CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The city of Clearlake’s effort to build a new sports complex took another step toward reality on Tuesday.

Congressman Mike Thompson came to town to present the city with a check for $4,116,279 for the construction of the Clearlake Burns Valley Sports Complex and Recreation Center.

Thompson helped secure the funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024.

“Youth sports benefit everyone in Clearlake,” said Thompson. “The Burns Valley Sports Complex and Recreation Center will not only provide a venue for Clearlake's young athletes to train and compete, it is also expected to stimulate our economy by bringing in tens of thousands of new visitors to Clearlake each year. I was proud to work with city officials to identify the need for this funding and secure over $4 million for the project.”

The project will include a soccer field, baseball fields and a new 20,000-square-foot recreation center and a public works corporation yard behind the Burns Valley shopping center, on land the city purchased in December 2021.

The brand-new facility will expand the community’s access to sports and recreational amenities and help establish the city as a destination for sporting events and tournaments. At present, Lake County’s youth sports programs have no facilities to host tournaments.

A study conducted by Synergy Sports Global predicts the project will bring in over 40,000 additional annual visitors to Clearlake and result in 10,000 more annual hotel room stays.

The study also projects the new sports complex will generate an additional $8.6 million for the local economy each year.

In addition to the recreation opportunities, the project has also created new housing.

The original parcel was 31 acres. The city sold a five-acre portion of the property to Danco Communities in May 2022 for $1.5 million.

The company built an 80-unit multi-family affordable housing complex, Oak Valley Villas, which celebrated its grand opening in April.

Rising costs challenge project

City Manager Alan Flora said when they started the sports complex project four years ago, he thought it would cost $8 million.

However, the project’s price tag is now at $20 million. Flora said the city now has $15 million for the project.

Thompson has so far provided more than $6 million to the effort. The check he presented on Tuesday is the second round of funding he has helped secure for the Burns Valley Sports Complex Project. In January of 2023, Thompson presented the city of Clearlake with a $2 million check to aid in the development of the complex.

Additionally, Flora said the Konocti Unified School District has pitched in $1 million and Lake County Tribal Health Consortium has provided $150,000. The rest of the funds for the project come from the city.

The city has figured out a phased approach for the project, which — like its 18th Avenue project — is being held up due to litigation filed against the city by the Koi Nation tribe. Flora said the trial in that case is due to take place in July.

He said he expects the city to break ground on the project in the spring.

Thompson’s visit to the city to deliver the check included a tour around Clearlake with city, county and tribal officials.

The tour started with a brief meeting at City Hall, where Thompson presented the ceremonial check, before the group boarded a bus and headed out for stops at several key development sites.

The first stop was at the location where the Elem Indian Colony plans to build its new travel center site on an acre at 14825 and 14855 Lakeshore Drive, formerly the site of Mario’s Restaurant and Silk’s Bar and Grill, near Redbud Park.

From there, they went to the 40-acre Pearce Field, the city’s former airport and the site of the city’s major commercial development.

“This is a game changer for Clearlake,” said Flora, describing the concept for the high-end public market and commercial development that will include an Adventist Health medical office building and, potentially, a new hospital.

The group next traveled to the new Tribal Health clinic that opened last year, where CEO Ernesto Padilla explained how they stayed on budget during the pandemic by purchasing the materials and renting hangars to store them.

He said they are mirroring the services offered in Lakeport at the Clearlake clinic, and have purchased the dialysis building next door to offer more services, including pain management and behavioral health.

“There is a lot of need here,” Padilla said.

The tour’s final stop before returning to City Hall was at the recreation center site, where Thompson was joined by young ball players in placing blue tape on a sign used to track the fundraising for the project.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.