Job openings, bridgework, more on consent agenda
Members of the Plumas County Board of Supervisors had much to read about and ponder for their regular meeting Feb. 19.
Supervisors approved all requests on the consent agenda.
Every 15 Minutes
Every 15 Minutes, a two-day event to help juniors and seniors make better decisions when it comes to drinking and driving has become an annual event rotating through the county’s high schools.
This year, Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood is requesting $6,000 to help supplement the program that’s set for May 22 and 23 at Quincy High School.
“Expenditures for this program will be offset by revenue from the California Highway Patrol,” Hagwood explained in his request to supervisors.
The Quincy Fire Department, Plumas District Hospital and other emergency groups will join the sheriff’s office and the CHP in the event.
Every 15 Minutes is a statewide program that involves a process designed to challenge students and their parents to make better decisions when it comes to drinking and driving.
The event will begin on the QHS campus with a simulated car crash involving students, with other students looking on as the drama unfolds. Some students are usually pronounced “dead” at the scene while others are sped away by ambulance to the hospital.
At the hospital, the “injured” students are taken through the process of what would really happen should they find themselves in the emergency room following a vehicle crash.
Among other decisions, students are encouraged to think about personal safety and the responsibility each has in making mature decisions when it comes to drinking and driving.
The second day of the event involves services for those that died during the simulation. Their parents, students and others are invited to watch this portion of the program unfold.
OHV grant opportunity
The sheriff also requested supervisors to approve a resolution for the Sheriff’s Office to apply for and receive funding from the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Division of the California State Parks and Recreation.
The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office has received funding from this source for more than 20 years, Hagwood explained.
“There will be a 25 percent matching funds requirement to this application that is easily met by in-kind activities within the sheriff’s office,” Hagwood explained. In-kind includes calls handled on regular patrol assignments that involve OHV and related search and rescue calls. In-kind also includes OHV in-lieu funds from the state that are earmarked and spent on the Sheriff’s Office’s OHV and other related programs.
“The Sheriff’s Office has never relied on general funding to meet this requirement,” Hagwood said.
The amount of funding Hagwood requested was not included in the request.
Vacancy announced
Due to a retirement, the Department of Social Services is now looking to fill an Eligibility Specialist Supervisor position.
Director Neal Caiazzo sought approval to fill the upcoming vacancy.
This supervisor is responsible for seven other eligibility specialists and a lead eligibility specialist, Caiazzo explained to supervisors. “The staff in this unit processes applications and continuing eligibility for economic assistance programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal and county General Assistance,” Caiazzo explained.
“As your board is aware, demand for these programs have been high due to the expansion of the Medicaid Program and due to the recessionary economy,” he said.
There is no impact to the county’s general fund because this position is a planned department expense.
Medical is entirely funded by the state general fund and federal pass -through dollars. Some realignment funding is used in the mix for the position. About 15 percent of the worker’s time is spent determining CalFresh (formerly known as foodstamps) eligibility.
This is a position that is mandated by the state, according to Caiazzo’s cover material.
Position available
Plumas County Behavioral Health Services Director Tony Hobson also requested that supervisors approve a resolution approving a Behavioral Health Systems Analyst or Information Systems Technician position. This is open because the previous employee was promoted.
This position is part of the 2018-19 budget. It is a full time job.
Invoice approval
Hobson also asked supervisors to approve the December invoice from the Plumas Crisis and Intervention and Resource Center for operating expenses for the Wellness Centers in the amount of $5,208.36.
Costs are associated with rent, phones and consumables.
These centers are located in Chester and Greenville.
IT request
Plumas County Department of Information Technology Systems Manager David Preston requested that Supervisors approve a payment of $13,000 for the new ArcGIS Mapping Software Support.
He explained that the fee allows the county access to all software updates and technical support for specified products.
The funding was included in the budget.
Grant submission
Approval to submit a grant application to the County Medical Services Program (CMSP) was requested by Andrew Woodruff, director of the Plumas County Public Health Agency.
CMSP was established in Jan. 1983. At that time the state transferred responsibility for medical care for indigent adults from the state to the counties. The law recognized that smaller, rural counties, such as Plumas, were not able to provide the financing for this care
“As a result, the law also provided counties with a population of 300,000 or fewer with the option of contracting back with California Department of Health Services to provide health care services for indigent adults,” Woodruff explained to supervisors.
Applicants can seek one-time funding of up to $300,000 for over three years from the development of health care systems. “Funding is intended to support activities that can be completed in a maximum of 36 months,” according to Woodruff.
The grant must target persons eligible for CMSP, but it also is available to populations served by MediCal.
HIV/AIDS services contract
Woodruff also asked supervisors to approve a resolution to accept a Standard Agreement Amendment from the California Department of Public Health. This is through the Office of AIDS and provides various HIV/AIDS services.
The resolution authorizes Woodruff to sign the agreement.
The county Public Health Agency has a contract with the State Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS for various related services and prevention activities. This contract has been ongoing for a number of years.
The agreement includes a Memorandum of Understanding for each of the two HIV/AIDS programs. These include the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program and the HIV Care Program.
Yellow-legged frogs protected
Plumas County Department of Public Works Director Bob Perreault requested authorization for a professional services agreement with On-call Environmental/CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) services. This is for preparation and performance of a Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog and the Foothill yellow-legged frog survey-training program. The cost is $12,805.31 to facilitate implementation of a countywide routine maintenance agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Public works is required to perform regular maintenance on storm drainage facilities and water crossings at 168 locations in Plumas County. These locations are generally within or adjacent to county roads, according to Perreault.
Fish and Wildlife classifies many of the drainages as streams, Perreault explained. Therefore, Fish and Wildlife requires a Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement (LSAA) before allowing maintenance activities to begin.
Many of the county’s stormwater drainage facilities are adjacent to streams that are suitable habitat for the Sierra Nevada and Foothill species of yellow-legged frogs, Perreault explained to supervisors.
Fish and Wildlife requires a survey to determine that yellow-legged frogs are present or not in order to avoid what’s known as a “take” of species identified under the Federal Endangered Species Act and California Endangered Species Action prior to the issuance of a LSAA.
“Public works staff is seeking to become authorized to perform these surveys so that maintenance activities can be performed more expeditiously,” according to Perreault.
The amendment, as presented by Perreault, would authorize Stantec Consulting Services Inc. to perform the tasks in support of the training program. That company is already under contract with the county for on-call environmental and CEQA/NEPA services.
Lights Creek Bridge project
Perreault also asked supervisors to approve environmental services support for the Lights Creek Bridge rehabilitation project. Stantec Consulting Services would conduct this work.
The Lights Creek Bridge is on North Valley Road, according to information from Perreault. The project is adjacent to the intersection with Diamond Mountain Road north of Taylorsville. “Locally, the road is sometimes referred to as Deadfall Lane,” Perreault added.
The project includes extending the life of the bridge’s steel truss by blasting, cleaning and painting it.
The concrete deck will be cleaned and treated with a methacrylate or polyester concrete overlay.
And the roller bearings and abutment seats will be cleaned and the roller bearings at one of the abutments reset. To do this requires the temporary closure of the bridge while it is jacked up. During this time equipment will be in the channel and under the bridge.
A temporary road detour is anticipated, while some of the bridgework is conducted. A temporary culvert will be placed in Lights Creek and a staging area will be available adjacent to the project in a pasture.
The project is federally funded, according to Perreault. Funds are available through the Highway Bridge Program and are administered by Caltrans. That agency is also responsible for technical study reviews and approval.
The project cost is more than $66,620.
Belden Bridge project
Perreault also asked supervisors to allow him to go ahead with a professional services agreement with the Stantec on-call environmental/CEQA and NEPA for the Belden Bridge painting and scour repair project.
This project is also federally funded with funds overseen by Caltrans. The cost of this project is more than $69,800.
Environmental support services are once again required for the Belden Bridge painting project. This bridge is in the Feather River Canyon and spans the North Fork of the Feather River between Highway 70 and the tiny community of Belden.
This is also a steel truss bridge and was constructed in 1912. It is eligible for the Nation Register of Historic Places.
According to Perreault, public works proposes to rehabilitate and extend the life of the bridge. This work includes removing the old paint, cleaning and repainting all of the steel elements. Preventative maintenance of the steel, removing unauthorized signs, lights and electrical wiring are also part of the process.
Willow Creek Pit monitoring
Perreault met a Dec. 31, 2018, deadline to get documents in order with Vestra Resources Inc. for updating a storm water pollution prevention plan and storm water monitoring report for Willow Creek Pit.
The professional services agreement was for $3,410.
“In association with established state standards, the results of calendar year 2018 monitoring (performed by public works staff) identified an exceedance of total suspended solids,” Perreault explained to supervisors.
Because solids were over the set amount, the State Water Resources Control Board is required to prepare an updated Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and Exceedance Response Act Report.
A Qualified Industrial Storm Water Practitioner must then submit it. And no one on the public works staff meets those qualifications, Perreault explained. Therefore, Vestra Resources responded.
Public works position
When the full time solid waste program manager resigned from public works in late January, it left an opening in the department.
Perreault asked for approval from supervisors to fill the vacancy.
The position is funded in the fiscal year 2018-19 budget.
