Lakeport >> In December 2014, the City of Lakeport Community Development Department gained a new director and a new vision. When Kevin Ingram made the switch from the County Planning Division to the City of Lakeport, he wasn’t aware of a negative reputation tainting the department, but it wasn’t long before he realized community members felt frustrated over poor communication.
“It just seems like there’s always been sort of a communication gap in the past, which is odd because I’ve developed relationships with the staff and they’re always knowledgeable,” Ingram said. “They’re thought of as not being helpful, which is odd because they’ve always had the community at the first and foremost at their minds. That’s what I’m trying to do, bridge that gap.”
With ten year’s worth of experience with the county, Ingram is applying the hands-on approach he learned there to his job with the city. The department plans to work with applicants to ensure their projects are viable before they move forward and invest a large sum of money. “I’m definitely bringing that hands-on approach over here. Not to say that wasn’t happening but that’s been ingrained in my background,” Ingram said. “That makes my job easier down the line.”
His educational pursuits have also prepared him for his new position. Ingram earned degrees in both Political Science and Regional Development from the University of Arizona and a Master’s in Public Administration from Sonoma State. He originally planned to do work on an international level, but changed his mind halfway through school. Localized jobs are what he’s most excited about. “You see the fruits of your labor directly when you’re in a situation like this at the most local level,” Ingram said. “You write a staff report, you review plans and eventually you get to see the construction and that’s a really neat aspect of this job.”
Though Ingram is the department’s director, developing better communication is a team effort. Just a few weeks ago, they brought on a new associate planner, Dan Chance, who has 20 years of experience. He worked as a planner in Marin County and Santa Cruz County and he spent over 10 years in Monterey. “He has extensive experience with issues confronting Lakeport,” Ingram said. “He’s not an amateur by any stretch of the imagination.”
Chance enjoys the process behind planning and watching how the pieces of a city come together. “It’s a very fascinating thing to see how a city grows, to see how a community works together,” he said.
The Community Development Department is focusing on streamlining the permit process. They plan to create a one-stop permit center. While those submitting applications may not be able to walk out with one immediately, the department will consolidate all resources under one roof. “You shouldn’t have to jump from building to building,” Ingram said.
Chance said they’re also looking to craft a speedier review process as they look at zoning ordinances and make modifications. The staff plans to “turn the department business-friendly, get people through the process in a timely manner,” Chance explained.
Over the years the department has been working with a small staff, which Ingram said has been the reason behind the slow permit process. Recently, their personnel has increased slightly to better accommodate the community. “Just by having more staff we’re able to process permits quicker,” Ingram said. “I think a lot of people get frustrated in permit turnaround time. The city has been really committed to make sure we staff the Community Development Department and I have been very grateful for that.”
When it comes to a small town like Lakeport, those often applying for permits are mom and pop establishments who only plan to construct one building. That makes communicating with them different than with a developer. “There’s a huge aspect of listening to what folks want and trying to get that to work in with the code,” Ingram said. “You have to take a step back and listen quite a bit to what they’re trying to accomplish and generally you can accomplish all that with a few minor changes.”
Aside from perceived poor communication, the department faces other obstacles as a result of the aftermath of the downfall of the economy and redevelopment. Now, they lack a number of resources they had 7 or 8 years ago. They have to do as much as possible with what little they have. So Ingram has been aggressive with obtaining grants to create a more vibrant downtown and waterfront area and better pedestrian improvements. “A large portion of my job is working with those grants,” Ingram said. “That part of planning is exciting. I wish we had more money available for more things like that.”
While these improvements are of course on the Community Development Department’s agenda, that lack of communication is at the first and foremost of Ingram’s mind. “I hope that we can be successful in changing that community perception,” he said. “It’s very disturbing when you hear out there that the community development department isn’t friendly to businesses. We’re supposed to be the main cheerleaders and ralliers of businesses.”
Chance is ready to work hard for the city’s future. “I just hope that everybody works together in a positive direction and we achieve the community’s goals,” he said.
Ingram hopes to turn the department reputation around so that they’re “seen as a conduit for supporting businesses and a positive community identity.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
