In a quick and unanimous vote Monday, the Austin City Council approved a list of 13 grant requests that will be sent to the Hormel Foundation for consideration.

The grants total $347,513 and are expected to be voted on by the foundation board during a November meeting.

Council members prioritized the requests at an Aug. 3 meeting and topping the list were potential grants for the library and the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

A requested $9,000 grant for the library’s summer reading program was the council’s favorite proposal.

Library director Ann Hokanson said on Aug. 3 that the program has been immensely popular this summer — upward of 700 children have participated, though Hokanson said staff only geared up for 350.

“We need to be ready for that many kids again,” she said.

To accommodate the jump in attendance, Hokanson said the library has used up “every last supply.”

She added that she hoped Friends of the Library donations would cover the increased costs by 2011, but would like the added funding to support the program at the same level next year.

Second on the council’s list was a nature center request to establish permanent funding for Austin and Mower County students to attend the center at a low cost.

According to the grant application, the center has typically allowed students to go at a price that is well below the center’s operating cost.

The application states that, given the current economy, many schools and parents can’t increase their contribution to the center. The grant would help subsidize the program and keep costs low for students.

The request would actually lower the current student price to $1, which could give incentive to more county schools to attend, according to the application.

That grant would be for nearly $29,000.

Two grant proposals inspired by tree damage during the June 17 tornado also received a moderate amount of council support.

A $75,000 grant proposal would help with replacing trees and starting a tree inventory program.

The money would go toward trees at Todd Park and the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

According to the grant application, 50 percent of the trees at Todd Park were lost in the storm. At the nature center, 300 more were destroyed.

In addition to replacing those lost trees, officials want to start a GPS tree inventory system, which can be beneficial when tracking tree diseases and infestations, according to the grant application.

A second $25,000 grant would provide funds for removing a large number of trees downed in Dobbins Creek and the Cedar River.

John O’Rourke, former Austin mayor and current member of the Hormel Foundation board, said Monday that the foundation would give strong consideration to tornado-related funding.

Last year, the Hormel Foundation approved $317,400 in grants for the city.