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CLEARLAKE — The Clearlake City Council met for a regular meeting Thursday that began in closed session.

Mayor Joyce Overton announced prior to taking up the regular agenda, that there was no reportable action taken with regard to a legal conference concerning existing litigation between the Sierra Club and the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency and KK Raphel Properties, LLC. She said direction was given to staff in the second closed session item, which concerned a liability claim against the City of Clearlake by former Clearlake Police Officer Todd Miller.

The regular agenda began with a presentation of a proclamation to representatives of “Lake County Cares for Our Kids,” designating April as “Child Abuse Prevention Month.” An advocacy walks begins today at 10 a.m. at Library Park in Lakeport.

The council then heard a presentation of the Highway 53 Corridor Study by Christopher Thnay, of TJKM, transportation planners. The study was funded by Caltrans and is being administered through the Lake County Area Planning Council (APC). The study evaluated existing conditions and identifies facility improvements that will be needed on the Highway 53 corridor between highways 20 and 29 by the year 2020 and by the year 2030 and beyond.

According to Interim City Administrator Steve Albright, the current freeway agreement entered into between Caltrans and the city on July 17, 1989 requires that Dam Road at Highway 53 be closed when and if a freeway system is constructed. Albright said since the freeway agreement was signed in 1989, major commercial development has occurred, east of Highway 53 off Dam Road. He said additional commercial development is also planned at the old airport property off of Highway 53 near 18th Avenue.

The Highway 53 Corridor Study address how freeway interchanges could conceptually serve the area along Highway 53 between 18th Avenue and Dam Road. In addition the report identifies improvements that the city could make to improve north/south collector street connectivity on both the east and west side of Highway 53.

The council approved changes to the Redevelopment Agency Advisory Committee by-laws. Changes included requiring the committee to keep minutes of its meetings and authorizing the designation of an officer to keep those minutes. An additional change pertained to how vacancies will be filled on the committee and assignment of council members to numbered positions on the committee by alphabetical order.

The council also approved a process for selection of potential tenants for city-owned buildings. The buildings will be offered to public service organizations that provide a valued community service. Available buildings will be offered to those groups at a rate of $1 per year on a year-to-year lease. The organizations will be responsible for building maintenance and repairs including bringing the building up to building code and ADA standards, utilities, insurance and ground maintenance.

A second option was presented that would have allowed for the rental of buildings at a market-rate to commercial entities should there be no interest by a qualifying public service organization. While Overton and Councilwoman Jeri Spittler said they could understand Councilwoman Judy Thein”s opposition to the city taking on the role of “landlords” they said they thought a second option should be in place just in case. However, remaining members of the council agreed with Thein”s assessment and option two was not included in Thursday”s action, which passed 5-0.

The council voted 3-2, with dissenting votes by Thein and Councilman Kurt Giambruno, to direct staff to proceed with the process to implement a 1 percent pass-through charge on Mediacom cable bills to assist in funding the Public/Education/Government (PEG) Channel TV 8. According to Overton, the 1 percent pass-through charge would average about 64 cents per cable subscriber.

Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.

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