County has chance to buy Clark's Island

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A satellite photo of Clark's Island.

 

CLEARLAKE OAKS – As part of the continued effort to redevelop parts of the Northshore, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss pursuing the purchase of Clark's Island.


Clark's Island is a 1.48-acre parcel located at 12565 E. State Highway 20, accessed by a small bridge. It currently has a number of trailers, and its rundown condition has been a concern for the county for some time. A report to the board from county Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said that Clark's Island “has been the topic of much discussion for a number of years.”


Cox's report states that Carlton Clark, the property owner, has signed a purchase option agreement to sell the land to the county's Redevelopment Agency for $500,000, a price Cox reported is considerably lower than Clark has asked for in the past.


The option agreement runs until Dec. 15, according to Cox, and is for cash.


If the board approves the purchase agreement, Cox said several steps still need to be completed, including an appraisal, environmental assessment, a relocation plan for the people who live on the property and a study that would outline the property's future uses. The county recently received a grant to pay for the studies, Cox reported.


A Clearlake Oaks Community Opinion Survey conducted last year listed the county's acquisition of Clark's Island as a priority, Cox reported.


If the Redevelopment Agency acquires Clark's Island, Cox's report states, "our current intent would be to simply clear it of all structures and allow it to exist as a grass covered park and picnic area, eventually accessible to the public from the County's existing park property on Island Drive by installation of a foot bridge connecting the two properties."


Cox added that the property could potentially be used in the future in connection with the development of a marina or a similar project it's determined to be feasible and grant funds become available.


The Clark's Island purchase would be funded by the Redevelopment Agency, Cox reports. In order to afford it, Cox suggests not pursuing the purchase of property for a park adjacent to Schindler Creek in Clearlake Oaks.


The county hasn't been able to reach an agreement with that property's owner, said Cox. He added that the Schindler Creek property did not receive as much support in the community opinion survey as the Clark's Island purchase.


Cox suggests the county work with the Konocti Unified School District to improve East Lake Elementary School's ball field and playground area, which could then be used for the community at large. That would allow the county to redirect the $365,000 for the Schindler Creek purchase to Clark's Island.


The balance of the purchase price and relocation costs, Cox reported, would come from "existing appropriations for general property acquisition within the Redevelopment Project Area.”


The discussion is an untimed item on Tuesday's agenda.


Other notable items to be discussed at Tuesday's meeting include:


  • 9:15 a.m. Walter Schlicher's appeal of the Planning Commission's denial of a minor modification to a previously approved subdivision map to allow pedestrian and drainage improvements in lieu of curb, gutter and sidewalk along Konocti Road; project is located at 5105 and 5209 Konocti Road and 5570 Vista Mountain Estates Drive, Kelseyville.

  • 9:45 a.m. Presentation of the 2007 Lake County Child Care Needs Assessment and consideration of request for its approval.

  • 10 a.m. Presentation of the Lake County Library Advisory Board Annual Report.

  • 10:15 a.m. Discussion regarding future allocations of funding from the Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

  • 10:45 a.m. Recovery of prior years' delinquent penalties or various water/fire districts.


The Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. The meetings are normally broadcast live on the PEG Channel, TV 8.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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