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Resident urges expanded needle-deposit weekends; commissioners note Measure 1A and wildfire planning
Summary
A resident asked the board to fund four additional weekends for a Tin Cup needle-deposit site to reduce wildfire risk. Commissioners discussed Measure 1A funding and the Jeffco Wildfire Commission’s upcoming strategic work.
George Yantz of Evergreen told the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 11 that he spent more than $20,000 and many hours hardening his property and asked the county to keep the Tin Cup pine-needle deposit site open four additional weekends in the fall to reduce wildfire risk.
“I would like to hear directly from the commissioners that you will in fact effectuate the necessary changes to allocate the funds for this coming year to simply keep the tin cup area open an additional 4 weekends,” Yantz said, adding that he had discussed the issue with local fire chiefs, who told him the issue was one of funding availability.
Commissioner Lehi Dahlkemper offered to speak with Yantz after the meeting and said staff would follow up. Later in the meeting, Dahlkemper and other commissioners referenced wildfire mitigation work funded under Measure 1A, a voter-approved change allowing the county to allocate surplus dollars for safety and transportation. Dahlkemper said the board is working with staff on how to allocate Measure 1A dollars and on the composition of a citizens advisory committee to help prioritize wildfire mitigation spending.
Dahlkemper also noted the Jeffco Wildfire Commission will meet Thursday to set strategic goals that will be presented to the board for review and possible approval. The county’s report to the commissioners included an example of a recent $260,000 Bureau of Land Management wildfire mitigation grant that staff planned to apply for but said had disappeared from the agency website.
No formal board action occurred at the Feb. 11 meeting to change Tin Cup hours; the session recorded public comment and commissioners’ reports and offered staff follow-up.
