How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
COBB – Representatives of a geothermal power plant on Cobb on Thursday got a loud message from area residents, who made it clear that they were tired of what they felt was a clear pattern of poor management and practices, and were determined that it should change.
The two-and-a-half-hour meeting, held at Cobb's Little Red Schoolhouse, brought a representative from Bottle Rock Power Plant face-to-face with nearly three dozen annoyed neighbors, who said they've been putting up with noise, speeding trucks, accumulated garbage, impacted water wells and other environmental issues for years, well before the plant reopened in March of 2007.
The plant is being operated under a use permit first granted in 1980 and valid until 2013.
Supervisor Rob Brown, who was first contacted by neighbors last year regarding noise issues, coordinated the meeting. He said he got involved last month, as complaints began to escalate.
Earlier in the day, he and a group toured the facility, which is owned by a partnership between US Renewables Group and Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund I.
Also at the Thursday meeting was Supervisor Ed Robey, who Brown invited because Robey has dealt with similar issues between Calpine and the Anderson Springs community; Community Development Director Rick Coel; Ron Yoder, the county's only associate resource planner; Ray Ruminski of Environmental Health; and Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart of the Lake County Air Quality Management District.
Larry Bandt, vice president of engineering for Oski Energy – which manages the plant for its owners – said another group, Integral Energy Management (IEM), runs the plant and its steamfield. Yet another company, ThermaSource of Santa Rosa – which is partially owned by US Renewables Group and Riverstone – does the operation's drilling.
“A lot of the issues started long before IEM took over steamfield operations,” said Bandt.
He added, “We don't really care who caused the problem,” and committed to working on solutions.
During the Thursday plant tour, Bandt said it became clear to him that concerns about what is in the sump ponds that collect materials from the plant's drills is one of the big issues. He said they plan to move those materials, test them and if they're hazardous to have them taken to an appropriate disposal facility.
Those sump materials already are tested, said Bandt, with samples collected by a plant staffer and sent to a lab.
“The first thing on these sumps is we need to clean them out,” he said. The plant is working on getting a permit to begin that process, which involves both state and local agencies.
Bandt admitted that the plant's staff also was responsible for some streambed disturbance, which was done with heavy equipment. He said they contacted the Department of Fish and Game to come up with a plan to repair the damage.
The agency instructed them to “button it up for the winter” to try to protect the area from erosion, and to conduct the creek restoration in the spring. “We're going to do that for sure, no question,” said Bandt.
Drill cuttings, which were spread in a meadow to dry, have been removed and the meadow revegetated, although some metal and other materials are still there. Bandt said they're committing to doing additional testing to make sure no hazardous materials are there.
As part of plant operations, Bandt said there was no grading plan because they only cleared brush from the roads that were there already. Roads that aren't needed won't be used.
He also conceded that there has been damage to High Valley Road, which runs past the plant, due to truck traffic. An outside contractor has been contacted to work on repairing the road, but the plant's operators don't want to start repairs until after some heavy equipment has been moved out.
Radar signs are being posted and plant employees will get one warning if they're caught speeding and will be terminated if caught a second time. Bandt said a company employee will monitor for speeding.
There also is an unpermitted pad by the steamfield, which the plant operator needs to either get a permit for or remove next spring, said Bandt.
The operation's sound has been one particularly vexing and unresolved issue according to residents, some of them reporting that said the sound travels down to Loch Lomond.
Bandt the company has an individual who will be a contact for residents regarding their complaints.
“Our residents have just lost all trust and faith in your promises,” said Gerri Finn, a High Valley Road resident since 1997.
That's why area residents contacted Brown and other county officials, Finn said. The person Bandt named “is not going to be our contact person,” she said. “We're well beyond working with Bottle Rock Power just because it's taken so long.”
The county, she added, would now be the contact for the community's complaints.
Bandt replied by telling the residents that one of the drill rigs was being dismantled and removed, which should reduce noise, and said he would work to get other measures implemented, agreeing to contact Brown with an update.
At Brown's suggestion, Bandt also agreed to allow a third party to take the sump samples in order to raise the residents' confidence in the testing.
Community member Robert Stark questioned Bandt about plans to expand the plant's current operations. Bandt said the plant is currently producing 11 megawatts of power, with a 55 megawatt capacity, and they only intend to drill two more wells.
“Aren't there plans to expand geothermal power further up into High Valley towards Mendocino?” asked Stark, to which Bandt said yes, but he noted those plans would take time to develop.
Stark suggested that the county needed to have a plan for dealing with geothermal expansion and a point person to monitor the associated issues.
Hamilton Hess, chair of the Friends of Cobb Mountain, agreed with the county appointing a single person for monitoring and coordination, and said Lake County Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger had done a good job at such a task in previous years.
Brown said he and Coel plan to sit down and discuss how to deal with geothermal operations, and he agreed with Stark that the county needs to get ready for more geothermal power generation.
Regarding the county's interaction with Bottle Rock Power, “The first priority has been to work with them to get the biggest problems resolved immediately,”said Coel. Those larger issues are grading, erosion control and the creek restoration.
He said Yoder has been up to the site as many as 10 times, and it was Yoder who brought in other agencies such as Fish and Game and the state water quality control board. “Those guys have a lot bigger hammer than us in terms of levying fines,” said Coel.
Community member Ron Fidge alleged that chromium six, a heavy metal compound, is leaking into the ground in the area due to the plant. “It needs to be dealt with, that's all I'm saying.”
Yoder said the chromium tested “right at the borderline for toxicity.”
Ruminski explained that the chromium wasn't brought to the site, but is comes out with the drilling materials. When a neighbor asked if it could pose a danger to his children, Ruminski replied, “It can be a hazard.”
Brown asked Ruminski if he had seen anything on the tour that day that posed a threat. “The simple answer to your question is, it depends,” Ruminski said.
Stark said it wasn't a fair question. Pointing to a picture of a pile of drilling materials Yoder showed in a slide presentation, Stark said the constant contamination of soil won't kill people tomorrow. “Your children's children will be affected.”
Yoder said he believed the answer to the neighbors' problems was the plant's compliance with its use permit.
“We all want compliance,” said Finn, but she said the pattern of noncompliance established so far doesn't leave them hopeful.
Yoder said he doesn't believe past practices always predict the future.
David Coleman, whose property is located directly east of the plant, showed his own slides of the area around the plant, and noted some spots have now been cleaned up where previously garbage had been piled. The use permit, he said, called for the property to be kept clean and neat.
Neighbors said one of their most serious concerns involved a virgin meadow with large oaks trees where some of the materials had been stored.
Another meeting will be held on Nov. 20 to follow up on the progress in resolving residents' complaints.
Coleman said afterward that he felt the meeting was productive, and had gotten the point across to the plant's operators that the neighbors were serious about finally getting resolution to their issues.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The incident in question took place last Tuesday evening, Oct. 28, as Lake County News has reported.
Hidden Valley Lake residents Kevin Schosek and Wendy Ferrell were in their Park Point Court home when a white male subject, dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask, came through their back door, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office report.
The subject brandished a semi-automatic pistol in robbing the two before fleeing their home. He is described as 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with a slender build.
Capt. Jim Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office couldn't be reached late Friday regarding the status of the investigation.
The home invasion and robbery has Hidden Valley Lake residents worried. Hidden Valley Lake Security Chief Charles Russ said he understands their concerns, but reminds them that such incidents are very rare.
“In the 14 years that I have worked here nothing of this magnitude has ever happened before,” he said.
Russ said Hidden Valley Security is working very closely with the ongoing investigation led by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
He said his agency is taking “proactive control,” with extra security patrolling in the areas of concern.
Russ also requested that if residents of Hidden Valley Lake have any questions they should not call the security gates but should dial his office directly at 987-9414.
Concerned citizens may visit the Hidden Valley Lake Association Web site, www.hvla.com, where information is being posted as soon as Hidden Valley Lake officials are aware of it, Russ said.
Anyone with leads in the case should call the sheriff's office investigative branch at 262-4200.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Aimee Gonsalves
KELSEYVILLE –The Lake County Office of Education honored its teacher of the year Joyce Paiva at the 14th Annual Teacher of the Year Recognition Dinner at Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The criteria for selection of the County Teacher of the Year is based upon the state and national requirements. Those include professional development activities, commitment to the improvement of the educational system, personal attributes, creativity and ability to communicate ideas effectively as well as professional skills in delivering curriculum and instruction to students.
This year's committee members were Wally Holbrook, Madelene Lyon, Kate Lyons and Marc Morita. The committee chair was Deputy Superintendent of Schools Chris Thomas.
County Superintendent Dave Geck welcomed the approximately 80 guests to the dinner and introduced district superintendents including Dr. Bill MacDougall of Konocti Unified School District, Erin Hagberg of Lakeport Unified, Pam Tarner of Lucerne Elementary, Korby Olson of Middletown Unified, Kurt Herndon of Upper Lake Elementary and Patrick Iaccino from Upper Lake High.
Each of the superintendents introduced and spoke about their respective District Teachers of the Year.
District honorees included Robann Hill, fifth grade teacher, Pomo Elementary School; Cindy Beasley, first grade teacher, Lakeport Elementary; Kathy Hughes, kindergarten and first grade teacher, Lucerne Elementary; Bob Norris, retired eighth grade math teacher, Middletown Middle School; Janice Klier, fourth grade teacher, Upper Lake Elementary School; and retired art, humanities, and academic decathlon teacher, Christina Moore of Upper Lake High School.
Following the recognition of the district teachers of the year, Mountain Vista Middle School Principal John Berry introduced Paiva as the Lake County Office of Education’s Teacher of the Year for 2008-09.
Berry described Paiva as “uniquely well liked and highly respected.” He said that every school needs a rock of Gibraltar and Paiva fills this role at Mountain Vista.
Paiva was then called to the stage where she received a plaque and spoke about her experience as a teacher.
She gave an acceptance speech in which she recognized all parents, teachers and educators for their role in children’s lives. “We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the jobs we do.”
Paiva added, “Great things happen because we teach.”
All of the individuals who do great things in this world had a teacher, a parent, a mentor who taught them how to read or how to do math, she explained. It is important that these people take the time to recognize the role they have and the important part that they play in a child’s life.
Paiva was born in Illinois, but grew up in what she says used to be small town Morgan Hill where she commuted to Norte Dame High School. She moved to the city of San Jose after high school graduation to attend San Jose State University, where she majored in English.
She said she knew she had a talent for writing and “really enjoyed the literary aspect of the major,” so it was a natural choice to choose this area of study.
While in college, Paiva worked at a large bank part-time and was offered a full-time position before she had received her bachelor's degree. She felt she needed a greater challenge and while she was trying to figure out what her next step would be, she received a flier in the mail from San Jose State University that described a program called Project 70. San Jose State was taking applications for a special education program and would accept 70 students. She decided to give it a go, was accepted, and thus Paiva’s teaching career was born.
Paiva has taught in Lake County since 1971, with her first job student teaching kindergarten and third grade. She has taught various grade levels, with the past 12 years of her career teaching sixth through eighth grades at Mountain Vista Middle School.
Currently, Paiva teaches seventh and eighth grade math, which she finds very challenging and rewarding. Her goal is “to have each student reach their highest level and establish a strong mathematical foundation.”
“It is a day-to-day challenge, making sure they understand each and every step,” she said.
In addition to teaching math, she also is the independent study coordinator for the district.
Paiva’s children – Erin, Kristin and Matt – surprised her and attended the ceremony along with Patty Perkins, Tavis Perkins, and her brother, Dan McMahon, and sister-in-law, Marilyn McMahon.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
My wife loves potatoes. No wait, I don’t think you understood what I said, “MY WIFE LOVES POTATOES!” So I have a general rule when I make dinner: if I’m making something that is really exotic or “special” and there is a chance that she’ll hate, say, Sweetbreads a la Gusteau with Anchovy Licorice Sauce (all the kids laughed at that one – it's a dish from the Disney movie “Ratatouille”), I’ll include a heaping side of potatoes to the plate.
More often than not her dinner plate will be returned to the kitchen counter with the sweetbreads untouched and not a molecule of potato remains. If I dare try to make the potatoes healthier by omitting the butter, milk or sour cream she will sulk for the rest of the day as if I took away Christmas.
Another accommodation I make for her potato craving: when I make mashed potatoes for dinner, I cook six to eight potatoes so that there is a lot of leftovers for my wife to make potato pancakes out of for the next few days. Really, she would eat potatoes in one form or another every day if she had the chance.
The potato pancakes she makes are something I had never seen before I met her. I knew from my own heritage about lefsa, a Scandinavian potato crepe, and the rosti, the national dish of Switzerland which is a pancake made from shredded potatoes, and I had even heard of the traditional Passover latkes, but the recipe she makes is unique and evidentially passed down through the generations of her family. Aside from the emotional element involved, the reason my wife likes using mashed potatoes rather than the usually called-for grated potatoes, is because the texture is more like a pancake.
I’ve tried to convince my wife that mashed potatoes made with a food mill are far better than when made with a potato masher, but she stands her ground saying that she likes the little unmashed chunks that the masher misses; she says it makes it more “like Mom made them.”
I argue back with science: the process of mashing and stirring potatoes activates the glutens in the potato starch and it makes them “gluey,” so you have to flick your wrist to get them off of the serving spoon as if the potatoes were from outer space and actually consuming the spoon. The less you mix your mashed potatoes the less gluten you activate. Processing potatoes through a food mill (not the same as a food processor) or a potato ricer mashes the potatoes instantly and doesn’t activate much of the gluten in the potato.
The other nice thing about using a food mill is that you don’t have to peel the potatoes first, you just cook them then put them in the food mill peel and all and the mashed potato flesh falls through to the bowl below while the peels stay in the food mill, thus saving work. But for my wife the issue is an emotional one having to do with “comfort foods” and memories of childhood, so I can’t win this one with logic. By the way, food mills are available locally at specialty kitchen or sometimes health food stores.
Something to keep in mind when making mashed potatoes is that you should try to preheat any ingredients that you wish to mix into your mashed potatoes so you don’t cool the potatoes down when adding them in. While the potatoes cook I melt butter, milk, sour cream, salt and white pepper together. I use white pepper so as not to spoil the look of the potatoes with little black flecks.
Potatoes are high in carbohydrates, fiber and vitamin C, but beyond that they aren’t real nutritional powerhouses. Wild potatoes are full of glycoalkaloids in toxic amounts to humans, but the domesticated potato has had most of these toxins bred out of them. Occasionally you will see the green areas on a potato that indicates the presence of these toxins. The good news is that most of these toxins remain on the surface of the potato with the skin so they can be peeled off, AND they are destroyed around 340 degrees.
Years ago it was believed that the discovery of the cinnamon vine (Dioscorea Batata) was going to make the traditional potato disappear from the planet. To be precise they are in fact related to the yam, although unlike yams they are safe to eat raw. Also unlike the yams they taste remarkably like regular potatoes.
The Great Potato Famine in Ireland made people realize how dangerous it was to rely on the potato as a staple. The cinnamon vine on the other hand grew like a weed (and is considered a noxious weed in many places), had no disease or pest problems, and produced 3-foot-long potato-like tubers that when cooked tasted just like potatoes. It also produces miniature tubers in its flowers so you can have plenty of seeds for next year’s crop.
So with the cinnamon vine we could have potatoes without having to worry about losing a crop, and it would be cheaper to grow since they wouldn’t need to be sprayed for any reason. Hallelujah, we have solved world hunger!
The failure of this plant as the solution to world hunger came directly from its productivity; we have no kind of harvesting machine that can pull a 3-foot-long potato out of the ground. Poof! The miracle replacement for potatoes fell into obscurity. In my yard we grow cinnamon vines, but we do it in wine barrels filled with potting soil. When it’s time to harvest we just tip the barrel over and pull the soil out and spread it around the yard.
One shocker for someone new to these tubers is that they are very mucilaginous so when you slice them raw there is a lot of slime that comes off of them and onto your hands and knife, so use caution when handling. In our house they have come to be known as “slug potatoes” since they release slime like slugs. This slime doesn’t affect their flavor once cooked, and they are excellent when used as a substitute for potato chips.
Now, back to the original potatoes, and the potato pancakes my wife makes from the leftovers. There is one odd thing that I have to mention that you might not believe but when I prepare potatoes I’ll peel them and throw the peels in the compost pile. Yes, it’s an organic gardening habit, but I really have no choice; my garbage disposal is allergic to potatoes. If even one molecule of potato goes down my drain it will clog. Even though I could stuff an entire disassembled Volkswagen Beetle down my kitchen sink and not have a single problem, if one tiny potato peel goes down my sink is useless.
By the way, in case you didn’t know, the United Nations (evidently having solved all of the planet’s problems and having nothing else to do) has named 2008 as “The Year of the Potato.” Hurry, run and tell all your friends!
Tonight’s dinner is going to be fried tofu with a carrot-chipotle sauce ... and lots of potatoes.
Potato pancakes
1 to 1 and a 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup diced onions
1 egg
1 to 2 tablespoons milk, as needed for consistency
White pepper to taste
Butter to fry in, about 2 tablespoons
Sour cream
Mix the first four ingredients well. Add enough milk to make the mixture spreadable, but still thick. Spoon onto a buttered frying pan set to medium heat and cook until golden brown. Serve with sour cream on top and add some snipped chives if you desire.
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community.
{mos_sb_discuss:4}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports