- Elizabeth Larson
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Board of Supervisors approves agreement with PG&E for community resource center in Lucerne Harbor Park
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an agreement between the county and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to use Lucerne Harbor Park as a community resource center during public safety power shutoffs.
Public Services Director Lars Ewing presented the agreement to the board.
His written report explained that PG&E contacted Public Services and the Lake County Office of Emergency Services last month with a proposal for the agreement to use the park when public safety power shutoffs occur in the Northshore area.
Ewing’s report said other county facilities have been used by PG&E for resource centers in the past.
The center at the park would be in a tent powered by generators, with tables and seating, offering snacks, water, electronic device charging and information on the outages, and would operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily during the shutoffs, Ewing reported.
He said PG&E would staff and secure the center around the clock.
The agreement included a map of the park, showing that it would take up 18 parking spaces on the side of the park next to the beach. Ewing estimated the center would use up to 75% of the park, but the rest of the park would be available to the public.
The county would receive $200 a day for the use of the park. Ewing said the shutoffs would take place for a period of between two and 10 days.
PG&E representative Melinda Rivera told the board the company previously had another location in Lucerne in contract for a community resource center but they are not able to renew it. That led them to reach out to the county to look for a new option.
It was explained later in the discussion by another PG&E staffer, Rich Noonan, that the previous contract in Lucerne had been for the Lucerne Hotel, under the management of New Paradigm College. Something happened and the college decided that it did not want to continue with the contract.
Noonan said that left them with the need to find another site, and one that is Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant.
“In Lucerne, the park was our best and only option,” he said.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier asked during the discussion if the payment for the park use would go into the general fund or into a fund to be used specifically for Lucerne Harbor Park. Ewing said it would be the general fund.
Sabatier said he would like to have a different conversation at some point about allocating money from the rental of parks back to the specific parks in order to address wear and tear.
Ewing said they could earmark the funds from Lucerne Harbor Park’s use as a community resource center to go back to that specific park.
The agreement requires PG&E to give the county eight hours of advance notice before activating the community resource center. If the county can’t do it, they need to give PG&E four hours advance notice.
Ewing was concerned that there may be vehicles parked in the park that they can’t get rid of in time, and he didn’t want the county to be responsible for clearing the park.
That was an apparent reference to recent issues at the park with RVs parked in the same spots for days on end.
Ewing said the park is very rarely packed to the point of not being able to find space. He added that he didn’t have an answer to the problem but wanted to make sure to discuss it with the supervisors.
County Counsel Anita Grant said there are other things the county can do to minimize risk, like signage at the park.
Sheriff Brian Martin said he supported the agreement, explaining that his agency had asked PG&E to be more proactive in mitigating impacts. He said it’s a good partnership.
Sabatier moved to approve the agreement, with Supervisor Moke Simon seconding and the board approving it 4-0.
At another county-owned property, the previous site of the Lucerne Clubhouse at 6325 East Highway 20, PG&E finished construction last year of a microgrid, or sectionalizing device meant to break up the grid into smaller pieces and narrow the scope of PSPS events so fewer customers are impacted.
The board approved an agreement to locate that microgrid there in November 2020.
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PGE CRC Agreement Lucerne Habor Park (Signed) by LakeCoNews on Scribd