LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week supported the sheriff's plan for pursuing the exploration of a new Middletown substation.
Sheriff Frank Rivero presented ideas to the board for developing the new substation Tuesday morning.
At the board's Feb. 1 meeting Rivero had received the board's permission to terminate the month-to-month lease with Jim and Hettie Hendrickson for 21130 A Calistoga St., which the sheriff's office had been using for a substation.
The lease was terminated effective Feb. 28. Rivero told the Hendricksons in a memo on the lease termination that he was seeking a larger facility.
On Thursday Capt. James Bauman confirmed that the sheriff's office currently has no substation space in Middletown, with the closest substation to the area being located in the Clearlake courthouse on Dam Road Extension.
On Tuesday, Rivero told the board that he had located a five-acre parcel on Highway 29 at the corner of Grange Road – between Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown – that would be a good fit, offering quick access to the highway.
He suggested moving the county-owned Loconoma School building to the property. Rivero said he also had spoken to Community Development Director Rick Coel about subdividing the land down to one acre if necessary, and that he was looking at the feasibility of connecting the new facility with the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District for sewer services.
Supervisor Denise Rushing questioned if the location was within Hidden Valley Lake's district boundaries, which Rivero said he didn't yet know.
“There are a few other logistical issues that I’m looking at right now,” including communications and Internet access, he said.
“This is very preliminary,” said Rivero, who wanted an indication from supervisors if they found the idea acceptable.
Supervisor Rob Brown, noting that the agenda had indicated that they would discuss more than one option, asked if Rivero had any other plans to propose at the time.
Rivero confirmed he had looked at other alternatives. However, “This is the one that has really got my full attention at this point,” with the other options pricing the sheriff's office out of the market.
Brown said development of a new facility could end up being too expensive, and he said the Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) process to put the facility into Hidden Valley Lake's service district would be lengthy and expensive, estimating that half a mile of sewer line would cost around $500,000.
“I like the idea of this area,” said Brown, pointing out the location between Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown. “That's a good central location for you guys to be.”
Rivero said he didn't think there would be any easy solutions for putting together the new substation, but he believed there would be substantial savings by moving the school building.
Brown asked if he had looked at tax-defaulted properties. Rivero replied, “I've searched pretty hard in that area,” talking to about half a dozen Realtors.
County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said the sheriff's office was focusing on highway frontage.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked about the school building's construction. Rivero said it was a stick-built structure on a slab. “It's actually a really nice building,” he said, noting he had personally checked it out. “I like the building a lot.”
Cox told the board that the county offered the building – located on the site where Middletown's new library and senior center will be located – for free to whoever would move it. He told Lake County News Thursday that the county recently offered the building in an advertisement, and another party also is interested if the sheriff's office doesn't use it.
Farrington said he wanted to see the cost before moving forward. He also felt the LAFCO project would make the plan too expensive. An aspect he said he liked was that the location could be used for boat inspections to prevent invasive quagga and zebra mussels in the future.
Rivero said the sheriff's office has some funds available to assist in the project, which he's trying to do as economically as possible. He suggested his office's location there would have benefits beyond public safety, including being a good anchor tenant and making the area more viable for businesses.
Farrington said the agency would be a better anchor tenant than Walmart. “I agree with that 100 percent,” said Rivero.
Rushing asked about the plan's consistency with the general plan and zoning. Brown also wanted to know the property cost, which Rivero said hadn't been determined yet.
Cox said he and Rivero spoke about the proposal Monday and they were considering funding sources. He said that information would be brought back to the board if there was consensus to pursue the plan.
Board Chair Jim Comstock said he knew the property and its owners. “This is a great location.”
He said the area has been discussed as a site for commercial development in the county's general plan process.
Comstock offered to go with Rivero to the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District to talk about linking the site to the district's services. “We want the presence on the highway, definitely,” Comstock said.
Community member Greg Scott asked about the planned substation's staffing and hours of operation.
Rivero said he anticipated moving a staffer currently assigned to Lakeport to the substation. There would be office hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Rivero said his intention for the facility “is to have something for the future, that's going to be there and remain” to provide services to the community. “I want to do the best I can to provide that.”
Comstock asked Rivero to call him to set up a time to go together to speak with Hidden Valley Lake officials. “Thank you for pursuing this,” Comstock said, adding his interest in having a substation in that area.
The board then agreed by consensus for Rivero to move forward.
In other news, the board continued a hearing about an appeal of Bottle Rock Power's final environmental report certification on its steamfield expansion plan.
A decision has been continued until later this month while the board, at Farrington's request, attempts to meet with Bottle Rock Power and Pacific Gas & Electric to see if the utility will negotiate better energy rates for county residents because of the power produced at Bottle Rock, which it purchases.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
