03/22/2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• AGENDA ITEM 5A STAFF ORIGINATOR: Milo Bennett, Fire Chief MEETING DATE: March 17, 2004 TOPIC: Fire Wise Grant VOTE REQUIRED: Simple Majority Background: The Centennial Fire District along with the DNR have identified some areas within the City of Lino Lakes that are high -risk areas in the case of a wildfire. The most significant of these areas is the area that surrounds Evergreen Trail located just off of Lake Drive in the northern part of the city. This area is overgrown with evergreens and presents many hazards for the homeowners as well as the firefighters. Members of the Fire District, staff from the DNR and the City Forester have met with the residents. They explained the concern and presented the federal funded Fire Wise program to them. There was an overwhelming approval of the program at the community meetings. Since the meetings, the City Forester has been working closely with the DNR to identify trees to be removed, underbrush to be cleaned up and trees to be trimmed. The grant available for this project is a matching grant which allows for "in kind" match, which means that time spent by city staff, fire district staff and the residents can be used as the match. If approved, we will be asking for a $16,500 grant with the match being time spent by those listed previously. This project will require more time to be spent by our staffs, especially the City Forester. Recommendation: It is the Fire District's recommendation that you approve this grant request and allow us to complete this project. This will greatly reduce the risk to the homes and homeowners in this area.