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Pacific Grove approves $99,515 contract with BlueStrike to produce climate action and adaptation plan
Summary
The City Council unanimously approved a $99,515 contract with local firm BlueStrike Environmental to prepare a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). The plan will include community outreach, cost/impact prioritization and funding-search support and is expected to be delivered within 12 months.
The Pacific Grove City Council on Wednesday approved a contract with BlueStrike Environmental to prepare the city's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, authorizing $99,515 for consulting services.
The council voted unanimously to approve the agreement after a presentation from the Climate Action and Adaptation Planning Committee and staff that described the consultant selection process, the plan's scope and the timelines. The contract is intended to produce an actionable CAAP within 12 months and to identify funding opportunities for implementation.
The CAAP will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the city's resilience to climate effects identified as priorities for the coastal community. The scope described to council includes robust community engagement, prioritizing actions by cost and impact, and producing a draft and final plan for council adoption. The Climate Committee emphasized the consultant's local experience and outreach capacity during the selection process.
Council Member Laurie McDonald, chair of the Climate Action and Adaptation Planning Committee, described the committee role in drafting the request for proposals, participating in interviews and scoring candidates. "We needed outside expertise to make the plan actionable for Pacific Grove," McDonald said, noting the committee's role in vetting firms and emphasizing community input.
Brennan Jensen, director of engagement and resilience for BlueStrike, described the firm as a local company established in 2007 that focuses on climate solutions and community engagement. "We're honored to apply that knowledge here in our hometown," Jensen said. BlueStrike noted it has worked with neighboring jurisdictions and plans to include funding-source research to reduce implementation costs.
City staff said the original budget allocation for the CAAP was $100,000; BlueStrike's proposal was $99,515. The council was told the work will include producing a dashboard to track implementation so the plan does not "sit on the shelf." The city will continue to pursue grant funding and other offsets as part of the project.
The motion to authorize the agreement and move forward with the CAAP passed by voice vote, 6-0.
What happens next: BlueStrike will begin the outreach and technical work described in the proposal. Staff and committee members will participate in public engagement and review draft deliverables before the plan is returned to council for adoption.
