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Vector control, tribal health projects and general plan on Lakeport Planning Commission agenda
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In its first meeting of 2015, the Lakeport Planning Commission is scheduled to look at projects proposed by the Lake County Vector Control District and Lake County Tribal Health, and consider city general plan updates.
The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On the commission agenda is an application for an architectural and design review proposed by Lake County Tribal Health Consortium for a 1,500-square-foot, single-story addition to house a kitchen and break room at its existing 31,000-square-foot outpatient medical clinic at 925 Bevins Court.
The addition will have movable partitions to allow for the space to be used in a variety of ways, with a new concrete patio and shade canopy also to be located to the west of the new addition, according to the planning staff report.
Planning staff is recommending the commission approve the project based on a set of standard conditions that include maintaining the building in good condition and adhering to construction standards.
In other business on Wednesday, the commission will hold a public hearing to consider recommendations to the Lakeport City Council regarding the Lakeport General Plan environmental impact report addendum and other amendments.
According to a report to the commission from Special Projects Coordinator Richard Knoll, “The 2014 General Plan EIR Addendum addresses proposed changes and amendments to the Lakeport General Plan as recommended by the Lakeport Planning Commission to the Lakeport City Council on June 17, 2014.”
He said it would reduce the Lakeport sphere of influence, modify general plan policies and actions to address conservation, infrastructure, utilities, and growth, and would modify the Lakeport General Plan land use map and city of Lakeport pre-zoning in the southern portion of the Lakeport General Plan area and sphere of influence.
Also on Wednesday, the commission will continue its discussion and consideration of the zone change, general plan amendment and environmental review for Lake County Vector Control's properties located at 408 and 410 Esplanade St. and 35 C St.
The commission previously had discussed the vector control matters at its Nov. 12 meeting, during which it also held a public hearing.
New Community Development Director Kevin Ingram's report to the commission for Wednesday's meeting explains that during the course of the Nov. 12 hearing, community members raised a number of concerns related to parking, lake access, hazardous materials storage and the “piecemealing” of the environmental review process related to potential future development.
At that point, the commission voted to continue the hearing to this month, with staff working in the meantime to address the public's concerns, according to Ingram's report.
He said planning staff believes all of the questions and concerns have been satisfactorily addressed.
“Information obtained from correspondence from Vector Control does not result in any new environmental impacts that were not previously analyzed as part of the prepared initial study/environmental review prepared for the November 12, 2014 public hearing,” he wrote.
As a result, “Planning staff is not recommending any additional changes to the previously presented findings and conditions,” Ingram said.
He said staff recommends the approval of the proposed general plan amendment and the proposed zone change as described in the Nov. 12 staff report and subject to a number of mitigation measures set forth in the updated staff report.
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LEDAC to elect new leaders, consider goals and library study
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will elect its leadership for 2015 and consider updating its goals when it holds its first meeting of the year this week.
LEDAC will meet from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The first business on the Wednesday agenda is election for the chair, vice chair and secretary positions.
Members will then get an update on regional economic development activities, including a new Web site, business survey, 2015 summit seminars and a strategic planning retreat.
In other business, LEDAC will discuss the presentation of the Carnegie Library Reuse Feasibility Study to the Lakeport City Council, which is scheduled to take place at the council's Jan. 20 meeting.
There also will be committee reports and updates on business outreach efforts, information on Hospice Services of Lake County's 35th anniversary celebration, city staff and LEDAC visits to Lakeport businesses, a spring events schedule and upcoming projects.
Before adjourning, LEDAC's members also will consider the committee's goals for 2015.
LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
Members do not have to be Lakeport residents.
Wilda Shock chairs LEDAC, the membership of which also includes Bill Eaton, Melissa Fulton, Rick Hamilton, Pam Harpster, Christine Hutt, Chris King, George Linn, Paula Pepper-Duggan, Rebecca Southwick and Taira St. John.
City Community Development Director Kevin Ingram and City Manager Margaret Silveira serve as ex-officio committee members.
LEDAC's next regularly scheduled meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 11, also at Lakeport City Hall.
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Supervisors reappoint planning commissioners; recruitment still under way for District 3 seat
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Last Tuesday, as part of its first meeting of the year, the Board of Supervisors established its leadership for the coming year, and made a number of committee and commission appointments, including determining the members of the Lake County Planning Commission.
The board elected Anthony Farrington the chair for 2015, with Rob Brown elected vice chair.
In the case of the Lake County Planning Commission – a general advisory body to the board on land use issues – that body also has five seats, one for each supervisorial district.
As such, each supervisor appoints their representative on the commission for a term of two years.
Four of the five members will be returning for another term.
District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock reappointed Joe Sullivan, District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith reappointed Bob Malley, District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington reappointed Don Deuchar and District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown reappointed Gil Schoux.
When the turn came for new District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele to make his appointment, he made a motion to have his wife, Olga Martin Steele – who was outgoing District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing’s planning commissioner – put on the commission in an interim capacity.
He said he was interviewing some commission candidates and would back in “at least a month” with a permanent nominee, noting, “I haven’t had time to advertise this fully.”
His fellow board members were unanimous in opposing Steele’s proposal, voicing their concerns that the interim appointment would create not just a perception of a conflict of interest, but lead to an actual conflict situation.
Brown said perception of conflict is an issue every supervisor has to deal with, but in this case he felt the issue went beyond perception to a “clear conflict.”
He suggested that the position be kept vacant for the short-term. Brown said there is precedent, as in past cases when a commissioner has died and the seat is left open while a replacement is chosen.
Comstock agreed that keeping the District 3 commission seat vacant temporarily would be better than having a conflict.
“The relationship that each of us supervisors have with our planning commissioner is different,” Brown added. “It depends on the board member. But in the 14 years that I’ve been on the board, I have never once had a discussion with my planning commissioner, because it has to be independent of the board,” and keeping that distance would be difficult with a spouse.
“I can take advice from the board members, and I certainly accept their view on this and so I’ll withdraw that recommendation,” Steele said. “It will have to remain vacant for a month.”
Replied Comstock, “It doesn’t even have to be a month,” but can be sooner, based on when Steele has a final candidate.
Steele said people were reporting to him that they hadn’t heard about the opening, which he said he had publicized in the newspaper.
Farrington told Steele that keeping the position vacant for now was “a good decision.”
Like Brown, he noted that each of the supervisors has a different relationship with their planning commissioners.
“I haven’t even seen my planning commissioner in a year,” said Farrington. “There’s an insulation there that I think is a value and to the public trust, and so I think it’s hard to overcome that when it’s your wife. And so I know you’re just trying to fill the gap until you select somebody, and that’s noble, but I do believe it creates a perception problem, not just for yourself, but for the entire county.”
Steele said his wife likely would be relieved at not having to fulfill the commitment.
Anyone interested in applying for the District 3 planning commission position can contact the Board of Supervisors’ office at 707-263-2368 or download the advisory board application at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors.htm .
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Supervisors to hear 'Way to Wellville' presentation, meet new CHP commander
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will discuss the county's participation in a nationwide wellness effort, meet the new California Highway Patrol commander for the Clear Lake Area office and host a swear-in for sheriff's office personnel.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 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 .
At 9:15 a.m., Susan Jen will make a presentation to the board on “Our Way to Wellville – Lake County.”
Jen was part of the effort that last year earned Lake County a spot among five communities nationwide that will work with the nonprofit Health Initiative Coordinating Council over the next five years to produce visible improvements in five measures of health and economic vitality.
Also on Tuesday, at 9:10 a.m. the board will meet new Lt. Hector Paredes, who took over as the commander of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office in September.
In other business, the board will host a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. for new Sheriff Brian Martin to swear-in newly hired and existing staff members.
At 9:35 a.m. the board will hold a second reading on an amendment to Ordinance No. 2991, which will allow a pass-through fee on Mediacom subscribers to support the county's cable access channel, Channel 8, despite the county having not yet received an opinion from the California Attorney General's Office about whether the pass-through is a tax subject to Proposition 26.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
7.1: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held Dec. 16, 2014, and Jan. 6, 2015.
7.2: Approve amendment No. 1 to the memorandum of understanding with the Lake County Safety Employees’ Association, Unit 10, from July 1, 2013, through Dec. 31, 2015.
7.3: Approve Resolution No. 2014/2015.04 of Upper Lake Union Elementary School District amending its conflict of interest code.
7.4: Ratify the actions of the District Attorney's Office to purchase the vehicle from Kathy Fowler and authorize the district attorney to issue payment to Kathy Fowler Chevrolet in the amount of $37,142.63.
7.5: Adopt resolution Amending Resolution 2014-129, appointing directors of certain special district boards in lieu of holding a general district election on Nov. 4, 2014.
7.6: Authorize district attorney to sign final proof of loss statement relative to damaged 2007 Ford F-150 pickup.
7.7: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Bender Rosenthal Inc. to provide right of way services for four bridge replacement projects (Anderson Creek Bridge on Foard Road (14C-0076), Manning Creek Bridge on Mathews Road (14C-0082), Manning Creek Bridge on Ackley Road (14C-0083) and Highland Creek Bridge on Highland Springs Road (14C-0085)) and two bridge rehabilitation projects (Robinson Creek Bridge on Mockingbird Lane (14C-0086) and Harbin Creek Bridge on Harbin Springs Road (14C-0111)) in Lake County in the amount of $137,500, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
8.1, 9:05 a.m.: Public input.
8.2, 9:10 a.m.: Introduction of new California Highway Patrol Lt. Hector Paredes.
8.3, 9:15 a.m.: “Our Way to Wellville – Lake County” presentation by Susan Jen.
8.4, 9:30 a.m.: Swearing in ceremony for Lake County Sheriff's Office employees.
8.5, 9:35 a.m.: (Carried over from Jan. 13, 2015), second reading, consideration of amendment to Lake County Ordinance No. 2991, An Ordinance Adding Article Seven to Chapter Seven of the Lake County Code to Provide Support for Public, Educational, and Governmental Cable Television Access Facilities to either modify or remove the condition that the ordinance shall only become effective upon a determination by the attorney general that the PEG fee is not a tax subject to Proposition 26.
NONTIMED ITEMS
9.1: Supervisors' weekly calendar, travel and reports.
9.2: Consideration of options to fill vacant position in Administrative Office.
9.3: Consideration of appointments to the Law Library Board of Trustees.
CLOSED SESSION
10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1): Rivero v. Lake County Board of Supervisors, et al.
10.3: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to initiate litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(4): One potential case.
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