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<br />2-1 <br />CHAPTER 2. <br />PLAN METHODOLOGY <br /> <br />To update the Kittitas County Hazard Mitigation Plan, the County followed a process similar to that of the <br />original plan development in 2012. This process had the following primary objectives: <br />• Secure grant funding <br />• Form a planning team <br />• Establish a planning partnership <br />• Define the planning area <br />• Establish a steering committee <br />• Coordinate with other agencies <br />• Review existing programs <br />• Engage the public. <br />For the 2019 plan update, there was an emphasis on increasing the number of stakeholders and planning <br />partners participating in the process, incorporating the most up-to-date data, and meeting the requirements <br />to earn credit under the CRS for Floodplain Management Planning. These objectives are discussed in the <br />following sections. <br />2.1 GRANT FUNDING <br />This plan update was supplemented by a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant from FEMA in <br />2016. Kittitas County was the applicant agent for the grant. The grant was applied for in 2015 and was <br />awarded August 11, 2016. The FEMA grant covers 75% of the cost for development of this plan; the <br />County covers 25 percent of the cost through in-kind contributions. This plan is an update to the approved <br />2012 Kittitas County Hazard Mitigation Plan. <br />2.2 FORMATION OF THE CORE PLANNING TEAM <br />Kittitas County hired Dewberry as the primary contractor and Jacobs as the subcontractor to assist with <br />development and implementation of the plan. The Dewberry project manager assumed the role of the lead <br />planner, reporting directly to a County-designated project manager. A core planning team was formed to <br />lead the planning effort, made up of the following members: <br />• Mark Cook, Kittitas County Public Works, Director <br />• Karen Hodges, Kittitas County Public Works <br />• Jason Ecklund, GIS Coordinator, Kittitas County Information Technology <br />• Darren Higashiyama, Operations Commander, Kittitas County Emergency Management, <br />Sheriff’s Office <br />• Taylor Gustafson, Environmental / Transportation Planner, Kittitas County Public Works <br />• Scott Choquette, Dewberry, Project Manager <br />• Jessica Fleck, Dewberry, Resilience Planner