LAKEPORT, Calif. – Thanks to a Tuesday decision by the Board of Supervisors, it’s full speed ahead for a sprint boat race event planned for this June on Clear Lake.

The board voted to approve the appeal by Clear Lake Motorsports Enterprises of Sheriff Brian Martin’s denial of the application for the Lakeport Sprint Boat Grand Prix in Lakeport on June 2 to 4, and also approved an encroachment permit to close a portion of the race for the lake.

Supervisor Moke Simon recused himself from the discussion. Simon, who also is tribal chair of the Middletown Rancheria, said the tribe’s Twin Pine Casino is an event sponsor.

The Lakeport City Council had given its approval to the event in February, including a discounted cost for the additional hours needed for police and the city’s Public Works staff, as Lake County News has reported.

However, in April 5 letter, Sheriff Martin informed event promoter Jack Long that he needed to apply to the sheriff’s office for the permit, as that agency holds jurisdiction over such boat races according to a 1966 ordinance.

In the letter, Martin said he still didn’t have a written application from Long but said he would treat information he’d given as part of a verbal application for a permit.

Martin then went on to deny permission for the race based on the high potential for liability claims. However, he encouraged Long to appeal the decision to the board because he felt it would be a positive event for the county. Martin said he also believed that the decision to permit such an event “would most appropriately come from the Board of Supervisors, and not the Sheriff.”

When the matter was first brought to the board at its meeting last week, Martin said he had added several conditions for approval, including funding to cover several sheriff’s office staff during the event.

No decision was made at the April 18 meeting due to the need to settle the matter of extra insurance that the county was asking of the promoter.

County Counsel Anita Grant said Alliant Insurance Co. –  the underwriter for the excess insurance authority, the risk sharing pool to which the county belongs – recommended a minimum $10 million in coverage for the event.

At that point, the promoter had $1 million in insurance per occurrence and $5 million in the aggregate, and had raised it to $5 million per occurrence and $9 million in the aggregate. Grant also recommended an indemnification agreement from the promoter releasing the county from liability.

Ross Wallach of the Southern California Speedboat Club/RPM Racing, who is working with Long as a promoter, spoke to the board by teleconference and told them that the $5 million aggregate is what they use at their events. “I’ve never heard of a $10 million policy.”

The board held the matter over until this week, which gave the promoters time to meet with department heads to work out the details.

Water Resources Director Phil Moy told the board at Tuesday’s meeting that after the April 18 meeting, the interested parties – the city of Lakeport, Lakeport Fire Protection District, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, County Counsel’s Office, Water Resources and Lakeport Police – met with Long.

“One of the primary issues of concern was the amount of insurance that was going to be provided by Mr. Long and his supporting company,” said Moy, adding that they also came up with a permit and conditions.

Grant told the board on Tuesday that she had insurance certificates from the promoter totaling $5 million per occurrence and $9 million in the aggregate.

While less than what had been recommended to the county, Grant said that earlier that morning the county had executed an indemnification and hold harmless agreement with the promoters. She said the important thing was not to have Lake County residents insure the event’s safety.

She said Sheriff Martin continued to ask for reimbursement to cover staff – the marine patrol sergeant, land patrol deputy and public safety dispatcher – plus boat operations costs for a total of $4,167.52. Martin also wanted a $1,000 deposit with the balance due 30 days after the event concludes.

Long said he believed they had met all the requirements from the departments. He said that meeting with the various agencies was very positive, and one he wished he had had earlier.

He said he believes the event will be a great one, and he thanked everyone who has supported him in putting it together.

“I’m glad it all worked out, or it looks like it’s going to, anyway,” said Supervisor Rob Brown, adding that it’s a miracle that it’s happening at the last minute. As such, he suggested the county needed to draft a policy to be prepared for future events.

Grant said the county has a permit process for closing roads for events that could be a model for such a policy. “It’s a very effective process that’s in existence,” she said, and one the board may want to consider developing countywide for any event. “Doing it at the last minute is always less advantageous to the county.”

Long said there had been delays in following procedures due to a number of issues, including this year’s flooding. He thanked everyone for working with them. “If we can just get to the event, we’re ready to go.”

Brown said the concerns weren’t isolated to Long’s event. “I would like to see more events like this, but in order to have more events like that we need to establish a policy.”

What started it was that the sheriff had concerns about an ordinance that governs boat races from the 1960s, Brown noted. “It’s time to probably dust it off and look at it again.”

Board Chair Jeff Smith suggested that, hopefully, Long already was planning for a 2018 event.

Long indicated that was the case. “We are contemplating doing two events next year, and it won’t be near the short lead time we had this time,” he said.

Supervisor Tina Scott moved to grant the appeal with the modified conditions recommended by Grant, and also moved to approve the closure for the area of the lake where the race will take place and the accompany encroachment permit, with both motions approved 4-0.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at http://www.sprintboatgrandprix.com/tickets/ .

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.