LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Local officials offered community members an update on aspects of the Clayton fire recovery process at the county's Long-Term Recovery Task Force meeting on Wednesday evening.

Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown, who led the half-hour meeting at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, said Wednesday's task force gathering was likely to be its last.

He explained to the small group in attendance that when the task force originally started meeting earlier this year in the wake of the Clayton fire, which swept through Lower Lake in August, it was meant to continue until the debris cleanup was completed.

Now, with that cleanup process in its final weeks, Brown said the task force was itself winding down, although another meeting could be held if needed.

He said there will be other community meetings will be held in the future to discuss other aspects of the recovery and rebuilding effort.

Along with Brown on Wednesday, Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski and Community Development Director Robert Massarelli were on hand to share the latest on the aspects of the recovery that their departments are handling.

Brown said one of the young men killed in a double-fatal crash in Upper Lake on Saturday worked on a cleanup crew, and several of the crews were attending his memorial service on Wednesday evening.

Ruminski said the cleanup activity around Lower Lake that's based out of the debris removal operations center – and led by CalRecycle, the state agency that also led the Valley fire cleanup – is getting ready to wrap up.

He said the state's consultants and crews are soon to begin demobilizing, with some crews to be released and others to continue working through next week.

By the end of next week, all of the lots are expected to be cleared, he said.

In the next few days, Ruminski said a state crew will go through the cleanup air to do erosion control work, including hydroseeding, the last step in the cleanup.

Besides that state-led cleanup, “The private contractors are mostly complete,” he said.

“There are about 14 lots where the owners have done nothing,” Ruminski said, adding that around mid-December the county will begin serving notices of nuisance abatement on those lots and mailing the notices to owners.

The next step, he said, is the rebuilding process.

That's where the Community Development Department comes in, said Massarelli.

In addition to the state-led cleanup, Massarelli said the county had issued 19 permits for private demolition, as well as 10 permits for temporary dwellings and power.

So far, Community Development has issued one permit to build a new single family dwelling in the fire area and three permits to repair fire-damaged homes. Altogether, about 300 structures burned, with just over 200 of them residences.

While it's a small number of permits, Massarelli said the delay was due to the demolition and cleanup.

“I would expect a month from now we'll see this start to pick up,” he said, adding that it should further accelerate once the construction season gets closer.

Massarelli said his staff understands that the complicated process of getting a building permit can be very confusing for community members, so they've created a step-by-step process to guide those seeking to rebuild.

Community Development also is going to be installing a new software system for permitting. Massarelli said that new system will help speed up the process and allow people to go online to check permit status.

He said an important step at the beginning of the rebuilding process is getting a zoning clearance, which will tell people what they can and can't build on their specific property, and is meant to save time and frustration.

In other fire-related news, Brown said it's anticipated that the state will award millions of dollars through its CalHome program to two county nonprofits helping with the rebuilding effort.

He said a total of $7.6 million is expected to be made available to Lake County through the CalHome program.

Originally, $2 million of that total amount was set aside for Calaveras County, which also has been hit by wildland fires. But Brown said no organizations in Calaveras County applied for it, so those funds were added to the help available for Valley and Clayton fire survivors.

He said Habitat for Humanity Lake County applied for $2.6 million and Hammers for Hope sought $5.6 million, which totals $8.2 million, just slightly over the total funds available.

Brown, who is on the Hammers for Hope board, said he's asked for a meeting with Habitat for Humanity so they can work together.

Once the grant is formally awarded – which Brown said is likely to happen close to Christmas – a public meeting will be held to discuss it.

At Wednesday's meeting community members also were reminded about this Sunday's “Christmas in Lower Lake” event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Brick Hall.

The community celebration will include gifts for children who lost their homes in the Clayton fire. He said fire survivors are encouraged to come out to the event.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.