How to resolve AdBlock issue? LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council last week heard from the police chief on plans for dealing with illegal fireworks during the July 4 city celebration and got an update on services being offered to local businesses.
One of the main items of discussion during the half-hour meeting was Chief Brad Rasmussen's illegal fireworks operations plan, which he is required to present and have filed with the council by city code.
Rasmussen provided the council with the police operations plan for fireworks, patrol and enforcement for the 30-day period surrounding the holiday, from June 17 to July 16.
The report said that the police department has identified the city’s parklands and Will-O-Point as those areas most affected by illegal fireworks.
“The Police Department provides routine patrol to those areas which present the most problems on a daily basis when staffing levels permit and during the course of the patrol officer’s duties. Increased patrols with targeted enforcement will occur in specific areas when deemed necessary,” the report said.
The report also notes, “The Police Department will provide uniformed patrol to those areas described above through June 17 and July 16 when staffing levels permit. As it relates to Independence Day, the Police Department will set up a command post at City Hall and with the assistance of allied agencies and conduct a mass canvass of the ‘Parklands’ utilizing officers on foot patrol. Officers assigned to the ‘Parklands’ will directly target the troublesome areas and seek out illegal fireworks violators. Officers will also be assigned to the remaining areas of the City, not demeaned as troublesome, in patrol units.”
Rasmussen told the council that police expect to have issues similar to those they experienced last year, with a lot of people in town also a lot of use of illegal fireworks.
“We will try to do what we can to enforce and limit the use” of illegal fireworks, Rasmussen said, adding that it's very difficult. He said the police department will work with the Lakeport Fire Protection District on that effort.
Councilman Kenny Parlet asked about language included in the report about the use by the public in years past of the Safeway, Kmart, High Street Center, Shoreline Center and Vista Point parking lots for shooting off safe and sane fireworks.
The report notes, “these are private parking lots, and law enforcement does not have permission to allow such activities. Persons took it upon themselves to use these lots without expressed or written consent.”
Rasmussen said the intent of that language was to let people know that police can't specifically address the use of those private properties. He said the owners don't want the property used for the safe and sane fireworks but people use them anyway.
Over the last few years, the fireworks company providing the safe and sane fireworks to approved nonprofits for sale has been good at getting the groups who sell the fireworks to go out and clean up the areas in the city where those fireworks are used, so that the businesses aren't faced with cleaning up their big messes, Rasmussen said.
Councilman George Spurr moved to approve the report, which the council approved 5-0.
In other business, Maryanne Petrillo, chief executive officer of the West Business Development Center, gave the council an update on her organization, which hosts the Small Business Development Center and is funded by the federal Small Business Administration.
She said they can do free business advising to all businesses with less than 100 employees, which is most of the county's businesses.
They provide workshops including one coming up at 5:30 p.m. June 17 in Lakeport on fire preparedness. Petrillo said the center developed the workshop and a book based on what they saw local businesses were missing in facing the area's wildland fires.
“We are really here to serve you,” she said.
Petrillo said the organization has been in existence for 30 years and has sometimes talked people out of going into business, but those individuals have come back when they're actually ready. She said it is harder than ever to start, own and run a business.
Also at last week’s meeting, the Lakeport Main Street Association presented the Business of the Quarter Award to O'Meara Bros. and the council unanimously approved the purchase of granular activated carbon for two vessels at the surface water treatment plant.
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