[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6653607,"mediaKeyId","2478080-1aca0783fd0a3a6ef2c5e9315c2bb4c7","parentId",2478080,"title","Albany Council adopts seven-phase Albany Hill forest management and habitat restoration plan, authorizes US Forest Service grant application","audioSeconds",3854,"startMs",2880000,"endMs",6734000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478080-1aca0783fd0a3a6ef2c5e9315c2bb4c7&start=2880&end=6734","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478080-1aca0783fd0a3a6ef2c5e9315c2bb4c7/thumbnail_2880000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6653607/Albany-City/Alameda-County/California/Albany-Council-adopts-seven-phase-Albany-Hill-forest-management-and-habitat-restoration-plan-authorizes-US-Forest-Service-grant-application","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653607-6e4e910b6c84daacb3382fdc67d25adc/orig.mp4?Expires=1776254645&Signature=AP1hEK8pyJzMH-10N2BlsLZy1BdjDshbMrJMtNt7BNGey9ZbkIlbsBadGIa-3AJL4zCbqKJXvIDLpVeIOjM0LibxMUA0L8DM3b8BYojWpxDc2P17a1qEdk3krif6EKuW-gmaEGzp93keGxTjCAaPJghI3fD3PhGoUKbbBTzYJ-hu0BFIsy9WFJ4EHr84ehQ7v6KifvXaHxDTfXp4VSEo4FlYpFwNpFvXtPJ7QT2odnRyOkASkDIk0MTt9oN9r0QMbswQgYkRGVoOKtKlYife47grzMFroa15zqI8G2eGvqOnCT0Fp9jfzKOXNTlPwjZTnNUjdiABkbbtV4QAdFTEYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Albany, CA","date","2025-03-04T05:06:48.957Z","article","The Albany City Council on March 3 adopted the Albany Hill Forest Management and Habitat Restoration Plan and authorized staff to apply for a U.S. Forest Service wildfire/community resilience grant to fund initial work.

The plan, developed by city staff with Restoration Design Group (RDG) and multiple agency partners, lays out a seven-phase implementation that alternates eucalyptus removals with native habitat restoration. The city described the approach as adaptive: early phases remove hazardous trees at the site periphery and test replacement tree species, followed by interior restoration and targeted work in the monarch butterfly clustering area only after multi-year monitoring.

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\"This project is a compromise. It's a compromise that meets goals from all of those areas,\" said Kirsten Negus, landscape architect with Restoration Design Group and an Albany resident, describing the plan's effort to balance fire safety, monarch habitat and native restoration.

Natural Areas Coordinator Margo Cunningham told the council the plan resulted from more than four years of study and consultation with UC Berkeley, East Bay Regional Park District and the U.S. Forest Service, and included tree-health assessments, monarch and fuel-load studies and public engagement.

The plan proposes to avoid wholesale removal of trees in the plan's \u001ccritical monarch zone\u001d; instead staff will monitor the area and remove trees there only if they become hazardous. The plan recommends \u001cpatch planting\u001d and early field trials of candidate replacement trees to identify species that can provide long-term monarch habitat while tolerating local climatic and slope conditions. Candidates mentioned by RDG include kauri, Canary Island pine, Foothill pine and Catalina ironwood.

RDG estimated the total cost to implement all seven phases at about $3 million, and staff said the work could be completed in as little as seven years but could take up to 10 years depending on funding. To reduce costs and erosion risk, the plan recommends reusing logs and mulch produced by on-site removals for habitat delineation and restoration.

Fire Chief Jim Boito, joining the meeting remotely, said the plan would improve wildfire safety and access for firefighters: \"The project... is gonna set a great example of wildfire safety measures being taken and still being able to protect habitat,\" he said.

Councilmembers praised the plan's detailed phasing and interdepartmental coordination and approved a motion to adopt the plan and authorize staff to apply for the U.S. Forest Service grant and to accept and expend award funds if granted. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff will submit the U.S. Forest Service grant application, begin Phase 1 activities if funding is awarded, and coordinate monitoring, public outreach and contractor selection. The council and staff emphasized phased grant-seeking to fund work incrementally so later phases can proceed when funding is secured.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Albany City Council - Mar. 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The City Council adopted a multi-phase plan to remove and restore eucalyptus stands on Albany Hill, prioritize monarch habitat, and authorized staff to apply for a U.S. Forest Service wildfire-related grant; staff estimated a full build-out cost of roughly $3 million and a 7\u001610 year timeline.","taxTitle","Albany City, Alameda County, California","taxId",72346,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6653611,"Albany Council approves $125,000 appropriation to keep gas-line decommissioning pilot moving while DOE grant issues are resolved",2792,2096000,4888000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478080-1aca0783fd0a3a6ef2c5e9315c2bb4c7&start=2096&end=4888","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478080-1aca0783fd0a3a6ef2c5e9315c2bb4c7/thumbnail_2096000.jpg","/articles/6653611/Albany-City/Alameda-County/California/Albany-Council-approves-125000-appropriation-to-keep-gas-line-decommissioning-pilot-moving-while-DOE-grant-issues-are-resolved","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653611-54c25e5c969ea6a11e6a098e19f24c44/orig.mp4?Expires=1776254645&Signature=OQRsmyJjBuPWwBaKxVgenON44mK0D5WqwxRxg6xnh5ZwI454J4~Sdl9qbOtBZxggn4g3MSQbcQ-ZTVrmHV0ONNJVYCF7G6jjmKzzg3BhruNk~-6DMrvz6CEB7-RiFMUUvQlb~d1X~m0RdI4zv2NJk0cKCQ8d5jfNX-OWL8I9NI8nOopzOyGdO-k01Kt-~4HpgwSoR3rvHqsgaEGrcd9cjKlFo-WZ3KukTlcMC2B1~TJuwKuFqubFMlOCqRdw8OOLDVuyW3HYThplzM6uz~RQ~C5acuKCi2LtVQlXOAh7Lh8aR4GeGdQ54juHrmg1veH2jaYfONWfSBWKhSl23wYwgg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Albany City Council on March 3 unanimously approved an appropriation of $125,000 from the Climate Action Adaptation Reserve to sustain the city's gas-line decommissioning pilot project while the city waits to access federal grant funds.

City staff told the council earlier in the meeting that the Department of Energy (DOE) had indicated the city's grant account was no longer paused but the city could not yet log into the DOE's ASAP payment system to withdraw funds.

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\"We did finally receive a reply from the staff at the Department of Energy who are working with us on the grant. Good news. They've told us that we should now be able to get into the ASAP system,\" said Michelle Plouse, Community Development Analyst. \"We have not been able to get into ASAP yet today. We haven't been able to withdraw any funds as of yet, just so we're all clear.\"

Plouse said city staff had received mixed reports from other grantees: some jurisdictions had regained limited access to the ASAP system and withdrawn funds, while others still could not. She said the city had paid two invoices to the outreach consultants so far using existing community development funds and estimated those invoices totaled between $5,000 and $6,000.

The staff recommendation to appropriate $125,000 reflected two planned consultant contracts: a $100,000 contract for outreach consultants already under way and a second $100,000 contract intended for building electrification assessments later in the project. Plouse described the $125,000 as a cushion to allow the project to proceed on schedule if DOE reimbursements were delayed.

Public comment from Lucinda Young of the Albany Climate Action Coalition urged caution on a full appropriation but said she did not want the project to stall. \"If the council does not allocate funds tonight, does this mean that work is going to stop?\" she asked. Plouse and council members explained that work could continue short-term but that larger consultant contracts could be at risk if grant disbursements were delayed.

Council members debated alternatives including appropriating a smaller interim amount, setting phased check-ins tied to project milestones, or allocating the full requested amount but requiring staff to return with a status report. Several council members noted the project's potential to position Albany for larger state and utility funding and to support city staff who have been leading the work.

The final motion (resolution 2025-07) included an additional instruction requiring staff to report back after Phase 1 of outreach and provide a status update to council in September. The motion was moved and seconded and carried on a unanimous roll call vote.

Action and next steps: staff will continue attempting to access DOE's ASAP system, proceed with contracted outreach activities, and return to council after Phase 1 with data on community interest and project progress. If DOE reimbursements arrive, the city will use grant funds to reimburse the reserve appropriation as allowed by fund accounting.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 2025-07 (appropriation from Climate Action Adaptation Reserve) — approved 5-0.

","The Albany City Council unanimously approved a $125,000 appropriation from the Climate Action Adaptation Reserve to keep work on a gas-line decommissioning pilot project moving while Department of Energy grant access problems are resolved; staff will report back after phase 1.","actionData","errors"]

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Albany Council adopts seven-phase Albany Hill forest management and habitat restoration plan, authorizes US Forest Service grant application

Albany Council approves $125,000 appropriation to keep gas-line decommissioning pilot moving while DOE grant issues are resolved