South Coast Air Quality Management District
South Coast Air Quality Management District
BOARD MEETING DATE: September 13, 2002 AGENDA NO. 5
Execute Contracts for Development and Implementation of Children's Air Quality Museum Programs
SYNOPSIS:
The Children’s Air Quality Agenda Initiative #8 directs staff to work with local museums to develop programs to teach children about air pollution and air quality issues. The AQMD Board has approved the funding of seven separate museum projects and two educational outreach projects at a cost of $445,000. This request is to fund two new projects in the Coachella Valley and to provide additional funding for a previously funded museum project. The AQMD cost for supporting the three projects will not exceed $34,901.
COMMITTEE:
Technology, August 23, 2002. Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item; the Chairman communicated his concurrence and recommendation that this item be forwarded for Board consideration with no approval or disapproval recommendation from the Committee.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer
Background
Initiative No. 8 of the Children’s Air Quality Agenda directs staff to work with local museums to develop education programs to teach children about air pollution and other air quality issues. Projects previously approved by the Board include: "Smog Catcher" with the Los Angeles Municipal Art gallery; "Fossil Fuels, Energy and Air Pollution" with the Discovery Science Center; "Air Pollution through the Ages" with the George Page Museum; "Storytelling in Theater Format" with the Children's Museum of Los Angeles; "Air Quality through Service Learning" with the San Bernardino County Musuem; a Fuel Cell Interactive Exhibit at the California Science Center; "Partners Against Pollution" with the Riverside Municipal Museum; the purchase of twenty HOPE Curriculum/Fuel Cell Demonstration Courses for distribution to AQMD-area high schools and sponsorship of the "Clean Fuels Mall" educational outreach project at SunLine Transit Agency. The Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) relies upon the expedited implementation of advanced technologies and clean-running fuels to achieve air quality standards in Southern California. Providing educational outreach to the public about particulate matter, its composition, origin, and characteristics will help the students in the Coachella Valley better understand particulate matter and its adverse effects upon their lives and health.
Proposal
Model. The Palm Springs Desert Museum (PSDM) project, "Blow Out! Meet the Science Power Standards" is designed for fourth grade level students to teach them about particulate matter, its role in Coachella Valley air quality and related health effects. (The Coachella Valley is a serious PM10 non-attainment area, and faces a significant challenge in achieving required dust controls.) The project will consist of a large-scale model of the Coachella Valley which will be used to demonstrate the generation and transport of particulate matter (particularly PM10) throughout the region. The lesson will further discuss the impacts that these particulates will have on the region, its plants, animals and human inhabitants. Included in the lesson will be discussions of the various sources of particulates and applicable regulatory standards.
SunLine Transit Agency will subcontract with Catherine Rips Consulting Services to develop a "child-friendly" educational brochure to be distributed through the museums in the area. This brochure will present information related to particulate matter pollution and health in a format that is interesting and understandable for school children; it will also provide an action plan for pre-teens and their families to follow to become part of the environmental/public health solution to the particulate problem in the Coachella Valley.
Addition. On September 15, 2000 the Board authorized a contract with the Riverside Municipal Museum to develop and implement a project entitled "Partners Against Pollution" in which an air quality field study and related experiments are developed for school children to demonstrate the effects of air pollutants upon urban and mountain forest environments. This project, in conjunction with the Children's National Forest in the San Bernardino Mountains is designed to allow school children to conduct testing for various air pollutants and to compare the air quality from their local environment with that of a different area (urban vs. forest). The additional funding requested will cover the costs of Eco-Badges and I-Zone cameras to be used by participating students to monitor pollutants and to document their observations and actions. Equipment and materials costs for the experiments and course journals will require additional funding in the amount of $2,994. This additional funding will allow the project to begin implementation with student classes.
Benefits to AQMD
AQMD’s Children's Air Quality Agenda, Initiative #8 directs staff to work with local museums to develop educational programs that will teach children about air pollution and other air quality issues. The proposals included in this letter focus on particulate matter pollution and its effects. They will promote awareness of the Clean Air Act and its impact on the Coachella Valley environmental policies. They will also extend the AQMD Children's Air Quality Museum Program to include the Coachella Valley. While not providing any direct emission reductions, the proposed projects will provide school children and the public with reliable information and familiarity with particulate matter and associated adverse health effects. For particulate matter control strategies to be successful, the public must be able to understand the issues involved. These projects will facilitate that understanding.
Sole Source Justification
Section VIII.B.2. of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. These requests for sole source awards are made under provisions B.2.d.(1), Projects involving cost sharing by multiple sponsors, and B.2.d.(8): Research and development efforts with educational institutions or nonprofit organizations. The Palm Springs Desert Museum and Riverside Municipal Museum in this funding action are educational institutions. SunLine Transit Agency is providing $2,500 to their project as a cosponsor.
Resource Impacts
Total AQMD cost for the Palm Springs Desert Museum project will not exceed $21,907.
The SunLine Transit Agency project will create an educational aid that may be used by other museums, schools and the public to answer questions and concerns about PM10,its causes and effects. SunLine participates in the AQMD Museum/Outreach Committee and is providing this brochure in direct support of the Palm Springs Desert Museum project. Total AQMD cost will not exceed $10,000.
The cost for the supplemental contract for the Riverside Municipal Museum "Partners Against Pollution" project will not exceed $2,994.
Sufficient funds are available from the Advanced Technology, Outreach and Education Fund, established as a special revenue fund for revenues received as a result of fines, penalties and settlements from air pollution violations. These settlement payments by the violators are to be used by the AQMD to support the development and demonstration of advanced technologies, the assessment of resulting emissions benefits and to provide educational outreach to schools and museums.
The budget for each of the projects is listed below:
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Palm Springs Desert Museum Blow Out Meet the Science Power Standards |
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Administrative costs |
$1,272 |
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Lesson Development and Supervision |
6,720 |
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Lesson Delivery |
3,360 |
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Cost of Materials |
10,555 |
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Total AQMD Costs |
$21,907 |
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SunLine Transit Agency Child-friendly PM10 Brochure |
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Project management |
$2,185 |
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Research, PM10 |
3,325 |
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Composition |
3,230 |
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Illustrations and Design |
1,750 | |
| Printing (10,000 copies) | 2,010 | |
Total Costs |
$12,500 |
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Riverside Municipal Museum "Partners Against Pollution" Supplemental |
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Eco-Badge refills, test kits, particulate sampling cards |
$725 |
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I-Zone cameras |
1,700 |
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Film |
569 |
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Total AQMD Costs |
$2,994 |
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