CLEARLAKE – The Clearlake City Council decided Thursday to make more repairs to the city's skate park in light of new damage, and will refund a city rental fee to a family whose daughter was murdered.
The council also gave the children and teens who use the skate park a stern warning that they need to take better care of the park and follow safety rules unless they want to lose the facility.
City Administrator Dale Neiman told the council the park has been closed about two weeks, since it was discovered that three sheets of new surfacing materials were needed.
City officials also discovered that the understructures for the ramps are not strong enough, which is another reason the facility continues to have repair issues, said Neiman.
He estimated materials for repairing the park will cost between $2,900 and $3,300, plus about $2,700 in staff time.
The park was built with only a five- to 10-year lifespan, said Neiman, and the city can expect repairs to continue unless they decide to build a better park. That would require a cement structure, at a cost of about $35,000, but would require little maintenance.
Neiman also was concerned that BMX bikes are doing much of the damage to the park, saying the lifespan for the surface materials are six to eight years for skateboards and about half of that for bikes.
He suggested the council put aside some money to being a fundraising effort for a permanent, cement structure.
The council seemed open to that idea of taking short-term and long-term action to improve the park, but many of the council members also were concerned that some park users still weren't following the rules and, in a way, disrespecting the city's efforts to keep the park open.
"The kids have to do their part," said Council member Judy Thein. "You have to abide by the rules."
Michele Bush, parent of a BMX rider and skateboarder, as well as a member of the skate park committee, told the council she believes when the park is eventually reopened, they'll see more adherence to the rules.
The park is important to area children, she said. Since the park has been closed, they've had nowhere to go.
Bush lined up a ramp building expert from Petaluma who she said was willing to come take a look at the park and see about improving the structure. She said the builder told her that if the structure was built correctly, it shouldn't break down.
"The bikes are not the issue," she said. "It's the way the ramps are built."
Neiman said he would have city staff coordinate with the builder to give him access to the park.
Ken Savin, another adult member of the skate park committee, said a Redbud Community Hospital committee that makes grants to community groups has offered $5,000 for a shade structure for the park. He's now asking them to consider allowing some of that money to be used for repairs, with an answer to that request expected next month.
Vice Mayor Chuck Leonard said he wanted to see the park repaired and eventually improved, and Council member Joyce Overton agreed.
Councilman Roy Simons, however, said he was worried about the city's budget constraints. "I don't think we can afford to keep on repairing this thing," he said. "I don't think we can afford to build it properly."
Once repaired, the park will again be closed temporarily if park violations continue, council members said.
Overton told the 17 teens and children in the audience that they needed to take care of the park. "Take pride in what you're getting here."
Mayor Curt Giambruno told the teens that Savin and Bush have continued to try to keep the park open for them, despite rule violations. "You guys have slapped them in the face more than once, and it's not right, not right at all."
The council reached consensus to make the repairs, and gave Neiman direction to move forward.
Tense discussion over funeral expenses
The council was more divided over another issue, that of reimbursing a family for the costs for renting the city's senior center for a funeral.
The family of 17-year-old Heather Valdez, who was stabbed to death earlier this month, held her memorial service at the senior center on June 14.
The city only charged $137 for the facility, the nonprofit rate, which was granted under the use of Carlé High School's nonprofit number.
Jones and Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel General Manager Karen Karnatz made the request to the city for reimbursement of the $137 fee on behalf of the Valdez family.
Leonard asked Karnatz about why the request was being made to refund the money after the city already had cut the fee in half.
Karnatz said the funeral home also reduced its charges to help the family, which has a total of four children and is facing hardships.
"This is a different request than we've ever had before," said Thein.
She suggested the city could help the community heal by the gesture of giving the money back.
Overton said she didn't feel this was something the city could do. She told Karnatz if the funeral home would waive the fees she would help pay back the $137.
She said the issue was one of making a gift of public funds. That topic had led to a heated discussion at the council's meeting two weeks ago when Thein had questioned giving support to a fishing derby for children because it had appeared to be a gift of funds to a private business. In that case, the situation was worked out because the fundraiser was for the nonprofit Lake County Community Action Agency.
Giving funds to private individuals, even for a good cause, was problematic for Overton and Leonard.
Thein asked Neiman if giving the money to the family could be done.
"I think if it was given through a nonprofit, it would be OK," said Neiman.
Leonard said giving the funds could result in a precedent.
Thein moved to approve the refund, which Giambruno seconded, saying he did so because he's compassionate.
That upset Leonard, who said Giambruno was acting like those disagreeing with the idea lacked compassion.
Overton agreed. "The point is, this isn't our money we're dealing with," she said.
Leonard also was concerned that Carlé High School had used its nonprofit number to get a discount for the family, which actually was paying for the facility rental.
"This is bad," he said, adding that he felt that was a misuse of the nonprofit discount.
Councilman Roy Simons sided with Thein and Giambruno. "I agree with Mr. Leonard to an extent, but my heart tells me different, I'm sorry."
Thein, Simons and Giambruno voted to give back the money, while Leonard and Overton voted no.
City clerk honored
During the meeting, Overton handed out special honors to City Clerk Melissa Swanson, who she had nominated for City Clerk of the Year honors.
While Swanson didn't win, she did receive an award for distinguished humanitarian from among city clerks in 500 cities across the state, which Overton said was for her charity work.
Overton presented Swanson with a bouquet of flowers and a certificate of special congressional recognition sent by Congressman Mike Thompson.
A tearful Swanson thanked the council and Overton. "I couldn't do it without the support of the council,” she said.
Tobacco program explained
Joy Swetnam of Lake Family Resource Center gave a presentation to the council on the Lake County Tobacco Control Program, which educates young people about the risks for tobacco use and its environmental impacts.
In their most recent survey of tobacco retailers, in which they send in teen decoys to attempt to buy tobacco products, Swetnam said they noticed a dramatic increase in sales to underage buyers.
Swetnam said they discovered that a phone tree was in place, where stores were warning each other about the sales, which had made them appear lower in the past. This year, they conducted surveys differently and found the sales went up.
She showed the council a plastic bag full of tobacco products purchased at Clearlake stores, from cigars and cigarettes to smokeless tobacco.
"The solution, we believe, is to look at some way of enforcement," Swetnam said.
In the months ahead, Swetnam said the group wants to meet with county opinion makers to discuss the adoption of local tobacco retailer licensing requirements, which are in place in 78 jurisdictions around the state.
Such a requirement could include a $250 annual retailers fee that would support law enforcement agencies enforcing tobacco sales laws, Swetnam said.
Temporary street closure approved, conflict of interest code to be reviewed
In other council news, members approved a temporary street closure of Austin Avenue from Lakeshore Drive to Uhl Avenue for the farmers' market on July 4, and Neiman gave a brief presentation on the city's risk management program.
The council also rejected a claim for $768.19 from Kelseyville resident Susan Frances. She was seeking the damages in order to replace her car's rear bumper, which was scratched when a police cruised rolled into it during a traffic stop. Because there was preexisting damage to the bumper, the city didn't believe it was responsible to pay for a new bumper.
The city's conflict of interest code also will be reviewed at council direction, which Neiman said is required every two years.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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