LAKEPORT – On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors voted to support installing a temporary Bailey bridge to replace the Mathews Road bridge that has been closed to public traffic for more than a year.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked the board to consider the Bailey bridge option, which can offer a temporary way of allowing traffic through the area once more.
The board had last discussed the bridge situation on Mathews Road – located just off Highway 175 outside of Lakeport – in July, as Lake County News has reported.
With the road having a larger traffic count than previously estimated, Farrington wanted to reconsider installing a Bailey bridge – which resembles an erector set – at the site.
Previously, Public Works staff had said a Bailey bridge wouldn't work on Mathews, but following a site visit Farrington said they believed it was an option.
County staff has estimated building the bridge to federal road standards in order to have access to grant funding will cost between $600,000 and $850,000, with five to seven years for the county to get reimbursed.
Farrington said Tuesday there have been changes to federal policy that would the process to get the funds more competitive and would delay reimbursement further, which which he found “very unacceptable.”
Instead, Farrington suggested using half of the county's Bailey bridge inventory to build a temporary 70-foot span on Mathews Road.
Board Chair Denise Rushing asked Public Works Director Brent Siemer if he and his staff supported the suggestion. Siemer said they did.
“We're starting to see the bridge fall into the creek,” he said of the Mathews Road situation. “We just need to get the bridge out of there.”
Siemer said they hope to be able to get school buses across the temporary span, although they don't know if grape trucks will be able to pass it.
Rushing asked about the cost. Siemer estimated a maximum of $15,000 out of pocket.
County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said they probably have funding within the roads budget to cover it.
“I don't believe in keeping inventory,” said Supervisor Jim Comstock. “Let's put it to work.”
Farrington said spending the small amount of money and using the county's current Bailey bridge inventory made a lot of sense in light of the funding delays and expected inflation in costs.
He moved to have county staff install the Bailey bridge inventory at a cost not to exceed $15,000. If the costs went higher, he asked Siemer to come back to the board.
The board approved the motion 5-0, which received applause from several Mathews Road residents in the audience.
Also on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors presented a proclamation honoring Skip Simkins on his upcoming retirement from Lakebed Management.
Supervisor Rob Brown presented the proclamation to Simkins. “This really does mean something,” Brown said.
Simkins, a 1965 Kelseyville High School graduate, was hired two years later by the county, where he's worked ever since.
Brown recalled that two years ago this month, he had asked Simkins to help him look for a young Sonoma County man, Matt Zanoni, who had gone missing after falling into Clear lake.
Simkins, Brown recalled, was the only one who responded when Brown was asking for help in looking for Zanoni's body.
“With your effort we recovered that young man and I'll never forget that,” said Brown.
Simkins said he's just been doing his job.
“It's been a good ride,” he said.
In other news, the board received a brief update from Community Development Director Rick Coel on the county's temporary moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives.
No action was taken on the report. However, staff is asking that the board consider at a future meeting extending the moratorium while work on a zoning amendment to handle the establishments continues.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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