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Shelton moves to add Mason Conservation District outreach plan to action agenda; $56,000 grant-backed stormwater education proposed
Summary
The council voted to place Resolution 1387-0525 on the action agenda to authorize a strategy, schedule and budget with Mason Conservation District for Western Washington Phase 2 municipal stormwater permit public education and outreach; the proposed program would use a roughly $56,000 Department of Ecology grant over two years.
The Shelton City Council on June 17 voted to place Resolution 1387-0525 on the meeting’s action agenda for consideration of a proposed public education and outreach partnership with Mason Conservation District under the Western Washington Phase 2 municipal stormwater permit.
City engineering staff said the work is required by the municipal stormwater permit, which traces to the federal Clean Water Act and implementation authority delegated to the Washington State Department of Ecology. Kenny Oberg, who identified himself as an engineering technician in the city’s engineering department, told the council the City intends to use a Department of Ecology noncompetitive grant to fund the work.
Mason Conservation District presentation
Jen (last name given as Zirman Williams), an environmental specialist with Mason Conservation District, described programs the district would run under the grant: school outreach (all Shelton sixth-grade classes to Hillman Preserve field days), native-plant sales and yard-care kits, invasive-weed removal events, Earth Day and Orca Recovery volunteer service projects, an augmented-reality sandbox demonstration for watershed education, and surveys tied to the district’s plant sale. “We promote native plants and activities for residents and community partners to conduct stewardship activities,” she said.
Budget and mechanics
Oberg told the council the grant-funded budget proposal is “just shy of $56,000” and would cover two years of outreach activity; the city’s role would be to authorize staff to enter a memorandum of understanding consistent with an existing interlocal agreement. The proposal builds on past work the city and district have done together and would continue school-based education and community outreach required under the Phase 2 permit.
Council action and comments
After the reading of Resolution 1387-0525, a council member moved to place the resolution on the June 17 action agenda; the motion was seconded and carried. Council members thanked the conservation district for school programs and pollinator gardens maintained near the Civic Center and asked staff to continue coordination with local partners, including the National Park and Forest Service.
Why it matters
The Western Washington Phase 2 municipal stormwater permit requires municipalities to run public-education programs addressing stormwater runoff, erosion and water-quality impacts. The proposed two-year outreach plan emphasizes classroom field trips, free community events, native-plant promotion and hands-on demonstrations to teach residents about watershed protection. Using a targeted Ecology grant reduces the immediate budget burden on the city while advancing permit compliance.
Next steps
City staff will finalize the memorandum of understanding with Mason Conservation District and bring the implementation agreement and budget to the council for formal action when the resolution is taken up on the action agenda.
