NICE, Calif. – The county is continuing to assess its facilities after a windstorm caused significant damage to private and publicly held property alike last fall.

The windstorm on Nov. 21 and 22 did nearly $6 million in damage, according to a countywide estimate.

The Nice area was hardest hit, with the county-owned Holiday Harbor taking an enormous amount of damage.

Boat slips were crumpled and docks mangled by the winds, which were reported to be sustained in the 40-mile-per hour range, according to the National Weather Service.

Deputy County Administrative Officer Alan Flora said the it's estimated that the replacement value for damage done to Holiday Harbor ranges between $560,000 and $600,000.

Before the storm, there were 134 boat slips, although not all of them were rentable due to what Flora  described as an “odd design.”

After the storm, 57 boat slips remain. He said the property also includes a duplex apartment that is fully occupied and a commercial space that is under renovation.

Flora said the only other county facility that sustained damage in the windstorm was the public bathroom at Keeling Park in Nice.

That building suffered some damage to the roof, but the estimate for repairs was $7,500. He said that with the county deductible of $5,000, the county elected not to submit a claim and potentially impact long-term insurance rates.

At Holiday Harbor, a number of privately owned boats that were housed at the harbor were damaged during the storm, Flora said.

Boat owners are required to provide their own private property insurance prior to leasing a space at Holiday Harbor Marina, he added.

Even though the lease agreements with boat owners state the county is not liable for damage caused by an “act of God,” Flora said two tenants filed claims against the county for storm damage to their boats.

Making things more challenging for the county is the fact that the marina's docks and piers were not insured, according to Flora.

“Docks and piers are generally not something insurance companies are interested in insuring,” he said. “Our policy does not automatically cover these types of improvements unless they are specified and separate coverage is requested.

“The docks at Holiday Harbor Marina were quite weathered and the county was prepared to provide routine maintenance until the property was sold at such time the developer could replace the docks with a type, style and configuration of their choosing,” he said.

Flora said the county still hasn’t made a final determination about whether or not the marina’s damaged docks will be replaced.

Marina tenants, he said, were notified that the county won’t be charging any rent until further notice because the water levels are so low that the marina isn’t very usable.

In the wake of the windstorm, the county is reviewing all similar facilities and levels of insurance coverage, Flora said.

Holiday Harbor, he added, is the only marina owned by the county, but there are several county-owned docks and piers such as the facilities at Clearlake Oaks Boat Launch, Lakeside Park, and Lucerne Harbor Park, with those facilities and their levels of insurance coverage now under review.

Flora said that the county wants to sell the majority of the Holiday Harbor property to a developer, with a portion remaining for use as a public park.

“We have tried a number of ways of promoting the property, but the recession and cold real estate market have proven difficult,” he said.

Last year, the county released two requests for proposals, with the most recent for listing and property management services, he said.

Flora said the county has been working with the selected bidder to iron out the remaining issues before signing a contract, and county staff are preparing to present recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in preparation for moving forward with a listing contract followed by a contract for property management services.

“We are optimistic of the development potential of the site and think the timing may be good for listing the property as we have seen renewed interest in development projects over the past six to nine months,” said Flora.

Flora said any tenant who has questions about Holiday Harbor Marina should contact the Lake County Administrative Office at (707) 263-2580.
 
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