To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Transportation and Public Works
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz 707-565-2231
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Fifth
Title:
Title
Professional Services Agreement with Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. - Northwest Roadway Safety, Fuels Reduction, and Community Chipper Program and Engagement Project
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Approve and authorize the Chair to execute a professional services agreement with Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. in the amount of $123,600.00 for public outreach and education, homeowner assessments, chipper coordination and reporting services in connection with the Northwest Roadway Safety, Fuels Reduction, and Community Chipper and Engagement Project. (Fifth District)
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Executive Summary:
On August 3, 2018, Sonoma County was awarded a grant from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) for the Northwest Roadway Safety, Fuels Reduction, and Community Chipper and Engagement Project (Project). Transportation and Public Works (TPW) is the lead agency, in partnership with Fire and Emergency Services and Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. Project costs will not exceed $1,237,541, with CAL FIRE funding $1,082,969 and the County providing match funds in the amount of $154,572. The match source is $131,300 from General Fund FY 2018-19 with $110,300 for a chipper and truck and $21,000 for half the cost of maintenance and fuel, and $23,272 from in-kind volunteer labor tracked by Fire Safe Sonoma.
The action requested by this item is the approval of a professional services agreement with Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc., for public outreach and education, homeowner assessments, chipper coordination and reporting services. TPW will purchase the truck and chipper through County Fleet. The remaining funds from the grant will be spent on hiring a professional arborist to assess trees along County road right of way; remove brush and trees identified by the arborist as dead, dying, or hazardous to the road; hire three maintenance workers to operate the chipper for the home curbside chipping and roadside fuels removal; and project management.
The project will complement the County’s ongoing hazard tree removal program following the October 2017 wildfires by proactively addressing fire fuel management in rural west Sonoma County. Because individual property owners are responsible for the removal and maintenance of fire-damaged trees and fuels within private property lines, the additional public outreach and education, homeowner assessments, chipper coordination, and reporting services will help meet the County’s goal of fire fuel removal along public roads, safe ingress and egress of emergency vehicles, and increased community awareness of fuels reduction best practices. The public outreach and education will be coordinated to conform to the County’s new Emergency Preparedness and Readiness Program.
Discussion:
Through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grant Program, CAL FIRE aims to reduce the risk of wildland fires to habitable structures and communities, while maximizing carbon sequestration in healthy wildland habitat and minimizing the uncontrolled release of emissions emitted by wildfires.
The Project has been approved by CAL FIRE for a fire prevention grant. It focuses on critical County roads between and within the communities of Cazadero, Timber Cove, Guerneville, Rio Nido, and Monte Rio (see Location Map).
The goals of the Project are to expand the scale and pace of hazardous tree and fuel removal on public roads, decrease potential roadside fire starts, increase probability of initial attack suppression, prevent fires from spreading to homes and wildlands in the project area, and improve safe ingress and egress of firefighters and the public in the event of fire. The educational component will address the goal of increasing community awareness of defensible space and structural hardening, and acceptance of roadside and power line fuels reduction best practices.
The Project includes the following elements to accomplish its goals:
1. Prioritize approximately 30 miles of road out of the 83 miles of public road within the project area that serve as emergency egress/ingress routes.
2. Removal of dead, dying and hazardous trees and vegetation along approximately 30 miles of County roads totaling 73 acres to create shaded fuel breaks. Mature healthy trees will be retained for best carbon sequestration.
3. Free community curbside chipping services for private properties to encourage property owners to create defensible space.
4. Outreach and education
a. Community Meetings - In partnership with local fire agencies, project partners, and stakeholder groups, Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. will discuss the project, teach fire wise and defensible space principles, and encourage the formation of fire safe councils.
b. Events - Project partners will staff booths at local events providing wildfire safety information.
c. Home Assessments - 100 defensible space assessments will be conducted to educate and encourage property owners to implement defensible space best practices on their properties.
The Project will take place over a 3-year period ending in March 2022.
Under the proposed professional services agreement, Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. will provide public outreach and education, homeowner assessments, chipper coordination and reporting services in connection with the Project.
Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. is a non-profit organization experienced in community outreach and education in defensible space, structural hardening and other fire prevention measures.
TPW recommends approval of the agreement with Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc., for a not-to-exceed amount of $123,600.00.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$48,750.00 |
$45,000.00 |
$29,850.00 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$48,750.00 |
$45,000.00 |
$29,850.00 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$48,750.00 |
$45,000.00 |
$29,850.00 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$48,750.00 |
$45,000.00 |
$29,850.00 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Funding for the outreach and education portion of the Project completed by Fire Safe Sonoma, Inc. is from the CAL FIRE Grant. Appropriations are included in the FY 2019-20 Adopted Roads Division Maintenance Budget.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
No Impact
Attachments:
Location Map, Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None