LAKEPORT >> The Lake County Board of Supervisors plans to consider an ordinance at its regular meeting today that would raise dumping fees at the Eastlake Landfill for those dumping debris from the Clayton Fire.
The urgency ordinance is needed because the landfill is currently operating at loss, county documents said. To offset it, public services director Lars Ewing proposes to raise the tipping fees by about 28 percent to $65 a ton. Additionally, the cubic yard rate would be increased from $7.25 to $9.22.
The bumps are also included in a secondary, long-term ordinance that would enact these rates during a disaster similar to the Clayton and Valley fires.
“Only debris resulting from a declared emergency event would be subject to this fee,” Ewing said in a staff report. The rates would then return to normal once the county determined it appropriate.
Kelseyville Cell Tower
Continued for three months, the board will finally take action on the appeal filed by Epic Wireless Group for the proposed 64-foot Verizon Wireless Cell Tower in Kelseyville.
The project was denied by the Lake County Planning Commission back in January because it found the height of the monopole — which would be disguised as a tree — to be in violation of the telecommunications infrastructure aspect of the county’s general plan. Three other alternatives were given to company representatives, but they were rejected. The only adjustments they made were to shorten the tower from the original plan of above 70 feet.
“The project site would not be located away from residences, as there is a small subdivision of houses to the west and an undeveloped subdivision to the north,” the commission’s staff report said. “It also will not be located away from open space areas …”
Further criticism was made by the BOS when the matter was discussed at a late-June meeting. The most notable comments came from Jim Steele, who wanted a scientific coverage analysis for the alternative location at 6738 Live Oak Drive.
The staff report claimed that representatives did test the area and deemed that the site would require a taller pole than their proposed one in the southwest corner of 5660 Staheli Drive. However, they did not release specific reports or coverage maps.
The item is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Anderson Springs Sewer
The last highlight of the meeting will be the awarding of an engineering service agreement for the Anderson Springs Sewer project.
According to county documents, the county received two bids to do the work and staff decided upon Brelje & Race for the price of $480,000. If approved by the BOS, the government will use the $500,000 planning grant it received from the State Water Resources Control Board to fund it.
Although it has been one year since the Valley Fire, Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger believes the county can still break ground on the mandatory project by next year.
“Our goal is to push the project along quickly enough to begin construction in the 2017 construction season,” she said. “This is an optimistic and aggressive goal considering the amount of time it takes to secure grant funding but we hope that by expediting the aspects we do have control over, we will be able to stay on schedule.”
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Lake County Courthouse.
