In 2019, Poway was approved for a $1.4 million FEMA grant aimed at making emergency evacuation routes safer for residents in the event of a wildfire, while improving the overall health of trees along Espola and Twin Peaks Roads, two of Poway’s main traffic corridors. Almost six years later, the approval process is still in limbo and the city can’t wait for FEMA any longer, Public Works Director Eric Heidemann shared in a presentation at the Feb. 4 Poway City Council meeting.
The Hazardous Tree Removal Mitigation grant, which included a $500,000 match from the city, was broken into three steps. The first step was an extensive tree inventory along Twin Peaks and Espola Roads, plus the Green Valley open space. The second step was submitting paperwork for environmental permitting and regulatory compliance. Once the approval was received, the city could start removing unhealthy trees.
At the time the grant was approved, Poway expected the project to be wrapped up by November 2023, but over a year later the city is still waiting for FEMA approval to start removing trees.
“What we’ve learned,” Heidemann said, “is that it doesn’t do us any good to complain about how inefficient FEMA is.”
Heidemann and City Manager Chris Hazeltine discussed the city moving forward on its own. Public Works will provide a work plan based on a phased and balanced approach for removing and cutting back unhealthy trees along these corridors. Heidemann anticipates the initial phase will be presented as part of next year’s fiscal budget (July 2025 to June 2026), for city council members to evaluate within the context of all the other priorities before the city.