CLEARLAKE – On Wednesday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m., the Clearlake Vision Task Force will present its recommendations developed in weekly sessions over the past four months to the Clearlake City Council in a special meeting to be held at Clearlake City Hall on Olympic Drive.

The task force consists of citizens and business owners in Clearlake who volunteered their time over the past four months to review the current state of the city and to formulate recommendations on policies intended to take advantage of the city’s resources and to tackle the city’s most difficult issues.

The task force considered such varied issues as street paving, lakefront planning and wireless Internet connectivity.

Some highlights of the Task Force’s final report include: A recommendation for demanding strong infrastructure contributions in connection with all new development; a recommendation for a tree protection and replacement program; a vision for development of a town center along Lakeshore Drive; and a recommendation for using the Ogulin Canyon area as a resource for light industrial development.

The task force will also present to the council a vision for Clearlake’s future, articulating goals that the citizens would like to see the city set for attainment by the year 2020.

The task force report represents a vision for upgrading the quality and appearance of new development in the city. Its recommendations include changes to zoning that would prohibit additional mobile homes in residential areas of the City.

Additional changes are proposed to beautify the lakefront district between Austin and Redbud Parks, to add a walkable sidewalk promenade, and to encourage the development of a mixed use retail and tourism center.

Technology also was an important focus of the task force. Recognizing the importance of the Internet, particularly for youth, the group looked at options for installing a citywide wireless network. Although such a project was endorsed as a long-term goal, the consensus decision was to await the results of similar projects now under way in San Francisco and other Northern California cities.

The Vision Task Force was initially conceived and coordinated by Interim Community Development Director Irwin Kaplan, working two days per week for the City of Clearlake while on loan from his position as a director of the City of San Jose Redevelopment Agency.

However, because of the outpouring of citizen community involvement, Kaplan decided to divide the task force into two smaller subcommittees.

The “Austin Group,” which Kaplan headed, addressed land use and development issues. The “Redbud Group,” led by Highlands Harbor resident Anna McAtee, focused on ways and means to promote education, to harness volunteer energies, to support businesses, and to foster improvement efforts within the city.

After some attrition occurred, the two groups were consolidated and met jointly for their final month of work.

Kaplan presented the task force’s inaugural meeting with an inspirational message on his observations, as a professional planner, on the challenges facing the city. Noting that developers are increasingly eyeing major projects within Clearlake, Kaplan likened development pressures to the “wind” with which the city can fill its “sails” in order to make its way to achieve its goals.

Kaplan unflaggingly encouraged the task force to aim high and never to underestimate the goals that can be achieved through proper planning and growth management.

The task force received and considered presentations from numerous county and city officials and community leaders.

One such presenter was Mark Dellinger, head of Lake County’s Special Districts. Dellinger noted that the City of Clearlake has by far the most extensive public sewer and water systems in the county. Currently the City has approximately 7,000 sewer connections, and can grow to accommodate 12,000 connections without expanding the existing treatment facilities.

Due to the existence of the Geysers pipeline, the city saves substantial money in disposing of its wastewater, Dellinger stated. Thus, as a result of Dellinger’s presentation, the Task Force concluded that the city has potential for substantial development projects that can help “fill the sails” for purposes of attaining the city’s vision.

At the same time, the task force recognized that much of the sewer system suffers from age deterioration and infiltration. The task force therefore recommended that the city should set up a program of mandatory periodic inspection of lateral connections, particularly upon the sale of homes, and should be upgraded as needed whenever streets are paved.

Street paving was, of course, a universally recognized concern. Much of the city was subdivided long before the Subdivision Map Act came into effect. However, various presenters, including Clearlake City Administrator Dale Neiman, addressed tools that are available to the financially strapped city for getting the city’s streets improved and paved.

One tool discussed by Neiman is redevelopment funds. Neiman pointed out that the city needs to administer its redevelopment funds in the manner of a business, in order to generate long-term tax savings “profits” that can be plowed back into future projects. This means the city must be on the lookout for opportunities to partner with developers and citizens who come forward with viable concepts.

An issue that surfaced and resurfaced many times in the Redbud Committee was the need to make code enforcement and abatement a high priority for the city. The task force recommended that funds must be set up to increase abatement and to modify the current program to allow the city to take more aggressive action with property owners who do not maintain their properties.

The task force received a presentation from Jim Brown regarding the Clearlake area’s rich history and cultural resources. Based in part on Brown’s presentation, the fask force recommended the formulation of a comprehensive program for an interactive Ecotourism Center, including a “Museum of the Lake” for all age groups.

A related concept proposed within the Austin committee was a freshwater aquarium to showcase the variety of fish, mammal, reptile and bird species that abound in our ecosystem. The task force concluded that tourism is pivotal for economic development of the city, and that tourism can be promoted in the most healthy and beneficial manner by establishing an anchor in the town center, such as the Museum of the Lake.

A performance center for plays, concerts and dance is another concept that the task force voted to recommend strongly as part of its vision. The fundamental idea, as endorsed by the task force, is to create a reason for visitors to leave Highway 53 to explore the lakefront area between Austin and Redbud Parks.

The task force’s report will be presented to the City Council in the form of recommendations and guidelines to be followed by the city when it updates its general plan, hopefully within the next year.

Along with the report, the task force will present to the council its vision for Clearlake’s future, first formulated by task force participant Al Bernal.

The first article set out in the vision is also perhaps the most poignant: “The city is situated in the midst of natural beauty. The lake is a natural wonder and our city is bounded by beautiful oak-studded hills. Our air and water are clean. These are the precious physical assets that distinguish this city from others.”

Robert Riggs is a Highlands Harbor (Clearlake) resident and an enthusiastic participant in the Vision Task Force.

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