SR-502-006-07 (3)
EPWM:CP:BJ:NS:BG: Next Step Grant.doc
Council Meeting: September 13, 2005 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Grant Contract with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
for the City Makeover Next Step Grant and Appropriation of Grant Funds
Introduction
This report recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate
and execute a grant contract with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
(MWD) to accept and appropriate a $25,000 City Makeover Next Step Grant to
continue educational programs centered around the garden\garden demonstration
project. The term for this contract is August 16, 2005 through September 15, 2006.
Background
In 2002, City staff began development and implementation of new water-efficiency
programs which were recommended in the 2002 Water Efficiency Strategic Plan. The
plan called for gardens demonstrating sustainable landscape practices to educate and
assist the community in achieving the City?s goal of reducing water consumption 20%
by year 2010.
In May 2003, the City was awarded a $20,000 City Makeover Grant from MWD for its
garden\garden demonstration garden project. In cooperation with Santa Monica
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College (SMC), garden\garden was completed in 2004 and is composed of two
adjacent front yards (1718 and 1724 Pearl Street) that contrast the benefits of climate-
appropriate plantings and efficient water use versus the less sustainable style of
garden that has traditionally been planted in Santa Monica. The native garden features
California-native plants, a water-efficient drip irrigation system, a weather-based
irrigation controller and a system for capturing stormwater runoff. The traditional
garden represents the typical front yard garden found in Southern California featuring
turf and exotic plants that originate in Europe and the eastern United States, a standard
user-controlled sprinkler irrigation system, and no provision for runoff mitigation.
Garden\garden has been very successful in demonstrating the contrast between the
two landscaping styles. Data indicates that the native garden is seven times more
efficient in water use while requiring half as much labor to maintain, and generating half
the green waste as the traditional garden.
Discussion
In July 2005, the City was awarded a $25,000 City Makeover Next Step Grant from
MWD for educational programs to promote sustainable landscape practices on private
parcels as demonstrated in the garden\garden project. To this end, the City will
develop two workshop series; one for residents and the other for landscape
professionals, based on the Metropolitan Water District?s Protector del Agua (PDA)
curriculum.
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The goals of the two workshop series are to:
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promote the garden\garden project to the community-at-large
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provide hands-on guidance for the development of sustainable gardens
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raise awareness about water efficient landscape irrigation systems
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provide information on California-friendly and native plant selection
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provide information on the proper maintenance of sustainable gardens
These workshop series will build on the successful collaboration between the City and
SMC on the garden\garden project. SMC will provide the venue for both workshop
series and offer them as part of their continuing education curriculum, increasing the
marketability of the program and reducing costs associated with registration and site
rental. Each workshop series will be offered twice; once in Fall 2005, and once in
Spring 2006. City staff will organize and present both workshop series, including
producing collateral materials.
The residential workshop series will consist of four classes, held on consecutive
Saturdays. Each class will be based on the PDA curriculum enhanced to include
information and resources specific to Santa Monica.
The professional workshop series consists of two evening class periods and will focus
on landscaping regulations and procedures specific to Santa Monica.
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Budget/Financial Impact
The total cost of the Project is estimated at $28,500, which includes marketing and
presentation of the workshops and development of educational materials. The
following budget changes are needed to record receipt of the grant award and make it
available for program use: (1) establish a revenue budget in the amount of $25,000 at
account number 20662.403280; (2) appropriate $25,000 to account 31662.542220; and
(3) appropriate reimbursement to the Wastewater Fund from the Miscellaneous Grant
Fund in an amount not to exceed $25,000. The balance of $3,500 is available from
account 31662.544390.
Recommendations
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a grant contract with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the
City Makeover Next Step Grant, to appropriate the grant funds and to implement the
budget changes identified above.
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director, Environmental and Public Works Management
Brian Johnson, Manager, Environmental Programs Division
Neal Shapiro, Senior Administrative Analyst -Water Resources
Bob Galbreath, Water Resources Specialist
Reference Contract No. 8504 (CCS).
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