CLEARLAKE – How should Clearlake and Lake County develop? Should giant corporate retailers be part of the picture, or should the emphasis be on locally owned businesses?

It's a question that continues to linger over the community, despite the fact that “big box” stories like Wal-Mart and Kmart already are a part of the landscape.

But the discussion has taken on a new immediacy as the city continues negotiations on its 26-acre Pierce Field airport property along Highway 53.

Exclusive negotiations have been going on since April of 2007 between the city and the Roseville-based firm Katz Kirkpatrick, which develops shopping center properties.

The negotiations have been largely confined to confidential sessions, so the terms of the eventual deal – including whether the city may sell the firm the property or retail it and lease it – still haven't been made public, although they're likely to be revealed in the coming year.

Clearlake City Administrator Dale Neiman said the property could eventually be the site of a “regional shopping center.” That, in turn, could pull into Clearlake customers from around the county, along with revenue and sales tax that would go into the city's coffers.

Home improvement giant Home Depot earlier this year helped pay for a study that looked at hooking up a proposed Home Depot store and other businesses at the airport site to Lake County Sanitation District's south county system, as Lake County News has reported.

A Home Depot official has indicated that the corporation's plans have changed due to a number of factors, but that they're still looking at the area.

If Clearlake manages to build its regional shopping center, that would challenge objectives at the other end of the lake, where Lakeport City Council members have expressed a desire to see their city be the area's center for commerce.

Elected officials disagree on big box stores

District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith, who said he understood the Home Depot deal was dead, nevertheless pointed out that the airport property has long been viewed as the site of the kind of development the report suggests. That idea was in circulation when he was on the Clearlake City Council 10 years ago.

“That's what the property was originally bought for, was a large development,” he said, agreeing with Neiman's “regional shopping center” idea.

Such a development could be a positive thing for Clearlake, said Smith. “There's going to be controversy when you start talking about competing businesses.”

He added, “Is it going to hurt? Yeah, but so did Wal-Mart.”

But he said Clearlake needs some sort of financial base or “it's not going to survive.”

“There's too many things not going well for it,” he said of the town.

Outgoing Clearlake Mayor Curt Giambruno agreed with Smith's assessment.

“This city is struggling financially without any additional income,” Giambruno said.

He said he doesn't know for sure that Home Depot is planning on coming, but he said the company did do core drilling for a building. “Between that and the sewer study they've spent a lot of money.”

Giambruno said he's been waiting for 15 of the 20 years he's lived in the city to see the airport property developed. Building new stores and businesses there would both satisfy city residents who want more shopping choices and give the city the sales tax dollars it lives on.

“We just gotta have it,” said Giambruno.

He said Wal-Mart brought the city a lot of sales tax revenue, and he doesn't believe it caused other businesses in town to close, as has been the contention of community members who oppose big box stores.

The city, which has no prohibition against “big box” stores like Home Depot and Wal-Mart, has completed no analysis of such stores on the city's economy, Giambruno said.

Giambruno said that competition is good. He said competition among the city's several grocery stores has resulted in more variety for customers, and the stores haven't appeared to detract from each others.

On Dec. 5, Wal-Mart also made application to the city to expand its current 109,000-square-foot store to 148,000 square feet, as Lake County News has reported. The proposed renovation would include new grocery services, which has other city grocers concerned about market oversaturation.

The location of both the Wal-Mart and the airport property put them in close proximity to the proposed Provinsalia project, which got the go-ahead from the Clearlake Planning Commission on Dec. 16.

The commission passed resolutions urging the Clearlake City Council to approve a rezone and general plan amendment and to approve the final environmental impact report for the proposed subdivision, which would include 665 housing units on 292 acres off of Dam Road along Cache Creek, plus a nine-hole golf course.

Considering a regional shopping center

While having more shopping options at a regional shopping center is the goal of Clearlake officials, the idea of introducing more big boxes like Home Depot – either now or later – isn't a welcome prospect for officials representing the county.

“I'll fight it with everything I've got,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.

Agreeing with Brown is his colleague on the board, District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing.

While Brown and Rushing often are considered polar opposites on political and development matters, they line up on their opinion on Clearlake's as-yet hypothetical proposal.

“It would be devastating,” said Rushing.

Both Brown and Rushing say that Clearlake officials have not made any formal approach to the county about their plans or the impacts those plans might have on the county as a whole.

Brown said he has approached two Clearlake City Council members who wouldn't talk with him about the plans. “They get real evasive about it.”

He and Rushing also pressed city officials during a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Clearlake City Council on March 6.

During a discussion of co-locating the city's corporation yard and sewer facility – currently located at the airport property – with the Special Districts facility, Neiman alluded to the negotiations with Katz Kirkpatrick but said at the time that he couldn't discuss further details about the planned development.

“Is it a Home Depot? Will it impact the rest of the county?” Rushing asked.

In turn, Brown asked when the county would be allowed to have the information, and Neiman referred to an eventual public hearing. At that time, he had guessed the hearing would take place in April or May.

Brown said he's bothered most about the lack of communication between Clearlake and the county.

“In this case, they basically kept it secret for what could be seen as their own short-term, selfish interest,” he said, and in doing so discounted negative impacts on the broader community.

He added, “I don't think the gain they're going to have is what they would hope to get.”

Like Brown, Rushing is concerned about the lack of discussion between the city and county. “There hasn't been any formal discussion between the city and the county about regional impacts of Clearlake's plan, to my knowledge.”

Giambruno, for his part, said he doesn't know why the city should approach the county, adding that he's aware of the opposition by Brown and Rushing to the city's plans.

“They don't live here, they don't have to balance the budget, they don't have to provide the services we have to provide,” said Giambruno.

“We've got our opportunity and, as far as I'm concerned, we're going to take it,” he added.

Rushing suggested the city should be more creative in trying to address its growth and economic issues.

She said local merchants already provide similar services, and the emphasis should be on businesses that provide living wages.

Tomorrow: Local businesses discuss their concerns over Home Depot and big boxes, and what they could mean for Lake County's economic climate.

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

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LAKE COUNTY – The Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants to fill vacancies or seek reappointments on a long list of important advisory boards.

The following is a list of the board and the number of vacancies.

– Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board: Ten vacancies, two in each supervisorial districts

– Animal Care and Control Advisory Board: Seven vacancies, one in each supervisorial district and two in the member-at-large category.

– Area 1 Developmental Disabilities Board: Three vacancies.

– Area Agency on Aging: Four vacancies.

– Audit Committee: One vacancy in the public at large category.

– Big Valley Groundwater Management Zone Commission: Four vacancies, one in the member-at-large category, one in the agricultural users category and two in the water district category.

– Building Board of Appeals: Five vacancies, one in each supervisorial district.

– Clear Lake Advisory Sub-Committee Advisory Board: Ten vacancies, one in each of the following categories – agriculture, navigation, public access (open space), wildlife, recreation, habitat-ecology, algae (aesthetics), rimland property owners, fishery, water quality I category and water quality II category.

– Countywide Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: Five vacancies, one in each supervisorial district.

– Emergency Medical Care Committee: Eighteen (18) vacancies, one in the Lakeside Hospital Category, one in the Redbud Hospital Category, one in the community college district category, two in the ER affiliated-medical care coordinator category, one in the private ambulance company category, one in the EMT I category, one in the EMT II category, one in the paramedic representative category, four in the consumer-interested group category; and one in each of the fire districts.

– First Five Lake County: One vacancy in the member-at-large category.

– Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee: Twelve vacancies, one in each of the following categories – conservation/fisheries, land conservation organization, conservation/wildlife, recreation industry,wildlife preservation, livestock, law enforcement and one in each of the supervisorial districts.

– Glenbrook Cemetery District Board: Two vacancies, Supervisorial Districts 1 and/or 5.

– Hartley Cemetery District: Three vacancies, Supervisorial District 4.

– Heritage Commission: Seven vacancies and must be a member/representative of one of the following organizations: Friends of the Lake County Museum Category, Lake County Historical Society, Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse, genealogical society Category, Middletown Historical Society, and two in the members-at-large category (membership shall include one representative in each supervisorial district).

– In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Advisory Committee: Five vacancies, one in the senior consumer category, one in the disabled consumer category, two in the senior community category and one in the provider category.

– Kelseyville Cemetery District: Two vacancies, Supervisorial District 5.

– Lake County/City Areawide Planning Council: Two vacancies in the members-at-large category.

– Lakeport County Fire Protection District: Five vacancies, Supervisorial District 4.

– Law Library Board of Trustees: Three vacancies, three board appointees comprised of either a representative of the Board of Supervisors, the chairman of the board and/or members of the county bar.

– Library Advisory Board: Five vacancies, one in each of the supervisorial districts.

– Lower Lake Cemetery District: One vacancy, Supervisorial Districts 1, 2 and/or 3.

– Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Advisory Board: Fifteen vacancies in the following categories – parents, professionals, school representatives, advisory advocates and interested individuals.

– Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH) Municipal Advisory Council: Seven vacancies. Applicants must be registered voters in the county of Lake and reside within the boundaries of the Middletown Area Town Hall; three members must reside within an area known as “Middletown Proper” as described as that area located within the following boundaries – Hartmann Road, Oat Hill Mine Road, Rancheria Road and Anderson Springs Road; and four members who may reside outside of the area known as the “Middletown Proper”; no more than two members may reside in any one of the following areas – north of Hartmann Road, south of Rancheria Road, east of Oat Hill Mine Road and west of Anderson Springs Road.

– Middletown Cemetery District: One vacancy, Supervisorial District 1.

– Public Defender Oversight Committee: Three vacancies, one in the Local Attorney Category (applicants that do not accept appointments to represent indigent defendants, who is a member of the

bar association and not employed by the county of Lake); and two in the general public category.

– Solid Waste Management Task Force: One vacancy in the public representative category.

– Spring Valley CSA No. 2 Task Force: Seven vacancies, Supervisorial District 3.

– Vector Control District Board of Trustees: One vacancy.

All the vacancies are countywide unless stated. All appointments to the above-referenced advisory boards will be made after Jan. 1, 2009.

For applications, or if you have questions regarding a vacancy on one of these advisory boards, please contact the Clerk to the Board at 263-2371. Also, applications are available at the Lake County

Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, Room 109, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

Please note that all memberships on the above referenced advisory boards are voluntary.

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CLEARLAKE – Is Home Depot coming to Clearlake?

It's a question that's been asked for some time. Speculation around the home improvement giant's possible plans to land in Clearlake have been in the community for years, according to some local businesses.

However, earlier this year Home Depot appeared to have been seriously considering a store in Clearlake at the site of the city's airport property, although those plans may now be on hold.

Whether or not Home Depot ever comes to Clearlake, the possibility has emphasized the deep divisions of opinion among local officials and businesses over “big box” retail stores.

At the same time, the resulting discussion reveals major disagreements about the best approaches that the city – and the county at large – can take in developing in order to meet the needs of residents while supporting and encouraging local, existing businesses.

A report obtained by Lake County News lays out some possible plans – including a Home Depot – for Clearlake's 26-acre Pierce Field airport property, located on the west side of Highway 53 near the now-closed Outrageous Waters park.

Lake County Special Districts contracted with CH2MHILL to prepare the report on behalf of Home Depot Development and the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency.

The report, dated July 21, looks specifically at the airport property and what would be required to hook it into the south county's sewer system. It also considers potential impacts for a proposed Starbucks, Walgreens and the recently opened Carl's Jr.

The proposed construction considered by the report includes a Home Depot and several other businesses to be constructed in phases on the land, which would require sewer service for the equivalent of 142 single-family dwelling hookups.

The proposed first phase includes a Home Depot, three fast food restaurants and one sitdown restaurant. A supermarket would be built in phase two, and phase three is proposed to include 10,000 square feet of retail shops, a junior department store – defined variously as either a small department store offering a limited selection of goods or a scaled-down version of a regular department store – two more fast food restaurants and another sitdown restaurant.

Mark Dellinger, administrator of Lake County Special Districts, said the report cost $53,000 to complete, and Home Depot paid approximately $30,000 of that cost.

Such capacity studies and hydraulic models are common when large developments are proposed, with the developers paying to cover them, said Dellinger.

Understanding the potential load on the system is critical, especially in the south county, which Dellinger said is under directives by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board due to past system failings.

“The regional board is watching very closely with what is going on in the system,” Dellinger said.

When the study was completed in July, Dellinger said he understood that Home Depot was still planning to move forward with constructing a store in Clearlake.

However, during a meeting in August that included county and city officials and developer representatives, Dellinger reported that Clearlake City Administrator Dale Neiman told the group that the project was on hold.

Dellinger believed the issue was a result of the economic conditions, and added that he didn't believe the project had gone away entirely.

City continues airport property negotiations

Since April 2007, the city of Clearlake has been in an exclusive negotiating agreement with Katz Kirkpatrick Properties of Roseville – a company that develops shopping centers around Northern California – regarding the airport property.

Katz Kirkpatrick's major tenants include supermarkets such as Albertson's, Raley's and Safeway, and stores including Target, Wal-Mart and Shopko, among others.

Neiman, who is the city's lead negotiator for the property, said he can't reveal the specifics of the negotiations, because they're confidential.

Indeed, the discussions about the agreement that Neiman has held with the Clearlake City Council have been largely confined to closed sessions. The performance deadlines also have been adjusted and lengthened several times.

The end of the confidential portion of the negotiations may soon be over, said Neiman. “We're at the end of the process.”

The city is now working on the final parts of the disposition and development agreement, with he expects will go before the council soon. However, Neiman admits he has believed it would have gone to the council by now but has been delayed.

The proposed sale of the property to Katz Kirkpatrick will be a public matter, said Neiman. He had anticipated it being completed by year's end, but negotiations are still ongoing.

The exclusive negotiating agreement covers the property's entire 26 acres, said Neiman, who added that he can't disclose just how much of the property is involved with the proposed project.

He said that he received permission to remove two acres located at the bottom of the runway, which will be used by the city for residential development for first-time homebuyers.

The city also may not end up selling the developer the property, but may instead lease it, said Neiman.

The disposition and development agreement has some additional aspects that go beyond a mere purchase agreement, said Neiman. That includes the city's ability to impose specifics requiring certain types of businesses that may be built on the site.

Just what those requirements will be have yet to be determined, said Neiman.

That will be the purpose of the public hearing, said Neiman – for the council to hear what he public and city staff has to say about potential requirements, and to make a decision based on that input.

The details of the airport property development as outlined in the Special Districts report aren't certain, said Neiman. “We don't know what the project is until the negotiations are completed.”

What may eventually be built on the land spins on a number of factors, said Neiman – from land and development costs to economic conditions.

Neiman said the city provided to Special Districts “information that basically showed what was possible out there.”

He added, “If all that happens, basically what will be created is a regional shopping center.”

For Home Depot's part, the corporation has been responding to economic changes by tightening its belt.

“As you know, deals like this are always changing, our plans change, the business landscape changes; no one factor is to blame,” said Kathryn Gallagher, spokesperson for Home Depot's Western Division.

“As announced earlier this year, we have reduced our store openings as we focus on investments in our existing stores and operations,” Gallagher said. “By continuing our investment in our existing stores, we will be in a very strong position once the current business climate recovers. We continue to look for new opportunities to bring our business to different areas of Clear Lake.”

For this third quarter results, reported in November, the world's largest home improvement retailer reported consolidated net earnings of $756 million, or $0.45 per diluted share. That's down from the $1.1 billion and $0.60 per diluted share reported for the third quarter of 2007.

Home Depot reported that its third quarter sales totaled $17.8 billion, down 6.2 percent from the same period the year before.

Tomorrow: City and county officials debate the benefits of big box stores, and raise issues over regional impacts.

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

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Lake County's property tax rolls have shown marked increases over the last 11 years. Percentage increases are noted on the lefthand column of numbers.

LAKE COUNTY – The economy has many people worried, such as property owners concerned that their investments may be jeopardized by decreasing values.

Lowered property values are leading many people to seek reassessments of their property, which could give them some relief on their property tax bills.

Lake County Assessor-Record Doug Wacker said property values throughout the state have been going down in the wake of the country's economic problems and the foreclosure crisis.

Beginning in about 2000, the state's property values began what Wacker called “a pretty good run on values,” with steady increases over the next several years.

That has slowed a bit over the last few years. However, Wacker said Lake County has continued to be in the plus column when it comes to growing value.

For 2008-09, the overall roll increase is 3.69 percent, Wacker said. That's the smallest increase since a 1.7-percent climb was recorded in the property tax roll for the 1998-99 fiscal year.

This year's local property roll increase was about average when compared with the rest of the state, he said.

Wacker pointed to the California Assessors Association's 2008-09 roll change data.

That survey showed Lake County's gross change was 4.08 percent – before it was adjusted to the 3.69 percent figure – which was just below the 4.93 percent overall average, said Wacker.

The assessors association's records show Lake County's 2007-08 tax roll was valued at more than $6.8 billion, which climbed to $7.1 billion for 2008-09.

Inyo County recorded a 29.63-percent roll increase this year, while the lowest was Yuba County, with -3.79 percent.

Wacker has been in the business of tracking property values for a long time, so he's able to look at it from a cyclical standpoint. Even the foreclosure mess, he said, is part of such a cyclical trend, although it's been exaggerated by the unusual nature of the loans used in recent years.

“There was a lot of crazy financing going on out there,” he said.

As foreclosed homes are purchased, and as other people watch their property values drop, Wacker's office is finding itself busier than usual in reassessing values.

Because of the current situation with home values, Wacker said many counties are trying to be proactive when it comes to reassessments.

So they're conducting more Proposition 8 reviews. Such reviews can be requested by property owners if their property's market value falls below its factored base year value, determined as of Jan. 1 of the year, said Wacker.

In looking at county property values, Wacker noted, “We've seen a pretty substantial drop since the first of the year.”

Normally, Wacker's office does about 2,000 Proposition 8 reviews each year, primarily on manufactured homes in mobile home parks and paper subdivision lots.

This year, however, the number of properties up for reassessment was at about 5,500 when Wacker was preparing the tax roll for the start of the fiscal year in July. Since closing the roll, Wacker said his office has reviewed 550 properties and had an additional 200 for which owners were requesting a review.

When the reviews are conducted, Wacker said his staff looks at home sales in relation to the home that is being reassessed. That helps them understand market conditions and values.

Any value adjustments, he said, will be recorded on next year's tax bill.

If the owner doesn't get that tax relief they're hoping for, Wacker said they can appeal the reassessment to the Board of Supervisors, which also serves as the assessment appeals board. He added that they've had a lot of people file such appeals.

Wacker said foreclosures have been increasing this year. “This year has been very high,” he said, with the Hidden Valley Lake area appearing to be the hardest hit.

However, he anticipates continuing to see local property values go up due to the rising consumer price index.

Wacker said it will be interesting to see how commercial properties' values fare in the year ahead.

While reassessments may be helpful to individuals, the refunds and lowered assessments are impacting the county's revenues.

Pam Cochrane, the county's auditor and clerk, handles refunds when property values are changed. She said over the past three years the county has issued approximately $1.79 million in refunds.

She said refunds are expected to rise for another year.

Reassessment activity to match current levels was most recently found in 1989, 1990 and 1991, Cochrane said.

She said there are special procedures put in place to handle refunds which she called “a more timely, manual process.”

“Since the assessor's office does a good job keeping us in the loop, we have been expecting the increase in refunds,” Cochrane added.

She said the county's budget projections for this year took the potential for more refunds into account.

Kelly Cox, the county's chief administrative officer, said it's still too early to tell what the impacts of the lost property tax revenue will be for the county.

“It will likely have long-term impacts to our revenues – not just this year,” he said.

Cox said he'll know more by the end of this month after the first apportionment of taxes is made by the County Auditor's Office.

When looking ahead, Wacker again pointed to the cyclical trends of property value in predicting an eventual upward trend.

“It'll cycle through again, it's just a matter of when it will,” he said. “Who knows?”

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

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LUCERNE, Calif. – On Christmas Eve, the Lucerne Christian Conference Center – known simply as “The Castle” to those who know and love the landmark building – was abuzz with activity, as staff and volunteers prepared a Christmas day feast that volunteer Ray Tate called “fit for a king.”

On Christmas day the building – located at 3700 Country Club Drive, overlooking much of the town and the lake – was opened to seniors and those in need, who were welcomed to a daylong celebration that included the holiday dinner with all the trimmings and two religious services. Hundreds were expected to attend.

But behind the hopeful attitude of the season and the building's cheerful decorations there was an unmistakable undertone of sadness.

Dan Pelletier, who has been the center's administrator since 2004, walked around the building and talked about it with love and an unmistakable wistfulness in his voice.

That's because the building that has been home to him and his family, and which for more than 40 years has served as a Christian conference center, will be closed as of Dec. 31. The Christmas day event is its first and last under the current ownership.

The center, which also goes by the name of Castlepoint Ministries, is owned by a group of independent Baptist churches – most of them from the Bay Area – which have run Christian conferences, retreats and children's camps at the facility, said Kevin Schmidt, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Sonora, and treasurer of the center's 10-member board of directors.

The San Francisco Baptist Theological Seminary purchased what formerly was known as the Lucerne Hotel in 1966, according to Pelletier.

The seminary bought the abandoned building – erected in 1927 at a cost of $500,000 – for $150,000, according to a history of the building Pelletier provided to Lake County News.

Pelletier said activity at the center has been growing over the last four years, with visitors coming from around California and the rest of the nation – as far away as Pennsylvania and New York – to go on retreat there.

The building's second-floor lobby includes hand-hewn timbers and a stone fireplace. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

The center's 2007 report to the Internal Revenue Service noted that it served 2,236 campers that year. Its IRS report includes total expenses of more than $441,000 and total revenue of more than $367,000 for 2007.

This year was “the best year we had in a long time,” said Pelletier.

The center had hosted events such as open houses and blood drives for the community, and over the last year had hosted the Northshore Business Association's monthly breakfasts. Pelletier said they even had rented the building out for a few weddings this past year.

But the bottom “dropped out” when it came to reservations and bookings for the year ahead, with many churches calling to say that, with members losing homes, retreats and activities were being canceled, Pelletier said. The concern for the board was that by the end of 2009 they could be into deficit spending.

The economy's worsening state led the group to look at whether or not it could continue operating the building, said Schmidt.

A Castlepoint Ministries brochure said the group is “committed to fiscal responsibility,” and won't spend or borrow more money that can be provided through gifts of local churches and individuals, and fees generated from the center's programs and rentals.

On Nov. 15, Castlepoint Ministries put out “a very urgent prayer request” asking for spiritual support before the Nov. 21 board meeting, at which time they were to make a final decision regarding the ministry's future. At that time, they anticipated a shortfall of $300,000 in 2009.

Another prayer request, sent out Nov. 19, reported that monetary gifts had been offered, but that they needed to look at whether or not the gifts would help overcome the financial shortfall. Castlepoint said at that point that the financial issues was due to significant rental cancellations, two refurbishing projects relating to codes or public safety and increased operational expenses.

“We had to make a very, very difficult decision to not continue with the ministry at that location,” Schmidt said. “What our plan is for the future is to seek a sale of the building and the property that's there.”

Pelletier said they're also considering having a liquidation company come in and sell off the building's furnishings, including some antique furniture in the rooms.

Schmidt said the board will stay intact and seek to relocate its camp and retreat facilities to another Northern California location.

The closure led to the layoff of eight staffers, said Schmidt. Besides Pelletier, his wife and mother-in-law – who also worked at the building – were let go, along with two full-time cooks, a couple who were responsible for the building's maintenance and janitorial services, and another woman who worked on programs. A maintenance director will be retained to be an on-site security supervisor, said Schmidt.

The center features an auditorium on the third floor that offers spectacular views of the town and lake. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

By Christmas Eve, most of those employees already had been let go, said Pelletier, with the cooks already gone and volunteers making the vast Christmas meal.

“It's just a shame to lose it,” said Pelletier.

History repeats itself for a landmark

The history of the Lucerne Hotel bears the signs of many derailments and unfulfilled visions, starting not long after its birth.

Local histories report that the Clear Lake Beach Co., financed in part by Louis Becker, acquired more than 100 acres along Clear Lake's eastern shore – essentially all of Lucerne, except for 21 acres – in 1923.

In 1926, the dream that resulted in what would become the Lucerne Hotel began, with the 75,000-square-foot building beginning to take shape the following year, under the guidance of Massachusetts-born contractor Frank Ray Phillips and builder Vernon Knowles, said Pelletier.

Built of virgin redwood, the building features enormous hand-hewn timbers in its second-floor sitting areas, dining room and lobby.

The hotel was at the center of a planned retirement community which was to include a country club, a golf course and a canal leading from the lake to the building, according to Pelletier. None of those projects were completed.

The plan included Lucerne's 13^th Avenue, also called The Strand, which Pelletier said was designed specifically to join the hotel to a dance pavilion, bathhouses, a pier and a supper club – the latter, which later was destroyed by fire, was believed to be in the location now occupied by the abandoned Pepper's restaurant – on the lakeshore.

Then things started to unravel.

In 1928, construction on the project was halted after Becker died in an airplane crash. The hotel's four-story tower was never completed, and remains an empty shell. Pelletier said the owners had hoped to make it into a prayer room, but those plans were never completed, either.

The hotel continued to operate until the second blow: The Great Depression.

As the country's economy came crashing down in 1929, the last of the dream that had fostered the hotel's creation turned to dust as well. The building's operators went bankrupt, said Pelletier.

From there, the building passed through a series of owners. Pelletier said the Seventh-day Adventists planned to use it as a sanitarium, before discovering that they couldn't get beds through the doors. Later, a group of conservative Baptists used it for a conference center and still other owners used it as a country club.

There are 69 guest rooms in the building, originally constructed as a hotel in the 1920s. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

The seminary purchased the building in 1966, and when it closed in the 1980s the current group took it over.

A former caretaker named “Old Joe” oversaw the building for years, carrying a sidearm and keeping an old white horse in a room next door to the center's large kitchen, said Pelletier.

Tales of Louis Becker's ghost roaming the hallways, grieving over his failed dream and incomplete building, helped keep the place safe from destruction by looters and vandals, according to a building history. There also were rumors about gambling dens and a “secret room” associated with the old hotel.

Pelletier said after the current owners had possession of it, a former director, Don Morgan, had a completely new veranda put on the building in the 1980s.

During Pelletier's tenure, the main project has been seeing the building reroofed. Estimates to complete that project had run into the millions, but Pelletier said they were able to do half of it for $50,000, with volunteer labor.

He said many individuals and church groups have volunteered time and labor to improve the building through painting and other work.

Other plans for the building, according to Pelletier, had included building a climbing wall, refurbishing the tennis and basketball courts, replacing the chain link fence with wrought iron, installing a zip line and building a gazebo in the rose garden area. The owners had hoped to start a Christian day school there and host post-graduate ministry training courses through a Christian college.

Artifacts from the old hotel's history, including the old tower top (the large round object, just left of center). Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

Pelletier said he has done extensive traveling over the last year in order to tell people about the center and to find volunteers to help with the summer camp, but those plans were brought up short by the plans to close the building.

“We had dreams,” he said, adding that he would have liked to have seen the building renovated to its potential.

An uncertain future

Today, the building features 69 rooms and a dormitory for a total of 245 beds, said Pelletier. The Castle sits on seven acres of property, with basketball and tennis courts that are in need of restoration, a rose garden, swimming pool and two houses connected with the property.

Schmidt said the center's board hasn't established an asking price for the building. He said they are still in the early stages of deciding how to proceed.

“It is owned by us outright,” said Schmidt. “We can hold it until a qualified buyer is able to come forward.”

Pelletier said they already have received inquiries from prospective buyers, including another Christian group.

Both Pelletier and Schmidt confirmed that county officials also have expressed interest.

County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox told Lake County News that he and Deputy Redevelopment Director Eric Seely met recently with the center's board members to discuss the building's future.

“We have emphasized the importance of the property to the community of Lucerne and we have offered to assist them in marketing the property to private investors who would develop it in a manner that would be consistent with the Redevelopment Agency's goals,” Cox said.

He added that the county has applied for and received a state Community Development Block Grant to have an appraisal of the property prepared and a report to assess the highest and best use of the facility in order to assist in its sale.

Seely said he has already taken a look at the building's structure, including going through its crawl spaces and attic. Overall, although the building needs some work – particularly its exterior and grounds – he said the structure is in very good shape.

He said Supervisor Denise Rushing asked for a discussion on the building to be placed on the Board of Supervisors' agenda for Jan. 13, 2009.

Cox said at that time he and his staff will request the board's direction on possible options for redevelopment's involvement with the property.

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

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The commission held a hearing at its Dec. 11 meeting on the expansion plans at 230 Soday Bay Road. Commissioners ended the hearing by granting a mitigated negative declaration based on an initial study for a major use permit.

Lake County Waste Solutions, which provides trash and recycling pickup for most the county's unincorporated areas and the city of Clearlake, wants to expand its current facilities to a medium volume transfer and processing facility.

The plans call for a new 12,000 square foot building that would include a new recycling buyback center, said county planner Kevin Ingram. The facility currently processes between 35 and 60 tons a day, he said.

The new metal building, measuring 150 feet by 80 feet, would exceed the maximum building height by 5 feet, Ingram added.

Part of the plan would be completion of a lefthand turn lane into the operation, plus importation of a large amount of fill to raise the building site above the flood plain. As part of the plan, an old vineyard on the west side of the current center would be used. The company will have to plant trees to create a visual break; Ingram said other landscaping conditions will be required.

This past March, the Board of Supervisors voted to support Lake County Waste Solutions' plans for the transfer facility. The company has offered to take over the waste stream that the county's transfer station on Bevins Street in Lakeport has been collecting. That would allow the county to close the facility, which is facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs if it is to keep operating. Ingram referred to that agreement in his discussion before the commission.

District 4 Commissioner Cliff Swetnam said in his eight years on the commission he has developed two main pet peeves – people who build without permits and then ask for permits afterward, and businesses that don't comply with all the terms and conditions of use permits.

Swetnam said that in December 2005 the commission approved a facility use permit that included a condition for road improvements on Soda Bay Road, primarily the lefthand turn lane, to Timberline Disposal, the name of the company prior to its current ownership. A use permit previous to that one, approved in 1998, also required those road improvements.

“We sit here today some 10 years later, and still no road improvements have been made by this business,” said Swetnam. “Speaking for myself, that is not good enough for me.”

Swetnam said he wasn't inclined to grant another permit to the company unless those previously required provisions were met. He asked for the company to make the road improvements and then to come back to the Planning Commission on the transfer facility.

If, within one year, the company hadn't made the turn lane improvements, Swetnam said he wanted Community Development Department staff to bring the company's use permit forward for revocation on the grounds of the public's safety being at risk.

Last year, Bruce McCracken and two partners purchased Timberline Disposal, which has since become Lake County Waste Solutions.

McCracken, who worked for the previous ownership, told the commission that he'd had no control over how the company previously failed to meet its requirements. “Believe me, I've taken so many arrows on many different directions on that lefthand turn lane,” he said.

Since buying the company, they've made upgrades, including new staff and new trucks, said McCracken.

Part of the problem with getting the lefthand turn lane built, he said, was due to a lengthy delay by Pacific Gas and Electric, which only recently moved power poles that will allow the road work to be done.

“I want that done as soon as possible,” said McCracken, who added that he had a contract with Granite Construction that he was about to sign for the construction work.

McCracken joked that the hair loss that left him with a mostly bald head was due to the turn lane.

Swetnam replied that the permit conditions move with the property, and so it's Lake County Waste Solutions' responsibility to make sure they're fulfilled. McCracken said he understood.

Community Development Director Rick Coel said it had come to his attention that PG&E was responsible for the delays. He said talks with PG&E about moving the poles started in April 2007, but they lost some of the original applications.

Coel added that Timberline Disposal never actually applied to have the poles moved, as McCracken and his partners have.

“I'm not going to make any excuses for the previous ownership,” said McCracken.

Swetnam asked about the timeline for getting the work done. McCracken said the contract is ready to go. “I want this done,” he said.

Carolyn Chavez, deputy director of the county's Public Services Department, agreed with Coel that the holdup in the road improvements over the last year has been PG&E's fault. Public Services and Supervisor Anthony Farrington got involved to try to move things forward.

“They promised many, many times it was gong to be happening,” she said of PG&E.

She added, “This is a project we extensively support.”

Chavez said the Bevins Street transfer station has seen a 60-percent drop in both customers and the amount of tonnage it's taking in.

“It's no longer an economically viable operation,” Chavez said. “Our transfer station is being held together with bailing wire and chewing gum.”

The station's main compactor has been down since January, Chavez said. “We're not making the money but we want to continue providing the service.”

The county must adhere to a state requirement to divert 50 percent of its trash from the landfill to recycling, which Chavez said extends the landfill life. Lake County Waste Solutions' proposal will allow the county to meet its diversion, which the county hasn't yet been able to do.

Chavez said the company's transfer station will continue a public service at the same rates as the county's facility. She added that Lake County Waste Solutions also isn't asking the county to provide funding for the project.

The county's landfill can take about 200 tons of garbage per day, said Chavez. From 2000 to 2002, the Bevins Street facility represented between 35 and 40 percentage of that overall tonnage. However, it has since dropped to 10 percent, said Chavez, an amount that Lake County Waste Solutions can easily pick up.

Sarah Ryan, environmental director for Big Valley Rancheria, had concerns about the project and a cultural resources survey conducted in 2004. She said there are many recorded and unrecorded historical and archaeological sites along Soda Bay Road that could be impacted by the lefthand turn lane and the rest of the expansion project.

Ryan asked for a more thorough study of the project area, as well as having a tribal monitor on site during excavation. She said they also wanted to make sure the project's engineering accounts for an expected increase in runoff during the peak rainy season in order to keep that water off of Soda Bay Road.

She also asked, on behalf of the tribe, for a subsurface evaluation of the area, particularly near Manning Creek, where they believe artifacts may be found.

McCracken said he had no problems with having a tribal monitor on site.

Swetnam emphasized that he wanted to see the turn lane completed before any construction is done. McCracken agreed.

Commission Chair Gil Schoux said he had no objections to the project with the added conditions regarding the turn lane and tribal monitoring. “I think we need it really bad.”

Commissioner Monica Rosenthal said she agreed with Swetnam about the need for the turn lane and adding it as a condition of the project. She noted that during a site visit she had been very concerned about traffic going in and out of the facility.

With the added conditions, Swetnam offered his support. “This is a necessary business. It provides a great service to the community.”

That makes it especially important to take care of business and ensure the use permit's conditions are followed, he said.

Swetnam added that he looks forward to seeing the upgraded facility with the turn lane, and so he moved to approve both the use permit and the mitigated negative. The commission approved both motions unanimously.

In March, when the board discussed its support of the facility, Coel had estimated it would take 18 months to move through the process, and take six months to get to the Planning Commission. The Dec. 11 approval means the process is about three months behind that estimated schedule.

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

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