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Easton Subarea Plan—Public Comment <br /> Easton forward." And yet the plan does not include a single recommended action, timeline, or <br /> funding strategy for securing wastewater infrastructure. <br /> This is the linchpin. Without wastewater infrastructure, Railroad Street revitalization cannot <br /> happen. New businesses cannot operate. Housing expansion is constrained. The school cannot <br /> expand. The plan needs to state this clearly and include a concrete path forward. I recommend <br /> the following: <br /> a. Add a new goal: "EG 5.1: Secure funding for a community wastewater system to <br /> serve the Type 1 LAMIRD, enabling economic development, housing expansion, and <br /> school facility improvements." <br /> b. Include specific federal and state funding programs in the recommended actions: <br /> USDA Rural Utilities Water and Waste Disposal Grants and Loans (up to $5M per <br /> project for rural communities); EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund through <br /> Washington Ecology; Washington Department of Commerce CERB infrastructure loans <br /> ($5M maximum at 1% interest); and USDA Rural Economic Development Loans and <br /> Grants through local utilities. <br /> c. Add a Year 2 implementation action: commission a wastewater feasibility study to <br /> assess system options (community septic, small-scale treatment, or decentralized <br /> cluster systems), estimated costs, and the most competitive federal or state funding <br /> programs. This study is a prerequisite to any grant application and should be prioritized <br /> alongside the communication networks and inventory milestones already in the <br /> implementation timeline. <br /> d. Add wastewater infrastructure as a milestone in the implementation timeline (Section <br /> 7.6), targeting feasibility study completion by Year 2 and grant application submission by <br /> Year 3. <br /> e. Change language where "restrooms" are mentioned to "tourism support services" <br /> 9.4 Wildfire Mitigation: The Plan Should Pursue Firewise Designation and <br /> Federal Funding <br /> Section 6 of the Subarea Plan correctly identifies wildfire as a serious threat to the Easton <br /> community, noting that the USDA classifies risk to homes in Kittitas County as greater than 97% <br /> of counties in Washington. The plan includes a policy to "Create a Firewise Community Plan" <br /> (EP 6.1) and recommends seeking funding for fire mitigation. However, the recommended <br /> actions are limited to quarterly consultations, hosting an awareness day, and seeking general <br /> funding opportunities. These are awareness activities, not a funded mitigation strategy. <br /> Kittitas County already has a strong foundation through KFACC (Kittitas Forest and Fire <br /> Adapted Communities Coalition), which has secured $10 million in federal funding for forest <br /> thinning and has established 18 recognized Firewise Communities in the county. Easton should <br /> build on this existing infrastructure rather than starting from scratch. I recommend the following <br /> additions: <br /> a. Set an explicit goal of achieving Firewise USA community recognition for the Easton <br /> area within two years. This is a structured national program administered by the National <br /> Fire Protection Association that provides a framework for community-level wildfire <br /> preparedness, and recognized communities may qualify for insurance premium <br /> reductions of 10-20%, a direct financial benefit to every homeowner in the area. <br /> Page 7 <br />