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Albany council accepts $114,880 DLCD grant to expand ShrubHub nursery
Summary
At its March 10 meeting the Albany City Council adopted the consent agenda, which included acceptance of a $114,880 Department of Land Conservation and Development grant to build a greenhouse and insulated shipping-container cooler for the city’s ShrubHub native-plant nursery.
The Albany City Council on Monday accepted a Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) grant of $114,880 to fund a greenhouse and an insulated shipping-container cooler for the city’s ShrubHub native-plant propagation program, council President Steph Newton Azor said during the meeting.
The grant — which city staff said requires no cash or in‑kind match — would pay for a 22-by-22-foot greenhouse, an 8-by-40-foot insulated shipping container retrofitted as a plant cooler, and routing power to those structures. “So this grant is for a hundred and $14,880 with no cash or in kind match required,” said Joe Deardorff, a city staff member who described the ShrubHub statistics and the grant request during the meeting.
Nut Graf: The city said the ShrubHub program, run from unused operations property, grows native plants used in bioswales, street planting and restoration projects. City staff described the project as a cost-saving measure that will increase locally available plant stock for maintenance and restoration and reduce purchases from outside nurseries.
City staff reported that in the past year ShrubHub produced 675 container plants — "which is approximately $2,000 worth of plants," Deardorff said — plus about 450 bare-root shrubs. Deardorff told council the new greenhouse and cooler could allow the program to expand species offerings (including Oregon white oak) and to hold plants on site for project deployment. He estimated the improvements “could save us 10,000 or more dollars, in terms of plants that we wouldn't have to purchase anymore.”
Director Alexa Bailey described the program’s methods and benefits to council, saying staff used native soil amended with biosolid compost, treated wastewater for irrigation, and plant cuttings to propagate stock. Bailey recognized staff members Joe Deardorff, Meredith Tennant and Alexander Kogen for creating and operating the program.
The council adopted the consent agenda, which included the DLCD grant acceptance. The motion to adopt the consent agenda was moved and seconded on the record; the council then voted in favor. "All in favor. Aye," the presiding officer said, and the item passed during the consent vote.
Ending: The council’s next regular meeting was set for Monday, March 24, at 4 p.m., according to the city manager’s report delivered at the same session.
