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LAKEPORT – Fireworks, the Westshore Pool, consideration of leasing Westside Community Park's phase two to a volunteer group and appointment of an interim city manager are all on the Lakeport City Council's full Tuesday agenda.
The regular meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St. A budget workshop with the council and city staff will begin at 4 p.m.
Among the first items on the agenda will be a presentation by Lakeport Fire Protection District Chief Ken Wells, who will speak to the council about his concerns regarding sales of safe and sane fireworks within the city.
Lakeport is the only area of the county where safe and sane fireworks may be used and purchased legally. In light of the fire season, Wells told Lake County News last week he wanted to go on the record with the council about his opposition to fireworks sales.
On Friday, the four nonprofits who were scheduled to sell fireworks this year – Miss Lake County Scholarship Program, Clear Lake High School Boosters Club, Terrace School Parent Teacher Organization and the Channel Cats – voluntarily agreed to cancel sales when they learned of Wells' plans to address the council, as Lake County News has reported.
Group representatives have told Lake County News they'll be at the meeting to discuss alternative fundraising methods to replace what for all of them is their biggest annual infusion of funds.
Staff seeks direction on pool grant
Funds will be critical for the Channel Cats, who also are on the agenda with regard to the Westshore Pool.
A report from City Engineer Scott Harter is seeking council direction on how the city should meet a requirement for private matching funds on a state Parks and Recreation grant used to reconstruct the Westshore Pool last year.
In 2004 the Channel Cats hired Karen MacDougall to write a grant request on behalf of the city for funding from the 2002 Resources Bond Act. The grant provided 70 percent of the estimated cost of the pool reconstruction with 20 percent to be provided by the applicant and 10 percent to be provided by a private source.
The original estimate for pool repairs was $283,400, but the actual project cost was $380,187.65, Harter reported. However, the private match remains $24,000, based on the original repair estimate.
Harter said the city is now working with the state on the project close out and final payment of the grant funding.
He reported that the city's finance department said the Channel Cats have not yet made a contribution on the pool project. The club recently paid $8,000 to cover last season's operating costs according to their agreement with the city.
He says the city has three options: request a waiver for the private match requirement which may or may not be granted; require the Channel Cats to provide the private match of $24,000 as identified in the grant application; or don't pursue the waiver or the private match and return the $134,400 received to date from the state.
Options for Westside Community Park
City Attorney Steve Brookes will take to the council a discussion and action item on Westside Community Park. The council will look at the possibility of leasing the park's phase two to the nonprofit Westside Community Park Inc., which would develop, maintain and operate it. At the council's last meeting, members directed Brookes to research the issue and bring it back to them.
The nonprofit and other volunteers want to proceed on phase two, Brookes says in his staff report. While the group has volunteers and funds to commence work, the city's resources are currently limited. Brookes writes that devoting city resources to the park will take away from the city's ability to maintain current park and pool facilities.
The council will have to consider a number of issues, including the group's ability to operate and maintain the facility, the city's rights and control of the park, potential costs and negative public sentiment if the park project doesn't turn out as planned, and the city's commitment and ability to operate the park if it's returned to the city under the lease terms.
Animal control, bed and breakfast inns back on agenda
In other council business, Police Chief Kevin Burke will present a report on a code enforcement/animal control program that his department would administer if approved by the council. The city is considering offering its own service rather than paying the county in an effort to save money.
The council also will again consider an updated ordinance to limit the maximum number of guest bedrooms in a bed and breakfast inn to five. The newest version of the ordinance also proposes modifying the municipal code to remove bed and breakfast inns as a permitted use subject to the issuance of a use permit in the R-1 Low Density Residential zoning, adds a section to the code to allow bed and breakfast inns in the R-2 Medium Density Residential zoning district subject to the issuance of a use permit, and amends the code to indicate that bed and breakfast inns located on the shoreline of Clear Lake should have 10,000 square feet of lands area located above the Clear Lake high water mark (1,326.05’ above sea level).
A new resolution for phasing in increases in a number of city fees will be considered. This is the second year of the three-year phase in originally approved last year.
The Lake County Rodeo also will present an application to the city seeking to hold an all-horse parade on Main Street from Martin Street to Ninth Street on Saturday, July 12.
Discussion on interim manager continues
Following the public portion of the meting, the council will once again hold a closed session discussion to consider appointing an interim city manager.
At its meeting two weeks ago, the council held a closed session to consider appointing Lakeport Police Chief Kevin Burke as interim city manager while City Manager Jerry Gillham is away in Iraq. Gillham, a member of the Oregon National Guard, is set to leave for his second year-long deployment late next month, as Lake County News has reported.
The council delayed the decision until all council members were present – Councilman Bob Rumfelt was not at the last meeting. Burke also was away for vacation and they wanted to speak to him this week.
To see the full agenda and accompanying council reports, visit http://www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/docs.aspx?deptID=43&catID=102.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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