LAKEPORT >> City officials looked to the past on Wednesday in the hopes of finding future success.
In working toward a new Economic Development Strategic Plan to improve the city’s business environment, the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee (LEDAC) zeroed in on relevant ideas found in a previous Business Recruitment and Retention Strategy published in 2003. Despite its age, members of the committee were able to pull some ideas that relate to the city’s current economic climate.
“We’re thinking in a five-year term,” Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said, noting that Lakeport needs to keep improving its negative business image. “There’s still a long way to go because I still hear it out there.”
According to Ingram, the report does present possible solutions that can still apply to the city’s economy more than a decade on. The first recommendation was for the city to establish a Business Development Manager position to research the ins and outs of the city’s commerce and maintain clear communications with owners — something that chair Wilda Shock said needs to be improved.
The city did employ a manager for a short time, City Manager Margaret Silveira said, but the position went away after redevelopment agencies were dissolved by Sacramento.
Currently, the responsibilities of that job are being spread throughout the city’s departments: Public Works, Community Development, etc.
“Right now, our approach has been scattered through different projects,” Ingram claimed. Most of those projects are infrastructure improvements, which the previous study recommended doing.
However, making further major improvements will have to take time so funds can be saved. Significant amounts cash was and will be spent on recent overhauls like both phases of the Downtown Improvement Plan.
Ingram also claimed that Measure I funds won’t fill the coffers fast enough as it only brings in $750,000 a year, just a fraction of what is usually needed for multi-million dollar road projects.
“Half a mile of roadway doesn’t get you that far. It certainly fixes stuff but it doesn’t fix the whole program,” Ingram added. ““The financial resources to do those things are very constrained right now.”
Other recommendations were brought up — like addressing the complaint of parking issues and reorganizing the websites. LEDAC members didn’t think there was a parking problem but since it has been a steady complaint, they will look into it possibly by the Fall.
