How to resolve AdBlock issue? City of Lakeport to host second annual National Night Out event
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport will host its second annual National Night Out event on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The festivities will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Natural High School property, located at 800 N. Main St. in Lakeport.
Special events will include a youth game area and a raffle for two bikes with helmets.
In order to eligible for the bike raffle, children will need to check in at the Lakeport Police Drug Education Booth.
This will be a great opportunity for the community to meet and greet city council members, city staff and local public safety personnel.
Other visitors will include McGruff the Crime Dog and Chipper from the California Highway Patrol.
Major sponsors for this event include Grocery Outlet, who will be providing hot dogs, buns and condiments, and Lake County News, who will be providing bottled water and event advertising.
The city of Lakeport will provide watermelon. The Lakeport Kiwanis Club will be grilling. Please note that hot dogs will be available to the first 200 people to attend the event.
In 1984, the National Association of Town Watch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of various crime prevention programs, introduced National Night Out, “America’s Night Out Against Crime.”
This began an effort to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie, and to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
The traditional “lights on” campaign and symbolic front porch vigils turned into a celebration across America with various events and activities including, but not limited to, block parties, cookouts, parades, visits from emergency personnel, rallies and marches, exhibits, youth events, safety demonstrations and seminars, in effort to heighten awareness and enhance community relations.
The city also is encouraging neighborhoods to get involved in putting on their own National Night Out event that evening by holding a block party.
City staff will be happy to assist with the necessary street closures to facilitate such an event on that night.
If your neighborhood would like to participate in a National Night Out block party, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 707-263-5615, Extension 12, to obtain an application.
Applications will be received until 5 p.m. Thursday, July 24.
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Council honors Wells, Dills on retirements; National Night Out plans approved
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday evening the Lakeport City Council presented proclamations to the city's retiring fire chief and longtime police records supervisor in honor of their service to the city and community at large.
Ken Wells, who is retiring after serving as fire chief since 2007, and records supervisor Ellen Dills were given the public show of thanks by Lakeport Mayor Kenny Parlet.
Wells, who grew up in Lake County, has spent 44 years in the fire service.
He's been a volunteer firefighter, became a paramedic in 1980, worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection – now Cal Fire – as well as fire districts in Clearlake Oaks and Lucerne, was an EMT instructor for Mendocino College, and was a Kelseyville Fire Protection District captain and field training officer before taking over as Lakeport Fire's chief on Jan. 8, 2007.
The council's proclamation honored Wells for his numerous contributions to the Lakeport Fire
Protection District during his years as chief.
He's been president of the Fire Chief’s Association, vice president of the successor agency board, changed ambulance billing companies which generated more revenue for the district, and pursued grants and additional funding sources for the district.
Wells, wearing not his old uniform but the new one for retirement – a Hawaiian shirt – received a standing ovation.
While he said he's not much of a speech giver, Wells, paused to note the many local changes he's seen during his career, thanked the city, and said it has been wonderful working with city staff.
“I'm going to miss you guys,” Wells said.
Parlet next presented a proclamation in honor of Dills, who began her career with the Lakeport Police Department on June 1, 1980, as a parking enforcement officer. On Jan. 1, 1985, she was promoted to records supervisor, a job she has held ever since.
During her tenure, Dills has worked with four police chiefs, seen numerous policy changes and received many commendations for her performance, which in one case resulted in her preventing a suicide when a man called in who wanted to kill himself.
“Due to her calm demeanor, gift for speaking and compassion, she stalled the subject until law enforcement could arrive,” the proclamation read.
Dills’ job has included some of the police department's most critical functions, including dealing with the integrity and security of police records, handling all records and audits of the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, or CLETS, and Criminal Offender Record Information, or CORI, through the California Department of Justice.
She also has been responsible for reviewing, approving and submitting reports for filing to the District Attorney's Office; has properly handled the agency's Public Records Act requests in order to protect the city against liability; and overseen the parking enforcement and warrants division.
Over the years Dills has been commended by the Department of Justice regarding her outstanding CLETS and CORI audits and has a records supervisor certificate from the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
When she was named 2003's employee of the year, then-Police Chief Tom Engstrom said in a report to the council, “Her years of experience with the police department are invaluable; we would be lost without her. I can’t begin to count how many crimes have been solved because Ellen has the ability to read a report and think that sounds like something so and so would do.”
The proclamation also noted, “Ellen never failed to do an outstanding job in any of the duties she performed.”
She was praised for being a friend and mentor to current and former Lakeport Police employees, and for her kindness, as she's often known to bake a pie or a cake for every member of the department on his or her birthday.
Dills has even filled in as a last-minute babysitter when staff couldn't find child care, welcoming in the children with the stash of coloring books and crayons she kept on hand just for that purpose.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen joined with Parlet in thanking Dills for her work and wishing her a happy retirement.
In other news on Tuesday, Rasmussen took to the council plans for the city's second annual National Night Out event, to be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The council approved staff's proposal to host the event at the Natural High School property on N. Main Street.
Parlet thanked staff for a thorough report, noting that each of the proposed locations had been carefully considered, mapped and presented.
The council on Tuesday also opted to gather more information regarding a five-year contract with Mediacom for dedicated Internet access and a fiber agreement, at a cost of $1,034 per month before making a decision; and accepted a budget amendment of $34,500 for contract services to prep Parallel Drive for chip sealing.
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Supervisors begin discussion on proposed dispensaries ordinance
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night held an initial discussion on a proposal for a new medical marijuana dispensaries ordinance, with the matter to be continued later this month.
The discussion was part of a special evening meeting that lasted about an hour and a half.
The board chose to continue the discussion at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 22, after Supervisor Jim Comstock left early to assist with south county evacuations due to the Butts Fire.
Community Development Director Rick Coel, accompanied by Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry, presented the draft dispensaries ordinance to the board.
He said that staff believed that the board first needed to decide how many dispensaries should be allowed countywide – his written report to the board pointed out that Alameda County has a total of three – and then decide on locations.
County staff provided maps with a number of locations that were near public transit and dispersed around the county's communities.
Supervisor Rob Brown said he wanted to start out with a conservative and responsible number, suggesting three.
Comstock questioned why the county was considering allowing dispensaries when other areas are banning them.
The board heard from a number of community members who insisted that dispensaries are needed, that they offer services patients cannot do for themselves and that the board needed to not put any limits on how many dispensaries could be located in the unincorporated county.
On the other side of the issue, there were county residents who wanted restrictions.
Middletown resident Fletcher Thornton said the board was on “the right track” in starting with a low number. “If we start low then we can add slowly if we need to,” he said.
Thornton added, “In Middletown we're going to be watching it like a hawk,” noting that they wanted dispensaries 1,000 feet or more – not 600 feet – from local schools.
Many of the issues that had existed with dispensaries previously, said Coel, had to do with the operators themselves.
Before the dispensaries in the unincorporated county were closed in early 2012, Coel said there had been some dispensary operators trying to do the right thing, keep their operations low key and work with the county.
Others were “bad neighbors,” he said, operating in blatant disregard to setbacks from schools and residences.
Thomas Wall criticized the county and the ordinance, saying he wanted to offer a medical marijuana delivery service, but there was no room for that in the ordinance. “I think this ordinance is whacked.”
Comstock at that point left to assist with the evacuations.
Lower Lake resident Daniel McClain, who has been active in the efforts to put in place local marijuana rules – including being a proponent of a new cultivation ordinance to go on the November ballot – said he felt the onsite limit for clones, 100, was too low.
Lakeport resident Greg Scott noted of the dispensary issue, “There’s a lot of anger,” and he thanked the board for its leadership on the subject.
Jon Hanson, who had owned MJ's Place, a dispensary in Upper Lake, thanked the board for opening the discussion, and asked for a limit of five, not three.
Following public input, Brown told his board colleagues, “We have to be realistic about what we’re going to try to get done here.”
He felt the limit of three dispensaries in the unincorporated county was a good starting compromise. He said he had listened to his community and that impacted his stance.
Some previous dispensary operators had been bad but, Brown added, he knew of at least one who ran a very responsible business.
Supervisor Jeff Smith pointed out that his district already has three dispensaries. That's because his district includes the city of Clearlake, where dispensaries are allowed.
Brown said people in his district have said they don't want dispensaries there, and he wanted the board to respect that, noting it's up to the communities to decide.
Board Chair Denise Rushing said that “legitimate dispensaries weren't the issue” the last time around.
Rather, it was issues related to cultivation and dispensaries that were fronts for other activities.
The discussion will continue July 22.
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Clearlake City Council approves contract for processing Walmart expansion project
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council approved a contract June 26 with Price Consulting Services to perform planning services for processing an expansion project proposed by Walmart in Clearlake, Calif.
Walmart is seeking to increase its existing 103,740-square-foot building by 41,645 square feet.
“Basically, it's a 40-percent increase in size,” said Gary Price of Price Consulting Services.
Walmart proposes its expansion on the north side of its existing building on Dam Road, which is adjacent to the Yuba College Clear Lake Campus.
The project includes removal of an existing loading dock and demolition of the tire and lube center. The garden center will be enlarged by about 2,900 square feet.
Numerous changes to the inside of the building are planned as are parking lot improvements including additional lighting, based on the plans.
Truck lanes are to be added the east side of the building and additional entry ways are planned. Facade and signage changes are also included in the project.
City Manager Joan Phillipe said the costs for the Price Consulting Services contract will be paid by Walmart through deposit of funds, which are required of Walmart as part of the planning process.
She said an estimate of funds will be deposited and accounted for separately with the city's costs charged to that account.
Work will stop if funds become insufficient to complete the work until an additional deposit is made, Phillipe said.
Price Consulting Services is to be compensated at a rate of $100 per hour. Monthly statements of services are to be prepared covering charges incurred for the previous month. Any rate adjustments may be made in January of each year beginning in 2015, not to exceed a 10-percent increase.
The expansion project was originally under consideration in 2009. Phillipe said it was put on hold at Walmart's request sometime in 2011 and reactivated in 2012 and again put on hold.
“In the ensuing time, the company has conducted a community survey and ultimately determined to enter into discussion with staff about the possibility of reactivating its application,” Phillipe in her report to the council.
She said there are not any significant changes in relation to reactivating the application.
According to Phillipe, Price Consulting Services reviewed the file and worked with a Walmart representative to address some prior billing and payment questions and evaluated work completed on environmental review documents.
She said as a result of that evaluation and because so much time has lapsed since the original document was completed, the contract with the consulting firm that prepared the draft documents was terminated and a request for proposal for an environmental impact report consultant was issued.
Phillipe said reactivation of the project will require significant staff time to process necessitating use of a professional planner to assist the city.
Price Consulting Services is to provide management of all city level entitlements including use permit application for completeness as well as tasks related to public review. It will be responsible for developing and monitoring planning entitlement process timeline and maintaining process momentum and any follow-up with agencies required of the city.
The firm also will be tasked with coordination of the project with city staff, including assistance with required public noticing and preparation of relevant documents including those related to environmental review.
The contract calls for Price Consulting Services providing project status reports upon request of staff at least monthly. It will review the project for compliance with related city, local, state and federal planning laws.
Price Consulting Services also will coordinate with Walmart to maintain the flow of necessary project information between the city, the public and project consultants.
It will provide performance and schedule management and project budget management, coordinate meetings between relevant entities including the public, and oversee environmental mitigation and project design work.
In addition, the firm will provide consultant management services related to provision of the environmental impact report, including assistance with selecting consultants and overseeing their performance, among other tasks.
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Firefighters make progress on Butts Fire; evacuees take shelter in Middletown
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters from around Northern California converged at the Napa and Lake County line on Tuesday to fight the area's biggest wildland fire so far this summer season, with more resources on order for Wednesday.
The Butts Fire was first reported at approximately 12:08 p.m. in the Pope Valley area of Napa County, with radio reports indicating it had crossed into Lake County by Tuesday night.
The last confirmed report on the fire's size given by Cal Fire Tuesday evening was 2,700 acres with 30-percent containment. A morning flyover is expected to give a more accurate number on total acreage.
The California Highway Patrol reported Tuesday night that Butts Canyon Road remained closed on the Lake County side at Langtry Estates and on the Napa County side at James Creek.
Earlier in the day, evacuations had started in the 7800 block of Butts Canyon Road to north of Snell Valley Road and in the Berryessa Estates.
During the evening, firefighters helped escort out a number of residents of the Berryessa Estates area who had not been able to get out earlier.
Radio reports indicated that Berryessa Estates – which is reported to have nearly 200 homes – was a No. 1 priority for firefighters due to the residences and the close proximity to the fire, which was said to be hanging on a ridge a quarter mile to the west.
Also on Tuesday evening, the Lake County Office of Emergency Services and the Lake County Sheriff's issued a voluntary evacuations advisory for the Butts Canyon Road corridor near Middletown.
A special Board of Supervisors meeting ended up being cut short, with Supervisor Jim Comstock leaving in order to help with the south county evacuations and the rest of the board deciding to hold over some of the items for future meetings.
Evacuees were able to shelter at an emergency shelter set up by the Red Cross at Middletown High School.
Red Cross representative Susanne LaFaver said supplies were brought in from Clearlake. She said there was a lot of support from the community, with food, water and dog food donated.
LaFaver said all evacuees were welcome, and that Red Cross was hoping they would come to the shelter unless they had found shelter with their friends and relatives.
One of the evacuees who made it to the evacuation shelter, Berryessa Estates resident Lou Leet, said she appreciated the cooperation between Lake and Napa counties. “They've been great about working with us so that we can stay with our animals.”
Leet said she hadn't yet heard about the status of residences in the subdivision.
Another Berryessa Estates resident, Gail Bickett, took refuge at the evacuation center.
“I grabbed a lot but I didn’t grab it all,” she said of her possessions, adding she is most worried about her pictures.
Evacuee Tina Marchetti works in Benicia, and said that on Tuesday she had nearly reached Napa when she got news of the fire. She said she could see the smoke and as she drove home it looked like it was her neighborhood.
She said she received a telephone message about the incident from the neighborhood fire council coordinator. Later she got another call reporting that a mandatory evacuation was under way.
“I have four cats that are stuck inside,” she said.
Comstock, who went to the shelter after leaving the meeting, said of the fire, “It's just exploding in that dry brush.”
He said he had learned that one Napa County structure had been destroyed and that the fire was in Lake County, headed toward Butts Canyon Road, Oat Hill Road and Morgan Valley Road.
Comstock said his son-in-law, who works for Cal Fire in Santa Cruz, had received an order to respond to the fire. “There is a big force coming.”
A large firefighting force from around the region had been on scene Tuesday, with air resources coming from around Northern California, along with numerous local and out-of-country strike teams and dozers, according to radio reports.
Reports from the scene overnight indicated the incident command had a large number of resources on order to continue the fight against the fire on Wednesday.
Firefighters continued their work through the night. Radio reports indicated there was a slight wind shift to possibly 10 miles per hour but overall the fire's fast pace and activity had appeared to slow significantly once evening arrived.
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