KELSEYVILLE — The Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association (CLSPIA) held an indoor garage sale at the Kelseyville Senior Center on Saturday, netting almost $2,000 for Clear Lake State Park”s Education Pavilion, a year-round facility expected to break ground this summer.
Donations and volunteer work helped facilitate a successful event. During the day, signatures were gathered for a petition to protest closure of Lake County”s two state parks.
In January, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed 10 percent cuts from nearly every General Fund program. The governor proposed closing 48 of the state”s 278 parks, including Lake County”s only parks?Clear Lake State Park and Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
The State Department of Parks and Recreation faces a reduction of $1 million this fiscal year and $13.3 million in 2008-09.
More than 125 signatures were gathered Saturday, including those of US Representative Mike Thompson, his wife Jan Thompson and aide Brad Onorato who were touring senior centers in the county.
Not just the parks benefited from the sale, CLSPIA board member Leona Butts said. “All of the donated books went to the Kelseyville Senior Center”s book sale held in the annex at the same time.”
“We got a lot of donations?people knew it was for a good cause. We are still in the process of raising money for the pavilion,” Butts said.
Unsold items were distributed to Lake Family Resource Center in Lakeport and the Kelseyville Methodist Church Thrift Shop.
“CLSPIA sincerely thanks the entire community for supporting this project, especially those who purchased items and the Kelseyville Senior Center for their wonderful cooperation and use of their great facility,” Butts said.
Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown was present as he launched his 2008 campaign and spoke with Thompson about recent improvements made to the senior center. The pair also discussed the need for road improvements surrounding the senior center, located in the former Kelseyville post office on Third Street.
As he signed the parks petition, Thompson joked, “Is ?damn you governor” hyphenated?”
In response to the proposed park closures, CLSPIA and Sierra Club Lake Group have organized a letter-writing campaign along with the county”s regional Chambers of Commerce in Clear Lake and Lakeport.
Butts said the parks each draw more than 40,000 visitors annually, 1,000 of which are children. She said the education pavilion is essential for use of visiting school children, who often come in groups too large to crowd into the visitor”s center.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
