LAKEPORT, Calif. – Real estate prices in August dropped slightly compared to July but still showed improvement over 2014.
The Lake County Association of Realtors reported that the August median sales price was $200,000, which was a 5.2-percent drop when compared to the July 2015 median sales price of $211,000.
Year-over-year the median sales price increased 16.3 percent, up from $172,000 in August 2014.
“The number of sales was also down a small amount,” said LCAOR President Yvette Sloan. “However, we did see a number of sales over $500,000 indicating that high end buyers were entering the market.”
The number of sales for August came in at 79 units down from 82 units in July. In August of 2014, 73 units sold making the year over year comparison an 8.2 percent gain.
The percentage of distressed sales rose from an adjusted 8.5 percent of the sales in July to 15.2 percent of the sales in August.
On the financing front, cash buyers accounted for nearly 33 percent of the deals after dipping to 21 percent in July.
The percentage of buyers using conventional loans dropped from 44 percent in July to 34 percent in August. FHA loans financed 13.9 percent of the deals.
Inventory levels were at six months of inventory for August 2015, July 2015 and August 2015. This is considered a normal level in the real estate industry and means that at the current rate of selling it would take six months to sell all the active listings in the multiple listing service.
On a countywide basis it did not appear that the Rocky and Jerusalem fires impacted sales, however the Valley fire may have an effect because a much larger number of homes have been affected.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
Lake County – August 2015 Median price: $200,000 Median days to sell: 89 Units Sold: 79
Lake County – July 2015 Median price: $211,000 Median days to sell: 90 Units Sold: 82
Lake County – August 2014 Median price: $172,000 Median days to sell: 102 Units Sold: 73
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is conducting a “walkabout” survey of “Marathon Valley,” where the rover's operators plan to use the vehicle through the upcoming Martian winter, and beyond, to study the context for outcrops bearing clay minerals.
Marathon Valley slices downhill from west to east for about 300 yards or meters through the western rim of Endeavour Crater.
Opportunity has been investigating rock targets in the western portion of the valley since late July, working its way eastward in a thorough reconnaissance of the area.
The rover's panoramic camera has captured a scene dominated by a summit called “Hinners Point,” forming part of the valley's northern edge. The image, show above, also shows a portion of the valley floor with swirling reddish zones that have been a target for study.
For several months starting in mid- to late October, the rover team plans to operate Opportunity on the southern side of the valley to take advantage of the sun-facing slope. The site is in Mars' southern hemisphere, so the sun is to the north during fall and winter days.
Tilting the rover toward the sun increases power output from its solar panels. The shortest-daylight period of this seventh Martian winter for Opportunity will come in January 2016.
“Our expectation is that Opportunity will be able to remain mobile through the winter,” said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
The walkabout is identifying investigation targets in and near the valley floor. Rocks in reddish zones there contain more silica and less iron than most rocks in the area.
“We have detective work to do in Marathon Valley for many months ahead,” said Opportunity Deputy Principal Investigator Ray Arvidson, of Washington University in St. Louis. “During the Martian late fall and winter seasons Opportunity will conduct its measurements and traverses on the southern side of the valley. When spring arrives the rover will return to the valley floor for detailed measurements of outcrops that may host the clay minerals.”
Endeavour Crater spans about 14 miles in diameter. Opportunity has been studying its western rim since 2011.
Marathon Valley became a high priority destination after a concentration of clay minerals called smectites was mapped there based on observations by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Smectites form under wetter, milder conditions than most rocks at the Opportunity site. Opportunity is investigating relationships among clay-bearing and neighboring deposits for clues about the history of environmental changes.
The rover team has been dealing for more than a year with Opportunity's tendency to undergo unplanned computer resets when using the type of onboard memory that retains information when power is off: flash memory.
For three months until mid-September, operators fully avoided use of flash memory. In this mode, images and other data cannot be stored overnight, when the rover is powered off to conserve energy. To gain operational flexibility in a trade-off with possible “lost” days from resets, the team has resumed occasional use of flash memory.
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project landed twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity on Mars in 2004 to begin missions planned to last three months. Both rovers far exceeded those plans. Spirit worked for six years, and Opportunity is still active. Findings about ancient wet environments on Mars have come from both rovers.
The project is one element of NASA's ongoing and future Mars missions preparing for a human mission to the planet in the 2030s.
COBB, Calif. – Due to hazardous conditions caused by the Valley fire, Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest is closed to public access indefinitely, Cal Fire reported Friday.
Cal Fire said the closure is necessary to ensure public health and safety and is in accordance with Public Resource Code Title 14 § 1439.
The Valley fire burned through the entire forest and has created hazardous conditions including dead and damaged trees near roads and trails that could fall at any time, authorities said.
The process of rehabilitating the forest has been initiated and salvage logging of the dead trees has begun to reduce the fuel loads and to allow replanting of the burned areas, Cal Fire reported.
Tree felling and tree removal will create dangerous conditions on roads and trails, officials said.
Only Cal Fire personnel and authorized logging and reforestation contractors are allowed access to the demonstration state forest unless written permission has been granted by the state forest manager.
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday command of the two-week-old Valley fire was transitioned to new leadership and the roads through Cobb – closed to the public since the fire began – were reopened.
Firefighters raised containment to 95 percent on the 76,067-acre fire, officials reported.
On Saturday, Cal Fire Incident Management Team 3 issued its final report on the incident, transitioning command of the fire to the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit of Cal Fire.
Officials estimate that the fire, which began Sept. 12 in Cobb, will be fully contained by Oct. 5.
Approximately 1,668 personnel, 101 engines, 47 hand crews, 16 dozers, 14 water tenders and three helicopters remained assigned to the incident on Saturday, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said firefighters are continuing to do mop up and rehabilitation of the landscape.
At 5 p.m., authorities lifted all traffic restrictions denying access into the community of Cobb.
The California Highway Patrol reported Saturday evening that traffic was flowing smoothly through the area as the roads reopened.
Sheriff Brian Martin had cautioned Friday that the lifting of traffic restrictions shouldn't be considered a repopulation, as many people wouldn't be able to return home for a long time because of the amount of destruction.
Martin has estimated more than 3,600 people have been displaced due to the destructive path of the fire, which burned 1,958 structures – including 1,280 homes – and has killed four people.
The fire is the third most damage in California's history, according to Cal Fire.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – After a two-week closure due to the Valley fire, Middletown Unified School District's schools will reopen on Monday.
“The schools are now physically ready to open,” Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg told Lake County News.
“All of the primary school sites survived,” said Falkenberg.
The district overall survived with minimal serious damage, a fact that Falkenberg himself confirmed in the initial days after the fire, when he toured the school sites to see how they had fared.
Falkenberg said the only district facilities that burned in the fire were a portable building that housed the Loconoma Valley High School classroom and a maintenance facility next door that were located near the high school football field on the back side of the school.
He said an inspector has gone through the south county facilities and determined there was no structural damage, but extensive cleaning has been required to ensure the facilities are safe. A contractor has been carrying out that work for the last week.
The opening of school for the new school year – which took place Aug. 18 – had been delayed by a week in the Middletown District and three days in the Konocti Unified School District in large part due to use of the facilities for evacuation centers and a Red Cross command center because of the Rocky fire, Falkenberg said.
This time, however, school was interrupted due to the Valley fire burning through Middletown.
Falkenberg said he's not aware of a previous event that impacted local schools this significantly.
Catherine Stone took over as the new Middletown Unified superintendent July 1, just weeks before the Rocky fire – the first of Lake County's devastating wildfire trio – began.
Stone has had the task of getting district facilities ready to receive students once again as the third and most devastating fire winds down.
“I think we have finalized things,” she said Friday afternoon.
The Lake County Office of Education has been “tremendously helpful” to Middletown Unified, Stone said, adding that they have offered assistance and outreach, and provided office space for some district staffers. That included the district payroll employee who needed to get paychecks out to employees.
While it didn't burn, Cobb Elementary School had some damage from infiltration of smoke, soot and ash, she said.
Because of the school's peaked roofs, Stone said ash and soot concentrated in the attics, which will need to be thoroughly cleaned in order to make it safe for students, faculty and staff. Other repairs will include replacement of ceiling tiles, cleaning carpets and all surfaces, and using air purifiers.
While it originally had looked like it could take up to two months to get the school facility ready to reopen, Stone said Friday that time frame could be shortened thanks to the rapid cleanup that the school's contractor has carried out elsewhere in the district.
In the meantime, Cobb Elementary will operate out of portables on the back side of the middle school on the Middletown Unified campus on Big Canyon Road.
She said the Loconoma Valley High School program will start up again in Room 1 at Middletown High School while rebuilding takes place.
Even before the Federal Emergency Management Agency came to Lake County, it contacted Stone to find out about damages, she said.
She said she walked FEMA officials around the facilities to give them an idea of the situation. However, she said the district has very good insurance so she doesn't think the federal assistance will apply for the most part.
All of the school sites that will reopen on Monday have had in-depth cleanup, Stone said.
On Friday afternoon, she got word from the contractor that the district will be able to use the high school gym starting on Monday, less of a wait than anticipated. “We thought it was going to be two weeks,” she said.
It also means that Cobb Elementary could be back up earlier, too, she said.
“The contractor we have has been incredibly efficient,” bringing in a huge crew to clean the school facilities, said Stone.
In the gym, the contractor put down thick plywood to protect the floors so scissor lifts could be used to reach the ceiling, the beams and walls. Stone said everything has been cleaned – from the ceiling down to the bleachers and floor.
Stone guessed the gym hasn't been cleaned so thoroughly since it was built, adding, “We've got a squeaky clean campus everywhere.”
All of the facilities have been cleaned with HEPA vacuums and wiped down with a special solution that will remove soot and ash, she said.
Stone said the well and sewer system is back up for the main campuses, but the lift station for the sewer at the Middletown High School football field is still offline and being repaired.
The first home high school game for the football team is set for Oct. 9. “We'll be ready by then,” Stone said.
On Monday there may still be some existing issues with phones, which were not working late Friday after some technical problems, Stone said.
She reported that AT&T placed an emergency communication satellite and generator on the Cobb field while lines are repaired so the community has 911 access.
The district's buses also are fine after having been checked out, and will be on the road Monday to pick up students, Stone said.
The district's bus service will run up into the Kelseyville and Konocti districts, where many students are now staying since being displaced, she said.
Stone said Konocti Unified is doing a bus run for Middletown Unified, and will pick up students and bring them to the schools each morning, with Middletown returning them in the afternoons.
“It's really generous of Konocti to do that for us,” she said.
Due to the expenses for the expanded bus coverage, Stone said she is considering asking if that is one area where FEMA could offer financial help.
Stone said that while the district has had quite a few reports of students who are displaced, it doesn't yet have a definitive count, adding it will be a “wait and see” situation.
“I'm sure the first couple of weeks, it's going to be a bit in flux,” she said.
As for the impact of missed school days on the district, whether additional time will need to be added at year's end remains to be seen, according to Stone.
“I think the state will give us a waiver for those days,” she said, adding that trying to make up the days may create more hardships for families.
She said she contacted state officials on Friday to begin the process of seeking an emergency waiver for the time that's been lost due to wildland fire, adding she believed the district should stick to the schedule for the remainder of the year.
Falkenberg said once school reopens, they will have mental health professionals on campus to help students and staff who are adjusting to life after the fire.
He said the Valley fire has impacted staff and teachers serving in school districts around the county.
More than 30 Middletown Unified employees have been impacted by the Valley fire, Falkenberg said, along with nine from Konocti Unified; four from the Lake County Office of Education, including three preschool teachers and a school secretary; three from Kelseyville; and one from Upper Elementary.
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.
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Officials on Friday released new damage assessment numbers on the Valley fire, and said they anticipate the incident will be fully contained early next month.
On Friday evening, the Valley fire remained at 76,067 acres, with containment up a few points to 92 percent, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Smith.
The fire began on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 12, on High Valley Road in Cobb before burning down into Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake.
Cal Fire estimated on Friday that the fire will be fully contained on Oct. 5.
At a Friday afternoon briefing, Smith said the investigation into the fire's cause is continuing.
He said Cal Fire investigators began working on determining what sparked the fire early in the incident.
However, Smith cautioned, “It may take months to find the exact cause of this fire.”
Also on Friday, Cal Fire issued an update on structures damaged and destroyed in the fire after it said damage inspection teams completed primary and secondary assessments.
Approximately 1,958 structures have been destroyed, including 1,280 homes, 27 multi-family structures, 66 commercial properties, and 585 other minor structures such as outbuildings and sheds, Cal Fire said.
In addition, Cal Fire said 93 structures have been damaged including 41 homes, seven commercial properties and 45 other minor structures.
The number of confirmed fatalities remains at four, Cal Fire said.
The Valley fire's toll places it in the No. 3 spot among California's most damaging fires, behind the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 and the Cedar fire of 2003, according to Cal Fire.
The extent of the fire's damage also has prompted local, gubernatorial and presidential disaster declarations, as Lake County News has reported.
Sheriff Brian Martin said Friday that the fire is the worst disaster Lake County has experienced.
He's crunched the numbers and estimated that more than 3,600 people – or close to 6 percent of Lake County's population – have possibly been displaced by the loss of homes.
Cobb remains under mandatory evacuation due to the ongoing work of repairing utilities and removing hazards, officials said.
While the evacuation order is remaining in place, Martin said that all traffic access restrictions to Cobb are to be lifted as of 5 p.m. Saturday.
“There have been hundreds of phones calls coming in from people that want to get in,” and as of 5 p.m. Saturday they will be able to do so, he said.
“Please do not take this as a repopulation. For many there won't be a repopulation for a long time as so many homes were lost. It is simply a lifting of the traffic restrictions,” Martin said.
Martin warned of the continued presence in the Cobb area of hazards – including asbestos-laden debris, smoldering trees and ash pits – left behind by the fire.
“Anybody that enters is cautioned that they are doing so at their own risk because there are so many hazards present,” he said.
Utility and cleanup crews will continue working in the area, and Martin urged people who will be accessing the area to be aware of their surroundings.
Martin said the Lake County Office of Emergency Services will make masks, gloves and water available free of charge to people returning to the Cobb Mountain area at two locations: at the fire station in Loch Lomond, 10331 Loch Lomond Road, and Middletown fire station at 21095 Highway 175.
Mop up activities and strengthening perimeter lines, along with rehabilitating the impacts of firefighting operations on the landscape, are ongoing, Cal Fire said.
Hot spots also have continued to be an issue throughout the fire area.
On Friday afternoon, firefighters responded to a report of a wildland fire south of Lower Lake off of Highway 29. Units arriving on scene found a tree burning within the fire perimeter, according to radio reports.
The resources assigned to the incident were rolled back further on Friday, with the total personnel assigned down to 1,849, along with 140 engines, 47 hand crews, 16 dozers, six helicopters and four water tenders, Cal Fire said.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two weeks after the historically destructive Valley fire started, Lake County fire survivors are starting down what, for many, may be a long road to recovery.
To help, Lake County and dozens of organizations are poised to provide immediate and ongoing resources to make recovery easier.
Access restrictions for all roads were lifted on Saturday after 5 p.m.
As people reenter their communities, Lake County wants to remind residents to proceed with extreme caution. Safety is the first priority, and many hazards still exist. Tips for re-entering your property safely can be found at http://www.lakecountylac.com/safety.html .
The following key resources are available to assist fire survivors.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is in Lake County assisting residents impacted by the Valley fire.
Register at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), visit www.disasterassistance.gov or go to the Local Assistance Center in Middletown.
The Local Assistance Center, or LAC, has more than 25 companies and agencies representing local, state and federal government and non-profit resources available to answer questions and assist with rebuilding, debris removal, housing, and the replacement of vital records and basic needs.
The LAC is located at the Middletown Senior Center at 21256 Washington St. seven days a week until further notice.
Mental health needs: When disaster strikes, people react with increased anxiety, worry and anger. With community and family support, some of us bounce back. Others may need extra assistance.
Temporary housing: A shelter phone line has been established to assist people with locating temporary housing. Call 707-262-1090 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to request assistance.
Debris removal: Free debris removal is available through the Environmental Health Department. Sign up to receive assistance through the LAC or contact Environmental Health at 707-263-1164.
For the latest news and information from the Emergency Operation Center, please visit www.lakecountylac.com or Lake County OES’s social media sites.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sutter Lakeside Hospital has partnered with Sutter Health and North Coast Opportunities by donating $25,000 to provide support and relief to the victims of the Valley fire.
Sutter Health’s donation to NCO will go directly to Lake County wildfire victims through NCO’s Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund.
The Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund has raised more than $300,000 to date to help meet the significant needs of those whose homes have been ravaged by the fire.
The goal of the partnership is to assist with needs such as insurance deductibles, short-term living expenses and general out-of-pocket expenses that accompany displacement.
Besides a small PayPal fee, 100-percent of proceeds directly aid victims; NCO donates all staff time and administrative fees.
“Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s mission is to enhance the well-being of people in the communities we serve. During emergency situations, we are proud to partner with initiatives that provide relief beyond the walls of our hospital,” said Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer of Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “It is through collaboration and partnership that we are at our strongest. I have never been more proud to serve Lake County.”
NCO is a well-established non-profit that primarily serves Lake and Mendocino counties by providing programs such as Foster Grandparents, Rural Community Child Care, the Clearlake Food Pantry, Head Start Child Development and Redwood Caregivers Resource Center, as well as numerous local food projects like Farm-to-School and a Food Hub.
During the Rocky and Jerusalem fires, NCO set up an account for fire victims to provide financial assistance for people in need.
The organization distributed more than $24,000 to Rocky and Jerusalem fire victims and anticipates greater need for Valley Fire victims.
“We continue to receive applications for relief funds on a daily basis and see no end to the need. Donations like this from Sutter mean more people will get meaningful help during this terrible time,” said Carolyn Welch, NCO’s chief financial officer and member of the fund committee. “We hope we speak for the community when we say we are so very grateful for the support and generosity.”
For more information or to donate, visit www.ncoinc.org .
FINLEY, Calif. – The 26th annual Vineyard Run for Literacy will take place on Sunday, Oct. 11, in conjunction with the annual Steele Wines Harvest Festival.
Race participants can choose to compete in either a 5K or 10K run or a 5K walk. Online registration is available at: https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Kelseyville/VRFL .
On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. at Steele Wines, located at the corner of Highway 29 and Thomas Drive, south of Finley. The race begins at 9 a.m.
Early registration deadline is Oct. 5. The cost for adults is $15; ages 6 to 18, $5; and age 5 and under are free.
Registration from Oct. 6 through race day costs $25 for adults, $10 for ages 6 to 18; and age 5 and under are free. Race T-shirts are available for $15.
All proceeds from the event go to the Lake County Literacy Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting reading and writing skills in the community and to support literacy tutoring activities throughout Lake County.
The coalition purchases books and supplies and provides tutor training and workshops. The families program provides books for children under the age of 6 so that the parents can read to their children and break the cycle of illiteracy.
The Vineyard Run for Literacy is a great opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the autumn weather amid the agricultural beauty of Finley.
Encourage coworkers, friends and family members to make donations to sponsor your walk/run. Bring $100 in sponsor contributions on race day and your registration fee is waived.
Registration forms are available at all branches of the Lake County Library, the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce, West America Bank and Lake County Visitor Information Center as well as at Steele Wines on the morning of the run.
Winners in each category receive both ribbons and prizes. Additionally all participants are entered in a drawing for prizes donated by local merchants.
For additional information write This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-7633.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – For the first time in decades, Lake County will have a legislative district office to assist residents with statewide issues and work collaboratively as active partners with county and city officials throughout Lake County.
Both state Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Bill Dodd, who represent Lake County in the state Legislature, made a commitment to open up a local office to ensure residents receive the services they need to thrive.
“Lake County is a top priority for both of us, and Sen. McGuire and I are following through with a commitment we made to the residents of Lake County. We're excited to be opening up our joint district office on Tuesday. We're grateful for the County providing us the office space, and we look forward to everything we can accomplish in Lake County in the years to come,” Dodd said.
“Assemblymember Dodd and I promised to be active and engaged in Lake County and we are following through on that promise, working hard for Lake every day. It has been a difficult past few months for the County with the Rocky and Jerusalem Fires and now the Valley Fire – but we are here for the long haul to ensure the amazing people of Lake can rebuild and thrive in the years to come,” McGuire said.
The State Senate and Assembly are partnering to open up a joint district office, located in Lakeport at 885 Lakeport Blvd., next door to the Lake County Department of Agriculture office and below the Lake County Chamber of Commerce's Vista Point location.
At the grand opening – which will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 – Dodd and McGuire will focus their remarks on the coordinated recovery efforts related to the devastating Valley fire as well as important legislative issues.
County, state and federal officials will also be on hand to discuss and provide updates on recovery efforts in the weeks and months to come.
The event is free and residents are encouraged to attend. There will be a hot dog barbecue, along with other treats and refreshments.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Hundreds of south county community members came out to Middletown High School on Thursday evening to learn about services and assistance available to help them through the process of recovering from the Valley fire.
The fire, which began Sept. 12, is the third most damaging fire in California's history.
To date it has burned more than 76,000 acres and 1,250 homes, claimed four lives and left a reported 3,000 people homeless, officials reported.
The county of Lake hosted the nearly 70-minute meeting with support from Calpine, and many agencies and organizations – including United Policyholders and North Coast Builders Exchange – that sent representatives to answer questions from community members.
Supervisor Rob Brown said the goal was to let the community know what the recovery process was going to look like.
Referring to the normal process of building and dealing with permits, “This is not going to look anything like that,” said Brown, noting that there are many policies with regard to the recovery that they are still working to finish.
“Winter's coming. We've got a lot of work to do, a lot of cleanup to do, and a lot of erosion control to accomplish before winter sets in,” Brown said, explaining that rebuilding may not happen right away.
Sue Piper, a United Policyholders board member, said the nonprofit consumer advocacy group was founded after the 1991 Oakland Hills fire – which she survived. They have a presence at the Local Assistance Center at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St., this week.
“I'm here to tell you that there is light at the end of the tunnel, even though right now it doesn't seem so,” Piper said.
She assured those impacted by the fire that they are not alone, that they have many people prepared to help them.
Keith Woods, North Coast Builders Exchange's chief executive officer, said they are there as a resource when people are ready to rebuild.
He said that on Oct. 1 they are launching a Web site, www.rebuildinglakecounty.com , which will list all the licensed contractors and those offering services who can help community members in the rebuilding process.
Community Development Director Rick Coel said the county is developing a south county permit center which will be located in Hidden Valley Lake.
The county also is contracting with a company for plan and permit checking so when building permit applications start to ramp up in the spring they will be ready. Coel said the county also will work to streamline the permitting process and work with other agencies to get permit approval.
Regarding the cleanup process, Coel said that in most situations it won't be an option for people to live in RVs on their properties while rebuilding due to hazardous materials and hazardous trees, as well as the small size of some of the lots.
He said the county is looking at places where they can set up temporary RV sites for people to stay while keeping the parcels clear for cleanup.
Coel emphasized the need to conduct cleanup properly and to not spread the ash and other burned materials around.
He said the county is encouraging people to fill out right-of-entry permits, which serve as demolition permits and allow state officials to go in and clean up the properties.
One of the most encouraging moments of the night came from the state official who will oversee the massive debris removal effort to be carried out by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, or CalRecycle.
Todd Thalhamer is the senior waste management engineer who in 2007 created CalRecycle's debris removal program, which has removed hazardous waste from fires around the state including the Angora fire of 2007 and the Boles fire that destroyed much of the city of Weed last year.
The program also has been part of the cleanup effort for the Rocky and Jerusalem fires, he said.
For Thalhamer, the road ahead for Middletown has great significance – he grew up there and is a graduate of Middletown High School. He said he played football on the field where the meeting took place on Thursday evening.
“I'm going to tell you, there's hope coming,” Thalhamer said, his voice breaking as he spoke to the hundreds of residents sitting in the bleachers.
Thalhamer said residents have options in the cleanup: they can either do it themselves and follow state-mandated standards, or they can sign right-of-entry agreements with CalRecycle, which will then conduct the cleanup.
For those without insurance, the cleanup will be at no cost, he said. For those with insurance, it will cost what their policies will cover.
The debris removal process will start with the schools, and work out from there. Thalhamer said he is going to ask adjacent property owners to sign agreements immediately in order to get the cleanup process under way.
Thalhamer said homes built before 1980 are likely to contain asbestos, which is one of the hazardous materials his teams can remove safely.
He said he plans to drop 10 crews in Middletown next week to start the cleanup process, eventually increasing that number to 20 and then to 40.
At the same time, Thalhamer said he's got four other debris removal projects going elsewhere in the state.
“I ask for patience, I ask for commitment,” he said, promising to bring everything he had to the effort.
The cleanup starts first with population centers, he said, then moves to areas of environmental concerns, such as along creeks.
Thalhamer said his goal – which he acknowledged is a big one – is to get all of the ash and debris from the Valley fire cleared from the impacted areas by Christmas.
As part of the cleanup, he'll be training hundreds of local workers and contractors to do debris removal the right way, with safety a priority.
He also lauded Pacific Gas and Electric for doing a “phenomenal job” in rebuilding utility infrastructure.
Lake County has had three major fires in a row. “Nobody has ever had that happen,” he said.
Thalhamer said the debris cleanup process is thorough. Teams will dig down deep into the soil, removing all layers of ash, and taking out even the concrete footings, leaving a depression in the ground that likely will need to be replaced with clean soil.
That will be followed by soil testing, removing hazardous trees and implementing erosion control, Thalhamer said.
He asked that community members report the presence of underground tanks and any old military ordnance that might be present at home locations.
“It has been a little tough when you see this much destruction from where you've lived. But you know what? It's called 'Middletown Strong' and I'm proud to be right here,” he said, wiping his eyes.
He said a hazardous materials sweep is going to move through the community first, with the cleanup process to follow.
Community members also heard about the utility repairs that have been taking places around the south county.
Preston Dickinson of AT&T said the company has 60 technicians going street to street, with more on the way in from all over Northern California.
Dickinson said 200,000 feet of cable and 360 poles have been replaced so far. In some areas, they also are replacing copper with fiber-optic line.
He said an AT&T hotline is available from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 877-920-0362. In addition, AT&T has a presence at the Local Assistance Center at the Middletown Senior Center.
They're making available call forwarding, waiving the install fee for that service and offering a free month of the service, Dickinson said.
Carl Schoenhofer, PG&E senior division manager, said the first priority for the company has been to safely restore power, and that it plans to maintain a strong presence throughout the recovery.
The PG&E force on the ground includes 1,000 people, he said. There were 7,000 customers without power after the fire occurred, a number that has dropped to 2,000, Schoenhofer said.
PG&E crews have replaced 700 poles and installed 100 miles of new electrical lines.
“We still have work to do but we'll see it through to the end,” Schoenhofer said.
Officials from the California Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration also were on hand to encourage people to register for assistance.
To apply, call 1-800-621-3362; those with a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service, call 1-800-621-3362); apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone at m.fema.gov.
To apply for SBA assistance, call 800-659-2955. Applications for assistance must be made within 60 days of an emergency declaration; in this case, by Nov. 23.
A variety of very low interest loans are available for businesses, nonprofits and individuals. Once approved, funds often are disbursed within 18 to 21 days.
In other news, Brown said there will be a job fair from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Kelseyville High School.
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.