Mountain Village: Cedar Shake Incentive Program Improves Safety

26 Sep Mountain Village: Cedar Shake Incentive Program Improves Safety

The Town of Mountain Village’s Cedar Shake Incentive Program has exhausted its funding for 2019 after a wildly successful summer. Nineteen cedar shake roofs were replaced with town-approved fire-rated materials. 

“In March of 2019, the Town of Mountain Village and Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association (TMVOA) decide to incentivize the cedar shake program, by uncoupling the program from the defensible space requirement and changing the program from a rebate to a building permit fee waiver,” said Planning and Development Services Director Michelle Haynes.“Participation hit an all-time high to the extent that we have exhausted all $50,000 of the incentive funds this year,”

The Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association was a critical funding partner in the incentive program contributing $25,000.

In total 19 roofs were replaced this summer, totaling $1.2 million in permit valuation. The program’s budget of $50,000 in permit fees was successfully waived.

“This is a big win to reduce wildfire risk in Mountain Village,” Haynes added. Installing fire-rated roofing material is the “single most impactful step homeowners can take to reduce their home’s risk,” she continued.

Town Council and TMVOA will review next year’s funding commitment this fall during the budget cycle.

Property owners looking to protect their home from wildfire can still take advantage of Mountain Village’s Wildfire Mitigation Incentive Program, which offers residents a rebate of up to 50 percent off the total cost of mitigation work (up to $5,000) to create a defensible space around their home.

Defensible space is the natural and landscaped area around a home or other structure that has been modified to reduce fire risk. This work can include removing trees that are too close to a structure and clearing brush or other flammable materials from the perimeter of a building.

Homeowners can then hire from a list of regional tree removal professionals and apply for a free town permit to start the forestry work. Once the project is finished and approved, the Town will reimburse homeowners up to 50 percent of the total project cost up to $5,000 per property.

“The two most important actions a homeowner can take to be proactive in the event of a wildfire event is to assure they have a non-flammable roof and assuring defensible space mitigation is done on their property,” Haynes added.

ABOUT MOUNTAIN VILLAGE

Situated at 9,545 in the heart of the breathtaking San Juan Mountains, Mountain Village was incorporated in 1995 as a home rule municipality and is comparably a world apart from other towns: it is innately spectacular, beautifully orchestrated and planned and overflowing with style, charm, and sophistication. A state-of-the-art gondola transportation system connects the Town of Mountain Village with the Town of Telluride. For more information, please visit us online at townofmountainvillage.com.