CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A project to turn a lakeside property into a new tourism visitor center and chamber of commerce headquarters is under way in the city of Clearlake.
The acre-and-a-half property is located at 14295 Lakeshore Drive, next to Highlands Park.
The city purchased the property for just over $207,000 in 2011, as Lake County News has reported.
The property has access to Clear Lake, and also has an older home.
A garage that had been located on the property was demolished week before last, according to city Public Works Director Doug Herren.
“I've been working on this for three years,” said Herren, who is glad to finally get under way.
The project is funded through an agreement between the county of Lake and the city of Clearlake for operation of a new visitor center, according to County Administrative Officer Matt Perry.
Altogether, the county of Lake has committed $100,000 to the project, Perry said, acknowledging the importance of providing information services in the county’s largest population center.
“They have a lot of visitors,” he said.
In 2013 District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith presented a check for $50,000 for the visitor center plan to the Clearlake City Council.
Perry said the remaining $50,000 is being disbursed as costs are incurred.
Herren and city staffer Lee Lambert are acting as the project managers, a move that Herren said is helping the city stretch its funds to cover the entire project.
Originally, the city considered tearing down the house that is on the property, but Herren said they ultimately decided to keep it.
“It's a neat looking house,” he said.
Herren said he wanted to keep it a community project. As such, he's using local contractors, and noted that “so many talented people” are helping.
“We're going to get a lot done,” Herren said.
He said that with the combined funds from the city and county, they will have more than enough to complete a good project and “do it right.”
Herren said the work will include turning the renovated house into a visitor center. It also will include a sidewalk, alarm system, 10 horseshoe pits and two bocce ball courts. Additionally, they are looking at putting a dock at the site.
With he and Lambert doing project manager duties, no wages are coming out of the project funds, “just material costs,” Herren said.
Now that the garage is down, Herren said they plan to move on to taking off the old house's roof as they begin the work of restoring it fully.
He said all of the paint inside of the house is lead-based, and there also is asbestos throughout.
Herren estimated that the visitor center portion of the project should be done in late June or early July.
As for the larger plan for the property, the scope of that is still being drawn up, with the city working to tie up loose ends on a grant to cover the design costs, Herren said.
He said it's hoped the park's scope will be fully determined by later this year.
“It's going to look neat,” Herren said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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