LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lucerne Area Town Hall will meet this week and get updates on the Lucerne Hotel, consider the county’s lack of response to the group’s request for sale proceeds from the hotel to be used for community projects, discuss bathroom closures at area parks and hear a presentation on garbage cleanup efforts.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the Rose Room at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 3985 Country Club Drive, at the corner of 10th Avenue.

On the agenda is a presentation from Citizens Caring for Clearlake representative Barbara Christwitz who will share information about how her organization has worked successfully to address illegal dumping and blight in Clearlake. She also will offer advice on how to set up a similar program in Lucerne.

Former District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing will provide an update on the Lucerne Hotel and details about New Paradigm College. The county finalized its sale of the building last month to the Earthways Foundation, which along with the Romero Institute is proposing to locate the new college in the building.

The town hall sent the county a request in January that a portion of the $2.5 million in proceeds from the building’s sale be used for the community, in particular, the dredging of the harbor at Lucerne Harbor Park, and the county has so far not agreed. That matter also will be discussed.

In other business, the council will consider options for reopening public restrooms in parks along the Northshore. Brian Powers, project and park superintendent for Lake County Public Services, has been invited and has agreed to attend.

The appointed council members are acting Chair Kurt Mckelvey, Dani Primas and John Jensen.

The full agenda is below.



1. Pledge of allegiance

2. Roll call and approval of minutes for regular meetings on Jan. 17 and Feb. 21, and special meeting on Feb. 9.

3. Public input: Up to three minutes per citizen to provide input on any item not on the agenda but is within the council’s jurisdiction. The council chair can extend the time to accommodate the topic if needed but cannot discuss it until it is noticed on a future agenda.

4. Appointment of officers

5. Subcommittee reports and recommendations

- Subcommittee to draft letter regarding local crime concerns.
- Subcommittee to review and make recommendations regarding updates to bylaws.
- Subcommittee to discuss and make recommendations regarding California Public Utilities Commission water rate proceeding.

6. Notification of open seats, call for applications

7. Presentation: Citizens Caring for Clearlake representative, Barbara Christwitz to share information about how CC4C works and setting up similar program in Lucerne.
10-15 minutes: Q&A after

8. Presentation: New Paradigm College progress, Denise Rushing will provide an update on the Lucerne Hotel and details about New Paradigm College.
10-15 minutes: Q&A after

9. Consider options to reopen public restrooms in town parks. Brian Powers, project and park superintendent for Lake County Public Services, has acknowledged and agreed to attend.

10. Consider submitting op ed to local media to set the record straight about recent Record-Bee editorial misrepresentation of economic stimulus of the Lucerne Hotel purchase and failure to acknowledge that LATH had previously issued resolution A0001 to the county on Jan. 9, 2019, requesting proceeds from the sale of the Lucerne Hotel be reinvested in Lucerne with the harbor dredging as the first priority during a meeting at which two Record-Bee writers were present.

11. Consider county’s lack of response to LATH resolution A0001 submitted to the county on Jan. 9, 2019, requesting the proceeds from the sale of the Lucerne Hotel be reinvested in the town of Lucerne with the harbor dredging as the first priority.

12. Consider future agenda items and need for additional scheduled meetings to complete housekeeping.

Adjournment