In the last decade, Mariposa County has averaged a disaster a year, whether due to wildfire, floods, heatwaves, snowstorms or power outages.
So, does Mariposa County need a so-called resilience center?
It would be a place where people could find shelter and resources in an emergency. After a disaster, it could become a local assistance center. Year round, it could provide health and education programs.
With millions in state funding potentially available, the idea of a resilience center — or maybe two — is something Mariposa County government will now be seriously looking into.
The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors approved a community needs assessment and instructed staff to pursue planning and implementation grants.
The community needs assessment will identify gaps in critical services. Besides forming a kind of blueprint for the county needs, the assessment will also help in seeking various grants by showing data-based results.
Will Fassett, a development planner for Mariposa County, told the supervisors plainly, “Disasters are part of the future.”
“But we can control how prepared we are when it does happen,” Fassett added.
An estimated 8,000 people had to evacuate during the 2022 Oak Fire. Shelters were set up at local elementary schools.
“Logistics are complicated in the middle of a disaster, where resources are thin. Having it (a resilience center) as a hub gives the county a depth of resources,” Fassett said.
Fassett said the county would pursue multiple grants from a variety of sources, but the primary funding would be through the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC), which is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $48 billion climate commitment.
Applications for a planning grant close Sept. 2.
In the first round of SGC financing two years ago, $93 million was set aside to build resilience centers in counties hardest hit by extreme heat and climate change.
The local case study is Tuolumne County. It built two resilience centers after it received a $70 million grant. The resilience centers each cost $20 million. The remaining funds were used to maintain and program the centers.
Mariposa County Supervisor Shannon Poe said he thinks a resilience center is a “wonderful idea.”
“The only thing that concerns me is with public works, is this another building they would have to take care of?” Poe asked.
Fassett said the grants, like the one received by Tuolumne County, often include money set aside for operations.
The current timeline would have the county set priorities and develop a vision for the resilience center in 2026, with construction to begin as early as 2028 and opening in 2031 or 2032.
Given climate trend lines, the county may well have six more disasters by then to learn from.
The county board held off on forming a committee to direct the project. Its vote last week only directs staff to pursue potential funding, it does not commit the county to ultimately building a resilience center.
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