LAKEPORT — The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide Lake County with a $100,000 grant to modernize the County Courthouse elevators, officials announced Thursday, but it won”t be enough to replace them.
Public Services director Kim Clymire said it would cost about $350,000 to modernize both elevators, of which the court will pay 30 percent or $105,000, so the county would still have to cover about $145,000 from the general fund “at the worst time ever.”
“As long as they”re working, maybe we need to hold off,” Clymire said.
He expects the courthouse elevator that has been out of service for more than five months to be fixed sometime this week, Clymire said. Both courthouse elevators were built in the 1960s, but Clymire said with regular repairs are still safe. They are now the only allowed access to the fourth floor Lake County Superior Court. The court estimates 400 to 600 people use the elevators daily.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday that rural communities in 32 states will benefit from loans and grants provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture press release.
“These projects help rural communities build and upgrade essential infrastructure and demonstrate President Obama”s continued efforts to improve the quality of life for rural residents throughout the country,” Vilsack said. “We are seeing towns and communities across America receive significant benefits through the Recovery Act, even as these projects are putting countless people back to work.”
Lake County was one of five California applicants that received a USDA grant in this round of funding, according to the USDA Web site. The funding will be used to modernize elevators to include a “fire recall” feature for added safety in case of fire or smoke.
The $193 million in Recovery Act projects announced Thursday were funded through USDA Rural Development”s Community Facilities Program and will be matched with $68.5 million from other sources. Funding of each loan and grant is contingent upon the recipient meeting the conditions of the agreement.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors will address whether to fund the elevator modernization during budget hearings for the 2010-11 fiscal year, Clymire said.
Matt Perry, chief deputy administrative officer, said the county is committed to paying its share of the cost to modernize the elevators but the county will make decisions during budget hearings. He said other projects might be delayed to enable the county to fix the elevators.
Perry said he is happy the county was awarded a grant and it will continue to apply for more stimulus funds.
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
