LAKE COUNTY — Meditative quiet on top of Mount Konocti and panoramic views of Lake County”s rolling hills and Clear Lake greeted two state legislative field representatives Wednesday who toured property the county is buying on the mountaintop. Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown is trying to woo state and federal money to help with the $2.5 million cost for 1,512 acres.
“It”s hard to ask for money without them having that perspective,” Brown said.
Brown drove State Senator Pat Wiggins” field representative, Kathy Kelley, and State Assemblymember Patty Berg”s field representative, Ruth Valenzuela, up the mountain on the winding, dirt and gravel Konocti Road and led them on short hikes to vista points to prepare them for the big question: Can the county get state funding to help buy the mountain property?
“Money is slim right now and it”s hard to find money for this kind of thing, unfortunately,” Valenzuela said.
Brown said he hasn”t officially asked the question of either Berg”s office or Wiggins” office. According to Valenzuela and Kelley, both legislators support the county”s efforts to raise funds to buy the land.
“Sen. Wiggins is totally in support of the county buying this property. She was very happy when she found out I was coming here to do this,” Kelley said.
Hoping to see the land preserved, the Fowler Family Trust gave the county the first right of refusal on the property. If the county had turned down the offer, the mountaintop property would have been listed on the open market.
The board of supervisors opened escrow on the property in August and made a $100,000 down payment. The board has until Sept. 30, 2009 to pay the $2.5 million balance, and recently approved an effort to solicit funds from the community.
“She”s (Berg) not thinking of many sources of revenue, but she”s excited about the idea. There”s no down side. I think it”s doable – it”s not that much money. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn”t,” Valenzuela said.
She suggested the county conserve the land by selling it to the Lake County Land Trust, but Brown said the Fowlers, who currently own the land, wanted the county to own it. Brown said another option is to sell other property the county owns to make up the difference. Revenue from the telecommunications tower on Buckingham Peak will likely be used to repair Konocti Road, according to Brown.
Brown said he has also contacted the offices of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and U.S. Representative Mike Thompson for support.
The land includes four adjoining parcels on Wright Peak, Howard Peak and Clark Peak. Geothermal royalties were used to buy a 176-acre parcel on Buckingham Peak for $1.2 million.
Contact Tiffany Revelle attrevelle@record-bee.com.
