Section 86.19 - What if a BIG-funded facility would benefit both eligible and ineligible users?You may assign any share of the costs to the BIG grant only if the BIG-funded facility or a discrete element of the BIG-funded facility benefits only eligible users. If a cost does not exclusively benefit eligible users, you must allocate costs accordingly. A discrete element has a distinct purpose, such as a fuel station, pumpout facility, breakwater, or dock system.
(a) You must clearly show and explain in the project statement:(1) The anticipated benefits of each project, discrete elements, and major components;(2) The breakdown of costs, as described at § 86.43(i) , including the basis or method you use to allocate costs between eligible and ineligible users; and(3) Your reasoning in determining how to allocate costs, based on paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section and any other guidance in the annual NOFO.(b) After you submit the application, if we do not agree with your cost allocation using paragraph (a) of this section, we will contact you. We may ask you to clarify your information. If we do not agree that the allocation is equitable, we may negotiate an equitable allocation. We must be able to agree that you are appropriately allocating costs between eligible and ineligible users based on the expected use before we consider your application for award.(c) If a proposed BIG-funded facility, or a discrete element, minor component, or single action of the BIG-funded project, gives a secondary or minimal benefit to all users, we will not require you to allocate costs between eligible and ineligible users for that benefit. Examples of how we will apply this rule are:(1) The primary purpose is to benefit eligible users directly, with the secondary benefit for both eligible and ineligible users. You must clearly state the exclusive benefit to eligible users in your application. The secondary benefit cannot exclude eligible users from the primary purpose. For example, if you construct a dock system for exclusive use by eligible vessels and a secondary benefit of the dock system is protection of the marina from wave action, you would not have to allocate costs for the secondary benefit. However, the secondary benefit cannot be docking for ineligible vessels because it would exclude eligible users from the primary purpose.(2) The secondary benefit to ineligible users is not the primary purpose, is minimal, and you do not add special features to accommodate ineligible users. For example, you do not have to allocate costs between user groups for a gangway from the transient dock, designed exclusively for eligible users, even though it is accessible to the general public. However, if you construct the gangway to accommodate the expected ineligible users, then you must allocate costs between user groups.(3) The expected benefits to both eligible and ineligible users have minimal value. If the component has a value of .0025 percent or less than the maximum available Federal award plus required match, you do not have to allocate costs for that component. We will post the amount of the minimal value each year in the annual NOFO. For example, if the total maximum Federal award and required match for a BIG Tier 2-National project is $2 million, you do not have to allocate costs between user groups for any discrete project element, component, or action with a value of $5,000 or less.(d) Examples of actions for which you must allocate costs between user groups are the following, unless paragraph (b) of this section applies: (1) You propose a 200-foot dock for eligible user tie-up spaces that you attach to the shore at a boat launch. It will attract ineligible use as a tie-up for boaters as they enter and exit the water. You must allocate costs between the expected eligible and ineligible use.(2) You propose a breakwater, fuel station, pumpout station, restroom, dredging, navigational aids, or other multiuse or multipurpose action.(e) Examples of actions for which you do not need to allocate costs between user groups are: (1) You propose to construct, renovate, or maintain docks specifically for eligible vessels.(2) You propose to produce information and educational materials specific to BIG.(f) You must clearly inform boaters when access by ineligible users is limited or restricted following the guidance at § 86.94 .(g) We may ask you to clarify or change how you allocate costs in your grant application if they do not meet our standards. We may reject costs or applications that do not allocate costs between eligible and ineligible users according to the requirements of this section and the NOFO.