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Supervisors to hold paper subdivision plan hearing, honor employees for service
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will hold a public hearing on a management plan for the county's thousands of paper subdivision lots and honor county employees for their service.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 17, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 with the video available online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm . Accompanying board documents and the agenda also are available at that link.
At 9:15 a.m., the board will hold the public hearing for the proposed final draft of the Paper Subdivision Management Plan.
County staffers have developed the plan to deal with an estimated 10,000 paper subdivision lots – most of them on the Northshore – that have been the source of ongoing problems for nearly a century.
Developed by land speculators beginning in the early 20th century, the mostly unbuildable lots have been used for illegal dumping, off-road vehicles – leading to erosion – and marijuana grows.
The plan seeks to address those matter, with options including having the county acquire the lots through tax sales or donations.
In other business on Tuesday, at 9:25 a.m., the board will present the annual Employee Service Awards.
In an untimed item, the board will consider continuing the proclamation of emergency declaration for drought conditions and the proclamation of emergency declaration for 2014 Statewide December Winter Storms, and adopting a resolution designating applicant’s agent for California Disaster Assistance Act funding.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
7.1: Approve amendment number two to the memoranda of understanding with Lake County Employee’s Association for the calendar period July 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2016.
7.2: Approve request for extended leave of absence for District Attorney Investigator Yvonne McPherson, from Dec. 22, 2014, to April 2, 2015.
7.3: Approve indemnification agreement between Regina Legoski and county of Lake to allow emergency vehicles and certain members of the public to pass over a portion of her property known as Assessor's Parcel Nos. 03-047-05 and 03-047-07 due to an emergency situation caused by the flooding of Scotts Valley and Eickhoff Roads and authorize the chair to sign.
7.4: Approve receipt of donation of quilt trail block to Lake County Library and participation of county library in the Lake County Quilt Trail.
7.5: Waive 900-hour limit for extra help Victim Advocate I Tatsuhiro Suzuki.
7.6: Approve out-of-state travel request for Deputy Special Districts Administrator Scott Harter to attend asset management conference in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 19 to 23.
7.7: Adopt resolution authorizing the Lake County Public Services Department to submit an application to California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovering (CALRECYCLE) for all available grants.
7.8: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District, approve purchase agreement for property located at 8190 and 7600 Reclamation Road, Upper Lake (APNs 004-014-17 & 004-021-29) for the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.9: Approve request to approve purchase of network equipment through CMAS Contract 3-09-70-0163AE and authorize director to sign purchase order and related documents.
7.10: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 96-14 establishing a petty cash fund and adding a petty cash fund for the Social Services director.
7.11: Adopt resolution authorizing grant project, Lake County Comprehensive Coordinated Community Response Team Project.
7.12: Approval of permit for REACH Air to conduct aeronautical activities at Lampson Airport for FY 2014-15 and authorize chair to sign.
7.13: Approval of permit for Jones Aviation to conduct aeronautical activities at Lampson Airport for FY 2014-15 and authorize chair to sign.
7.14: Approve lease addendum to existing lease agreement between the county of Lake and Schall Investments L.P. for office space in Lakeport.
7.15: Approve Lake County Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee's conflict of interest code.
7.16: Adopt proclamation designating the week of March 15 to 21, 2015 as National Surveyors' Week in Lake County.
7.17: Adopt proclamation designating the month of March 2015 as Social Workers Appreciation Month in Lake County.
7.18: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held March 3, 2015.
TIMED ITEMS
8.2, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of (a) proclamation designating the week of March 15 to 21, 2015, as National Surveyors' Week in Lake County; and (b) proclamation designating the month of March 2015 as Social Services Appreciation Month in Lake County.
8.3, 9:15 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of proposed Paper Subdivision Management Plan.
8.4, 9:25 a.m.: Presentation of Employee Service Awards.
8.5, 9:45 a.m.: Consideration of a resolution approving an application to the state of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Vehicle Grant for the purpose of developing an OHV education program.
8.6, 9:50 a.m.: Consideration of letter to Sherry Treppa, chair of Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, expressing support for the tribe's fee-to-trust application to the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, for the following property APN 003-062-01; APN 003-062-07; and APN 003-060-09.
UNTIMED ITEMS
9.2: Consideration of letter of support for Assembly Bill 367 – Clear Lake (Dodd).
9.3: Presentation of update of code enforcement activities and consideration of any potential board direction to address staffing challenges.
9.4: Discussion/consideration of proposed revision of age limit of used modular and manufactured homes installed on private property.
9.5: Discussion/consideration of reinstating local inspection and enforcement authority over mobilehome and RV parks.
9.6: Discussion/consideration of request to direct staff to begin enforcing the county code regarding resort commercial zoning district pertaining to occupancy limits.
9.7: (a) Consideration of letter of support for AB 514, proposing to increase fines for certain violations of local codes; and (b) consideration of letter to State Assembly Member Bill Dodd to request he co-author AB 514 .
9.8: Consideration of the following appointments: Child Care Planning and Development Council Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board.
9.9: Consideration of request for nepotism waiver for an extra help Marine Patrol deputy sheriff.
9.10: Consideration of (a) continuing the proclamation of emergency declaration for drought conditions; (b) continuing the proclamation of emergency declaration for 2014 Statewide December Winter Storms; and (c) adoption of resolution designating applicant’s agent for California Disaster Assistance Act funding.
9.11: Consideration of a resolution delegating the Lake County Public Works director authority to initiate negotiations for the purchase of a portion of certain parcels (APN 008-020-05, 23, 25, & 50) as part of the Bridge Replacement Project on Ackley Road.
CLOSED SESSION
10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1): Fowler & Ford v. County of Lake.
10.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1)- Gamino, et al. v. County of Lake, et al.
10.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(1): Lakeside Heights HOA, et al. v. County of Lake.
10.5: Employee evaluations title: Animal Care and Control Director and Behavioral Health director.
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Council to discuss grant fund use for Carnegie Library, approve next steps in downtown improvement project
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss expanding the use of grant funds for upgrades to the city's Carnegie Library, and consider a contract for the next stages of the city's downtown improvement project.
The council will meet in closed session beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, regarding ongoing litigation with the county of Lake over the former sheriff's decision to limit Lakeport Police's access to a shared law enforcement records system before convening in open session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council will hold a public hearing for the purpose of adopting a proposed resolution approving the submittal of supplemental activities to the current Community Development Block Grant contract.
The city wants to use program income funds from the grant for a business loan program and a lakefront revitalization plan, as well as making the Carnegie Library compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and completing some street improvements.
In other business, the council will consider authorizing City Manager Margaret Silveira to enter into a contract with Crawford and Associates to develop and complete civil engineering design services and plans for the Downtown Lakeport Improvement Project Phase 2 civil engineering design services/specifications at a price not to exceed $164,835.
Also on Tuesday, the council is expected to authorize city staff to execute the approved form of contract with Mercer-Fraser for the USDA Water and Wastewater Improvement Project pursuant to funding from US Department of Agriculture and consider approving funding for a department secretary position assigned to the Administrative Services Department.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes from the March 3 regular meeting and March 5 special meeting; Application 2015-006 from Community Care Management Coop. for the 2015 Lake County Aids Walk on Setp. 12; Application 2015-007 from Latinos United Lake County for the Cinco de Mayo Celebration to be held in Library Park May 3; Application 2015-008 from The Center for Life Choices for the 2015 Walk for Life and 5K Run on April 25; and authorization to accept the tank site project and recording of notice of completion with the county of Lake.
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Clearlake skatepark closed temporarily; city council allocates money for repairs
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – City officials on Friday temporarily closed the Clearlake skatepark, which is in need of repairs.
At the Clearlake City Council's Thursday meeting, City Manager Joan Phillipe informed council members of the plans to close the park the following morning because of unsafe conditions and concerns about liability.
During the council's midyear budget review Thursday night, council members voted unanimously to allocate up to $10,000 to repair the park, located in Austin Park and known officially as the Andy Johnson Memorial BMX/Skatepark.
The park has been closed for repairs a number of times over the last several years. Donors – including the Redbud Health Care District – and the city have provided thousands of dollars for past repairs.
“It's busted up,” City Public Works Director Doug Herren told the council Thursday of the park's current condition.
Herren attributed the damage primarily to the BMX bikes that use the park, explaining that the park isn't designed for the bikes and that such damage is going to be an ongoing issue.
He said he would need to purchase the materials to repair the park as he didn't have them on hand.
Herren estimated that if the materials were ordered immediately he could have the repairs completed within four weeks.
The council members also agreed that they want the skatepark placed on a future agenda for further discussion.
Councilwoman Joyce Overton first raised the issue, noting that a lot of money has been spent on the park and that a discussion of its future needed to take place.
Phillipe suggested allocating funds for the repairs – and giving staff a range up to $10,000 – along with preparing for long-range planning and starting an ad hoc committee.
In response to concerns from Councilman Russ Perdock that the young people who use the park don't appear to be as engaged in taking care of it as as been the case previously, Councilman Bruno Sabatier volunteered to rally the youth to become more involved.
Sabatier moved to approve the midyear budget review with up to $10,000 included for the skate park repairs, which the council approved unanimously.
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Lake County Public Works forecasts road projects for 2015, 2016
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As part of its planning process, the Lake County Public Works Department is laying the groundwork for a number of major road projects around the county this year and next.
The county's maintained road network has 615 total miles, of which 490 miles are paved and 125 miles are unpaved.
Based on a summary of projects compiled by Public Works – a previous version of which was presented to the Board of Supervisors in February – road projects completed in 2014 had a dollar value of $1,771,000, while planned projects for 2015 and 2016 are estimated to total $5,264,000 and $6,010,000, respectively.
“These are construction dollars for projects that are going to be under construction in that year,” Lars Ewing, deputy director of Lake County Public Works, told Lake County News regarding the different dollar amounts.
He said those amounts also aren't connected to what the county is spending on phases of other projects – specifically, phases like design, environmental studies and planning.
“These are construction-specific dollars,” he emphasized.
Ewing said the difference between the number of projects and the dollar amounts between 2014 and 2015 primarily comes down to grants.
For instance, the highway bridge program is giving the county $3.7 million in 2015 – compared to $1.3 million in 2014 – due to planned bridge projects, he said.
That grant also will give the county $2.5 million in 2016, plus there will be a $338,000 Safe Routes to School sidewalk project in Clearlake Oaks that year, he said.
The bridge program is federal, Ewing said, with 88 percent coming from federal resources and 12 percent that typically has to be paid by the county.
“For these projects, the state is actually kicking in that local portion for various reasons,” Ewing said.
Another of the sources of funding for local roads is Public Works' state gas tax revenue reserves, which are used for road maintenance and reconstruction, Ewing said.
The reserves are drawn on in various amounts depending on other available funding, he explained.
In 2014, the agency used $63,000 of the reserves for projects like chip sealing. Ewing said Public Works was able to augment those funds with $263,000 in State Transportation Improvement Funds.
In 2015 and 2016, Public Works is estimating it will draw far more out of reserves – $650,000 and $959,000, respectively, he said.
He said those numbers may change as gas tax fluctuates. He said the county anticipates getting quite a bit less than it originally planned for in the next fiscal year.
Ewing said the gas tax revenues are declining due to a combination of gas prices dropping and more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Public Works completed six major road projects in 2014: Butts Canyon Road chip seal and Hilderbrand Drive bridge over St. Helena Creek in Middletown; work on Emerson Drive, Fox Drive, Regina Way and Venturi Drive in the Cobb area; the Soda Bay Road slide repair; and culvert work on Victoria Street in Lucerne.
Looking forward to 2015, Public Works has 13 projects on the drawing board, according to the summary.
Those projects are a slide repair on Bartlett Springs Road above Lucerne; bridges on Ackley, Hendricks, Highland Springs, Scotts Valley, Seigler Canyon and Soda Bay roads; the Konocti Road sidewalks project in Kelseyville; Socrates Mine Road repairs; chip seal, signage and striping on Soda Bay Road; chip seal on a portion of Morgan Valley Road and Main Street in Lower Lake; and signage and striping on Butts Canyon Road near Middletown.
Ewing said those projects are expected to be constructed, although they are not firm and could change.
So far, among the 2015 projects, the Cole Creek Bridge on Soda Bay Road and the signage and striping on Soda Bay and Butts Canyon roads have gone out to bid and been awarded to contractors by Public Works, Ewing said.
In the case of one project – a slide repair on Bartlett Springs Road resulting from the early December storm that hit the county – Ewing noted, “It’s under the 2015 plan but that’s work that was already done.”
On Konocti Road in Kelseyville, a state Safe Routes to School project will build sidewalks at a cost of $345,000 to help children safely travel to the nearby elementary school. Ewing said Public Works is pursuing a transportation grant to fund repairs or reconstruction of an existing portion of sidewalk in the area.
As for 2016 plans, the projects list is more of a forecast, Ewing said.
Those projects include bridges on Bridge Arbor, Harbin Springs and Matthews roads; work on Bottle Rock Road between Kelseyville and Cobb; repairs on Lakeshore Boulevard and Rainbow Road in Lakeport; and the federal Safe Routes to School sidewalk project in Clearlake Oaks.
Editor's note: The projects listed here are separate from road and repair projects expected to be funded thanks to a state grant resulting from the December storm damage. Those repair projects will be explained in an upcoming article.
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