Auburn Fire Department announces Robie Point Public Right-of-Way Project

The City of Auburn Fire Department and Public Works Department will begin Phase 1 of the Robie Point Public Right-of-Way Vegetation Management Project the week of March 16. The project is focused on improving emergency access and reducing wildfire risk in the Robie Pointarea by thinning tree canopy and trimming roadside vegetation along the public right-of-way. Phase 1 of the project is funded by a $15,000 grant awarded to the city in September 2025 by the California Fire Foundation. Since receiving the grant, the city has coordinated with the Greater Auburn Area Fire Safe Council and the Robie Area Firewise Community to conductcommunity outreach and secure necessary access permissions. Public Works has awarded a contract to Evan Foss Enterprises, Inc. to complete Phase 1, covering Robie Drive from Virginia Street to Robie Point. On Feb. 17, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the city's request for an additional $178,000 through the Middle Fork Project: Fuel Reduction Management Program. This program, funded through an agreement between Placer County and the Placer County Water Agency, supports fuel reduction activities intended to lower the risk of catastrophic wildfire within the Middle Fork Project nexus area. City Council accepted the grant funds on March 9. Phase 2 of the project, covering the untreated public right-of-way in the Robie Point area, will begin upon completion of the competitive bidding process. "Funding partnerships like these are critical for the city of Auburn to support fuel reduction efforts to improve the safety of our community," said Auburn Fire Chief John Rogers. "We are so very thankful to the California Fire Foundation, Placer County and the Placer County Water Agency for these invaluable grants. They will be hugely beneficial to our community." "We are pleased to begin work on this project and make progress toward improving wildfire safety and emergency access in the Robie Point area," said Public Works Project Manager James Taber. "Community support has been essential in moving this project forward." The city extends its appreciation to residents of the Robie Area Firewise Community and the Greater Auburn Area Fire Safe Council for their ongoing support and collaboration. Since 2018, California Fire Foundation grants have served communities at heightened wildfire risk, directly addressing the state's toughest disaster-risk needs. For more information on California Fire Foundation grants, visit www.cafirefoundation.org/grants. For more information on the Middle Fork Project: Fuel Reduction Management Program visit https://www.placer.ca.gov/10511/Middle-Fork-Fuels-Reduction-Management-P