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County road crew works on Hill Road cleanup
NORTH LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lake County Public Works road crew spent Friday clearing tons of damp soil that covered a portion of Hill Road East near the Lakeside Heights subdivision.
The subdivision has been plagued for the last two years by a landslide that has destroyed several homes.
The road below has been closed since Dec. 2 because of concerns over the potential for the landslide to impact the road, as Lake County News has reported.
Those concerns proved well-founded after the early December storm that brought heavy rain and wind to the county.
At that point, the slide topped concrete K-rails and began slopping over onto the road. By January it was in the middle of the road, and the storm the first weekend of this month saturated the soil again, resulting in the earth covering Hill Road.
Not only was it covering the roadway but it also was threatening to push into a small creek on the other side of the road, according to county Road Superintendent Lyle Swartz, who was on the scene supervising the work.
By about 1 p.m. Friday, the crew had removed 40 10-yard dump truck loads of soil and were depositing the loads at another location the county uses for such materials, Swartz said.
“It's just goo,” Swartz said of the soil being taken from the site.
The saturated dirt also was filled with what appeared to be pieces of pipe and other debris, including the remains of torn up tarps and plastic that had been put down in the fall of 2013 to try to keep the slide dry during the rainy season.
Swartz estimated the sagging hillside is composed of about 25,000 yards of soil.
“That's a lot of dirt,” he said, surveying the area.
In his 30 years of working in the area, he's never seen problems like these for that stretch of road. In the past, there has been large amounts of water running off the hill, but not mud, Swartz said.
Getting the one lane of Hill Road East cleared would protect the creek and guard against the potential for backing up water and silt into nearby properties should another big storm hit, although Swartz said none have been forecast.
The crews also are going to have to dig out several sections of K-rail that have been buried by the slide, he said.
The immediate goal, he said, isn't to make the road passable for the public.
“It's not going to open any time soon,” said Swartz.
In December, Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon told the Board of Supervisors he was pursuing a state grant to cover 75-percent of the estimated $225,000 cost to install a gabion wall along that portion of Hill Road East.
Gabion walls are made up of a series of baskets filled with stones that allow water to pass through them, De Leon explained.
De Leon told Lake County News on Friday that the grant process is still ongoing.
“We have not heard anything on the grant other than it’s being considered,” he said.
Swartz anticipated the crew would return on Monday to continue clearing the road.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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Ely Stage Stop plans living history series
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A new opportunity to enjoy Lake County history will be introduced to the public on Saturday, Feb. 28, when the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum presents the first in a series of living history events from noon to 2 p.m.
Local historians will come on site to share stories from the past.
The event will repeat on the fourth Saturday of every month.
Ruby Glebe, one of Lake County’s newest centenarians, will kick off the series.
Glebe is well known and respected for her work in preserving and promoting Lake County’s historical resources and for her contributions to the Kelseyville community.
Fifteen years ago the County Board of Supervisors appointed Glebe to the position of Lake County historian.
She is only the third person to hold this distinction, preceded by Henry Mauldin and Marion Goebel.
Glebe will be available to the public in the Ely main house starting at noon to visit and answer questions.
At 1 p.m. she will present a brief program relating to the 1914 arrival of electricity in Kelseyville from a power plant built on Kelsey Creek.
She will remain available until 2 p.m. for more questions and insights.
Home to the Lake County Historical Society, the stage stop is located at 9921 State Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clearlake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner.
Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.
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Calpine upgrading equipment to address power plant noise; study pinpoints ongoing noise source
ANDERSON SPRINGS, Calif. – Calpine Corp. is in the middle of a $400,000 upgrade to one of its power plants which was determined to be the source of a noise disturbance for some neighbors.
In particular, residents in the area of Anderson Springs – located between Middletown and Cobb – have reported ongoing issues with the noise.
Findings in a recent noise survey pinpointed the noise to cooling fans in a southwesterly power plant.
The fans are currently being replaced, according to Bruce Carlsen, director of environmental services for Calpine.
“Overall results of the noise survey determined the dominant sound was coming from the cooling fans in Unit 16,” Carlsen said.
Carlsen said the fans operate at different times and on two different speeds.
One particular fan, he said, while operating on high speed, was found to be excessively noisy.
Carlsen said the fan blades on the particular unit were changed and while the noise level decreased, the results did not translate to the community.
Additional mitigation efforts, he said, include changing the gear boxes on the fans with a recommendation to reduce the oscillation speeds.
“These are huge pieces of equipment so it's not a small recommendation. There are 11 fans and we've changed the gear boxes on one through seven. The sound is less frequent but the loudness is the same,” Carlsen said. “It takes a sustained effort to get those gear boxes changed.”
According to Carlsen, determining the source of the disturbance also required a sustained effort, beginning with an initial noise survey in February 2011.
The initial survey was conducted in response to a complaint from a resident of the Anderson Springs area, Carlsen said.
Efforts were directed toward identifying the noise the resident was describing including the hiring of a noise consultant, he said.
Carlsen said changing atmospheric conditions, in addition to when the fans activated, made it difficult to pinpoint the source of the resident's concern.
He said results of the first survey were not accepted and a second was initiated.
Monitoring sites were established at power plants in areas north and south of the community. Carlsen said the power plant in the north was identified as the source of disturbance.
“We didn't hear any power plant noises at the south site, which confirmed the findings of the 2011 survey,” he said.
Calpine works cooperatively with the Anderson Springs Geothermal Committee, as appointed by the Lake County Board of Supervisors, to address geothermal impacts to the community. It is an ongoing effort conducted through Calpine's Community Investment Fund.
Carlsen said in the initial survey all power plants were included in the report.
“Unit 16 had the most impact so the second study focused on that unit. The level of sounds measured at the power plant in the Anderson Springs area were in compliance with the county's general plan,” he said.
“However, it seemed to be the No. 1 issue in the community and purpose of the community fund is to work with the community,” Carlsen added. “We are working to reduce those sounds because that is what the community wants.”
Joan Clay, representing the Anderson Springs Geothermal Committee, said while a person's location is relevant, some noise does persist.
“Some people want the area to be the way it used to be,” she said. “Calpine has done many things to improve conditions but the noise is not completely gone.”
Carlsen said Calpine plans a $400,000 expense to upgrade the fan systems in Unit 16.
He said the noise survey, at $138,000, was funded through use of the county's geothermal royalty funds.
Northern California Power Agency, which operates two power plants in the geothermal zone, also participated in the survey, he said.
Danielle Matthews Seperas, Calpine manager of government affairs, said visitor tours of the system provides people with a better understanding of how it works and the impacts that may affect the community.
Regular tour dates are posted on the Calpine Web site, www.geyser.com .
Additionally, those interested can reserve a spot for a tour during Calpine's annual Earth Day celebration, to be held May 2 at the Calpine Visitor and Information Center in Middletown.
For more information or to make a reservation call the center during regular business hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, toll-free at 1-866-439-7377.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
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Lakeport City Council approves midyear budget update; revenues show slight uptick
LAKEPORT, Calif. – During its midyear budget review on Tuesday, the Lakeport City Council got some good news both about revenues and expenses.
City Finance Director Dan Buffalo presented the thorough update to the council, noting that there were not a lot of surprises.
There is, however, a brightening economic picture, according to Buffalo's review of the city's fiscal status.
He said the general fund is balanced and in stable condition, with major revenues up by 7.6 percent.
Buffalo said sales tax is up 17.9 percent and Measure I, the city's half-cent sales tax measure, is up 19 percent over last year. At the same time, department expenditures are on pace with expectations
The increases, he said, appear to be primarily due to timing differences from late payment collection and other true-ups from the State Board of Equalization, making the actual revenue improvement closer to between 5 and 7 percent.
He said water and sewer revenues have increased by the anticipated levels due to rate adjustments, redevelopment dissolution is ongoing and some surpluses are being used for big projects, like the Library Park dock replacement.
After several years of economic recovery from the recession, Buffalo said he anticipates that in 2016 sales tax will equate – dollar for dollar – to 2006 levels.
“It's taken quite a while to get back to that point,” he said, noting that while city revenue has been recovering, expenses and costs haven't gone down.
Year-to-date, department expenditures are at 35 percent of what is budgeted, at $5.8 million of the $16.6 million total, which he said is a result of some funds being tied to as-yet completed projects.
Regarding the water enterprise fund, Councilman Kenny Parlet asked about the savings for the new meter reading system.
“I would consider it very significant,” said Buffalo.
Before the new water meters were installed, it took two staffers a total of 100 hours per month to read the meters. Now, it takes a total of four hours. “It's hardly inconsequential,” said Buffalo.
The redevelopment successor agency's budget includes $290,000 in general administration and debt service, with the latter category taking most of the funds. Buffalo said most of the “serious heavy lifting” in the dissolution process is now over.
Solid waste billings also are showing slight increases, Buffalo said.
“In a nutshell, everything's looking A-OK still,” he said.
Buffalo said that, so far this budget year, the council has made four budget adjustments: $63,911 to fill a police detective position; $154,215 for a water tank project; $45,658 for establishment of a project budget for solar feasibility; and $34,500 for chip seal preparation for Parallel Drive.
As part of the midyear budget review and update, Buffalo said staff was asking the council for an additional adjustment of $64,500 across all city funds.
That $64,500 is the total number following a number of budget changes, including a decrease in salaries and benefits totaling $178,624, and a $27,000 cost savings from retiree health plan modifications; a $186,640 appropriations increase for operations; a $1 million property acquisition for a new city police station, which is to be covered by an anticipated $1 million US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Public Facilities loan; a $10,053 increase in state-mandated cost reimbursement; and in the “other” category, $2,000 in unspecified revenue and $95,537 in appropriations.
Buffalo said the budget preparation process for the 2015-16 year already has started – ahead of the usual March timeframe – as he's responding to department requests to go over details.
Internal staff budget meetings will begin in early April, with the building of the budget document to begin mid-April, he said.
The first budget workshop with the council and public is tentatively set for June 2, with the second budget hearing expected to take place June 9, he said.
Buffalo's timeline included a June 16 date for the council to host a public hearing, at which time the final or tentative budget would be accepted.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to approve the budget amendments as proposed by staff, with Councilman Marc Spillman giving the second.
The council voted 4-0 to accept the amendments, with Mayor Martin Scheel absent from the meeting.
In other business on Tuesday, the council approved abandoning a narrow strip of right-of-way on Martin Street in order to allow the Soper Reese Theater to move forward on renovations and the 2014 addendum to the Lakeport General Plan.
The council also authorized a staff request to seek additional funds and grants from the US Department of Agriculture to complete water and wastewater projects, and approved an excavator purchase.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Mid-Year Review and Adjustments, 2015
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