LAKE COUNTY ? Property on Parallel Drive in Lakeport is no longer an option as Mendocino College expands its search for a permanent Lake County site to include property in Kelseyville, according to Michael Adams, the college”s director of facilities planning.
The college has been in negotiations for almost two years to buy approximately 30 acres next door to its current 10,000-square-foot location on Parallel Drive. Adams said the location would have been ideal, but an agreement could not be reached with the owner.
“They wanted twice as much as what we had,” Adams said.
The college had the 30-acre property appraised three times over the course of a year, with the last appraisal late last year putting its value within the college”s budget range for the Lake County facility. But even with a state match, the college could not afford the owner”s asking price.
“Since we”re using public money, we can”t pay more than the market value,” Adams said.
Mendocino College has instead shifted the parameters of its search. The college has leased the land it currently uses on Parallel Drive for almost 12 years, according to Adams, and is looking to buy land for its Lake County branch and build its own facility. While North Lakeport is not out of the question, Adams said the college is looking for a spot with existing water and sewer that will also allow for growth.
“We want to have at least what we have now, but with more efficiency. When you have to fit programs in the existing space, you have to compromise some things. We hope to initially increase our footage by 50 percent, and allow for growth as time goes on,” Adams said.
Also part of the picture is that the state has withdrawn its match, meaning the college has cut its budget for the expansion in half.
The development of a permanent Lake County site is an approximately $7.5-million piece of the larger picture of expansions and improvements the college has in mind for its campuses in Ukiah, Lakeport and Willits. Voters approved $67.5 million in Measure W bonds in November 2006 for the college.
Adams said the next step is to contact the owners of the sites he has in mind and begin negotiations. The process will require an environmental impact report and seismic analysis. He said the site must also be outside a 2-mile radius of Lampson Field.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
