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Beginning this spring, Nevada County’s Public Works Department will begin aggressively clearing brush from miles of roadsides, providing safer evacuation routes in the event of a wildfire.
“A good many miles of our roads are overdue for brushing,” said Douglas Farrell, the county’s director of public works.
A recently approved $500,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), combined with $450,000 annually from gasoline taxes and DMV fees will fund the work.
Starting this year, the county will increase its brush clearing program from 35 miles of roadway to 85 miles for three years.
“We’re going to up it this year and take it to a much higher level,” said Douglas Farrell, director of public works.
After that, the FEMA grant will run dry, and the county will maintain 65 miles of road annually.
The 2007 application for two grants totaling $1.2 million first were denied. The county’s Office of Emergency Services appealed the decision and learned last week that FEMA approved $500,000.
“They (OES) consider it to be a way to avoid emergencies. It’s preventative,” Farrell said.
With brush clearing, road shoulders become more fire resistant and wildfire evacuation routes safer. A clearing program has been in place for years, Farrell said.
The size of county rights-of-way varies, and staff will work with property owners who live adjacent to county roads, Farrell said.
An assessment of county roads was made early on in the formation of the county’s fire plan, adopted last year. A review for the plan found a majority of roadways in need of clearing.
Washington Ridge Work Camp, a division of the Department of Corrections, supplies much of the labor. The county also will hire independent contractors and could partner with the Nevada County Fire Safe Council. County officials will meet with
FEMA representatives next week to learn the details of the grant.
“The way our economy is right now, nothing’s for sure,” Farrell said.
To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call
477-4231.
“A good many miles of our roads are overdue for brushing,” said Douglas Farrell, the county’s director of public works.
A recently approved $500,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), combined with $450,000 annually from gasoline taxes and DMV fees will fund the work.
Starting this year, the county will increase its brush clearing program from 35 miles of roadway to 85 miles for three years.
“We’re going to up it this year and take it to a much higher level,” said Douglas Farrell, director of public works.
After that, the FEMA grant will run dry, and the county will maintain 65 miles of road annually.
The 2007 application for two grants totaling $1.2 million first were denied. The county’s Office of Emergency Services appealed the decision and learned last week that FEMA approved $500,000.
“They (OES) consider it to be a way to avoid emergencies. It’s preventative,” Farrell said.
With brush clearing, road shoulders become more fire resistant and wildfire evacuation routes safer. A clearing program has been in place for years, Farrell said.
The size of county rights-of-way varies, and staff will work with property owners who live adjacent to county roads, Farrell said.
An assessment of county roads was made early on in the formation of the county’s fire plan, adopted last year. A review for the plan found a majority of roadways in need of clearing.
Washington Ridge Work Camp, a division of the Department of Corrections, supplies much of the labor. The county also will hire independent contractors and could partner with the Nevada County Fire Safe Council. County officials will meet with
FEMA representatives next week to learn the details of the grant.
“The way our economy is right now, nothing’s for sure,” Farrell said.
To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call
477-4231.
