Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildfire Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Granite County approves application to update Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Summary
Commissioners approved submitting a DNRC reimbursement grant application to update the county's Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which last was updated in 2005. The CWPP would map high-risk areas and make the county eligible for further state and federal wildfire funding.
Granite County commissioners voted to move forward with an application to update the county's Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a grant-funded project county staff and regional fire officials said is needed to map wildfire risk and coordinate response across growing subdivisions.
Jake Lee, a regional fire-service representative who presented the proposal, said the county's CWPP has not been updated since 2005 and described the grant as a reimbursement program: "The structure of this grant is it is a reimbursement grant. I will be upfront about that, but there is no match." He told commissioners the grant could cover roughly "$50,000 to $100,000" for the work and that mapping and engineering services are typical tasks paid through the award.
Why this matters: An updated CWPP identifies priority areas for fuel reduction, evacuation planning and coordinated equipment purchases. Lee and Sheriff Scott said recent subdivision growth around Arrowstone, Marshall Creek, Rock Creek and other areas increases the county's exposure. The presenters described the CWPP as a prerequisite for other state and federal wildfire and forest-management grants.
Details and next steps: Staff said the grant application deadline is in late April and estimated a CWPP production timeline of about one to two years if funded. Lee and county staff recommended asking engineering/GIS firms for bids to produce hazard maps and a final plan. The presentation noted an example item of mapping budgeted at about $15,000 in a comparable county plan. Lee said, "once you pay them, what will happen is that CWPP will get made, and then we'll be, like, whoever is on the list of folks to sign off on it, we'll sign off on it and then that money will then be sent to the county treasury." Commissioner-level discussion covered invoice timing and the option to ask the vendor to invoice in stages to ease upfront cash flow.
The motion to approve pursuing the grant application was made, seconded and adopted by voice vote. Commissioners directed staff to continue work with local fire officials and the state on the application and to return with procurement documents and a timeline for executing the work if the grant is awarded.
The county will ask interested engineering firms to scope mapping and public-engagement tasks and expects to use the resulting CWPP to qualify for further state and federal wildfire mitigation funds and community fire grants.
