LAKEPORT — The City of Lakeport said it will not be hosting BoardStock this summer as a result of a two-part discussion staged Tuesday night at City Hall.
Pressed for a yes-or-no decision on pursuing the idea of hosting BoardStock at Lakeport”s Library Park, the City Council unanimously said no. After hearing mostly negative input in a 4:30 p.m. workshop held for public input about the matter, the council voted to drop the idea in its formal discussion later in the evening.
Resident Michael Owens, who said he aided in policing BoardStock at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa last year, said during the workshop that he believed the city”s estimate of 9,000 attendees expected at this year”s event was low. He cited public intoxication, public nudity, public sex and public urination as problems found in previous years. He went on to say, “The event itself is fine; it”s what goes on after hours. It”s what”s going to happen to Lakeport.”
Several others shared Owens” sentiment. Among the worries expressed by speakers at the Tuesday workshop were the cost to the city and local law enforcement, the young “party” crowd the event targets, possibly causing problems for local business owners, and doubts over the city”s ability to keep alcoholic beverages out of the event.
“If you think you can make this a non-alcoholic event, somebody is in never-never land,” said 27-year Lakeport resident Pat McIvor.
“Personally, I don”t want to be held prisoner in Lakeport for three days while everyone tears the place up,” said Lakeport resident George Kieffer.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells presented a resolution signed by the Lakeport Fire Protection District”s board of directors opposing the event coming to Lakeport.
But the idea BoardStock in Lakeport wasn”t without its supporters. Among them were residents like Wayne Kurtz, who pointed out that in addition to bringing tourism dollars to the county, expected revenue from the event would “more than cover the cost” to the city and law enforcement.
Although he was in Italy and could not attend the meeting, promoter and creator Rob Stimmel said in a Monday phone interview with the Record-Bee that he had discussed a shared gate cost with the city. Knoll outlined a plan for the council that involved fencing Library Park between First and Fifth streets along Park Street.
“I asked the city to give me one year. I said, try it for one year and if at the end you”ve covered your costs, there are less problems than at Konocti and it”s successful, then invite me back,” said Stimmel. “I”d like the opportunity to do what I was doing in Stockton.”
Several speakers at the Tuesday night workshop expressed concern over the “bad reputation” BoardStock brought with it.
The event began in Lake Shasta outside of Redding with around 1,500 attendees, said Stimmel. Between its inception in 1996 and 2001, the event grew too big for the U.S. Forestry Service to handle with 10,000 people, 353 house boats and over 700 tournament boats in one cove, said Stimmel.
It was precisely because of the event becoming “an alcohol party” during its years in Lake Shasta that Stimmel decided to close all of the sporting events at sundown in more recent years.
Lakeport businessman Ron Campos represented Stimmel”s interests to the City Council in his absence.
Melissa Fulton, executive director of the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce, said a majority of the businesses she spoke to surrounding the park were open to the event. The chamber itself, however, took a neutral stance neither in favor of or opposed to the city hosting BoardStock.
The chamber was not alone in its ambiguous stance.
City Council member Robert Rumfelt changed his position on the matter after initially expressing support for continuing to gather information about hosting the event. Acting City Manager Richard Knoll, who has spearheaded the effort, said pursuing the event was costing a lot of city staff time.
“Frankly … we do not have enough time at the staff level to spend the kind of quality time that an event like this … presents us.” Knoll cited the cease and desist order on its sewer system as a matter in competition for limited staff time.
Mayor Roy Parmentier said he was concerned not only over the cost to the city but about the lack of support from the city”s fire department.
Until Tuesday night, support and opposition were split about 50/50, Knoll noted.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
