective 1.6 Facilities to foster tourism and economic development
Objective 1.7 Recreation, public transportation, and opportunities for wage improvements
Objective 1.8 Conserve and protect natural resources
Objective 1.9 Promote recreational Gulf fishing
Objective 1.10 Community resilience planning
Environment
Objective 2.1 Improve and protect the St. Andrew Bay watershed
Objective 2.2 Improve and protect water quality
Objective 2.3 Protect seagrass beds
Objective 2.4 Increase awareness of wildlife habitat
Objective 2.5 Acquisition and management of coastal conservation lands
Objective 2.6 Preserve and restore dune systems and living shorelines
Objective 2.7 Contribute to the protection and recovery of protected species
Objective 2.8 Sustainable approach to long-term collection of water data
Public Infrastructure
Objective 3.1 Public infrastructure for environment and economy
Objective 3.2 Maintain water quality in Deer Point Lake
Objective 3.3 Stabilize unpaved roads
Objective 3.4 Replacement of septic tanks with centralized wastewater treatment
Objective 3.5 Upgrading stormwater treatment facilities
Objective 3.6 Promote low impact development
Objective 3.7 Increase coastal resilience
Objective 3.8 Support the Port Authority's efforts to add capacity and increase trade
Location
Describe Project Location (Character count limited to 300)
Provide the location of the center of the project as latitude/longitude in decimal degrees. To
determine this, go to the Bay County ArcGIS Map
, (works best in Chrome or Internet Explorer
browsers) put the pointer on the center of your project, and note the latitude and longitude from the
bottom left corner.
Latitude Longitude
Cost
Estimated total cost of project Amount being requested
Describe what the requested funds will be used for. (Character count limited to 300)
If long term funding is needed, indicate the anticipated funding source and availability.
(Character count limited to 300)
Estimate amount of time needed to complete the project
0 to 2 years
3 to 6 years
7 to 10 years
11 plus years
The Bay County Tourist Development Council is exploring several potential sites within the
greater Panama City Beach area (west of the Hathaway Bridge, south of the B.V. Buchanan
Bridge and east of Phillips Inlet).
$8,000,000.00
$2,000,000.00
Funds will be used to construct five (5) softball fields and appropriate support infrastructure:
seating, dugouts, press box/scouting tower, restrooms, concession area, interior roadways and
parking facilities. One (1) field will be developed as a "Championship" field.
Funding for capital improvements will come from monies held in reserve by the Bay County
Tourist Development Council (TDC), state-level grants and corporate sponsorship.
Matching funds
Are matching funds available?
Yes
No
If yes, describe source and if the match is secured. (Character count limited to 300)
Amount of match secured
Percent of estimated project cost to be
provided by matching funds
Partnerships
Are any partnerships anticipated for this project?
Yes
No
If yes, please provide name of partner(s)
Have funds requested for this project also been requested from another source?
Yes
No
If yes, indicate which source, when requested, anticipated decision and date of decision.
(Character count limited to 300)
Is this project already fully funded by another source of money?
Yes
No
Matching funds are available through the Bay County Tourist Development Council and
potential grants from the State of Florida and national sports organizations. No matching funds
have been requested or secured.
$0.00
75%
Bay County, City of Panama City Beach,
private sector