How to resolve AdBlock issue? Lakeport City Council gives conceptual support to Westside Community Park equestrian facility proposal
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday gave its unanimous approval to the concept of including an equestrian facility in the third phase of the Westside Community Park's development.
The council's conceptual support will allow studies on the project, including financial and market feasibility, to move forward.
City Public Works Director Mark Brannigan said an equestrian facility has been in the plans for some time, and the Westside Community Park Committee – the group that is handling the park's phased development – liked the idea when it was presented to them.
Local horsewoman Virginia Vovchuk, also a Westside Community Park Committee member, gave to the council what she said was a “very preliminary” presentation.
She listed a number of the horse groups in the area that could use and support the facility, which she said wouldn't compete with private facilities and may, in fact, augment and support them.
She said there are 700,000 horses in California, which has the second largest horse population in the US after Texas. There also are more than 311,000 people in the state who participate in horse events annually, with California hosting more than 170 regional and national horse shows each year.
Vovchuk said that in neighboring Sonoma County, the equine industry contributes nearly as much to the economy as its famed wine industry.
The 4.5-acre spot on the southwest corner of the Westside Community Park property is perfect for the proposed equestrian area, which Vovchuk said could help bring revenue to the community. There currently are no public arenas or horse camping areas within 20 miles of Lakeport, she said.
The facility would be designed to accommodate a wide variety of disciplines, from English and Western to driving, dressage, roping and reining, and gymkhana, she said.
The initial concept calls for an arena measuring 140 feet by 330 feet with covered seating for up to 75 people on the west side. Vovchuk said there is interest in covering the arena, which could be handled in a future phase.
The facility as it’s currently envisioned also would include a round pen and a trail obstacle course; four to six small pipe corrals; parking for up to 25 trucks and trailers; up to eight horse camping sites with picnic tables, post tie lines and barbecue pits; a trail head to Cow Mountain, including a staging area with hitching posts and benches; a storage shed for arena supplies; and a water service area with an outdoor sink, counter and portable restroom, Vovchuk said in her presentation.
Vovchuk suggested there is the potential for both corporate grants as well as funding through local horse groups, although she said she had not vetted the latter idea.
In addition, overnight camping fees and facility leases could help fund the facility, said Vovchuk, who added that one of the next steps would be to do a financial analysis.
Future steps would include site planning, studying financial feasibility, taking community input, conducting an environmental review and putting out a request for proposals, she said.
“I think you guys are on it,” and asking the right questions, said Mayor Pro Tem Martin Scheel.
“There's no question about it, this is a great idea,” said Mayor Kenny Parlet, but Parlet said he wanted the proposal thoroughly vetted.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina said she doesn't know much about horses, but felt the facility could be great for Lakeport. As a Realtor, she said she deals with many people who want to come to Lake County and purchase properties that allow them to enjoy their horses.
Councilman Marc Spillman said the proposed facility also could be a backup to what is available at the fairgrounds. He said he supported the idea, and thanked Vovchuk for her service on the Westside Park Committee.
Spillman, who also sits on the committee, credited Vovchuk with infusing the group with a new enthusiasm for taking on the design of the park's third phase.
Councilman Tom Engstrom asked about access to the area where the equestrian facility would be located. Brannigan said it can be accessed from Martin Street or by driving through the park.
Engstrom was concerned about dust, and Brannigan said that would need to be dealt with in the development process.
Suzanne Lyons, a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission – which sent the council a minute order in support of the proposal – said the city’s needs to offer more types of recreation for people, and noted that horse people have money and spend it.
“I think that this is an exciting idea and you're not out anything to go ahead and look at it,” said Lyons, adding that they have been looking for a way for local parks to support themselves.
Members of the horse community – who accounted for more than half of the audience – also spoke in support of the proposal, noting that it would be well used and a community benefit, and could help bring back some events that no longer occur in the county.
“You build it, they will come, I promise you,” said Laurie Fullerton.
Carol Maxwell said she had moved to Lake County from Kentucky after searching for three years for just the right place.
“One of the main reasons we came here is you can ride your horse here,” Maxwell said, adding that what is proposed for Westside Community Park would be a fabulous facility and a huge draw.
Spillman moved to support the facility's potential development, with Engstrom offering the second and the council voting 5-0.
The horse enthusiasts in the audience gave the council a round of applause following the vote.
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Council awards restriping project bid; discusses election actions, supports call for summit to discuss illegal marijuana grow impacts
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council met for a regular meeting last Thursday, Aug. 14, at City Hall, taking up three items of business.
The council awarded a bid for a road restriping project, heard what its members can and cannot do in regards to election campaigns, and authorized its support of a marijuana-related resolution as requested by the League of California Cities.
City Engineer Bob Galusha said two bids were received for a citywide restriping and bike lane conversion project on Lakeshore and Olympic drives.
The bid was awarded to Chrisp Co. of Fremont in the amount of $307,335.
Galusha said the city has budgeted $321,200 to cover the construction and construction inspection of the project.
He said $289,000 is funded through a federal Highway Safety Improvement Program grant; $11,584 from a Lake County Area Planning Council bicycle and pedestrian grant; and the remaining $20,616 comes from the city's gas tax fund.
“This project includes the citywide restriping of some of our arterial and collector streets using thermo-plastic paint and reflective pavement markers,” Galusha said. “In addition, Lakeshore Drive from Old Highway 53 to Olympic Drive and Olympic Drive to Old Highway 53 will be restriped to provide for class II bike lanes on each side of those streets.”
Galusha said existing crosswalks on both Olympic Drive and Lakeshore Drive will be replaced with high visibility thermo-plastic, ladder-type, crosswalks.
Striping also will be applied in the area of Davis Avenue and Moss Street, Galusha said. That area was a recent topic of discussion brought to the council by an area homeowner concerned about safety.
Galusha received commendations from both the council as well as from members of the public for his consistency in securing funding for road improvement projects.
“A lot of these projects wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Bob (Galusha),” District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith, who introduced himself as a “proud citizen of Clearlake,” said. “Thank you very much for everything you're doing for the city.”
In other business on Thursday, City Attorney Ryan Jones gave a presentation describing allowable activities for council members and city staff with regard to support for candidates for city office and Measure R – the city's half-cent sales tax initiative for citywide improvements that is to go to public vote in November.
Jones said council members are prohibited from advocating, for or against, while serving duties in their capacities as members of the city council.
They may, however, engage in such activities during their personal time.
Jones said “on-duty” time is any time in which the council members are attending to obligations of their elected position, including but not limited to presence at city hall for the purpose of city business.
While council members are prohibited from engaging in endorsements in representation of the city and/or the city council, Jones said they are allowed use of their title in providing personal endorsements.
City staff is prohibited from engaging in advocacy and endorsements in the same manner. Staff, however, may provide factual information to the public during work hours, he said.
Jones said public funds can only be used to provide the public with informational materials that are based on fact, not position.
Also on Thursday, the council authorized support of a resolution regarding illegal marijuana grows introduced to the League of California Cities by the Redwood Empire Division, of which the city is a member.
Specifically, City Manager Joan Phillipe said the resolution was originally introduced by the Fort Bragg City Council after Councilman Jere Melo was shot and killed in August 2011 while out on private timberland investigating a report of an illegal marijuana grow.
The resolution calls for action from the “governor and legislature to convene a summit to address the devastating environmental impacts of illegal marijuana grows on both private and public lands throughout California and the increasing problems to public safety related to these activities by working in partnership with the League of California Cities to develop responsive solutions and to secure adequate funding for cost-effective implementation strategies.”
Highlights of the resolution call attention to the following:
- Growing public concerns about damage to fish and wildlife habitat and degradation to the environment.
- Substantial public investment in support of the Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act and Endangered Species Act with efforts through those acts jeopardized by illegal grows.
- Illegal water diversion for cultivation of marijuana poses direct threat to endangered and threatened fish species.
- Unregulated use of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, soil amendments causing contamination to land and waters.
“This is definitely something we need to do to stop the devastation of our forests,” Councilwoman Joyce Overton said. “It's a starting point to get the state's attention.”
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Supervisors to discuss Measure N enforcement
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will consider giving updated direction to county staff regarding the enforcement of Measure N, the county ordinance approved by voters in June that established medical marijuana cultivation rules.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. TV8 will broadcast the meeting live, with the archived video to be available online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm .
The discussion, set for 9:35 a.m., comes in the wake of reports of sheriff's personnel making sweeps through a number of communities – in particular, Spring Valley – to eradicate marijuana grows of all sizes.
Board Chair Denise Rushing has placed the Measure N discussion on Tuesday's agenda.
“I have received a number of calls from residents of Spring Valley this week regarding the enforcement of the current marijuana cultivation ordinance (Measure N),” she said in her Aug. 14 memo to fellow board members and staff.
Last December, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Ordinance No. 2997, which after a successful referendum earlier this year became Measure N on the June ballot.
Voters passed the measure, 51.6 to 48.4 percent, on June 3.
The Board of Supervisors certified the final election results on July 1. Measure N became law on July 11; according to state election law, such measures go into effect 10 days after the certification of the final election results, as Lake County News has reported.
Among Measure N's main provisions is a ban on outdoor cultivation in community growth boundaries and on vacant parcels, a limit of six mature or 12 immature plants on parcels larger than one acre outside of community growth boundaries, a limit of 100 square feet or less for indoor grows, and a requirement that cultivation not take place within 1,000 feet from schools, parks or other facilities serving children, and 100 feet from water bodies.
The measure also has a quicker abatement process by making the Lake County Sheriff's Office responsible for enforcement.
Rushing said she was placing the Measure N discussion on the board agenda so the supervisors “can clarify its intent and receive an update from departments involved in these code enforcement activities.”
She is asking for a report from Community Development and other county departments involved in ensuring compliance with Measure N, including the status and processes for current marijuana cultivation ordinance enforcement, “particularly around summary abatement processes and procedures.”
Community Development Director Rick Coel confirmed to Lake County News that the sheriff's office is enforcing Measure N, and that his staff only gets involved in cases where there are health and safety violations or unpermitted grading.
In particular, Coel said Community Development Building Division staff were called out to inspect and red tag “some egregious violations such as dangerous electrical wiring, unpermitted shacks with growers occupying them, and some homes that have been trashed to the extent that they are unsafe to occupy.”
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has not responded to a California Public Records Act request submitted by Lake County News for details about how many eradications have taken place and how many plants have been seized as part of the agency’s Measure N enforcements.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
7.1: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2013-95 to amend the budget for fy 2013-14 by making various adjustments to Budget Unit 2101- Trial Courts.
7.2: Adopt proclamation designating the month of August as Child Support Awareness Month.
7.3: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and San Sousee for adult residential support for FY 2014-15, in the amount of $100,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.4: Approve contract between the county of Lake and Lake Family Resource Center for Cal-Learn Teen Parenting Services for FY 2014-15, in the amount to be determined by State formula, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.5: Approve advance step hiring at fifth step for Public Health Nurse II Trainee due to exceptional qualifications.
7.6: Sitting as the Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District – approve amendment three to the funding agreement between the California Department of Water Resources and the Lake County Watershed Protection District, under the Flood Protection Corridor Program, SAP Contract No. 4600003318, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
8.2, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of August as Child Support Awareness Month.
8.3, 9:15 a.m.: Continued from Aug. 5, review of Harbor House Coffee kiosk water supply compliance and consideration of board action and response.
8.4, 9:25 a.m.: Continued from Aug. 12, consideration of letter of opposition for SB1139 (Hueso) - California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program.
8.5, 9:35 a.m.: Consideration of direction to county staff regarding enforcement of marijuana cultivation ordinance (Measure N).
CLOSED SESSION
10.1: Conference with Labor Negotiator: (a) county negotiators: A. Grant, S. Harry, M. Perry, A. Flora and C. Shaver; and (b) employee organizations, Deputy District Attorney's Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officers Association and Lake County Safety Employees Association.
10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(1): Lakeside Heights HOA, et al. v. County of Lake.
10.3: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interviews and appointment of interim Behavioral Health director.
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Lakeport City Council to consider proposal for equestrian center at Westside Community Park
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week is due to consider a proposal to develop an equestrian center at Westside Community Park.
The council will meet for a closed session at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, to discuss two potential cases of litigation and labor negotiations before convening in open session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
During public presentations, the council will meet the new Lakeport Police records supervisor and a new Finance Department intern, and get an update from the Seaplane Splash-In Committee regarding this year's event.
Public Works Director Mark Brannigan will take to the council the proposed development of a portion of Westside Community Park's Phase III into an equestrian center.
Brannigan is asking for the council to determine if it supports the proposal; if it does, there are plans to move forward with a market assessment and financial feasibility study.
His report to the council explains that the Lake County Horse Council took the proposal to the Westside Park Committee last fall. Horse council and committee members have since taken the idea to city staff and on June 5 presented it to the city's Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously passed a motion to send a minute order recommending that Lakeport City Council “consider the concept and direct staff to work with the Westside Community Park on the concept and feasibility of the Equestrian Center as part of the Phase III Westside Community Park,” Brannigan reported.
He said in his report that the city's plan for Phase III of the Westside Community Park provides for an equestrian center.
“There is a lot of work and cost ahead in the planning, design, engineering, construction, and operation and maintenance of the facility. Staff is not sure at this time if the market assessment and financial feasibility will allow for this project to move forward; but if the City Council is still interested in having an equestrian center as part of Phase III, this is an opportunity to potentially make it happen,” Brannigan wrote. “If the City Council does not believe that an Equestrian Center is appropriate for Phase III, staff requests that the plan be re-evaluated and brought back to Council for consideration.”
In other business, City Manager Margaret Silveira will take to the council an annual update from the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC, and seek direction for staff regarding the proposed business route designation for Highway 29.
The council will consider a concession agreement with Mendo-Lake SUP for a stand-up paddleboard rental during Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 29 through Sept. 1.
There also will be public hearings for the adoption of proposed changes to the 2009 Housing Element and to adopt the housing element update of the general plan.
Other items on the Tuesday agenda include a proposed resolution changing the city's bank signatories to the city manager, administrative services director, city clerk, and two council members and remove prior staff members as authorized signatories for any and all city-related accounts; a first reading of a proposed purchasing ordinance; and a proposed resolution to extend the terms of the planning commissioner terms to Dec. 31 of the year in which they are due to expire.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; July 14 and Aug. 6 warrant registers; minutes of the council's regular July 15 and special July 16 and Aug. 5 meetings; approval of Application No. 2014-017, with staff comments, for the Lake County Fair annual opening day parade to be held Thursday, Aug. 28, from 5 to 6 p.m.; consideration of the League of California Cities resolution packet and determine the city’s position on the resolution in order to provide direction to the city’s voting delegate to represent the city’s position at the annual League of California Cities business meeting at its annual business conference to be held Sept. 3-5, 2014; and authorization for Silveira to sign a purchase order in the amount not to exceed $12,416.46 for a John Deere HPX Diesel Utility Vehicle.
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Final fall city council races set
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The filing periods have closed for the city council races for Clearlake and Lakeport, with the makeup of the fall election fields now set.
The councils have two seats each up for election in the fall municipal elections.
The filing periods were extended from last Friday to the end of business on Wednesday due to the nonfiling of two candidates: Jeri Spittler in Clearlake, who is in a runoff with incumbent Jeff Smith for the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors, and Lakeport Councilman Tom Engstrom, who announced that he was not seeking a second term.
In Clearlake, a large field of seven has formed for the seats currently held by Spittler and Councilman Joey Luiz.
Luiz has signed up to run for a second term, according to City Clerk Melissa Swanson.
Also running for a council seat in Clearlake are Quincy Jackson, Russell Perdock, Michael Pesonen, Bruno Sabatier, Michael Walton and Andre Williams, Swanson reported.
In Lakeport, a smaller field has formed to fill the two seats up for election in November.
Lakeport City Clerk Janel Chapman told Lake County News that Robert Balentine, incumbent Stacey Mattina and Mireya Gehring Turner have all qualified to appear on the ballot.
The election is Nov. 4.
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