How to resolve AdBlock issue? Supervisors declare local emergency over Lakeside Heights landslide
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors voted to declare a local emergency because of the continuing deterioration of a hillside that has damaged several homes in a north Lakeport subdivision and which potentially could damage more, as well as public water and sewer lines.
The board voted 4-0 to approve the proclamation declaring a local emergency for the Lakeside Heights subdivision, located off of Hill Road East across from Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
Supervisor Rob Brown recused himself from the discussion because one of his family members lives in the subdivision.
In the proclamation it states that the county finds that “conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property” exist in the subdivision, with several homes damaged to the point of no longer being habitable, and risk to public water and wastewater facilities, and nearby Hill Road.
The document also is seeking state and federal emergency declarations.
Lake County Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger told the board that the declaration is a way for the county to pursue state and federal funding to relocate the sewer and water infrastructure that serve the subdivision’s homes.
County Counsel Anita Grant added that the emergency may also activate potential funding sources for the subdivision’s homeowners, several of whom are faced with the need to demolish homes that have been pulled from their foundations and made uninhabitable by the sinking hillside.
Dellinger gave a brief update on the situation, which came to light late last month.
The board previously had approved Dellinger contracting with a geotechnical firm to investigate why the hillside was degrading.
He said temporary power is now being installed for a pumping station set up at the subdivision, and he plans to come back before the board next week to discuss strategies for going forward.
While there is a significant decrease in water now coming out of the hillside, Dellinger said there has not been an appreciable slowing in the rate of the hillside’s movement.
He estimated that in the last week week there has been a further elevational drop of another 4 to 5 feet.
Dellinger said the geotechnical engineer the county hired is rethinking his original approach to dealing with the situation. Dellinger said he would cover the new proposal with the board next week.
He also told the board that all of the water and sewer lines to the red-tagged homes have been disconnected.
Dellinger said he was concerned that continued earth movement will damage the county’s water and sewer infrastructure in the area.
The county has worked with a property management company to schedule a meeting for Lakeside Heights homeowners at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at the Westlake Clubhouse, 3320 Lakeshore Blvd.
A concerned homeowner told the board at Tuesday’s meeting that water continues to flow steadily down the hillside on Downing Drive.
Dellinger said the source of that water is not yet known, adding that it could be groundwater. He also pointed out that there was another water system when the development first was built in the early 1980s.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington moved to approve the emergency, which was approved 4-0.
Dellinger told Lake County News after the meeting that with new fractures continuing to open up in the ground even after dewatering the hillside, Special Districts and the geotechnical engineer are trying to develop a new strategy for solving the problem of the shifting hillside.
“I don’t know that any of us could have predicted what has happened over the last few days,” he said.
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041613 Board of Supervisors - Lakeside Heights Emergency Proclamation
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Council approves new two-hour parking zone, water equipment repairs
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a short Tuesday evening meeting, the Lakeport City Council approved a new two-hour parking zone that local businesses requested and gave staff the go ahead for needed water treatment equipment repairs.
Mayor Tom Engstrom was absent for the meeting, which just ran over a half hour and was presided over by Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina.
City Engineer Scott Harter presented to the council the proposal for the two-hour parking zone on the east side of South Main Street between Lupoyoma and Konocti avenues.
“This is at the request of some of the business owners down there,” said Harter.
The request, made last fall, is meant to promote parking turnover to help the businesses in the area, Harter said.
The city received letters from Kimberlee Shaw, owner of Trinkets and Treasures Thrift n Gift, and chiropractor Dr. Robert Jolin asking for the parking zone.
Both Shaw and Jolin said that the employees of the nearby Shell station were using the parking in front of their businesses in the 900 block of South Main Street all day long.
In their letters, both Shaw and Jolin said those parking practices were was making it difficult for customers and clients to access their businesses.
Harter said the city’s Traffic Safety Advisory Committee reviewed the request for the two-hour parking zone and concurred with the request.
“It’s currently open, right? You can park there as long as you want?” asked Mattina. Harter said yes.
Councilman Martin Scheel asked if any Shell employees were present in the small audience. None were.
He said he had tried to contact Shell about the parking issue. He noted that it was mostly a residential area around those businesses.
“It’s going to be very restrictive on where they can park,” he said.
Councilman Kenny Parlet said of the proposal, “I think this is prudent in every way, shape and form.”
Parlet was sharply critical of the employees of one business showing “careless disregard” and making it difficult for another business by blocking parking and accessibility.
City Manager Margaret Silveira said that, similarly, about a year and a half ago city officials instituted a two-hour parking zone around city hall on Park Street in order to keep employees out of spaces for visitors to the city offices.
Parlet moved to adopt the new parking zone, which Councilman Marc Spillman seconded. The vote was 4-0.
In other business, Public Works Director Mark Brannigan asked the council to authorize $30,000 to replace carbon media within two granular activated carbon vessels at the city’s water treatment facility.
His report to the council explained that the vessels are used “to reduce or eliminate many of the taste and odor complaints that are associated with systems that treat water from Clear Lake.”
Two of the vessels are believed to be from the mid-1980s, while the other two were installed in 1999, he said.
Brannigan said the repairs were a capital expense that, because of the city’s lack of revenues, they haven’t been able to fund in the past.
Last Oct. 2, the council authorized $60,000 to replace the media within two of the vessels. The following month, the California Department of Public Health asked that the media in the newer vessels be tested, Brannigan explained in his report. The test from the 1999 vessels indicated that they too needed to be changed out.
Calgon Carbon, which received the city’s contract and began working on the job last month, found cemented gravel in the filters and a broken screen, he said.
“These repairs are pretty expensive,” said Brannigan.
The total quote for the repairs were $28,250, but Brannigan asked for $30,000 to be sure to cover the needed fixes.
“We’re only running at half the capacity,” said Brannigan.
He added, “We need to get this going as quickly as possible.”
During the discussion, Scheel asked if the contractor’s price was within reason.
Brannigan said it was, explaining that a person has to be lowered into the vessels, using oxygen and sensors for safety.
“It gets really expensive,” he said.
Parlet moved to approve the expense, with Scheel seconding and the council voting 4-0.
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Supervisors to consider declaring local emergency regarding Lakeside Heights landslide
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Due to worsening conditions at a north Lakeport subdivision, where several homes have been red-tagged due to a saturated hillside, the Board of Supervisors will consider declaring a local emergency when it meets this week.
The meeting will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. It will be broadcast live on TV8.
In an untimed item, the Board of Supervisors will discuss declaring a local emergency regarding the Lakeside Heights subdivision.
Over the last month, a large area of sinking ground has developed off of Lancaster Road, one of the roads that runs through the cluster of 29 homes on a hilltop off of Hill Road, leading to a potential landslide.
A geotechnical firm is trying to zero in on the causes of the ground saturation. A leak report suggested that it may be due to a leaking irrigation pipe owned by the Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association, but Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger told Lake County News that a final determination still hasn’t been made.
So far the Board of Supervisors has approved more than $55,000 for the investigation and the proposed borings to get water out of the hillside.
There also is the need to abate the red-tagged homes in the hopes of taking weight off of the hillside, but the county wants to give the property owners the first chance to do that, as county-hired contractors would be paid at the higher prevailing wage rage.
In other board business, at 9:10 a.m. the board will present proclamations designating the week of April 14-20, 2013, as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week; and a proclamation designating April 2013 as National County Government Month.
At 9:15 a.m., the board will consider a policy on the use of county property for special events.
The full agenda follows. Some items are out of order due to an agenda addendum being issued.
TIMED ITEMS
9 a.m. A-1 to A-4: Approval of consent agenda, which includes items that are expected to be routine and noncontroversial, and will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion; presentation of animals available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control; consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda, and contract change orders for current construction projects.
9:05 a.m.: Citizen’s input. Any person may speak for three minutes about any subject of concern, provided that it is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors and is not already on the agenda. Prior to this time, speakers must fill out a slip giving name, address and subject (available in the clerk of the board’s office, first floor, courthouse).
9:10 a.m., A-5: (a) Presentation of proclamation designating the week of April 14-20, 2013, as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week; and (b) presentation of proclamation designating April 2013 as National County Government Month.
9:15 a.m., A-6: Consideration of policy on use of county property for special events.
9:30 a.m., A-7: Consideration of proposed agreements between the county of Lake County clerk and ExecuTime for automated time reporting payroll system.
NONTIMED ITEMS
A-8: Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.
A-9: Consideration of declaration of local emergency regarding Lakeside Heights landslide.
A-10: Consideration of proposed budget transfers from the contingencies account in the geothermal resource royalties fund and from general fund contingencies to the Clear Lake Water Quality Improvement accounts.
A-11: Consideration of appointments to the Lake County Air Quality Management District Hearing Board.
A-12: (a) Consideration of request to waive formal bidding process; and (b) consideration of request to authorize the purchase of 2-2013 XR650 Honda dual purpose motorcycles with accessories for the Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Enforcement Program.
A-14: Approve out of state travel for two detectives to attend the 2013 Clan Lab Certification Training School No. 66 at the Clandestine Laboratory Training and Research.
CLOSED SESSION
A-13: 1.Conference with labor negotiator: (a) county negotiators: A. Grant, L. Guintivano, M. Perry, and A. Flora; and (b) Deputy District Attorney's Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officers Association, Lake County Employees Association and Lake County Safety Employees Association.
A-13: 2. Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1): Michael Fowler and Emily Ford v. County of Lake, et al., Case No. CV412464
A-13: 3. Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(2)(e)(1): One potential claim.
CONSENT AGENDA
C-1: Approve Minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on April 9, 2013.
C-2: (a) Adopt Proclamation designating the week of April 14-20, 2013, as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week; and (b) adopt proclamation designating April 2013 as National County Government Month.
C-3: Approve grant agreement between the county of Lake and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), in the amount of $10,000 for FY 2013-14 spay/neuter services for community cats (including those within the city limits of Clearlake), and authorize the Animal Care and Control director to sign.
C-4: Approve first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Jeri Owens, MD, for specialty mental health services, for an increase of $47,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-5: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Dazzling Janitorial for janitorial services at the Lakeport branch, in the amount of $10,200, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-6: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Allvest Information Services Inc., dba Assessment.com, for access to Web-based juvenile and adult assessment software package, maintenance, consulting and staff training services, through Dec. 31, 2015, for a total amount of $17,820, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-7: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and PropertyRoom.com for public auction services for unclaimed property, and authorize the sheriff to sign.
LAKE COUNTY AIR QUALITY DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
C-8: Adopt resolution canceling a portion of the LCAQMD Small Business Assistance Program Reserve and transferring the funds into FY 12/13 LCAQMD Fund No. 299 Budget Unit 8799 ($449.84 to provide agricultural operations assistance with annual LCAQMD permit fees through the Agricultural Assistance Program).
LAKE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
C-9: (a) Approve easement deed and direct clerk to certify for recordation (APN 014-160-10 - Pablo Polanco and Marveli Polanco), and approve right of way agreement between the county of Lake and Pablo Polanco and Marveli Polanco for the construction of the wastewater force main sanitary sewer line, and authorize the chair to sign agreement.
C-10: Accept dedication and conveyance of mainline sewer extension for purpose of providing sewer service to property located at 22223 South State Highway 29, Middletown (APN 014-005-08 - Middletown Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians), and authorize the chair to sign.
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New two-hour parking zone, water equipment repairs on April 16 council agenda
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss establishing a new two-hour parking zone and authorizing expenditures for water treatment equipment repair.
The meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
City Engineer Scott Harter will take to the council a proposed resolution establishing a two-hour parking zone on the east side of South Main Street between Lupoyoma and Konocti Avenues.
The anticipated fiscal impact is $500 to cover signs, curb paint and staff time, Harter reported.
Public Works Director Mark Brannigan will ask the council to authorize expenditures – not to exceed $30,000 – from the Water Enterprise Reserves for services needed to repair the two older carbon vessels located at the Lakeport surface water treatment facility.
On the council’s consent agenda, items usually accepted as a slate on one vote, are ordinances and warrants; minutes from the April 4 meeting; the March 2013 building permit report; a letter of support for AB 981, which would authorize bond proceeds issued before June 28, 2011, and backed by Low and Moderate Income Housing funds to be used for affordable housing purposes; approval of the hiring of a planning and building technician and freezing of the department secretary position upon vacancy; and approval of applications for Clear Lake Performing Arts for its June 22 Wine and Art Festival in Library Park, the Lakeport Yacht Club’s July 4 annual Cardboard and Duct Tape Regatta in Library Park and the Rock of Faith Community Outreach’s Praise in the Park on June 29.
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041613 Lakeport City Council agenda packet
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New Middletown Library officially opens its doors
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The community of Middletown celebrated the long-awaited opening of its new library on Friday.
A grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration was held Friday afternoon at the new library, located at 21256 Washington St.
It replaces the Gibson Library, built and dedicated in 1930. That building was made possible through a donation from retired businessman and library enthusiast Chauncey W. Gibson, who offered to fund the construction on land donated by town residents. A new use for that building is still being considered.
The new library is housed in the same building as the town’s new senior center. The entire building is 12,210 square feet, with the library taking up 5,000 square feet, Eric Seely, deputy county administrative officer for special projects, told Lake County News during a recent interview.
He said the facility is “huge” compared to the old library, which Public Services Director Carolyn Chavez reported is 1,625 square feet.
In the 1990s the Library Advisory Board recommended the Board of Supervisors allocate money for a new library, county officials reported.
In 1999 the Board of Supervisors approved setting aside $50,000 of geothermal mitigation money for a new library.
Through the efforts of now-retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, the county – with the board’s approval – saved a reported $3.1 million in geothermal funds and $500,000 in general fund money for a library building fund.
The county reported that a land swap in 2009 worked out between the county and the Middletown Unified School District brought the site of the new library under county ownership.
The last funding needed was provided by Indian gaming mitigation money in May 2009, a Community Block grant in May 2011 and a United State Department of Agricultural Rural Development grant in August 2011, the county reported.
The library also gets support from the Friends of the Middletown Gibson Library. That group reported that they’ve turned over $26,000 to the county for the library.
The group said County Library Susan Clayton has gradually used the funds she’s received from them to purchase library materials.
With the new library open, Clayton will soon be leaving Lake County. County Administrative Officer Matt Perry confirmed that she’s retiring, effective May 1.
For more information about the history of the Middletown Library, read Lake County history columnist Jan Cook’s account at http://bit.ly/123F2jy .
Elizabeth Larson contributed to this report.
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