Small Town News

Cheney hazard mitigation plan moving forward

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Cheney is one step closer to adopting an all-hazard mitigation plan.

The Planning Commission approved a draft of the plan at its March 8 meeting, triggering a 30-day public comment period.

The plan is an annex to the Spokane County mitigation plan enacted in 2007, and includes issues specific to Cheney, including the higher risk of severe winter weather and wildfires.

Dinah Reed, an Eastern Washington University masters in urban and regional planning graduate student, facilitated a drafting process, beginning September 2009, that was completed by a committee of representatives from local agencies including police, fire, schools and federal, state and local government.

The 91-page plan includes an assessment of the hazards in the community and outlines ways Cheney can prevent and minimize risks to lives and property, in the event of an emergency.

Reed said the plan would not only prepare the community for potential hazards, it also gives the city opportunities to apply for grants that mitigate potential dangers.

"This plan will enable the city of Cheney to apply for pre-disaster grant dollars --simple things like trimming the trees so they're not going to affect power lines if there's a huge ice storm," she said. "They can write a grant to apply for funding before a hazard happens."

Copies of the draft plan are available for public review and comment at the Cheney Public Library and City Hall, and Reed said they were working to place fliers in upcoming utility bills. Information will also be posted on the Web sites of the city of Cheney and Spokane County Department of Emergency Management (DEM).

"I'm interested in trying to up that public comment if I can," she said.

Cheney is the first city besides Spokane and Spokane Valley to enter the process of writing a hazard mitigation plan. Gerry Bozarth, DEM mitigation and recovery specialist, said the department has a goal of getting all Spokane County cities on board so they can access pre-disaster grant funding.

After the public comment period is complete, the plan will come back to the Planning

Commission in April and, if approved, will move to City Council for final approval. If it's approved locally, the plan will still need to be reviewed by the Spokane County DEM and the state mitigation specialist, a process that is expected to take 3-6 months. Reed said if there were no delays, the city would be able to apply for mitigation grant funds for 2011.

Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.



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