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Lake Forest Park officials weigh $70,000 SFI grant to update city's urban forest plan
Summary
Tree Board chair Mark Phillips told the Sept. 11 City Council work session that the Sustainable Forestry Initiative has offered a $70,000 grant to assess Lake Forest Park's urban forest and provide information useful to updating the city's 2011 community forest management plan. Council members asked about timeline, staff time and contingencies; no
Mark Phillips, chair of the Lake Forest Park Tree Board, told the City Council at a Sept. 11 work session that the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has offered the city a $70,000 grant to evaluate the city's urban and community forestry practices and produce analysis that could inform an updated community forest management plan.
Phillips said SFI's review would apply the nonprofit's 16 urban-forest sustainability standards, include a roughly $5,000 certification pre-audit and produce data the city could use if it later pursues formal certification. "They really want to give us this $70,000," Phillips said, adding the work would take about one year if accepted.
The Tree Board is asking the city to pursue the grant because the city's current community forest management plan dates to 2011 and the board believes new canopy analyses and other data collected since then make an update timely. The draft SFI program would not pay for development of a full management plan, Phillips said, but would supply core analysis and public-engagement resources that a future plan could use.
Council members asked about timing, staff support and legal review. Mayor Ruth French said she had not yet signed any letter of interest and would "have to review it," and Director Mark Hoffman and City Attorney Bernie Pratt were expected to review the draft agreement before the city commits. Phillips said a draft 35-page federal-style agreement and a draft RFP are circulating; he also said the Tree Board has formally voted to pursue the opportunity and asks the city to follow through.
Phillips described contingencies the city would need to consider: the draft budget allocates about $22,000 of the $70,000 to staff support, which Phillips said would likely pay a portion of an urban-forest planner's time to administer the grant and manage consultants. If the $22,000 staff allocation were removed, Phillips said, the remaining funds would fall into the low- to mid-$40,000 range and might be insufficient for consultant work without drawing on the Tree Fund or other local funds.
Phillips said the Tree Board has a draft RFP prepared and that the new urban forest planner, Sam Cole, would be the logical city grant manager if the council pursues the award. He also said SFI staff asked the city to send a letter of interest soon because the federal funds that underpin the SFI award could be reallocated if the city delays. "It was presented Tuesday, but Jesse has been really up this week," Mayor French said when asked whether the letter had been signed.
What councilors asked and what staff described
- Timeline: Phillips said the grant-funded work would likely run on a one-year schedule (he described it as roughly "January 1 to December 30"). - Staff funding: The draft SFI budget allocates about $22,000 to staff management; Phillips said that allocation could be negotiated but is intended to fund the grant manager's time. - Certification pre-audit: Phillips said the grant includes a roughly $5,000 pre-audit that would lay groundwork for any future formal SFI certification. - Legal review: Phillips and staff said the draft federal-style agreement contains standard grant boilerplate, including nondiscrimination clauses, and recommended city attorney review before signature. - Public engagement: Phillips said grant funds could be used for public meetings and community input tied to an updated forest plan.
No formal council action was taken during the work session. Staff said they expect to place a contract or agreement for council review and, if appropriate, for the mayor to sign once legal review and a final city cost share decision are complete.
Ending
Councilors expressed support for the Tree Board's effort to secure outside technical expertise but asked staff to return to council with a final agreement, an attorney review, confirmation of who would serve as the city grant manager (Phillips suggested Sam Cole), and any proposed use of local Tree Fund dollars to cover gaps. The Tree Board asked the city to send SFI a letter of interest while staff complete review and scheduling.
