LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors has accepted a donation of land and money for a new Clearlake Oaks park.
In an unanimous vote, the Board of Supervisors approved a donation of 620 acres along East Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks and an as-yet unspecified amount of funds from the John T. Klaus 1994 Trust.
The process of bringing the final donation to the board has taken a few years.
The board received an initial report on the donation from Public Services Director Lars Ewing at its July 7, 2020 meeting and had been scheduled to consider approving the resolution to accept the park property and funds at its meeting on Feb. 9, 2021, however, the item was pulled.
County Counsel Anita Grant told the board on Tuesday that the delay was due, in part, to the previous attorney for the trust having died.
A new attorney had to come in “and essentially begin again in order to ensure that the terms of the trust and the expenditures of money were all scrupulously adhered to,” Grant said.
Ewing told the board in July 2020 that the trustee at that point had reported assets including bank accounts totaling approximately $1.5 million, appraisal values of properties owned by the trust and not yet sold amounting to approximately $650,000, and recurring annual lease income of approximately $127,000 from a property in Livermore that has been leased to an oil change business for more than 20 years.
Staff didn’t report new totals for those assets, although Grant’s written report for Tuesday’s meeting noted the sale of the additional properties had resulted in “considerable proceeds.”
The resolution to accept the donation has conditions including that the property be named “John T. Klaus Park,” with one-third of the land on the rear of the property to be reserved as a refuge for wildlife and the rest of the park to be developed for sporting and athletic activities for youth.
The document also agrees to begin initiating the transfer of sale proceeds from various accounts into a county account established solely for the receipt of the monies, Grant said.
She said the attorney for the trustee is preparing for a final accounting that will be filed in court, with all the details becoming known as the attorney’s work steadily progresses.
Grant said the only issue before the board on Tuesday was whether to formally accept the donation and then to move forward again to initiate the process of transfer pursuant to the terms of the trust.
Ewing said he’d previously received direction from the board to develop a business plan for the park. However, because it would be a county park, Ewing said he felt it was premature to develop a management plan without getting public input first.
He said he’s been out to the property a number of times with the trustee. The county has received a quote for the needed cleanup on the land.
“I think it's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often,” Ewing said, comparing it with the Mount Konocti Park that the county purchased. That park didn’t come with any money, while this project has both property and funding.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he was thankful to Klaus for wanting to leave a positive legacy behind him.
“I do have some concerns and those concerns I think can easily be taken care of with a management plan, a fiscal plan,” said Sabatier, who wanted to know the cost of managing the property. Even if it’s left in its natural state, there will be a need for fire mitigation.
Clearlake Oaks residents Holly Harris and Chuck Lamb submitted a letter to the board supporting approval of the resolution.
“This particular piece of property is very scenic, and is the ‘gateway’ to Clearlake Oaks and the Lake County north shore, when headed west. The ability to have 620 acres preserved for outdoor activities and wildlife refuge — along with Mr. Klaus' donation of funding sources — will ensure that the property can be enjoyed by many,” they wrote.
The Clear Lake Keys Property Owners Association and Redbud Audubon Society also submitted comments to the county urging acceptance of the property.
The board voted to approve the resolution to accept the park 4-0. Supervisor Moke Simon was absent for the meeting.
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Supervisors vote to accept John T. Klaus park and money donations
- Elizabeth Larson
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