LAKEPORT — The Lakeport City Council discussed issues related to the new county courthouse with local and state officials as well as concerned citizens during Tuesday evening”s regular meeting at Lakeport City Hall.
An abbreviated council, sitting without Mayor Suzanne Lyons and councilman Bob Rumfelt, made it clear during the hour-long conversation that the city would oppose the state designing a courthouse that does not incorporate local concerns.
Approval of a modified memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the state”s Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) was perhaps the most significant of the three council actions taken regarding the courthouse.
Community Development Director Richard Knoll informed the council that the AOC requested an MOU specifically addressing right-of-way access to the project site, a nearly six-acre parcel at 675 Lakeport Boulevard.
The site sits adjacent to an area of Lakeport Boulevard that had been land relinquished to the city by CalTrans, and while the city accepted the relinquishment, it did not formally designate the right-of-way, Knoll said. As a result, the AOC requested the MOU to address legal concerns about access to the property, he said.
The council approved the MOU, which would allow “a perpetual, non-exclusive use of the access area” and ingress and egress for vehicles to the property during and after construction, however the council also decided to amend some language in the MOU.
The council indicated it would prefer a collector street be constructed along the property, but the original MOU stated the AOC would dedicate land for and contribute to the construction of the new street “if feasible to the AOC.”
Earlier in the meeting, the council voted 3-0 to approve a resolution formally directing staff to pursue drafting an amendment to the city”s General Plan as part of the process to explore creating a new collector street off of Lakeport Boulevard through the east side of the project site.
The council remained true to its desire for the new street by voting unanimously to remove “if feasible to the AOC” from two places in the MOU referencing the collector street. The modified MOU would need AOC approval before being finalized.
“The AOC is assessing the altered language in the MOU and hopes to have a resolution soon, so as not to hold up the site acquisition any further,” AOC spokesperson Teresa Ruano said Wednesday.
The livelier portion of the discussion occurred when the council considered whether to issue a letter asking the AOC to consider the importance of protecting the view of Clear Lake from the Vista Point overlook.
Preliminary design options presented to the Courthouse Project Advisory Committee in April caused a stir locally because the “North option,” which is preferred by the AOC, proposed to place the two-story, approximately 50,000-square-foot building at the north end of the property, immediately east of the Vista Point visitor center parking lot.
The courthouse would rise about 10 feet above the Vista Point lot at the “North option,” which some argue would negatively impact the lake view from the tourist destination. The building would sit outside of the city”s “cone of vision” easement at that location.
A “South option,” which committee members reported would have significantly less impact on the Vista Point view shed, was also introduced.
The AOC prefers the “North option” because it would provide appropriate vehicle access for the public and in-custody transports, involve the least site work and provide more visibility from the freeway and parts of town, according to a statement released in April.
The AOC and architects plan to consider local concerns while drafting the final building designs, which are far from being confirmed as the project is only in preliminary design stages, the AOC said.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) considered the preliminary designs during a regular meeting in late April and took actions to oppose any courthouse placement that would block the Vista Point view.
As part of its actions, the BOS sent a letter to the city council urging the city to also formally oppose the “North option.”
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington spoke to the council Tuesday, expanding on the sentiments from the BOS letter. He said the council should do all it could to protect the Vista Point view, which he called “a treasure of this community.”
Lake County Superior Court Judge Richard C. Martin also addressed the council, expressing concerns about local actions that could delay or possibly prevent the construction of the new courthouse.
Martin called the current courthouse on North Forbes Street “a horrible facility” because it can create unsafe conditions for victims and potential jurors. “I just want a safe and adequate place to work,” the judge said.
The council voted 2-1 to approve of staff preparing “a written response to the AOC requesting that they consider the significance of the Vista Point overlook and the potential impact to the residents and visitors to Lakeport and Lake County if the view is obstructed by the new courthouse and that the AOC take this into consideration in the design and placement of the new building.”
Councilman Roy Parmentier dissented, saying he wanted the response to contain stronger language indicating formal opposition any placement obstructing the Vista Point view.
The initial design process could take up to a year, and construction is scheduled to start in fall 2012, with completion expected in 2014, according to the AOC. Portions of judicial branch fees, fines and penalties fund the $53 million project, the AOC said.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
