The extreme sporting event, hosted the last two years at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, was notified last month that Konocti would no longer host it, said promoter Rob Stimmel.
More than 60 local residents attended the 5 p.m. workshop at city hall to hear a general discussion of the event, ask questions and offer input.
Three City Council members attended the meeting – Ron Bertsch, Jim Irwin and Bob Rumfelt. Mayor Roy Parmentier and Councilman Buzz Bruns were both absent from the workshop and the regular council meeting.
Acting City Manager Richard Knoll said the city staff wanted an opportunity for dialog with city residents about hosting the event, which he explained has been hosted at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa for the last two years.
Knoll said he was approached by Lakeport businessman Ron Campos and Stimmel in mid-February about having the city host the event.
Since then, Knoll said he's had meetings with other county agencies, the Lakeport Regional, law enforcement, and the Lakeport Main Street Association to discuss the idea.
Knoll said he thought the idea should be given a fair chance. "That's part of what we're doing tonight," he said.
Knoll said he believes if the event is held in Lakeport, it "needs to take on a different flavor," and reflect Lakeport's nature and character.
That could include making it an alcohol-free, family-oriented event, said Knoll.
"We're still looking at it," said Knoll. "We haven't made a decision."
Financing options for the event, said Knoll, include offering free admission, with the county and city paying for the event; having the business community, through sponsorships and gifting, pay for it; donations from vendor sales; or a gated event, with entry fees helping cover the costs.
Originally, Knoll said, he favored an open event, but now he's leaning more toward the gated approach.
Knoll said the extreme sporting event, which includes wakeboarding, surfing, skiing, motocross and skydiving, has been identified as America's premier sports and lifestyle event.
The events on the lake would be to the east of Library Park, near Fourth and Fifth streets, said Knoll, with street events held on Park Street between First and Second streets.
The event would take place Aug. 16-19, he said. Total attendance is estimated at 9,000 visitors, said Knoll, with Stimmel adding that the heaviest day, Saturday, Aug. 18, is likely to attract 5,000 to 7,000 visitors.
Knoll said the estimated economic impact on the area is between $3 million and $4 million, with 100-percent hotel occupancy within 60 miles, and business for local shops and restaurants.
The event could also enhance the reputation of Lakeport and Lake County as premier vacation destinations, said Knoll.
Most residents who spoke seemed open to the idea of the event, as long as the alcohol issue was controlled.
Retired Lakeport Police Chief Tom Engstrom asked how they planned to control thousands of people coming through Library Park with only 14 Lakeport Police officers. Engstrom added that the event was a "law enforcement nightmare" for Konocti Harbor.
"I think the real answer is, we're not sure," replied Engstrom's successor, Police Chief Kevin Burke.
Burke said he wants to see an alcohol-free event, because he believes that will reduce problems.
"It's a real challenge for law enforcement, and it would be a great challenge for us," he said.
Burke said other local law enforcement agencies have pledged to work the event as part of a team effort. He also said he wanted to see the promoter provide trained, bonded security in addition to the police presence.
Burke added that he can't guarantee that he can keep alcohol out.
Sheriff Rod Mitchell, asked to speak about his past experiences with the event, started by stating that his department neither opposes nor endorses BoardStock.
Mitchell said he wasn't asked by Konocti Harbor to provide additional patrol staff, but he said he did so anyway, because he believed it was important to "prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
His department incurred $53,127.40 in additional expenses over the three-day event, Mitchell reported. Of that amount, $38,800 came in relation to additional patrol and overtime. Total staff time in the patrol division, he said, was 543 hours, which doesn't include time from other local agencies, including Lakeport and Clearlake Police, California Highway Patrol, State Parks and State Parole officers.
In addition, law enforcement agencies in Sutter, Sonoma, Sacramento, Amador, Butte, El Dorado and Mendocino counties sent officers and deputies to help, Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he didn't reduce patrol in other areas of the county to cover BoardStock. He said he had 10 deputies working at all times during the event.
Neither the promoter nor Konocti Harbor paid for those expenses, said Mitchell, and he can't bill them because no previous agreement for such payment was made.
LCSO arrested nine minors and 23 adults, said Mitchell, numbers which, again, don't take into account arrests by other agencies.
Mitchell agreed with Burke, that having an alcohol-free event would remove some of the issues.
He said he has told Burke he'll help with covering the event. "None of us operate in a vacuum here in Lake County."
BoardStock in Lakeport could be akin to July 4th, Mitchell guessed, which Engstrom said usually drew 3,000 to 5,000 people.
Roy Disney, co-owner of Disney's Water Sports, was the last member of the public to speak at the meeting. Disney said he's opposed to the event on many fronts, and it's a sentiment he said is held by other businesses and community residents.
Alcohol and boating don't mix, he said. "We do not need this event.”
He added that it's not likely to be a family event, even if brought to Lakeport, because it hasn't been geared toward families in the past.
During the City Council's meeting later that evening, council members suggested they would like to have another public meeting to take comments in the coming weeks.
The council itself is expected to make a decision on BoardStock on March 20.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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