Terre Logsdon – Record-Bee staff
LAKEPORT ? Part of the costs of development are mitigation fees ? fees which are used for off-site improvements or future improvements ? and a $9,940 fee is being held in an interest bearing account for improvements to the intersection of Lakeshore Boulevard and Rainbow Road.
But the improvements aren”t needed just yet.
An item before the board last Tuesday from the Community Development Department (CDD) concerned the mitigation fee of $9,940 from the construction of the Pinoleville Heights Subdivision located along Rainbow Road in Lakeport which was set aside in 2001 to add a left-turn lane onto Rainbow Road from Lakeshore Boulevard.
“It is anticipated that future development in the vicinity will also contribute to this fund,” a memo from the CDD states.
Richard Coel, assistant community development director, explained that while the turn lane is not needed at this time, the area has “potential for more subdivisions, more infill development,” so in the future, a left-turn lane will be needed to accommodate increased traffic flows.
Currently, the intersection becomes congested on school day mornings, when children are driven to school.
“When such mitigation funds are established,” the memo states, “the county will cause the improvement to be constructed when adequate funds have been accumulated, or when a large project is proposed that would trigger the immediate need for the improvement.”
The funds have accrued $1,052 in interest in five years, bringing the total for the project to $10,052 ? about $50,000 short of what it will cost to make the improvement.
Todd Manzell, special projects engineer with the Department of Public Works, said that in 2001, the project was estimated to cost $50,000. In 2006 dollars, the cost for the project would need to be increased an additional 10 to 15 percent.
The board found that the turn lane would be needed in the future. The funds will remain in the interest bearing account for another five years for the board to vote whether the project is still valid, or until it is needed for the construction of the turn lane.
Contact Terre Logsdon at tlogsdon@record-bee.com.
