LAKE COUNTY – Approximately $18 million in projects that would benefit Lake County have been listed by Congressman Mike Thompson among his appropriations requests for the 2010 federal budget.
The list, released late last week, includes just over $308 million in total earmarks for the seven-county First Congressional District, which Thompson (D-St. Helena) represents.
“Most of our district's public organizations are struggling to fund projects which are critical to our local economies and the people of our district,” Thompson said in a brief message that accompanied the appropriations list.
“As economic conditions become more difficult, it is more important than ever that cities and counties get help for public projects that rebuild our roads and bridges, invest in research to protect our agricultural economy, provide flood protection, protect our environment, and rebuild our hospitals and health clinics,” he added.
All of the appropriations requests came from public entities and nonprofits throughout his district, Thompson noted.
In all, he received more than $1.2 billion in requests, but said he included only the district's most critical projects.
The largest single earmark in the entire list is $92 million to fund a flood control project on the Napa River, which also is proposed to receive several additional, smaller appropriations.
Thompson made $46.7 million in requests for agriculture-related research and projects, including $30 million for the US Department of Agriculture to work on containment and control of the glassy-winged sharpshooter and Pierce's disease, which are serious threats to the region's winegrape industry.
For salmon-related projects, Thompson made an additional $11.9 million in requests.
Thompson's home county of Napa came in with approximately $121.6 million in earmarks, the largest of any area in the First Congressional District, according to Lake County News research.
In Lake County, Thompson is seeking funds for a variety of projects.
The largest earmark is for $3.3 million to develop the park on Hammond Avenue in Nice.
Other appropriations for the county include a total of $7 million for sanitation-related projects, $2 million for the new Middletown Library, $1.5 million for the earthquake retrofit of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, $1.2 million for the Middle Creek restoration project, $1 million each for the Live Oak and Middletown senior centers, and $1 million for a proposed rehabilitation on the
Nice-Lucerne Cutoff.
Kelly Cox, Lake County's chief administrative officer, said the county requested all of the items. While the county didn't have any projects on Thompson's appropriations list last year, they're encouraged to make the cut this year.
All of the county's requested appropriations appeared on a list of federal priorities that the Board of Supervisors released in January.
While all of the requests are important, of special concern to the board are the wastewater system projects, particularly in Kelseyville, and Middle Creek's restoration, said Cox. “Those have long been the board's priorities.”
Many of the projects are shovel-ready, said Cox, such as the Live Oak Senior Center, the plans for which are being drawn. Hammond Park and the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum also are ready.
“That may be a large part of the reason why these projects made it on the list,” said Cox.
The $1.2 million requested for the Middle Creek restoration project would help identify a feasible project that would fix the substandard levee system and restore native habitat, according to Thompson's appropriations detail.
“It's the first hurdle. It's a big hurdle,” said Cox, adding that the entire Middle Creek project is “enormous.”
“This is the funding needed for another step,” he said.
The appropriations requests aren't a done deal. They must go through a lengthy process that winds its way through the House Appropriations Committee, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Lake County's appropriations requests will be divided up between four appropriations subcommittees – agriculture, energy and water, interior and environment, and transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
“I know that there's a long ways to go,” said Cox. “We can't assume that any of these will make it in the end.”
Thompson will visit Lake County Thursday morning to hold a round table discussion with the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
Board Chair Denise Rushing said this will be Thompson's opportunity to give the board an update on what's going on at the federal level. The board will reciprocate and bring Thompson up to speed on local issues.
The appropriations requests aren't on the agenda, although Cox said, “I'm sure that the federal stimulus package will be a topic of discussion.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
