A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Punta Gorda, Florida, as Local Host Agency for the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP), accepting grant funding from the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners for the Adventures in Charlotte Harbor Watershed Project; authorizing the City Manager to sign the grant agreement and administer the grant on behalf of the City; appropriating grant award; and providing an effective date.

$5,000 grant revenue included in FY 2019 proposed budget in revenue account # 116-0000-337-2100 and $5,000 grant expenditure included in FY 2019 proposed budget in expenditure account# 116-1536-537-4700, project CH2MAC – Adventures Book

Recommend acceptance of grant funding and appropriation of funds.

The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP), hosted by the City of Punta Gorda, created the 60-page Adventures in the Charlotte Harbor Watershed: A Story of Four Animals and Their Neighborhoods book to help children better understand the natural environment of southwest Florida.

The CHNEP is proposing to utilize recent technological advances to convert the book to an interactive electronic educational module that would be accessible to every teacher and student in the Charlotte Harbor watershed via smartphones, tablets and computers. The enhancements will improve the overall learning experience and broaden the appeal of the book, with the goal of reaching a larger audience. The interactive content may include videos, animations, quizzes, knowledge tests and maps suitable and enjoyable for children, families, residents and visitors. The emphasis of the conversion would be to provide additional marine and environmental education and resources to complement existing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Grade 3-5 curriculum.

CHNEP staff will develop a Scope of Work to hire a consultant to assist in the development of the electronic book and interactive content.  CHNEP staff time will be funded through US EPA funds, the consultant will be compensated using the WCIND grant funds.