LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an amendment to the county's lease with Marymount California University for the Lucerne Castle that will allow the county to use more space in the historic building.

The county and Marymount California University, based in Southern California, have had a lease for the building – located at 3700 Country Club Drive – since October 2012.

The university opened its third campus in the building in 2013, which is now known as its Lakeside Campus.

Since then, the campus has hosted students seeking both bachelor's and master's degrees, and celebrated its first graduating class in May.

Under the lease terms, Marymount pays the county an amount equal to 50 percent of its net annual revenue generated through the campus for the building's use. The amount is not to be less than $85,000 nor more than $250,000 per year.

The Friends of Marymount California University also have held a distinguished speaker series this fall and last that drew hundreds of people and increased public interest in the unique venue.

However, the approximately 45,865-square-foot building has far more capacity than the university intends to use, which prompted a discussion between the university and the county about allowing the county more access to that unused space, according to County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.

Huchingson said that her staff had been working with Marymount since the summer on that lease update.

She said the new university administration, under the leadership since earlier this year of Dr. Lucas Lamadrid, has a “different set of priorities” and so asked if the county would be willing to participate in the local cost of operations.

That request came at around the time of the August Clayton fire, and while Huchingson said the county couldn't participate in the costs, it could do the amendment to allow for its own expanded use of the building.

Even so, the county has helped the university in other ways. Huchingson said the county has brought its own Internet to the building, which has allowed the university to access that service and save thousands of dollars.

She said amending the lease is a win-win, as it allows the county to take back unused portions of the building and lowers the university's utility bills.

Michelle Scully, the campus' former executive director who now is working on Huchingson's staff, said that when Marymount came to reside in the building, it underestimated how much space there would be.

“This amendment essentially addresses that,” she said.

Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked about costs to the county. Huchingson said the costs would primarily be for utilities, with the intention of having organizations and county departments populate the unused space and participate in covering the costs.

Scully said the amendment adjusts electrical costs to having Marymount bear 80 percent and the county 20 percent, with a similar breakdown for water and sewer. Based on numbers given at the meeting, the building's energy bill for nine quarters – or 27 months – was just under $46,000, which is an average of $1,700 a month.

The updated lease terms say the university's 80 percent of electricity cost will be billed at $1,362.75 per month, while its 80-percent share of the propane bill will cost $233 per month.

Farrington voiced concern that “priorities are shifting” at the university, and pointed to the county's substantial investments in the building. He said he had the sense the university was preparing to leave.

“This is really how the county can take it back and prepare for changes” if the university decides to pull out of the building, Huchingson said.

“Their priorities have changed and they've had financial hardships at their main campus, although this campus has done all right,” she said.

Huchingson said she wants Scully to look at other avenues for using the building for educational purposes.

Scully said the amendment was a great move forward to utilize space, adding that the public usage of the building has generated a lot of local interest.

She said that while she was executive director she had already been in contact with several entities about potential use of the building, and with the board's approval of the amended lease she was planning to move forward and flesh out those conversations.
 
Huchingson said that following a department head meeting at the building a month ago, there was a lot of interest from department heads who wanted to locate there. There also is interest from a group wanting to hold emergency responder training there.

“Staff felt really this is the best approach,” she said of the amendment to the lease.

Supervisor Jim Steele said he liked the idea of other entities moving in, and asked if the university had said why they weren't planning to use some of the floor space.

Scully said that, while she was still executive director, the university's leadership had indicated it wasn't in a position to explore expansion.

She said she's also been talking to the Mendocino College construction program about the buildout of residential spaces within the building.

Supervisor Jim Comstock asked if anybody was ready to move pretty quickly into the space. Scully said she was preparing to make contacts once the board approved the amendment in order to explore that.

“There has been some significant sustained interest from several entities,” said Scully.

Supervisor Jeff Smith moved to approve the amendment, which the board approved 5-0.

Asked for comment on the amendment and the university's plans, Lamadrid issued the following statement to Lake County News.

"The amendment is an adjustment that shows the collaborative relationship between Lake County and Marymount California University.  The county is helping the university with the temporary dip in enrollment and the presence of the county at the castle enhances the university. In the Spring the president and the provost plan on meeting with county leaders to share a new and exciting plan for MCU Lakeside which will expand the accessibility of the university throughout Lake and the surrounding counties,” he said.

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.