DOWNIEVILLE – The February 7th meeting of the Board of Supervisors began with Supervisors Adams and Roen sharing good news from the recent meeting of the California Air Resources Board (CARB): Sierra County will soon be getting two new tractors to help make the county's aging fleet comply with the upcoming 2024 air quality regulations. Following up on a recent Fish & Game Commission meeting, Supervisor Heuer told her colleagues the 23rd annual Packer Lake Kid's Fishing Day will be on July 22nd to avoid conflicting with the 25th Anniversary of the Downieville Classic. During the meeting she also learned the National Marine Fisheries is working on bringing salmon back to the North Yuba River. Moving on to reports by Department Managers, Judy Behlke said the county continues to have job openings for a Transportation Planner, Sheriff's deputies, custodians, plant maintenance technician, and a librarian. However, a new road maintenance worker has been hired and she is in the final stages of hiring both a new Health and Human Services Director and a Probation Officer. Next, Lea Salas, Administrative Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, told the Supervisors an annual FEMA grant will assist residents with housing and utilities while also providing support to the Senior Center. As for Public Works, Tim Beals spoke about his crew having finished grading and filling potholes on sections of Lemon Canyon and Campbell Springs east of Sierraville. He also mentioned a recent meeting in Loyalton concerning the Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grant process for evaluating water, sewer, power, and communication needs on the west side of Loyalton. In closing his remarks, Beals credited his staff for saving the county at least $50K by winning a cost allocation argument with Caltrans, a victory earning accolades from numerous rural counties within the state. The Acting Director for the USFS's Yuba River District, Andrew Mishler, stated the North Yuba Landscape Project and the Green Acres projects remain on track with current timelines. He also reported netting seven new firefighters for the upcoming season during a direct hiring event held in Fresno a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, his staff is also working with Sierra County to address safety issues on the section of the Butcher Trail where a couple of mountain bikers have died in the past two years. Next, Rachel Hutchinson, the Sierraville District Ranger, also praised the direct hiring event in Fresno since it provided the resources needed to staff their fire engines fully. Following the USFS presentations, Sierra County's Public Health Officer, Celia Sutton-Prado, provided a draft resolution declaring an end to the local state of emergency in Sierra County due to COVID-19 on February 28th, the day when Governor Newsom is planning to officially end California's pandemic emergency. The Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution. This action immediately preceded Brandon Pangman, Deputy Director of Planning, presenting a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) and Sierra County for Broadband Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grant administration. Announced at the last BOS meeting on January 17th, this MOU will provide $500K for the planning and design of broadband delivery over the next six months. By a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the MOU. Next, Bryan Davey, Deputy Director of Public Works, Roads, and Transportation, gave an update on the progress of the Downieville Community Center Renovation Project. For the first time in Davey's tenure with the county, the county received no response when they went out for bids on a construction project. However, according to California law, now the county can work directly to contract with a contractor. Thus, Davey asked for the Board's support in negotiating with a trusted local building contractor. The Board granted Davey's request and directed him to report back to them as soon as possible on the results of the negotiations. Of keen interest to bicycle enthusiasts, the Board proceeded to pass (by a 5-0 vote) a resolution authorizing the allocation of $5.5M in State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funding from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for the Smithneck Road Rehabilitation and Bike Path project. Thus, at some indeterminate point in the future, Sierra County will begin widening Smithneck Road and providing painted lanes along the route to make it safer for bicyclists who are increasingly using this corridor for recreation.