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LAKEPORT – What should Lakeport look like in the decades ahead? The Lakeport City Council is planning a special meeting this coming week to consider just that question, and discuss goals for how the city should develop and grow.
The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the City Council chambers at Lakeport City Hall.
At a one-hour workshop before the council's Oct. 2 regular meeting, City Manager Jerry Gillham led the council and city staff through a “drill” that was a preparation for this Tuesday's meeting.
That Oct. 2 dry run had no opportunities for public comment. However, Gillham said the next step was to go out and “engage the flock” and ask what citizens want.
The public is invited to participate in Tuesday's special meeting and share their thoughts about what should be ahead for Lakeport.
Among Gillham's directions for council members and staff on Oct. 2 was to give brief descriptions of how they envisioned Lakeport in 20 years. Responses included having spending under control, a safe community, good infrastructure, a prosperous and active city, financial solvency, happy employees and citizens, and balanced budgets.
Asked to envision the city's ideal population, council members gave answers that ranged between 10,000 and 20,000 residents.
Gillham also asked council and staff to identify benchmarks for success in the future. Councilman Ron Bertsch said he hopes in 20 years all the roads will be paved. Mayor Roy Parmentier said, for him, a lot of out-of-town license plates will indicate the city is “on the map.”
Councilman Bob Rumfelt said he would like the city to be the hub of area activities, but that the city needs to have better roads. He suggested it may be necessary to look at more sales tax measures in the future to achieve that goal.
For Councilman Buzz Bruns, his wish list included a promenade extending from Fifth Street down to the Natural High School property, along with infrastructure, livability, a good economy, a marina and a large community college facility.
Parmentier said he felt the city needed a four-star hotel, and that the city needs to improve downtown parking.
Councilman Jim Irwin said the city needed to find room for expansion.
Bertsch added that bike trails, a completed Westside Park, downtown beautification and a “good attitude” from merchants were among his hopes for the future.
Other suggestions included allowing all Lakeport residents to connect for free to the Internet and upgrading the city's housing. Although Rumfelt said mobile homes are part of the blight problem, he explained he wasn't talking about newer manufactured homes, which City Attorney Steve Brookes said the city can't discriminate against when permitting housing.
Asked by Gillham to describe critical limits to the city's goals, council member and staff responses included limited access to the city, an underachieving redevelopment agency, the lack of a large hotel, limited tax/economic base, the inability to grow to the west or east due to natural barriers, a “not in my backyard” attitude that wants to prevent development and poor infrastructure.
Lakeport City Hall is located at 225 Park St.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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