LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Despite a year that saw Lower Lake devastated by fire, residents of the town had reason to celebrate on Sunday as officials and organizations came together to present the gift of a community-wide party.

State Sen. Mike McGuire headed up the efforts that resulted in the “Christmas in Lower Lake” event at the Brick Hall, which has served as a key gathering point for fire survivors.

The Clayton fire tore through Lower Lake in August, destroying 300 structures – about 200 of them homes – and burning more than 3,900 acres.

It burned historic structures – the Lower Lake United Methodist Church, the old fire station, old Victorian homes – as well as a large area of the downtown business district, with the Tuscan Village and Terrill Cellars, Pioneer Realty and Habitat for Humanity among the businesses and organizations that were hit.

The hard-hit areas of the town are now close to being cleaned up, and while the damage is still visible a few blocks away from the Brick Hall, the Sunday gathering was festive and upbeat, with the atmosphere less one of looking back than moving ahead.

The hall was decked out in holiday decorations and Christmas lights. Hundreds of people crowded into the building to enjoy lunch and numerous offerings including an appearance by Santa Claus and gifts for the children.

Initial estimates of attendance put it at well over 200 people, with possibly many more having taken part as people came and went during the late morning and early afternoon.

Also making an appearance was Lightning, the mini horse who was burned in the fire and spent time in the care of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

One of the main attractions on Sunday was the visit from Santa Claus, with children lined up to spend a few minutes with him, letting him in on their Christmas wishes and having their photo taken with him.

Santa was assisted in handing out toys by a robust group of helpers that included the Lower Lake High School cheerleading squad and the Kelseyville High School wrestling team. The high schoolers also helped with set up and clean up, and served food.

The wrestling team also announced that it was making a donation to Lower Lake High School.

Children who lost their homes each received a new pair of pajamas, a toy, a Christmas ornament, a $250 gift card to make their own purchases, and a book, said McGuire.

The selection of books included everything from Star Wars topics to classics by Roald Dahl, the Nancy Drew mysteries, and Beverly Clearly – the latter known for her characters including Ramona, Beezus and Ribsy.

Adults got to leave with goodies including See's Candies, raffle prizes and happy children.

The gifts, books and clothes were purchased from the Lake County Fire Victims Fund that is a result of the partnership between McGuire, Redwood Credit Union and the Press Democrat, McGuire said.

Lisa Rogers, a teacher at Lower Lake Elementary, headed up the ornament drive. She said she put out boxes for donations at nine area businesses and as a result collected hundreds of ornaments.

McGuire said there was a total of $2,500 donated in goods and gift cards from local merchants for the raffle at Sunday's event.

Additionally, Pasta King of Santa Rosa – which had previously donated food for Valley fire survivors – once again stepped up to help Lake County, McGuire said.

Pasta King's owner, Art Ibleto, now 90 – and known for his humanitarian efforts not just for those on the North Coast but as far away as Nepal – called up McGuire and told him he wanted to provide the meal at Sunday's event. Ibleto even was on hand Sunday.

The event was great, said Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown, who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus and just happened to show up after Saint Nick left the building.

District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock also lauded the event, calling it “fantastic.”

“It's been a really tough year,” said McGuire, who partnered with Redwood Credit Union and the Press Democrat to present the Sunday celebration. “People are still not back in their homes.”

Just how long rebuilding the community might take is anyone's guess, but the debris cleanup – the first step for many in the process of going home – is now in its final weeks, and McGuire said it's scheduled to be completed by Christmas.

McGuire said he was grateful that people came out and attended the event, which he said was meant to offer a break in thinking about what the community has been through this year.

And with the holiday season now here, “We wanted to be able to provide some normalcy for the community,” McGuire said.

With McGuire at the event was Brett Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Redwood Credit Union.

Before the wildfires hit Lake County last year, Redwood Credit Union was accustomed to being a donation site for disasters elsewhere in the country.

But the Valley fire, which began on Sept. 12, 2015, “changed everything,” Martinez said.

He said the night the fire broke out, he got a call from McGuire, and from that point on the credit union got to work actively collecting donations for Valley fire – and later Clayton fire – recovery.

To date, the fire relief fund has received $2.5 million in donations for the Valley fire from 12,000 donors all over the United States, Martinez said.

“There's a lot of people thinking about this community,” said Martinez.

For the Clayton fire, Martinez said about 700 donors have contributed more than $260,000, with funds still coming in but slowing down. The largest single donor, contributing $100,000, was the Sonoma County-based Kendall-Jackson Wines, which got its start in Lake County.

Those funds are being put to work in a variety of ways, in addition to efforts like the Sunday event.

Redwood Credit Union reported that more than $130,000 has been disbursed to fire victims to support their post-fire needs. That includes everyone who lost a home receiving a $1,000 check, McGuire said.

A total of $19,600 in the form of gift cards for the replacement of clothes and school supplies has been distributed to students, teachers and school employees who lost homes in the fire, it was reported on Sunday.

Additionally, McGuire said $20,000 was provided for Lower Lake business recovery grants, which are available through the Lake Area Rotary Club Association.

The credit union reported that still more assistance is planned.

Another way the money will benefit the community is through a donation to the Lake County Fire Protection District of between $32,000 and $35,000, which McGuire said will be used for new turnouts for firefighters, who had been using old Cal Fire gear.

Martinez said his board had just voted on that donation last week, and Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta said he got the word of the donation Sunday morning.

Sapeta said the funds will be used to buy 20 new turnouts, which is the personal protective gear worn by firefighters when they're at work.

Such gear is both critically important and extremely expensive. Sapeta said turnouts for fighting structure fires are about $1,000 per set, while those used for wildland fires are $3,500 per set.

With Sapeta explaining that he has 22 paid staff and 25 volunteers – who cover a 165-square-mile district and respond to 5,000 calls annually – providing such equipment in the course of the critical task of firefighting quickly adds up.

It's recommended that turnouts be replaced every five years, but Sapeta said if his department can replace them every 10 years, they're doing good.

He said the donation from the fire fund is particularly good news in light of the fact that the district expects to lose significant property tax revenue for at least two to three years as the rebuilding process takes place and property values recover.

“Finances are tough,” he said.

While the fire season appears to be over, Sapeta said they don't consider there to be an end to the work of firefighting, which even with wetter, cooler conditions remains a year-round effort. Rather, he said they call this time of year “winter preparedness.”

On the recovery side, Comstock said the work in the Clayton fire area is moving quickly thanks, in part, to the fact that the county gained experience in dealing with the Valley fire last year and so knew how to get under way as quickly as possible.

With the Community Development Department preparing to roll out a new software system for permitting, Comstock is hopeful that the county will be better able to facilitate the rebuilding process.

He said that, anecdotally, he's getting feedback from community members that leads him to conclude that Clayton fire survivors are planning to rebuild at an even higher rate than their counterparts impacted by the Valley fire.

“I feel very confident that Lower Lake is going to rebuild,” said Comstock, who retires from his seat at the end of this year.

He added, in talking about Lower Lake community members, “They're resilient,” and getting back on their feet.

Lake County's hard-earned experience in dealing with wildland fires also is being shared across the country in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Since Nov. 23, the Gatlinburg area has been devastated by fires that killed 14 people, injured 100 others, destroyed or damaged more than 1,600 structures, burned nearly 18,000 acres and led to the evacuations of thousands of people, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Tennessee media outlets.

Sapeta said his heart goes out to the Tennessee residents who have been hit so hard by the fires, and haven't seen anything like them before.

Brown said he has been in contact with Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters and a journalist in that area and is offering advice and guidance based on what he has learned in dealing with Lake County's fires.

In the midst of tragedy, however, communities pull together, and neighbors help each other. That's what Lake County has seen, and what the hard-hit Tennessee communities are reporting as well.

And then there are the precious signs of hope for the future that shine forth at the Christmas season.

On Sunday afternoon, as a tiny girl stood nearby – wearing a headband with Santas on it, holding her dad's hand and clutching in her other small hand a gift she'd received at the Christmas event – Martinez pointed at her and said, with a smile, “That's what it's all about.”

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.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors is set to hear an appeal this week of planning commission approvals regarding an environmental impact report and permits for a new vineyard and winery project near Middletown.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm . Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

At 10 a.m., the board will hold a public hearing on the appeals by HVL Watershed of the Lake County Planning Commission's certification of an environmental impact report, adoption of water supply assessment, a major use permit and grading permit for the vineyard project, located at 15015, 15087, 15373, 15375, 15591, 15663 and 15807 Spruce Grove Road.

Florida attorney Robert Bowling, who owns Wild Diamond Vineyards LLC, is proposing to develop 80 new acres of vineyards for a total of 148 acres of vineyard. He also wants to build a 17,850-square foot winery that would produce up to 52,800 cases of wine per year.

Other aspects of the project include a 11,340-square-foot tasting room with commercial kitchen and retail sales, and self-guided interpretive center with up to 35 special events a year in the plans.

The appeals question what's known about the area's geology and impacts on the aquifer, and the fact that a hydrologist didn't write the water quality conditions of approval for the use permit.

Also on Tuesday, at 10:15 a.m. the board will consider an appeal of the planning commission's approval of a mitigated negative declaration and major use permit to allow a large animal kennel at 11767 Candy Lane in Lower Lake.

In other business, in an item continued from Nov. 22, the board will consider adopting a special resolution establishing policies to facilitate the rebuilding effort in Anderson Springs.

The board also will consider continuing proclamations of local emergencies due to the wildland fires.

The full agenda follows.

CONTRACT CHANGE ORDERS

6.1: Consideration of approval of Contract Change Order No. 1 for Lake County Fire Damage Sign Replacement Project, Bid No. 15-16, to update the project special provisions with no change in contract amount; and authorize chair to sign.

6.2: Consideration of approval of Contract Change Order No. 2 for Lake County Fire Damage Sign Replacement Project, Bid No. 15-16, for an increase of $1,517.55 and a new contract amount of $107,457.03; and authorize chair to sign.

CONSENT AGENDA

7.1: Approve amended Golden State Finance Authority agreement for Residence Emergency Disaster Assistance Program Member County: Lake.

7.2: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2016-174 Pertaining to Tax Revenue Exchange for Annexation to County Service Area No.2 – Spring Valley Water System (Annexation – LAFCO Project # 2016-02).

7.3: Adopt resolution pertaining to tax revenue exchange for annexation to Callayomi County Water District (Annexation – LAFCO Project # 2016-03).

7.4: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, per Ordinance #3043, Purchasing Code 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Milhous Children’s Services for Specialty Mental Health Services for fiscal year 2016-17 for a contract maximum of $55,000 and authorize the chair to sign the amendment.     

7.5: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, per Ordinance #3043, Purchasing Code 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services for Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital Services for fiscal year 2016-17 for a contract maximum of $33,429.38 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

7.6: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, per Ordinance #3043, Purchasing Code 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Catholic Charities for Specialty Mental Health Services provided at St. Vincent School for Boy’s for Fiscal Year 2016-17 for a contract maximum of $85,000 and authorize the chair sign the amendment.     

7.7: Adopt resolution approving and accepting final parcel map for Bridges parcel map PM 14-04.

7.8: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2016-145 establishing new classifications and position allocations for fiscal year 2016-17 to conform to the adopted budget for Budget Unit 2201, Sheriff/Coroner.

7.9: Approve appointment of Tavi Granger as interim program manager for Adult Services.

TIMED ITEMS

8.2, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of continuation of a proclamation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer.

8.3, 9:16 a.m.: Consideration of continuation of a proclamation of a declaration of a local emergency due to wildfire conditions, pertaining to the Rocky, Jerusalem and Valley fires.

8.4, 9:17 a.m.: Consideration of continuation of a proclamation of a declaration of a local emergency due to Clayton fire.

8.5, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation by North Coast Opportunities regarding its food- and health-related programs in Lake County with a report on current projects.     

8.6, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of appeal (AB 16-04) of Planning Commission's certification of environmental impact report and adoption of water supply assessment (SCH# 2016022084), and appeal (AB 16-08) of Planning Commission's approval of major use permit (UP 16-02) and grading permit (GP 16-029) for Wild Diamond Vineyards; project location 15015, 15087, 15373, 15375, 15591, 15663 and 15807 Spruce Grove Road (APNs 013-060-04, 07, 09, 10, 11 & 12); appellant is HVL Watershed.

8.7, 10:15 a.m.: Public hearing, continued from Nov. 22, consideration of appeal (AB 16-05) of the Planning Commission's approval of a mitigated negative declaration based on initial study (IS 15-35) and major use permit (UP 15-16) to allow a large animal kennel on property located at 11767 Candy Lane, Lower Lake (APN 122-032-24); project applicant is Blythe Lucero.

UNTIMED ITEMS

9.2: Informational report by county administrative officer on securing a consultant to support the Behavioral Health Department.

9.3: Consideration of an ordinance establishing Article XXVIII in Chapter 2 of the county code providing the authority and procedures for adopting and administering a master fee schedule.

9.4: Continued from Nov. 22, consideration of adopting resolution pertaining to rebuilding of Anderson Springs.

9.5: Second reading, consideration of an ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the Lake County Code and adopting by reference the 2016 California Building Standards Code, known as the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Parts 1 through 6, 8 through 12, incorporating the 2016 Edition of the California Building Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Residential Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Electrical Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Plumbing Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Mechanical Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Green Building Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Energy Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Fire Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Administrative Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Historical Building Code; the 2016 Edition of the California Existing Building Code; the 2015 Edition of the International Property Maintenance Code; and the 2015 Edition of the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code.          

9.6: Consideration of a resolution for an exception to the 180-Day wait period pursuant to Government Code sections 7522.56 and 21224 for Mark Dellinger.

9.7: Consideration of a second amendment to the agreement with Porter Scott for specialized legal services in connection with Lakeside Heights HOA, el al. v. County of Lake, et al.   

9.8: Consideration of approval of side letters with all bargaining groups and amendments to management and confidential A and B resolutions related to the payment of county sponsored basic life insurance and opt out provisions for the 2017 plan year and authorize the board chair to sign all.   

9.9: Consideration of delegating authority to the Human Resources director to take whatever steps are necessary to amend the flexible spending account and the health savings account agreements to reflect maximum contributions consistent with those allowed by the IRS for that plan year.          

9.10: Consideration of conceptual approval for the purchase of real property for the Lower Lake Parks maintenance shop.

9.11: Consideration of approval of the Department of Boating and Waterways 2017/18 application for financial aid in the amount of $370,829.57.

CLOSED SESSION

10.2: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interview and appointment of Water Resources director.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss new traffic control measures in a residential area where speed limits recently were raised in accordance with state law.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen and acting Public Works Director Doug Grider will take the proposal for new roadway striping on 20th Street between Alden Avenue and Hartley Street to the council.

In November, after a public hearing and discussions at two separate meetings, the Lakeport City Council voted to raise the speed limit on 20th Street from 25 to 30 miles per hour, based on a speed survey that the state requires be completed if a jurisdiction intends to enforce speed limits with means such as radar, as Lake County News has reported.

Because of prevailing speeds on the road, the speed limit should have been raised higher, to 35 miles per hour, but traffic engineer Phil Dow was able to roll it back to 30 miles per hour using the limited discretion he has under state law.

Neighborhood residents voiced their opposition to the speed limit increase. In turn, Rasmussen pledged to increase traffic enforcement in the area, with a number of traffic stops reported in that corridor since the speed limit was raised.

“Since the public hearing, the police department has developed a traffic enforcement plan for the area and has released public education materials,” said Rasmussen and Grider in their report. “Additionally, the Police, Community Development, City Engineer and Public Works Departments have met to discuss traffic control measures. Based on our review of the situation, we believe that the most effective and affordable traffic control option is to stripe the street with white fog lines 8 feet out from each curb and add a double yellow center line, including raised traffic dots, which would narrow the travel lanes to approximately 12 feet wide. This is expected to create a visual narrowing effect and cause drivers to reduce speed.”

They said that staffers believe that without the proposed striping, it will be more difficult and take longer to reduce the speeds in the area. That's important, because speed limits are determined based on the 85th percentile speed that's recorded during the speed surveys.

Rasmussen and Grider are asking the council to authorize staff to begin working on the roadway striping project, with costs not to exceed $10,000.

In other business, the council will hold a public hearing to award a bid to Leete Generators in the amount of $65,931 for the procurement of two trailer mounted generators. The action will include authorizing the city manager to sign the purchase contracts, with the fiscal year 2016-17 budget for Fund 601 to be amended in the amount of $65,931.

The council also is expected to authorize an amendment in the Public Works budget's Fund 110 in the amount of $45,000 to correct for an error, and will consider appointing a member to the board of directors for the county's cable access television station.

Also on Tuesday, Grider will present new employees Chris Pion and Larry Meldrum, and Jack Long will make a presentation on a proposed Lakeport sprintboat event.

On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular Lakeport City Council meeting on Nov. 15; Application No. 2016-029 with staff recommendations for the Lady of Guadalupe Walk on December 12, 2016.

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.

120616 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting next week to discuss a proposal to install a cell phone tower on school grounds next to the district office.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Kelseyville High School Student Center, 5480 Main St.

District Superintendent Dave McQueen said no action will be taken at the meeting, the main purpose of which is to welcome public input.

McQueen said Verizon and US Cellular approached the school district about two months ago to propose the placement of the tower at the campus.

Earlier this fall, the board received a preliminary presentation from the companies on the proposal. McQueen said at that point the companies wanted to gauge the district's interest in hearing more about the idea.

The board, as a result, decided it wanted more information from the companies as well as community comment, said McQueen.

“We're just at the stage of getting input,” said McQueen.

In addition to putting out public notices about the meeting, the district also has sent out letters to parents, McQueen said.

At the Dec. 6 meeting, McQueen said US Cellular and Verizon will offer additional data, including information to answer any concerns about health impacts, which McQueen acknowledged is a big issue when considering such a proposal.

McQueen said that, in his research, he's found that hundreds of school districts around the state have cell towers located on their grounds.

The district's legal counsel also has looked at the proposal, which McQueen said would have both companies locating their cell equipment on one tower near the district office, at the corner of Main Street and Konocti Road.

If the district moved forward with the plan, it would result in a lease agreement that McQueen estimated would bring in about $2,400 a month to the district – $1,200 from each company – for 20 years.

Annual rental income would be about $40,000, “which is pretty significant,” said McQueen.

If the community and district were to agree that the proposal was a good fit, it is anticipated that it could resolve a controversy that has arisen over Verizon's proposal to place a cell tower on a 17-acre parcel on Staheli Drive in Kelseyville.

Verizon said the site was the best one to locate a tower to address a coverage gap in the area.

The majority of neighbors, however, have argued that the tower would not be a fit in a mostly residential and agricultural area.

The Lake County Planning Commission agreed and denied the proposal for the Staheli Drive tower earlier this year, with Epic Wireless – acting on behalf of Verizon – appealing the decision.

The Board of Supervisors received public input on the appeal at meetings over the summer, as Lake County News has reported.

However, in September, when the board was set to take up the matter again, Board Chair Rob Brown said he was contacted by Kelseyville Unified about the possibility of placing a cell tower on its grounds.

At that point, with the agreement of Verizon, Brown placed the matter on hold to allow the district to further explore the idea.

He told Lake County News this week that the Board of Supervisors is continuing to hold off on discussing the matter further pending the school district's review. The board wants to see what the district will do before pursuing any action, he added.

Finding a site that will address all of the concerns – from neighbor complaints to topography – has been a challenge for Verizon.

McQueen noted that Kelseyville is unique in that there is no one spot for a tower that hits the whole area unless it's in the main part of town.

That is one reason why the school grounds might work, as McQueen believes from that location much of the town could be reached by the signal.

However, whatever the pluses or minuses, McQueen said the district wants to take its time in assessing everyone's thoughts and concerns.

“We're in no hurry,” he said, nor is the district at the decision-making stage.

If any action is taken, McQueen said it likely wouldn't happen until early in the new year, after the public and board have had a chance to fully discuss the idea.

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.

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.