LAKEPORT, Calif. – The process to establish a new Middletown sheriff’s substation has cleared its final step.

On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to approve the purchase agreement for the new substation at 21277 Calistoga St. in Middletown.

The county has reached an agreement to purchase the foreclosure property from Westamerica Bank for $205,000, well under its appraised value of $247,000, according to County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox.

In preparation for the board vote, Cox said the Lake County Planning Commission had voted that the proposed purchase conformed with the Lake County General Plan, environmental clearance was obtained and an initial environmental assessment was performed, an independent appraisal was conducted and the public hearing was noticed.

A building assessment found that the main structure’s wood foundation needed repair, and ramps to make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act are needed, Cox said. Those deficiencies can be corrected with the funds the county is saving in the purchase cost.

“There’s been quite a bit of community support expressed” for the new substation, Cox reported.

The county also will save money when the sheriff’s office vacates its substation in the Clearlake courthouse, which now is owned by the state.

Cox thanked Realtor Stacey Mattina for her assistance in the purchase process, and also thanked Westamerica Bank for approving needed time extensions.

Sheriff Frank Rivero said he believed the new substation would be of great benefit to the county’s safety.

“It would be good to have a presence there” right off Highway 29, he told the board.

The new substation will be located just across the street from the new library, senior center and park.

Rivero said he had “110 percent support” from within the sheriff’s office for the purchase.

Board Chair Rob Brown said the county worked to get a good deal on the property.

Supervisor Jim Comstock, who helped lobby for the new substation, said the site is ideal, and agreed that it has strong community support.

Supervisor Jeff Smith said he hadn’t supported the substation plan when Rivero originally proposed locating it outside of Middletown. However, he approved of the proposal before the board Tuesday.

“I don’t think we can beat it, the location or anything else,” Smith said.

The board opened the public hearing but there was no public comment.

Comstock offered the resolution, which the board approved 5-0.

In a statement released by his office later in the day, Rivero thanked the board, and gave special recognition to Comstock, Cox and Deputy County Administrative Officer Eric Seely for their efforts on behalf of the project.

He said he would be working diligently to get the new substation open as soon as possible.

Cox told Lake County News following the meeting that the cost of using the Clearlake courthouse varies from year to year, and that the county has to pay a percentage of the maintenance costs for the building.

He said the state determines what maintenance will be performed, who does it, how much it costs and then sends the county the bill.

According to Cox, the state spends much more on maintenance than the county did when the county owned the building and county staff maintained it, adding that the county needed to relocate from the building.

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