I attended the Board of Supervisors Sept. 21 meeting to hear about progress on cleaning up our lake. The economic vitality of Lake County depends on this happening. Property values, jobs, tourism are all tied directly to the lake. This summer marked the second year of concerted efforts toward making our lake hospitable to tourism and residents alike. However, despite the hard work of many; no tangible solution has come forth. This resulted in the presentation of petitions with more than 5,000 signatures of residents who are tired of talk and no action with long-term results.
I believe the time for action and concrete plans is now. If we lose anymore tourists, if property values continue to spiral downward, if jobs are not created, our county will look like many others in the state; broke with houses abandoned, businesses closed, no jobs and people moving out. If you are a lake front property owner your property values have been devastated by the unacceptable condition of the lake. It is almost unusable much of the time. If you are in business in Lake County, your business is suffering and it isn”t just because of the poor economy. With the current reputation of Clear Lake, your business will never recover if the tourists don”t return. If you live here and like boating, fishing or swimming in the lake; isn”t it getting tough to find a place that isn”t invaded by weeds or algae?
The time has come for all concerned citizens of Lake County to be heard loud and clear. Contact your supervisor to tell him/her that you expect solutions to the problem, not just another round of discussions and studies. Write, call, attend meetings every Tuesday. In this year”s budget there is a fund of $1 million dedicated to solving the problems. Tell them you don”t want to see the money spent without some concrete results. The demise of Konocti Resort is just the beginning of the end if we don”t demand and receive solid programs to fix the lake. It isn”t impossible, it isn”t too big a problem and it isn”t prohibited by any state agency. It just needs to be done. Period.
If our current elected officials and paid staff can”t get the job done, then they must be replaced. The future of Lake County is at stake.
Wayne Diggs
Lakeport
