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HomeMy Public PortalAbout1-CM Department Report - July 2019Monthly Department Report – City Manager Memo To: City Council From: Anette Spickard, City Manager Date: July 31, 2019 Re: Monthly Department Report – July 2019 1. Wildfire Summit for Landowners: I attended the Summit along with the Mayor and a broad cross section of local landowners and public agency personnel. Lessons learned from recent wildfires in other areas of the nation were shared by national experts along with updates about local efforts. The Summit concluded with the formation of several citizen work groups to provide outreach to property owners for education on the issues, offer grant assistance for projects, and provide information on fuel loads and good vs. bad types of landscaping. Accomplishments since the last Summit in 2018 are: • Fuel reduction completed on 200 acres with $200,000 of grant funds • 30 Neighborhood Fire Plans and a Fire Plan Manual developed • Valley County is evaluating a Woody Biomass Program • Woody Debris Collection Program will occur in Fall and Spring • Free Woody Debris drop off at Transfer Site May through October during No Burn dates • McCall is a certified FireWise Community (fire adaptive community) • Local Fire Districts are working through structural risk assessments for all in Valley County giving them a rating on the scale of indefensible to easy-to-defend. You can find out yours by contacting your fire district. 2. Idaho Department of Lands Update: Staff from the City and the IDL met in July as part of our quarterly communication/coordination effort. IDL staff shared that the State land board has placed all leasing activity on hold pending a review and update of their process. The State is also reviewing the use of recreational lease auction proceeds for the purchase of private timberland. Demand for commercial recreational permits/leases is increasing but they are not entering into any new agreements until the overall review process is complete. At the Wildfire Summit, IDL unveiled the new Idaho Forest Action Plan 2020 which uses a “shared stewardship” model. (See Attached Handout). The State has grants available to property owners to assist with tree health, noxious weeds, bug infestation, etc. to reduce threat caused by dead and dying trees. They are using drone technology to identify tree health threats. Valley County is one of the test/pilot program sites for implementation of the “shared stewardship” plan. Several projects have been identified Monthly Department Report – City Manager to improve forest health, some in planning, some in NEPA, some in implementation phases. More information and maps can be found at the Idaho Department of Lands website under the Forestry Tab – Forest Action Plan. 3. Chamber of Commerce: I participated in two Strategic Initiatives meetings with the Chamber of Commerce Committee regarding recycling. Scott Carnes of Lakeshore Disposal attended one meeting and provided the group with information regarding the current recycle center in McCall and possible new facility in Lake Fork under consideration by Valley County. Recycling is a shared concern of the business community and there is interest in looking at ways to improve the effectiveness of a recycling program while keeping it easy to use and accessible. I have started providing a monthly update to the Chamber e-newsletter. I have visited four businesses in this past month to introduce myself and provide my contact information to receive their suggestions and concerns. 4. McCall Transit Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: The Mayor and I and several staff attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for two new buses purchased by Treasure Valley Transit (TVT) for the McCall red and green lines. The City contributed matching funds towards the purchase of the buses. Staff continues to work with TVT on their plans for the new transit center. 5. Woodstock: I participated in the annual Woodstock event at Riverfront Park. It was a wonderful, positive experience that demonstrates the goodwill, compassion and kindness of our community to assist those in need. 6. Vandal Meet and Greet with new University of Idaho President Green: The Mayor and I attended a meet and greet at MOSS with the new University of Idaho President Scott Green. He spoke passionately about the University’s mission and the academic environment provided to students, including opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research which is rare at most institutions. We were able to express to Mr. Green the value of MOSS to our community and the City’s appreciation for the partnerships that we have with the U of I and MOSS specifically.