OROVILLE — The Butte County Board of Supervisors could finally settle a longstanding issue regarding log decks in the town of Paradise and other burn scar areas from the Camp Fire. For months, supervisors have been arguing over what to do with the log deck yards and piles of timber sitting around waiting for the next fire to come.
District 3 Supervisor Tami Ritter has been critical on this issue as the log decks in question are located in areas the county designates as “agriculture land.” As a result, Ritter has reminded her fellow board members several times that using agricultural land to deal with log decks could be seen as hypocritical. Ritter mentioned that Supervisors Bill Connelly and Doug Teeter were recently critical of the same issue when it was regarding emergency housing to be placed on agriculturally designated land.
“If we’re unwilling to use our agricultural lands for something that everyone believes is our highest priority, housing; then why would we be willing to use agricultural land for something like this that could have negative effects? So if we have such a commitment to that, then we need to be consistent,” Ritter said following more log deck discussions in May.
Supervisor Connelly stressed the board needs to act on the issue and the worst thing that could happen is further inaction. Supervisor Teeter said Ritter has simply been “politicizing the issue.”
More combative dialogue continued between county leaders during June’s board meeting as more of the same arguments arose. Supervisor Connelly said the log decks and timber that are stored in the area directly relate to agriculture. To which Ritter responded, “No, timber is timber.”
The public hearing regarding the removal of the log decks was continued by the Board of Supervisors from the June 25 meeting. Now, the board will consider the adoption of an urgency ordinance which would change a section of the county’s charter titled “Debris Removal” to allow temporary log storage yards or “log decks.” This would, in essence, allow a temporary administrative permit for temporary log storage facilities in the following areas:
- Agriculture zones, limited to those zones classified as “grazing or other lands” by the California Department of Conservation’s Farmland Mapping Program.
- The general commercial zone.
- The Neal Road recycling, energy, and waste facility overlay zone.
These amendments, if passed, would be in effect until December 31 of this year. In that time, the county will decide how to properly handle and remove the massive amount of dead logs, trees and timber left over from the Camp Fire, something several county supervisors say is of the highest priority.
Also on the week’s agenda are items including:
- More budget adjustments will be analyzed as a resolution for adopting the budget will be looked at by the board. The 2019-20 budget was approved in June.
- County leaders will look to break ground on drug enforcement and awareness by possibly signing an agreement with the Department of Health Care Services for drug misuse prevention services. Additionally, the county could sign a contract and team up with California TV, which will provide broadcasting services aimed at drug misuse marketing in the area.
- An agreement with an outside medical group, the Willow Glen Care Center, could take place as they are asking for $84,000 to over $1 million from the county.
- The new social services building is taking longer than expected to finish construction. As a result, county staff is asking for an additional $67,000 for the project.
- Staff will also ask for an additional $41,000 to complete the Paradise Veterans Memorial Hall roof and cooling project.
- A contract could be reached with the Northern Valley Catholic Social Services program not to exceed $633,036. This would help to improve pregnancy and child health services.
- Approval of the Skyway metal beam guard rail highway project could be approved as the total cost could reach $500,000. Most of the guard rail was destroyed in the Camp Fire.
- Board supervisors could award a contract for the upper Centerville Road storm damage repair project, estimated at $700,000.
- Butte County could get a brand-new rock crusher in an amount not to exceed $250,000 from the conveyor company Powerscreen of California and Hawaii.
- County will elect to rebuild a tractor D8T dozer instead of buying a costly new one. The rebuild is estimated at $525,000.
