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Fruita council hears plan to use 2 Rivers funds for wildfire fuel mitigation and tub grinder purchase
Summary
City staff and Lower Valley Fire District officials described a three-year hazardous fuels mitigation partnership with the 2 Rivers Wildfire Coalition, including a proposed Fruita contribution averaging about $50,000 a year and purchase of a tub grinder to process removed material.
Fruita City Council on Monday heard a presentation from city staff and the Lower Valley Fire District about a three-year hazardous fuels mitigation partnership coordinated by the 2 Rivers Wildfire Coalition.
The presentation, led by Katie Lucero, the city's management analyst, introduced the coalition's plan and explained why fuels mitigation is “critical” for the area. Lucero said the partnership would direct funds to on-the-ground work such as vegetation removal, controlled burns and equipment purchases, and would make mitigation resources available across the valley rather than leaving the work to one jurisdiction.
The nut of the plan is a three-year funding commitment from 2 Rivers that the presenters said would flow through partners including Fruita. Lucero gave year-by-year figures the city would receive: Year 1, $50,000; Year 2, $52,500; and Year 3, $53,650. She said part of the funding would be used to acquire a tub grinder, equipment that can accept whole trees and produce mulch or compost from removed material.
“...when fuels are not mitigated correctly, they can turn into disasters,” Lucero said during her presentation, adding that mitigation—when done well—reduces overall damage from wildfires. Travis Holder, Lower Valley Fire Marshal, joined Lucero and described technical changes to building and defensible-space standards tied to the state's Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code.
Lucero told council that the State adopted updated WUI code standards in January 2025 and jurisdictions are expected to adopt them locally by April 1, 2026, with implementation on July 1, 2026. She said the code includes construction and defensible-space measures in mapped zones, and that mitigation work can reduce an area’s mapped risk level and therefore the stringency of some code requirements.
Council members asked how the mapping and code changes would work and whether mitigation would be mandated. Lucero and Holder said the mitigation demonstrates to the state that Fruita met standards that can justify a map re-evaluation; they said the state reviews submitted mitigation and can change a location’s designation if standards are met. Councilor Hansi asked whether roofing in older homes will be required to change; Lucero said the code applies to new construction and to remodels meeting certain thresholds in the WUI zones and described Class A roofing materials as an example.
Lucero said the city had previously received community assistance grant funds through the Bureau of Land Management and that those funds were dwindling; partnering with 2 Rivers would extend and expand available funding. When asked whether the figures Lucero displayed were the city’s portion, she confirmed they represented Fruita’s share of the program's funding.
Ending note: Council members thanked the presenters and asked to be kept informed; staff said the partnership would include outreach to residents and that additional details and operations plans would be brought back to council as the program develops.
