To: Board of Supervisors
From: General Services
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
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Department Contact: |
Janelle Rau |
Phone: |
707-234-6050 |
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Department Contact: |
Jeff Determan |
Phone: |
707-234-6050 |
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Item Type: Consent Agenda |
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Time Allocated for Item: N/A |
Agenda Title:
title
Approval of First Amendment to BOS Agreement No. 22-302 with Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) for Access to Conduct California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Review Pertaining to the Wildfire Mitigation Fuel Reduction Project within Mendocino County’s Low Gap Campus, Located in Ukiah, California, Extending the Termination Date from December 31, 2023 to June 30, 2024, and Authorization for the General Services Agency Director to Execute Future Amendments that do not Alter the Scope of Work
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Recommended Action/Motion:
recommendation
Approve first amendment to BOS Agreement No. 22-302 with Mendocino Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) for access to conduct California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) review pertaining to the Wildfire Mitigation fuel reduction project within Mendocino County’s Low Gap Campus, Located in Ukiah, California; authorize the General Services Agency Director to execute future amendments that do not alter the scope of work; and authorize Chair to sign same.
End
Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:
In December 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved agreement no. 22-302 granting Mendocino Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) access to County's the Low Gap Campus areas, to conduct California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) review pertaining to the Wildfire Mitigation fuel reduction project.
Summary of Request:
The General Services Agency has been meeting with MCFSC representatives since June 2022, to discuss potential fuel and fire mitigation solutions throughout the County and in the County’s Parks system. The discussion included several grant applications and/or awards associated with the completion of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) activities for potential fuel reduction projects within multiple County owned Parks. This agenda item is requesting the Board of Supervisors to approve Right of Entry to Mendocino Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) at the County’s Low Gap Campus to perform CEQA review on three County parcels, APNs: 001-020-69, 001-020-68, 001-020-11, 001-020-77 located in Ukiah as part of a CAL FIRE grant 21-CNR-MEU-024. These parcels are a small part of a much larger project in partnership with CAL FIRE MEU to complete and maintain the Western and Eastern hills wildfire mitigation project. The aim of this project is to reduce wildfire risk in key target areas around and to the west of the City of Ukiah.
This project was identified as a priority by CAL FIRE under the Governor’s Executive Order N-05-19 in January 2019 and the following Proclamation of a State of Emergency, which allowed CAL FIRE to begin working on the project before an environmental review was completed. Due to another destructive wildfire year, the Proclamation expired before CAL FIRE was able to complete the project. CAL FIRE awarded the MCFSC grant 21-CNR-MEU-024 in June 2022 to complete the required environmental review, which will allow CAL FIRE to complete fuel breaks and prescribed burn regimes, as well as maintain this critical fuels-reduction work into the future.
The Ukiah Eastern and Western Hills project will help protect approximately 13,000 threatened homes, essential services and critical communication infrastructure within the City of Ukiah and unincorporated neighborhoods in the Ukiah Valley. Ukiah has a high density of homes and structures adjacent to steep, undeveloped wildlands identified as Very High Fire Hazard Zones. The Eastern and Western Hills of Ukiah also contain hundreds of homes scattered throughout heavy fuel loads in WUI areas contiguous with urban neighborhoods, increasing the risk of wildfire spread to homes and infrastructure throughout the Ukiah Valley. The proposed area to be included in the CEQA review includes 200’-wide CAL FIRE-designated fuel breaks in the Eastern Hills (15.38 miles/375 acres) and Western Hills (21.47 miles/535.4 acres), along with prescribed burning in the Eastern Hills (437 acres) and Western Hills (547.07 acres).
MCFSC, with full support of CAL FIRE MEU, is contracting with North Coast Resource Management (NCRM) to execute the CEQA review, including biological and archeological surveys. MCFSC has also employed retired CALFIRE Battalion Chief Mike Maynard, who was the lead in designing CAL FIRE’s protection strategy for the Ukiah Valley to help oversee this project and to interface with landowners during the CEQA review process. Additionally, MCFSC has the support of the Western Hills Fire Safe Council, part of their network of over 41 Neighborhood Fire Safe Councils. Should CAL FIRE’s fuel breaks or prescribed burns occur on a particular property, a second landowner agreement will be secured through CAL FIRE outlining their project activities. MCFSC requests that the County of Mendocino allow CEQA review to be conducted on parcels: 001-020-69, 001-020-68, 001-020-11, 001-020-77, within the proposed project area. This term extension will allow MCFSC the opportunity to conclude this portion of the project review.
Alternative Action/Motion:
Do not approve Right of Entry and provide alternate direction to staff
Does This Item Support the General Plan? Yes
Strategic Plan Priority Designation: A Safe and Healthy County
Supervisorial District: District 2
vote requirement: Majority
Supplemental Information Available Online At: n/a
Fiscal Details:
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source of funding: N/A |
budgeted in current f/y: N/A |
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current f/y cost: N/A |
if no, please describe: |
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annual recurring cost: N/A |
revenue agreement: N/A |
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budget clarification: N/A |
Agreement/Resolution/Ordinance Approved by County Counsel: Yes
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CEO Liaison: Executive Office |
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CEO Review: Yes |
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CEO Comments:
FOR COB USE ONLY
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Executed By: Atlas Pearson, Senior Deputy Clerk |
Final Status: Approved |
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Date: December 5, 2023 |
Executed Item Type: Agreement Number: 22-302-A1 |
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