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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 13774 City of Palo Alto (ID # 13774) City Council Staff Report Meeting Date: 1/31/2022 Report Type: Consent Calendar City of Palo Alto Page 1 Title: Foothills Fire Mitigation and Safety Improvement Strategies, Staff Recommendations to City Council From: City Manager Lead Department: Office of Emergency Services Recommendation Staff recommends that the City Council authorize staff to initiate the following next steps: 1. Pursue funding for eucalyptus tree removal in Arastradero Nature Preserve, and for Foothills Fire Management Plan (FFMP) mitigation efforts. 2. Seek guidance from the Palo Alto Fire Department (PAFD) each fire season regarding whether to allow the use of barbeques and campfires at Foothills Nature Preserve. 3. Return to the Council with an Ordinance amendment to modify Municipal Code Section 2.30.620 (Surveillance and Privacy Protection Ordinance) to add the Foothills Fire Early Warning System (FFEWS). Background FFMP Information Report - On June 21, 2021 the City Council received an informational report on Foothills Fire Mitigation and Safety Improvement Strategies, as part of the City’s community and economic recovery framework. This report provided an update on the status of numerous ongoing activities across multiple City departments related to wildfire mitigation. It also provided a forward-looking assessment of capabilities to detect fires and means to notify the public. FFMP Staff Study Session - On August 30, 2021 the City Council participated in a Council- directed study session on Foothills Fire Mitigation Strategies. During the study session, representatives of various regional public safety agencies described their actions related to wildfire mitigation1. Participating agencies included: the City’s Office of Emergency Services and Fire Departments; CAL FIRE, Santa Clara County Fire; Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District; and Stanford University Fire Marshal. While no formal action was taken by Council, interest was expressed in a follow-up staff report to identify actions staff believe are prudent for Council to consider for wildfire mitigation efforts. 1 The presentation slides used by each agency represented are available at: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/item- presentations/2021/20210830/20210830pptccsm-item-2.pdf City of Palo Alto Page 2 Discussion As a result of the public safety study session on August 30th with the City Council, the administration is providing recommendations related to our ability to mitigate and prepare for wildfire hazards in the Palo Alto Foothills region. Palo Alto Nature Preserves During the City Council’s August study session on wildfire mitigation, staff explained that PAFD staff performed a fire safety field survey of Foothills Nature Preserve and Pearson Arastradero- Preserve and made the following observations: • There are several eucalyptus trees that should be pruned or removed • The campfire circles at Towle Camp and the barbeques at Foothills Nature Preserve are well-maintained and low-fire risk Eucalyptus Trees Open Space staff surveyed the eucalyptus trees (noting the number of trees and approximate size) in Foothills Nature Preserve, Pearson-Arastradero Preserve and Esther Clark Park. There are approximately 95 eucalyptus trees in the preserves, and 41 eucalyptus trees that appear to be on Stanford property adjacent to Pearson-Arastradero Preserve. Removal of the eucalyptus trees, the required biological surveys, and the required native tree replanting mitigation for the 95 trees within the preserves would cost approximately $500,000. Should City Council direct staff to remove the eucalyptus trees, staff would work to identify a funding source. Selectively removing the trees in question over multiple years could reduce the level of impact on the wildlife habitat they provide. Staff recommends that Council direct staff to seek funding through the FY 2023 annual budget planning process for the tree removals, survey work, and tree replanting, and for the work to be phased over a period of three years. Staff would research and pursue grant funding opportunities, which may help offset some of the costs. In most cases, grant funding is reimbursable requiring the city to pay for the work up front. Campfires and Barbeques The two campfire circles at Towle Camp are typically open with a permit during camping season (May 1 through October 31) and prohibited on Red Flag Warning days. No campfire permits were granted in 2021 due to the severity of the 2020 fire season. The campfire circles may be removed to further reduce fire risk in Foothills Nature Preserve. Should the City Council direct staff to remove the campfire circles, it could be accomplished with existing staff resources. The Barbeques at Foothills Nature Preserve are typically open all year, except on Red Flag Warning days. Staff have explored the following options to further reduce the fire risk of the barbeques: City of Palo Alto Page 3 • Close the Barbeques during fire season (April 1 to November 1) o Dates may be adjusted as needed per direction from PAFD o The Barbeques could be chained down to prevent their use during fire season and educational signage added to explain the closure • Remove all the barbeques (8) in Towle Camp and the 8 barbeques in Orchard Glen Picnic Area that border the hillside vegetation and creek o These barbeques are located in more remote areas and are closer to vegetation than the others • Remove all barbeques at Foothills Nature Preserve (8 at Towle Camp, 28 at Orchard Glen Picnic Area, and 2 at Oak Grove Picnic Area) On December 14, 2022, the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) discussed several Foothills Nature Preserve policies, including wildfire safety concerns related to eucalyptus trees, campfires, and barbeques. The PRC recommended that City Council request that the PAFD recommend actions necessary to mitigate wildfire safety concerns related to eucalyptus trees, campfires, and barbeques. Staff recommends that the Fire Chief direct restrictions regarding barbeque and campfire usage at Foothills Nature Preserve. Vegetation Management Activities. The administration also recommends the City contract with vendors to perform the fire mitigation roadside clearing work previously completed by the Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council as part of their service agreement with the City. To fund this work, the Public Works Department will request the restoration of its funding contribution with PAFD, and the Community Services Department (CSD) contributions for all former Fire Safe Council related work. The recommended funding restoration is being considered through the Fiscal Year 2022 mid-year budget review process. Previous funding for Fire Safe Council work was as follows – 1) PWD - $55k, 2) FD - $60k, and 3) CSD - $67k. To best utilize this funding the Foothills Fire Management team will obtain new contractor pricing to perform work specified by the Foothills Fire Management Plan. Undergrounding of Electrical Wires in the Foothills area. During development of the State’s Fire-Threat Map, the area of the City west of Highway 280 was identified as Tier 2, which represents an “Elevated Risk” for the likelihood of wildfires associated with overhead electric utility lines. In addition to more immediate and on-going remediation efforts performed by the City (i.e. vegetation management, inspections, maintenance, etc.), the plan included long-term strategies of mitigating wildfire risk due to overhead electric lines by undergrounding the approximately 10 miles of 12 kV overhead lines by 2025. The project is divided into 5 phases. The first phase, which involves undergrounding approximately 1.4 miles and is expected to be completed by the end of FY 2022. This will eliminate approximately 26 poles. The cost to underground is estimated between $1 - $1.5 million per mile. Staff recommends the City continue undergrounding overhead electric lines City of Palo Alto Page 4 each year as a capital improvement project. Wildfire Detection Technologies The Office of Emergency Services recommends that the Council add the following language to PAMC 2.30.630(c)(1) new sub-item (6) https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0-62120#JD_2.30.620 “Any technology used primarily for fire detection.” As discussed at the August 30th Study Session, the City wishes to foster a multi-jurisdictional test bed for the Foothills Fire Early Warning System (FFEWS). Technologies evolve rapidly and will be likely briefly tested and decommissioned or changed. The City Council will still have oversight via updates and other usual mechanisms. Resource Impact 1. This staff report identifies an estimate of financial resources required for removal of eucalyptus trees and replanting of native species which is currently beyond departmental budget allocations. Pending Council direction, the City will evaluate and consider these resource needs as part of the FY23 Proposed Budget development and continue to seek grant funds to reimburse this work. 2. It also describes the annual programmed departmental funding allocated for wildfire mitigation. The Public Works Department has submitted a Mid-Year budget request of $55,000 to restore this annual funding for mitigation activities. 3. Removal of Foothills Nature Preserve barbeques and campfire circles with available staff resources. 3. Long-term strategy of mitigating wildfire risk due to the overhead electric lines is to underground approximately 10 miles of 12 kV overhead lines by 2025 (CPAU Capital Project EL- 21001). Policy Implications 1. Removal of the Foothills Nature Preserve barbeques and campfires, or restricting their use as described in this report would constitute a change in CSD Open Space policies. 2. A modification to the Municipal Code section 2.30.620 (Surveillance and Privacy Protection Ordinance) to implement the FFEWS is also listed in this staff report. Stakeholder Engagement This staff report has been developed in coordination with internal City departments; no external coordination was done for this report. Environmental Review The staff report does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).