LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Tuesday between the county and four property owners in relation to the Wildcat Bridge project in the Cobb Mountain area. The county project is intended to improve access between Wildcat Road and Highway 175.
The MOU between the county and Alan D. Clark, Kimberlee R. Clark, Lawrence M. Robbins and Louise Robbins is for the purchase of the existing, privately owned bridge and a public road easement. The project proposes construction of a new public road connecting Wildcat Road and Highway 175.
The project is considered to be a high priority for the Public Works Roads Division due to concerns for emergency vehicle access.
According to Steve Stangland, road division supervisor, the bridge was built in the 1960s and is about 15” by 15”, which he said is impassable by emergency vehicles. The bridge is located on a sharp, blind bend, which he said is also in need of reconstruction. He said CalTrans has indicated that it would like to see improvements to the intersection that accesses Wildcat Road as well and there is a possibility that the agency may contribute to an improvement project. A fire in the area prompted Supervisor Rob Brown, who represents the area in which the bridge is located, to bring the issue before the board. He said that on April 24th a fire in which emergency personnel had to re-route their response due to the impassable bridge, resulted in a five- to seven-minute delay and complete loss of the structure.
Stangland said that the bridge is really non-usable and that it hasn”t had any upgrades since it was built in the ?60s. “It”s really at the end of its life right now,” he said.
According to Francis Schutz, there were five families using the bridge when he moved to the area 30 years ago. He said the community has grown to more than 50 families. “It”s my understanding that none of the fire departments will cross Wildcat Bridge because of safety problems,” he said. “If your home is burning down or you or your family has a medical emergency, it”s pretty important. We deserve at least a bridge that will pass all emergency vehicles.”
Kelseyville Fire Chief Mike Stone said he was in total agreement with the issues brought up regarding the bridge and intersection. According to Stone, 80 percent of emergency calls for service in his district are medical in nature.
