CLEARLAKE OAKS — The county is clearing the way for a park to go in on just under an acre spanning 11 parcels it recently purchased from a Clearlake Oaks resident.
Third-generation Lake County resident and business owner Gary Nylander made good on his word to sell the parcels to the county recently. Since agreeing on a $375,000 price four years ago, Nylander said he”s refused a $500,000 offer someone else made on the property. “It wasn”t about the money, it was about doing the right thing for our community,” he said.
Plans for the park have yet to be decided. A group of citizens that has stepped forward to work with county Public Services on developing a master plan is planning a meeting to hammer out details, according to county Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox.
According to county Redevelopment Director Eric Seely, possibilities include landscaping with a grassy area and trees, off-street parking, a playground and restrooms.
What to do with an approximately 600-acre house on the property is also up for discussion. Seely said discussions thus far have included the possibility of using it for another purpose, and possibly moving it somewhere else on the site.
The land acquisition is complete after Nylander reached a settlement with Westamerica Bank over a loan, which was keeping the transaction from going through, said Nylander.
County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox has spearheaded the project, and asked Seely to begin cleaning up the site to make way for the park. Wednesday was day three.
Anyone driving by on Highway 20 could see that a lot of progress has already been made on the site, with its asphalt parking lot torn out and ready for disposal.
Shanon Ridge Winery donated the use of its heavy equipment to move piles of garbage including refrigerators, television sets, tires and more that had accumulated in a two-car garage that used to be attached to a small house on the site, said Seely.
He said several community members had volunteered their time to help in the effort, and called it “a real community effort with everyone pitching in.” About six volunteers rotated in and out, helping sort through the rubble to prepare it for disposal.
The site has been home to a grocery store, barber shop and The Corral, a restaurant and bar that burned down before the turn of the century, said Nylander.
He has lived in Clearlake Oaks since 1983, taking over the Red and White grocery store, which has been in his family since 1933.
Nylander said after fire claimed two former structures on the site next to his store, the land was cleared and paved over. He purchased a totalof 13 parcels over a period of three years, keeping two for himself and his business.
Nylander recounted that the Red and White grocery store used to house the town”s post office. He said the store used to field calls to report fires in the area and had a siren used to warn residents. Nylander further related that his grandfather was the town”s postmaster in 1935, and was instrumental in changing the town”s name to Clearlake Oaks.
Nylander said between the mortgage on the land, taxes, the settlement he recently reached and attorney fees, he keeps not a penny of the purchase price.
He”s been asked if it would be alright to call the future park Nylander Park, and said he doesn”t have a problem with that.
The project area adjoins a project area referred to as the Clearlake Oaks Plaza, planned directly behind the property Nylander sold to the county.
It is conceptualized as a community and business area that includes grassy area with trees, a gazebo and paved area that could accommodate booths for a bazaar, all surrounded by a one-way road.
A $500,000 Community Development Block Grant has already been approved for the project, said Seely. He said he hopes that project will break ground by the end of this year, and more likely in August of 2008.
The park project, he said, will most likely be completed before then.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
