Due to a scheduling conflict, the meeting has been moved to 1 p.m. on Monday, April 12, at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, according to the advisory board, which reported the change late Tuesday afternoon.

The advisory board held a special meeting on March 22 to discuss the handling of a horse neglect investigation involving Lake County Animal Care and Control Officer Terrie Flynn, as Lake County News has reported.

The group arrived at a consensus decision that Flynn, who recently became the daughter-in-law of Animal Care and Control Director Denise Johnson, had been treated differently because of her status as a county employee.

In early February Flynn was served with notices of violation for five of six horses she had in her possession, all of which initially were reported to be underweight and one of which was pregnant. She also had a stallion with a seriously injured penis that had not been seen by a vet. Another of the horses belonged to Johnson.

The injured stallion and another mare later were turned over to Rehorse Rescue of Jamestown, and the horse belonging to Johnson was returned to her.

Due to the severity of the stallion's injury, the rescue reported that a portion of his injured penis will have to be amputated.

When the group meets next Monday, it is expected to continue discussing the case and possibly recommend further investigation to the Board of Supervisors.

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The suit was filed Friday in Lake County Superior Court.

It challenges the Board of Supervisors' decision to certify the project's environmental impact report (EIR) and the project approval the board gave the project on March 2 in a 3-2 vote, with Supervisors Denise Rushing and Anthony Farrington voting no.

In the suit, the Sierra Club asks for a writ of mandate commanding the county to set aside its EIR certification and project approvals, and seeks a stay on entitlements as well as attorney's fees and costs.

“Cristallago has a number of serious environmental effects, the EIR was inadequate, and the economic benefits that have been promised are implausible,” said Victoria Brandon, speaking on behalf of the Sierra Club Lake Group.

“Worst of all, the project obviously violates our general plan, and by approving it the Board of Supervisors not only set a dangerous precedent, they disregarded state planning and zoning law,” she said.

Cristallago would be built on 860 acres along Hill and Scotts Valley roads in north Lakeport. Plans at this stage propose 650 homes, 325 resort units – including a hotel – plus an equestrian center, parks, a commercial development, conference center, spa and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course.

Matt Boeger, president of Cristallago Development Corp., said he was “disappointed by efforts of the local Sierra Club to stop a project that will bring so many positive benefits to Lake County,” including an estimated 670 new jobs when the county's unemployment rate is hovering close to 20 percent.

He said Cristallago also is expected to inject $50 million annually into the local economy, which he said will generate nearly $1 million annually for the county coffers and $1 million for the local schools in impact fees.

“This project would be a huge boost at a time when the county really needs it the most,” he said.

He said he and his group have worked hard to address every impact and make Cristallago the greenest project in the county's history. Boeger added that it's likely the greenest destination resort community of its kind in the entire country.

“Cristallago is a great project for Lake County,” he said. “It is the right project in the right place. In fact it is in the only place in Lake County that can support a project like this.”

The Sierra Club Lake Group contends that the county violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by certifying the EIR, which it said fails to adequately describe the project and its environmental settings, doesn't evaluate its impacts and future project approvals subject to CEQA, doesn't coordinate the environmental review, lacks adequate analysis and mitigation of impacts, fails to properly analyze the water supply and project alternatives, and the responses to comments in the draft EIR aren't adequate.

In addition, the suit alleges the county failed to recirculate the draft EIR and didn't make the required findings in relation to significant effects the EIR identified, and that the project is inconsistent with the general plan.

The suit stated that the county has “failed to proceed in the manner required by CEQA and the Planning and Zoning Law, and its actions approving the Project and certifying the EIR constitute a prejudicial abuse of discretion.”

Brandon said the Sierra Club took the action “to defend our Community Growth Boundaries, maintain our ability to guide future growth, and ward off destructive sprawl.”

The Sierra Club Lake Group's position paper on Cristallago said its environmental impacts will be “severe,” and will include disturbing a half million cubic yards of soil, much of which is asbestos-laden serpentine, and will demolish nearly 100 acres of oak woodlands.

The group contends that the impacts on air quality are likely to force the county out of compliance with state and federal standards. Other concerns include loss of rare plants and undiscovered archeological sites, increased traffic and impacts on water supply, possible sedimentation and sprawl.

The position paper stated that the EIR identified several significant and unavoidable impacts from Cristallago, which necessitated “findings of overriding considerations” by the Board of Supervisors.

The findings the board made “were entirely based on Cristallago’s supposed economic benefits,” which the group called “extremely implausible” based on less available investment, golf's nationwide decline and the removal of a dedicated marina facility from the plan.

“Given the shaky financial condition of the developers and the unimaginative, financially implausible characteristics of the project, rather than becoming an economic engine for Lake County, Cristallago will most probably become one of our many paper subdivisions,” the document said.

Boeger explained that the Lake County Planning Department “has proceeded with this project application using the utmost caution and due process.”

He said the EIR report itself took over three years and $1 million to complete, and the project has undergone at least seven public hearings.

Boeger said Cristallago fully mitigates all of the environmental impacts, and there are no endangered plants or animals on the site.

All infrastructure issues have been dealt with to the satisfaction of the Lake County department heads and every interested party had the opportunity to voice their opinions in front of the Lake County policy makers, he said.

“Unfortunately, the local Sierra Club is no longer interested in being a constructive part of the county process,” he said. “They are only interested in closing the doors in Lake County to economic development and job creation, in spite of the vote of the duly elected representatives of the people of Lake County.”

Boeger said the issue really comes down to who should control the land use process in the county – the citizens who elect the board or the Sierra Club and its attorneys.

“I hope a number of the 70,000 citizens of Lake County will stand up and tell the 300 members of the local Sierra Club that Lake County belongs to them and no one else,” he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The council will hold a 5 p.m. workshop and public hearing to solicit citizen input on the 2010-11 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, with the regular meeting to follow at 6 p.m. at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

Staff reports for the meeting can be downloaded at www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/docs.aspx?deptID=88&catID=102 .

Silveira, who most recently served as Gustine's city manager, has been chosen as the third city manager for the city of Lakeport.

She succeeds Jerry Gillham, who resigned last year, as Lake County News has reported.

The city used a screening and interview process that called upon the input of local community leaders in selecting a top candidate, with Silveira chosen out of more than 60 applicants, City Attorney Steve Brookes said in a previous interview.

Silveira will be introduced during the public presentations portion of the Tuesday meeting.

Also on the agenda Tuesday is the Lake County Chamber of Commerce's request to approve and execute the production agreement with Pyro Spectaculars North Inc. for the annual fireworks presentation on July 4, and an application for the Center for Life Choices walk on April 24.

Redevelopment items on the agenda include the proposed approval of the purchase of a mobile home in the Fairgrounds Village Mobilehome Park for the purpose of rehabilitation.

Moving to issues related to the City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District, the council will then discuss using $12,000 in sewer reserve funds to install radios at the Rose Avenue and Linda Lane sewer pump stations and integrate them into the department's communication system.

In other council business, the council will consider approving an amended policy relating to expense and use of public resources.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, in the Board of Supervisors chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. TV8 will broadcast the meeting live.

In an item timed for 9:30 a.m., Calpine representatives will offer the board an update regarding the corporation's community outreach, workforce, power generation and related matters. The presentation had been set for a meeting last month but was postponed due to the company's request.

In an untimed item, the County Administrative Office will discuss the proposed “Floating Island Demonstration Project” at Clark's Island in Clearlake Oaks, formerly the site of a trailer park.

The county will discuss accepting donations to assist in financing the project.

The board also is scheduled to hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations.

Other items on the agenda are as follows.

Timed items

9 a.m.: Approval of consent agenda, which includes items that are expected to be routine and noncontroversial, and will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion; presentation of animals available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control; consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda.

9:05 a.m.: Citizen's input. Any person may speak for three minutes about any subject of concern, provided that it is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors and is not already on the agenda. Prior to this time, speakers must fill out a slip giving name, address and subject (available in the Clerk of the Board’s Office, first floor, courthouse).

9:15 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation appointing Russell Gonzaga as Lake County Poet Laureate for the years 2010-2012.

9:20 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of April 2010, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, April 20th as the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action, April 21 as Denim Day, and April 18-24, 2010, as National Victims Rights Week in Lake County.

9:45 a.m.: Consideration of request from Michael and Denise Hagy (Lake Marine Construction), for waiver of Construction Traffic Road Fee in the amount of $225, for project located at 9355 Bass Road, Kelseyville, CA (APN 044-352-17); and consideration of request from Michael and Denise Hagy (Lake

Marine Construction), for waiver of Construction Traffic Road Fee in the amount of $250, for project located at 9955 Highway 20, Glenhaven, CA (APN 035-542-10); consideration of request from Michael and Denise Hagy (Lake Marine Construction) for waiver of Construction Traffic Road Fee in the amount of $95, for project located at 13319 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, CA (APN 037-301-20).

10 a.m.: Notice of Nuisance Abatement - 2646 Lakeshore Blvd., Lakeport, CA (APN 007-015-50 - Fred Reinell and Vicki Reinell). Continued from March 23.

10:15 a.m.: Presentation regarding Lake County Community Action Agency’s programs funded through contracts with the Alcohol and Other Drugs Services Division.

10:35 a.m.: An Ordinance amending Section 706B of the Sewer Use Ordinance pertaining to Sewer System Capacity Fees for connections to the Southeast Regional Wastewater Collection System. Second reading, continued from March 23.

10:45 a.m.: Public hearing – discussion/consideration of an ordinance amending Section 706B of the Sewer Use Ordinance pertaining to inflationary adjustment determined by the Engineering News

Construction Cost Index.

11 a.m.: Public hearing – discussion/consideration of a written report of urgency status and the extension of an urgency measure adopting an interim ordinance establishing temporary restrictions upon connections to the Southeast Regional Wastewater System County Sanitation District).

Nontimed items

– Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.

– Discussion/consideration of proposed first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Milhous Children’s Services for specialty mental health services (an increase from $50,000 to a maximum amount of $80,000).

– Discussion/consideration of proposed first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Lake County Community Action Agency for provision of the alcohol and drug counseling

services to Lake County adolescents attending New Beginnings Highland High School for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 (an increase from $100,000 to $200,000).

– Consideration of request for authorization to pursue potential purchase of property located at 14510 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, for mental health programs (using MHSA Capital Facilities funding).

– Consideration of request to award Bid No. 10-21 in the amount of $882,160, to North Bay Construction for the construction of Soda Bay Road Rehabilitation and Overlay MP 11.5 to 13.8 (Federal-Aid Project Number ESPL-5914).

– Discussion/consideration of proposed agreement between the county of Lake and Megabyte Systems, Inc. for Property Tax System maintenance (not to exceed $153,760).

Consent agenda

– Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on March 23, 2010.

– Adopt proclamation appointing Russell Gonzaga as Lake County Poet Laureate for the years 2010-2012.

– Adopt proclamation designating the month of April 2010, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, April 20th as the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action, April 21st as Denim Day, and April 18-24, 2010, as National Victims Rights Week in Lake County.

– Appoint James Cox to the Mental Health Advisory Board for a term expiring on January 1, 2011.

– Approve hold harmless and indemnification agreement between the county of Lake and Upper Lake High School District, as a condition to provide a town hall meeting facility and authorize the Chair to sign.

– Approve certificate of partial cancellation of the Williamson Act Planning Division Contract on seven (7) acres of the 87.1 acre parcel located at 21258 Morgan Valley Road, Lower Lake, CA (APN 012-069-07 – Kathryn Faloon), and authorize the chair to sign.

– Approve advanced step hiring of Skip Simkins as an extra-help Clear Lake Lands Coordinator (5th step of the salary range).

– Approve engineering and inspection agreement between county of Lake and Ben Lawson for review of plans and specifications and inspection of work for a merger-resubdivision (MRS 08-03), located at 11967 and 12037 East Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks, CA (APNs 035-092-01 and 035-284-10), and authorize the chair to sign.

– Approve lease agreement between the county of Lake and Culco Inc. (Steve Culbertson), for lease of 21,665 square feet of county property located at Lampson Field Airport in the amount of $1,500 per month and authorize the chair to sign.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ approving the application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for grant funds in the amount of $150,000, for FAA airport improvement and designating the Public Works Director as sponsor’s official representative.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ changing mileage in County Maintained Road System.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ authorizing the director, Public Works Department to sign a notice of completion for work performed under agreement dated September 8, 2009 (2005/2006 Storm Damage Repair - Bartlett Springs Road PM 1.4).

– Approve third amendment to contract between the county of Lake and Ed Robey for information support services increasing the maximum compensation to $15,000 (an increase of $5,000), and authorize the chair to sign.

– Accept stipulation change in assessment for Kenneth Russell on of equalization property located at 661 Keys Boulevard, Clearlake Oaks, CA (APN 035-841-06), for a change in the value of land from $119,000 to $100,000, for the 2009/2010 Tax Year.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

LAKEPORT – Applications are being sought for a vacancy on the city of Lakeport’s Planning Commission.

The four-year term for the seat currently held by Commissioner John Marino will begin on June 1.

The Planning Commission, consisting of five members, currently meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Lakeport City Council Chambers.

The Planning Commission reviews matters related to planning and development and is the City Council’s advisor on land use planning matters.

It considers such things as the general plan, rezoning, use permits, subdivisions, architectural and design reviews, planning policy matters and interpretations.

Interested applicants should contact City Clerk Janel Chapman at 707-263-5615, Extension 12, for an application.

Applications are also available on the city’s Web site, www.cityoflakeport.com . (See “Hot Topics” article regarding Planning Commission Vacancy.)

Applications must be returned to the city clerk no later than May 10.

All applicants will be encouraged to attend the Lakeport City Council meeting of May 18, at which time they will be invited to give a short presentation to the council.

The appointment will be made by the council at that time.

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A portion of Highland Springs and Big Valley Road that was resurfaced in the summer of 2009 using a technology that builds a strong surface using a less expensive, green product. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Road Maintenance Division.

LAKE COUNTY – Using an inexpensive and versatile technology helped the Lake County Road Maintenance Division save money in a recent road project while, at the same time, earning it an award from a statewide organization.

The California Chip Seal Association, a nonprofit trade organization, awarded the county its 2009 “Innovative Project of the Year,” which county Roads Superintendent Steve Stangland presented to the Board of Supervisors at its March 10 meeting.

The award recognizes unique pavement preservation projects that provide learning opportunities for local agencies, according to the meeting's board memo.

The project for which the county was honored was a chip seal project completed last summer on Highland Springs Road and Big Valley Road between Highway 29 and Soda Bay Road, Stangland told Lake County News.

Originally, the project was scheduled to be a conventional pavement overlay, which Stangland said had an estimated price tag of more than $360,000. However, the final price tag was $171,000, including labor and equipment.

With road dollars being in short supply these days – both the state and federal governments are increasingly taking funds away, Stangland said – the roads department decided to try a unique approach to getting more out of the project.

Stangland came to the county roads department five years ago from Mendocino County, where they used a product called Permazyme, an enzyme that – when mixed into the road bed – turns it into a shale-like substance.

“It doesn't turn into shale but it's darned near close to it,” he said, adding that it's a certified green product.

Stangland said that in 2005 the county purchased an asphalt zipper with SB 621 funds, which come from Indian gaming. The Highland Springs Road project also was funded through SB 621.

They put the Permazyme in the water truck, which is then hooked to the zipper. The zipper blends about a gallon of enzyme to 150 cubic yards of dirt as it's grinding, he explained. In turn, the material being ground gets very hard and cures quickly.

“W didn't invent it but we put the best of the new with the old practices,” he said.

They were able to save enough money using the enzymes that they decided to grind up the entire road and try putting on a single chip seal. “Ninety percent of the roads around Lake County are nothing more than a chip seal,” Stangland said.

Chip seal, he explained, involves spraying a coat of oil – or, in this case, the latest in emulsion technology – over the top of the road, the existing asphalt or over a stabilized road bed. They spray oil down then dump small, chipped up rock over the top of it.

In this case, however, they went with a very large rock, which was used for several reasons. Stangland explained that they were trying to get the low tire spray during rainy times that is seen on state highways such as Highway 29 between Lakeport and Upper Lake. That comes from a process called open graded asphalt, which he said is extremely expensive and doesn't last very long.

Thanks to the savings the Lake County Road Maintenance Division was able to realize in a road project in the summer of 2009 along Highland Springs and Big Valley Road, they were able to afford adding a bike lane. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Road Maintenance Division.

Chip seals, on the other hand, have been proven to not only be very durable and long lasting, but cost a fraction of any asphalt product.

They recycled all the material on site, blending it into the existing asphalt with the enzymes added, a process which he said took about a week to complete.

“This is recycling at its best,” he said. “We added very little imported material.”

He said they try not to add any imported material when possible. For one, it's an issue of ever dwindling funds set against rising asphalt prices. When Stangland started in road work 15 years ago, asphalt ran $35 a ton, while today it costs about $80 a ton.

“Asphalt is just absolutely, outrageously expensive,” he said.

Then there's the issue of diminishing supply. Stangland pointed to a US Geological Survey report that found in the next 50 years California is going to run out of quarry rock.

The portion of Big Valley Road to the highway underwent a process of “full-depth reclamation,” Stangland said, with the road being reworked on its full width at a depth of 8 inches.

Thanks to the savings, they were able to extend into a second phase of shoulder repair, because the shoulders on Big Valley Road from Highland Springs to Soda Bay were in really bad shape, said

Stangland.

Using the asphalt zipper, they went down the road edges and ground them down. “That was a whole other experiment, if you will,” he said.

Using the same technology, we were able to clean up and strengthen the road edges and – as a bonus – were able to add a bike lane.

They also used it on a four-mile stretch on Big Canyon Road outside of Middletown, where Stangland said the road literally had potholes big enough to swallow a Volkswagen.

Stangland said they didn't have the money to resurface that stretch of road, which is very low volume. So they turned it back to dirt, reshaped and compacted it, and he said it's holding up very well, thanks to the Permazyme, which bonds well with clays.

“What we learned on Big Canyon we applied to Highland Springs,” he said. “Every time we use the enzymes, we learn different techniques to make the next project better and new ways of using it.”

Permazyme – which hasn't been widely marketed – is “awesome,” and Stangland said he loves working with it. He's developing ways to use it in everyday maintenance.

He said he and his road crew learned a lot from the process and plan to use that knowledge in upcoming projects, including a federally funded project for shoulder strengthening and bike lanes in the county-maintained road area on Lakeshore Boulevard outside of the Lakeport city limits.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .