The department will administer the County Opportunity Grant Program as follows:

1. (1) Eligible projects — Acquisition, development, rehabilitation, and planning of county park and recreation areas that provide camping facilities.

2. (2) Matching requirements:

   1. (a) Counties with a population of 30,000 and under must provide a local match of at least 25 percent of total project costs.
   2. (b) Counties with a population greater than 30,000 must provide a local match of at least 50 percent of total project costs.

   3. (c) The director may reduce or eliminate matching funds for specific projects, based on:

      1. (A) Demonstrated need for the project,
      2. (B) Lack of local funding, and
      3. (C) Upon recommendation by the advisory committee.

   4. (d) The eligible match by the project sponsor may include:

      1. (A) Local budgeted funds,
      2. (B) Local agency labor or equipment,
      3. (C) Federal revenue sharing funds,
      4. (D) Other grants,
      5. (E) Donated funds,
      6. (F) The value of private donated equipment, labor, materials, or property,
      7. (G) The value of land acquired within the past six-year period,
      8. (H) Pre-development costs within the past two-year period, or
      9. (I) Any combination of paragraphs (A) through (H).
   5. (e) Engineering and administrative costs and costs incurred prior to the State/Local Agreement cannot exceed 15 percent of the total project costs.

3. (3) Planning Requirements — Project sponsors participating in the County Opportunity Grant Program must show that:

   1. (a) There is a current master plan in effect and that the project is consistent with the local comprehensive land use plan and SCORP;
   2. (b) There is not a current master plan in effect, but the project is consistent with the local comprehensive land use plan and SCORP; or
   3. (c) The project request is for planning assistance.

4. (4) Application procedure:

   1. (a) All applications for funding assistance for outdoor park and recreation program projects must be submitted in a format prescribed by the department. All applications must be consistent with the County Opportunity Grant Program Policies and Procedures Manual, and, at a minimum, each application must contain the following information:

      1. (A) Project narrative, including all information necessary to determine the criteria under section (5) or other items as the department requires under paragraph (K);

      2. (B) Maps:

         1. (i) Project boundary map;
         2. (ii) Site development plan;
         3. (iii) Vicinity map.
      3. (C) Environmental review form;
      4. (D) State agency review;
      5. (E) Land Use Compatibility Statement completed by the appropriate planning department;
      6. (F) Estimate of project costs;
      7. (G) Preliminary plans and specifications for construction projects;
      8. (H) Project timeline;
      9. (I) Copy of property deed, lease, formal and binding control and tenure agreement, or letter of intent to renew lease agreement, showing cooperation with the landowner to ensure long-term use, generally not less than 25 years, of facilities for public recreation;
      10. (J) Certification by applicant of available match; and
      11. (K) Other documentation that may be required by the department.

   2. (b) Additional requirements for acquisition projects:

      1. (A) Appraisal. Appraisals must conform to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) or Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA);
      2. (B) Appraisal review;
      3. (C) Preliminary title report; and
      4. (D) Proof of willing seller or donor.

5. (5) Application Review Process:

   1. (a) The department will perform a technical review of all applications and forward eligible applications to the advisory committee. The department will not consider ineligible or incomplete applications.
   2. (b) Applicants may be expected to provide a presentation to the committee under a procedure established by the department.

   3. (c) The committee will review all applications using project selection criteria, including, but not limited to, the following:

      1. (A) Extent the project demonstrates conformance with local and state planning guidelines, the SCORP, local park master plans, or other locally adopted planning documents;
      2. (B) Extent to which the project demonstrates user benefit, public interest and support;
      3. (C) Extent to which the project increases outdoor recreation opportunity in the service area;
      4. (D) Financial considerations, including cost/benefit ratio;
      5. (E) Extent to which the project’s design accommodates people with disabilities;
      6. (F) Extent the county demonstrates exceptional need, such as a limited parks operating budget, the lack of public overnight camping opportunities within the county, or the overall lack of county parks and recreation areas and facilities; and
      7. (G) Analysis of applicant’s past performance in completing and billing projects and maintaining existing facilities.
   4. (d) The committee will meet to evaluate the applications and recommend funding priorities to the director for commission approval.

6. (6) Project Administration:

   1. (a) Following commission approval of a project, the Department and project sponsor shall make reasonable efforts to execute the State/Local Agreement without undue delay to facilitate timely project authorization.
   2. (b) A signed State/Local Agreement shall constitute project authorization. No project shall begin without a signed State/Local Agreement from the Department unless a waiver of retroactivity has been issued by the Department.
   3. (c) A project sponsor has one year from the date of authorization to begin substantial work (e.g., the award of contracts or completion of at least 25 percent of the work, if done by force account). The department may cancel grant funds for projects not conforming to this provision unless the project sponsor provides substantial justification to warrant an extension.
   4. (d) Project sponsors shall complete and bill all projects by the dates specified in the grant agreement. The department or its designate may inspect, audit, or both a project prior to final grant payment. A project sponsor may bill partial payments up to 90 percent of the grant amount during the project for work completed.
   5. (e) The department may grant time extension amendments on a case-by-case basis. A project sponsor may submit a written time extension request prior to expiration of the approved project as set forth in the grant agreement. The department may, at its discretion, consider and approve requests submitted after the expiration date when appropriate.
   6. (f) Project amendments that increase the project cost will generally not be allowed. The department will review project amendment requests based on extraordinary circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
   7. (g) The project sponsor shall install and maintain throughout the life of the agreement appropriate signage for each project indicating the department’s Grant Program’s assistance and shall certify that signage is in place when requesting final payment.
   8. (h) The department may inspect all grant-assisted projects.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 390.117, ORS 390.124 & ORS 390.134

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 390.134

History

PRD 5-2026, amend filed 06/18/2026, effective 06/18/2026
PR 5-1995, f. & cert. ef. 7-2-96
PR 3-1994, f. & cert. ef. 4-22-94
PR 2-1984, f. & ef. 1-20-84