SIERRA COUNTY FIRE SAFE AND WATERSHED COUNCIL
    Meeting Minutes for Friday, May 28, 2010

Roll Call/ Introductions:  Board Members Present:  Nancy Finney, Gary Shelton, Laurenc DeVita, Robert Eshleman, Peter Huebner,  Ernest

Finney, and Kathleen Goicoechea.  Others Present: Robert Haug, Quentin Youngblood, Monica Vokel, Danielle Banchio, Gale Dupree,

Frank Stewart, Cindy Noble and Mike Freschi.

Public Comment:  None

Approve  March 26, 2010 Minutes:  Peter motioned to approve, Gary seconded, motion passed.

Approve Agenda for May 28, 2010:  Gary motioned to approve, Peter seconded, motion passed.
 
I.  Board Member Reports:  Larry did not do to the biomass workshop in Quincy presented  by Mike Delasaux from University of California,

Agriculture and Natural Resources, however, he did provide a link to their website.

Peter took a tour of Sierra Pacific Industries's Co-generation plant on Saturday to learn how the process will work for the expected biomass

deliveries.

Larry recommended that the Board Reports be last on the Agenda.

II.  Sierraville/Calpine public meetings:  Danielle reported that there had been two public hearings with Quentin attending and 18 other

participants.  As of today, there is still no contract for 37 acres, of the project in Sierraville.  Landowners along Willow Road have all signed,

however, Old Truckee Road still needs some contracts signed.  There have been 84 acres treated from the old grant and contracts have been

signed for the most extreme conditions on the new grant.  The hope is neighbors will hear about the projects and sign up.  The project will go

out to bid in June for mastication and hand thinning

III.  Eastern Sierra County Fuel Reduction Project:  Quentin discussed the Loyalton Pines, Billbong, and Phoenix projects staged for this

summer.  Weather permitting, work on Loyalton Pines will begin Tuesday, June 1 and hopefully be finished by late September.  Slash piles will

be for safe and effective burning.  Pre-op work on the Phoenix project will begin the later part of July.  The Little Truckee to Cottonwood and

Treasure Mountain work will take approximately 3 weeks to complete.  In all, there are five timber sales this summer and everyone is

optimistic for quality chips for the SPI Co-generation Plant.  Funding was from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

IV.  Biomass Projects:  SPI is paying for trucking the bins to and from the transfer stations in Sattley, Sierra City, and Downieville.  Sierra

County will be responsible for ramps to load the bins.   There is still a need for someone with appropriate insurance coverage, (500,000) and a

backhoe to load the bins.  One possible solution is to have whomever is awarded contracts to also bid loading the bins. SPI has a brush buster

to help with the stumps.  Gretchen Bennit, Executive Director from the Air Quality Board, supports collection versus burning and may be a

resource for future discussions.

V.  Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update-Verdi public meeting:  Mike wrote letters to the Verdi residents to attend a meeting,

Saturday, May 29, at 10:00 a.m.  He feels it will take more than one trip to accomplish the goal of combining the Verdi Fire Department with

Sierra County Fire District 1.  The annexation requires a municipal service review update before any plan can be completed.

VI.  Contractor Hiring Policy-Fuel reduction, bin loading:  The hiring policy is listed on the web site.  Bin loading with a loader requires a

low-level liability policy with Workers Compensation.  Peter motioned for a half million liability insurance policy, Kathleen seconded, motion

carried.