Terre Logsdon – Record-Bee staff
LAKEPORT ? Closed since Feb. 2 as another causality of Calpine”s bankruptcy proceeding, the Calpine Visitors Center may reopen as soon as this weekend for the summer if negotiations between the company and the county bear fruit.
Calpine would like the county to commit to paying $5,200 per month for four months if they cannot secure other federal or state funding to cover the center”s operating costs.
The item came to the board for discussion on Tuesday as an extra agenda item. On Monday, Calpine decided to proceed with reopening the center by the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend.
County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said Calpine notified the county last week that it was interested in reopening the center for the summer.
“Calpine is meeting with state and federal officials to find funding,” Cox said, “but if not, they”re asking us to partner with them and fund $5,200 per month to keep it open for the summer, starting this weekend ? Memorial Day weekend.”
He added, “If they can”t get federal or state money, they”re asking the board to pay $5,200. They said the costs are significantly higher than that to operate, which they will pay.”
Although the county approached Calpine about purchasing the building, Cox reported that Calpine cannot consider a sale at this point due to the bankruptcy proceedings.
The center, completed in the summer of 2001, has been used by numerous community groups for meetings and gatherings. Those groups, in turn, have been left searching for meeting space since the doors were closed. If reopened for the summer, Cox said that community groups would have access to it.
Calpine and the county have not reached a formal agreement, Cox said, and Calpine is requiring that the center be staffed with a Calpine employee ? not a county employee.
“Our hope was that they”d provide us access to the building and we”d put county staff there,” Cox told the supervisors. “That”s not what they”re willing to do. They want the employee to be in their employ.”
The board discussed the $20,800 price tag for four months ? and asked if it was worth it.
“I think it”s ridiculous they want to charge that much,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.
“I”m not real impressed with Calpine these days,” Brown said. “They left a lot of businesses in my district broke. I”m not interested in helping them out at all.”
Cox reiterated that the actual costs to operate the facility were higher than $20,800. He said the board could set a lower maximum for negotiations.
Cox said Calpine is hopeful they will get state or federal funding to reopen the center. But if not, “We could use AB 1905 funds and marketing funds to pay for this if we have to,” he said.
Board Chair Anthony Farrington wondered aloud if that was the best use of AB 1905 funds, which are to be used for mitigating the impacts of the geothermal operations.
Public comment ranged from questioning whether the purpose of the center was really just public relations for Calpine, to noting that it was a high price to pay for a Lake County visitor center, to suggesting that community groups who want to use the center help defray the costs by paying a fee.
District 1 Supervisor Ed Robey, who along with Cox brought the item to the board, asked if the other board members were at all interested in pursuing this idea.
“If there is another amount the board feels comfortable with, you can set it,” said Cox, which led to more discussions on the costs and alternatives.
Afterwards, Robey moved to cap the county”s possible share to $4,000 per month, and to authorize Cox to continue negotiations.
The item passed 3-2, with Brown and Farrington voting against the proposal.
Contact Terre Logsdon at tlogsdon@record-bee.com.
