How to resolve AdBlock issue? On Thursday, the council discussed a possible relocation of the corporation yard – currently located on the city-owned Pearce Field airport property, which the city is considering selling for commercial development – to another city-owned property on Ogulin Canyon Road.
David Swartz, the city’s consulting engineer, presented an analysis of two sites on the 21-acre property on Thursday night. His report is on 40 of the agenda packet published below.
However, Swartz’s conclusion on both sites – one on top of a hill, the other at the base of a hill – was that they are too small to be usable on a long term basis.
For the hilltop location, Swartz said there would need to be a lot of earthmoving, which would be made more difficult by his assessment that the hilltop is rock.
There also was the matter of a 12-foot-wide access road that has a 12- to 15-percent grade, which Swartz said could be a “recipe for disaster” when trying to move large equipment to the site.
At the bottom of the hill, Swartz said there is a flat-enough area to develop a yard, but some of that flat area is on an adjacent parcel not owned by the city. He said it’s possible that the adjacent site could be purchased.
“The usability of the site, I think, presents some challenges,” Swartz said.
The city’s current Public Works corporation yard is being shared with the city’s Animal Control department, with a lot of workspace being taken up by kennels, he said.
Swartz said Public Works’ staff and needs are expanding. He said the city could relocate the yard to the Ogulin Canyon Road site and it would be sufficient for the current staff, but he didn’t think it would suffice for the future.
“And I’m just being honest,” he said, explaining that in a dozen years, the city will probably have a larger Public Works staff “by quite a bit.”
Swartz said that in the next decade, the city will be presented with another dilemma, open a second corporation yard or move the current one.
In response to questions from Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten, Swartz said the property has no setback issues, isn’t in the flood zone, and has no water or sewer service.
During the ensuing discussion, council members agreed with Swartz’s assessment and didn’t like the idea of moving to a new site that wouldn’t be adequate long term.
Councilman Phil Harris noted his concerns with the prospect of city staff having to cross Highway 53 with equipment every time they left the site. He said he’d prefer a location within the city.
“It’s not an ideal location,” said Mayor Russ Cremer, adding he would like to look for a more suitable location, which may require buying new property and selling the Ogulin Canyon Road site.
Councilman Russ Perdock said the city has other properties including one 30-acre site acquired through redevelopment that can be accessed off of Old Highway 53. He said the city had considered putting a park there.
City Manager Alan Flora said staff had looked at city-owned sites and the Ogulin Canyon Road location was the only one other than the airport with size.
“The frustration here is, the city’s been talking about doing this for several years. We've made very little, if any, progress,” Flora said.
He said the city needs a solution as soon as possible, as he anticipates significant pressure and interest in developing at the airport property in the next few years.
Flora said it may be feasible to sell the Ogulin Canyon Road site. He said he’s not sure of what it could be used for, noting it’s in a cannabis combining district and also would make a nice home site.
The $600,000 budgeted for the new corporation yard is probably not enough to build at the Ogulin Canyon Road site, with Flora noting that it puts the city in a bind, both timing-wise and financially.
Perdock asked Swartz how big of a site the city needs for a new corporation yard. Swartz said four to five acres.
During public comment, District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier offered a brand new option.
Sabatier said he texted Lake County Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger about the matter and said she is open to a conversation about locating the corporation yard at the county-owned sewer pond facility on Pond Road. The site also has a solar installation.
Flora said the city and county had previously talked about locating Clearlake Animal Control there.
Council members liked the idea and said they wanted to explore it further. Cremer thanked Sabatier for suggesting the Pond Road site.
The council reached a consensus to consider the Pond Road site further.
During the meeting, Flora showed the council a map of a 490-acre parcel within the city limit owned by the Lake County Sanitation District.
Sabatier later confirmed to Lake County News that the city and county plan to move forward with discussing the site.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
022020 Clearlake City Council meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
