LAKE COUNTY – Both the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport have their eyes on state funding in order to continue needed road projects.

At its meeting Thursday, the Clearlake City Council approved an agreement with Coastland Civil Engineering of Santa Rosa to begin designing a road repair project that would take place this summer.

City Administrator Dale Neiman told the council that the state has allocated $3 million in State Transportation Improvement Project funds – called STIP for short – for Clearlake's project, which will address portions of Lakeshore Drive, Olympic Drive and Old Highway 53.

The council approved Neiman's suggestion to award the $76,240 bid to Coastland out of redevelopment funds until the state gives final approval on the $3 million.

"We'd like to do the work this summer," he said.

Having the funds allocated is the first step in what can be a lengthy process to fix local roads.

Once the engineering project is done on Clearlake's project, it will need to go to the Area Planning Council and then on to California Transportation Commission, which will give final approval on projects on May 22.

Having the design work completed by May 22 would mean the work could, in fact, be done this summer, Neiman said.

Mayor Judy Thein, who sits on the Area Planning Council, said she believes the project will move forward through the process and be approved. "I've got good feelings about it."

Even if, for some reason, the funds weren't awarded to the city this year, the design work would be completed for work to begin in the future, said Neiman.

Councilman Curt Giambruno noted that May 22 is his birthday, and the funds would be a nice birthday gift.

"Maybe the roads will last as long as you," quipped Councilman Chuck Leonard.

Lakeport plans project list

In Lakeport, City Engineer Scott Harter recently got a nice surprise.

While looking through the city's road funds, he came across $921,000 in unused STIP allocations.

Harter said former City Engineer Mike Stevenson, who Harter succeeded after his retirement, often saved up funds in order to do larger projects.

Stevenson squirreled away the funds to repair the city streets, said Harter, over a period of several years.

The STIP program, said Harter, awards funds every two years. In this case, the funds weren't earmarked for any particular projects.

The city has since received another $900,000 allocation in the form of a STIP augmentation, Harter said, which the state awarded from transportation bond measure funds which voters approved in November.

Harter said he and Public Works Superintendent Doug Grider are now working on a list of projects that they hope to bring to the City Council in May.

"We'll come up with some projects and some cost estimates and have them provide a ranking‚" Harter said.

There are plenty of important road projects around the city, said Harter, who didn't single out any in particular that will be listed.

STIP funding can't be used for maintenance, said Harter; rather, it's intended for rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.

Like Clearlake, Lakeport must go through a process to get approval for the funding.

"It's not money without strings," said Harter.

Once the City Council ranks the projects, a project study report must be sent to the Area Planning Council, said Harter.

The Area Planning Council must then approve it and include it in the Regional Transportation Improvement Program, a document that is used to identify transportation projects in the county. Harter said that document would then go to the California Transportation Commission for approval.

Because of the process involved, the money won't be available for projects this summer, said Harter.

The city does, however, have work planned for the summer construction season, including the South Main Street Project. That, said Harter, will involve digging out failed areas of pavement, repairing them with asphalt plugs, and then overlaying all of South Main Street.

The project, which Harter estimated would be completed this spring or in early summer, will stretch from the city limits north to Royal Avenue.

Harter said the city also has some chip seal projects that weren't completed last year that will take place this summer. Those projects, planned for six locations around the city, will be funded with Measure I funds.

Grider also has a crosswalk striping project planned, Harter added.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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