Lake County Community Action Agency Executive Georgina Lehne said she's asking the city to forego a deposit on the senior center so the agency can rent the building for a fundraiser event.
The agency still is digging out of a substantial loss it suffered because of low turnout for its Aug. 18 Blue Heron Rally motorcycle run, said Lehne, who estimated they've lost $16,000.
In addition, they have 70 leftover tri-tip roasts and many raffle prizes that weren't used at the event, she said. The tri-tips have been frozen and she hopes to use them in a country western barbecue event at the center, which would help defray losses.
The larger of the two requests involves the youth center building, which Lehne said the city owns and rents to Lake County Community Action Agency for $1 a year.
Lehne said they're very happy to have the building, but it needs some work. In particular, she wants to replace the floor.
PSI Seminars of High Valley have offered to bring in a leadership group who will do the work for free in October, said Lehne. “I have to raise money from the community to do the project.”
She estimates the youth center upgrades will cost $6,000.
The center, said Lehne, took 10 years to get off the ground, but a lot of good things are happening now thanks to support from the community.
The Clearlake Rotary put in a partition wall to help divide up the large space, said Lehne, and the Kiwanis Club loaned the center a popcorn machine so the children and teens can have snacks.
There are 100 youth now signed up for the center, she said, which is open Tuesday through Saturday with monthly membership fees of $25 per child or $50 for a family.
“Out of those 100 kids only three can afford to pay membership dues,” she said.
That turnout, she added, makes the center's existence all the more critical.
She said seeing the youth participation is very exciting; they're bringing their homework and working on it at the center, besides playing game and hanging out, enjoying popcorn and some ice cream, too.
The center holds youth dances featuring a disk jockey every other Friday, Lehne said, with between 40 and 60 teens showing up on a regular basis.
Since the disappointment of last month's Blue Heron Rally, Lehne said several good things have happened.
She said a woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who read Lake County News' coverage of the event called Lehne to offer assistance in raising money for the youth center. “They're going to try to raise some of the money we lost,” said Lehne.
Lehne said the woman had regularly ridden in motorcycle events until her husband's death last year. She volunteered to set up a fundraising account for the youth center and put out an urgent call for financial support from other motorcycle clubs around the nation, which she told Lehne are blamed for a lot of things despite their support of youth.
Another call came in from Missouri, said Lehne, from a woman offering to buy tickets for the rally's Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle as well as pins made especially for the event.
Other calls have come in on a daily basis also seeking to buy tickets and leftover T-shirts, Lehne added.
“They're still calling,” she said.
So far, Lake County Community Action Agency has sold 143 tickets but needs to sell 350, said Lehne.
She had volunteers call those who already had purchased tickets to see if they wanted their money back. Only one asked for a refund, she said, while the rest said they wanted the money to stay with the youth center.
Tickets will continue to be sold until Dec. 21 or they run out, Lehne said. She suggested that the tickets make great birthday and Christmas presents.
Tickets cost $50 and can be purchased by calling Lake County Community Action Agency at 995-2925 or the youth center at 994-7281 and asking for Joan.
City will hold budget hearings, consider commissioner
Other city business the City Council will conduct at the meeting include:
Public hearings on the adoption of the city and redevelopment agency budgets for the 2007-08;
Consideration of an appointing a new member to the Planning Commission
Discussion and consideration of concepts for developing a first-time homebuyers program for the Redevelopment Agency;
Consideration of an update to Chapter IX of the city's Building and Housing Code;
Discussion and consideration of creating a grant technician job description.
Awarding an engineering services contract to Coastland Engineering for plan preparations for a storm damage site at Lakeshore Drive and Joaquin Avenue.
Authorization of entering into an agreement with Omni-Means to conduct a traffic study for the Highway 53 and 18th Street intersection.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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