That amount is down from the $18 million requested last year, as Lake County News has reported.
In all, Thompson asked for nearly $386 million for the First Congressional District, which includes Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Napa, and portions of Sonoma and Yolo counties. That's up from just over $308 million that he requested for the 2010 federal budget.
“Most of our district’s public organizations are struggling to fund projects which are critical to our local
economies and the people of our district,” Thompson's message at the beginning of the document states.
“As economic conditions become more difficult, it is more important than ever that cities and counties get help for public projects that rebuild our roads and bridges, invest in research to protect our agricultural economy, provide flood protection, protect our environment, and rebuild our hospitals and health clinics,” Thompson wrote. “These are important projects to the people of our district, and they create jobs and generate economic growth.”
All of the appropriations Thompson submitted came from public entities, such as local governments, and nonprofits located throughout district.
Districtwide, the largest single appropriation request was $80 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which is considered “essential for the restoration of salmon and other anadromous species habitats,” according to the list.
The largest local appropriation request was on behalf of Sutter Lakeside Hospital, which is seeking just under $3.9 million for a rural health clinic project.
Lake's requested appropriations came in tens of millions less than Napa County, which had more than $58 million in specific appropriations, based on an analysis of the numbers. There also were millions more suggested for studies in agricultural research – from trees and rice to viticulture and disease prevention.
This year's appropriations list for Lake County, like last year's, included funds for the Live Oak Senior Center in Clearlake Oaks, the Middletown Library and the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum's retrofit.
“I don't believe any of our appropriations requests last year were funded,” said County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox. “They made it through the first round but were deleted later in the process.”
With the exception of the Sutter Lakeside Hospital clinic proposal, all of the other requests were made by the Board of Supervisors, Cox said.
Not everything the board requested is included in Thompson's list, “but we are very grateful for what has been included,” Cox said.
“There's still a long way to go, though, before the appropriations are approved by Congress,” Cox added. “It is very, very early in the process and as happened last year, all of the requests may be denied before the process is over. It sure would help us if they are funded. It would make a big difference.”
Lake County's requested appropriations list includes the following:
Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention, $500,000. The funds would support city and county efforts to monitor vessels entering various water bodies, analyze vessel/visitor data to further assess the risk of vessel transport of invasive mussels, and develop and extend a program to share with surrounding counties and water bodies to lessen the risk of infestation to the county’s headwater systems.
Live Oak Senior Center, $750,000. The funds will be used to build a new senior center in Clearlake Oaks.
Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse Museum Structural Retrofit, $1,500,000. This allocation will cover a portion of the cost needed to do a seismic retrofit on the historic building, which has undergone several important restoration steps in recent years. Thompson's request document notes that, according to the county, “structural retrofitting is urgently needed to enable its continued use by the public.”
Middletown Library and Senior Citizens Center, $500,000. The allocation would fund a newer Middletown Library four times the size of the current facility, and would include office space, a computer lab and a children’s reading room.
Clearlake Riviera Park Development, $400,000. The project is a four-acre community park facility in the Clearlake Riviera, with the Kelseyville School District providing the property – adjacent to Riviera Elementary School – at no cost. The county will develop the park, which would be located in an area where no county park facilities exist.
Hammond Avenue Park Development, $500,000. The appropriation covers Phase I infrastructure for Nice's Hammond Avenue Park project, which has a total price tag of $3.2 million. The park facility will be located on a county-owned 12-acre parcel. Plans and specifications have been completed and Phase I of project is ready to go to bid. The park will include a children’s play area and tot lot, group picnic area, restroom building, bike trail, parking lot, concrete walkways, a boardwalk over a four-acre wetland area, rock wall, landscaping and irrigation, lighting, ball field and other amenities.
Kelseyville Wastewater Treatment Plant, Phase 2 Improvements, $1,400,000. The funds are for upgrades to the Kelseyville wastewater system; the project is an ongoing construction activity previously supported with federal assistance to meet federal clean water mandates and improve Clear Lake’s water quality. It's also needed to comply with state cease and desist orders.
St. Helena Hospital Clearlake – Emergency Department Expansion, $300,000. The hospital wants to expand its emergency department to include 12 private state-of-the-art monitoring beds. The plan also includes converting seven existing bays into private rooms, and reconfiguring the waiting room to enhance privacy and double capacity to reduce wait times.
Capacity improvements for the North Lakeport Water System, $1,100,000. The addition of a treatment module and increased storage is needed for the system, which is under a connection moratorium. The upgrades would address deficiencies in treatment, storage and fire flow capacity and allow the moratorium to be lifted.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital – Rural Health Clinic Construction, $3,889,886. The request would be used to construct a rural health clinic that the hospital said would “provide access to high quality medical care across Lake County, especially in South Lake County.” It's expected to create 250 construction jobs, 30 design jobs and 13 clinic staff.
To see the full list visit http://mikethompson.house.gov/issues/AppropriationsRequests2011.pdf.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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