Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

Pretty light schedule for the city council, so the most interesting thing I could find was a proposed $4,000 project by the East Bay Neighborhood Association to improve shoreline habitat along East Bay Drive (where else?).

The assocation requested a $4,000 grant, but the city had just over $2,500 in that particular grant account. Good project, so the city wants to help out, but first the council's finance committee has to find out what particular cookie jar to pull the money out of.

From the staff report:

The East Bay Neighborhood Association submitted a Sustainability Grant Application requesting $4,000.00 for a project, which is the maximum amount awarded. Staff recommended awarding the balance of grant funds to the Association, which totaled $2,547.00. At the May 20th meeting, the Council awarded full funding of the application and directed the Finance Committee to find the appropriate monies.

Here's some fun reading from the neighborhood association's application:

The goal of this project is to replace the invasive Scot's broom and Himalayan blackberry on the shoreline near the East Bay Drive View with healthy native shrubs in accordance with existing City of Olympia planning.

...

This is part of a larger project designed to improve shoreline function along the eastern shore of East Bay withtheuse of"LivingShoreline"techniques. The larger long range project plan includes work to improve habitat substrate on the intertidal DNR owned land immediately adjacent to this project. This project will be completed in phases over the next three years. For details on this project see attached document.

This part of the larger project will enhance the value of the project for the public by improving shoreline vegetation and providing educational signs that describe the larger project in the context ofrestoring Puget Sound and Budd Inlet. We would like to work with the City and other partners to ensure that our educational signage is supportive ofthe overall goals ofthe City to improve Budd Inlet for people and fish and wildlife.

Here is some more information on the Neighborhood Sustainability Grant program.