CLEARLAKE OAKES >> The East Region Town Hall elected officers at Wednesday’s meeting here and informed attendees about plans to combine with other Municipal Advisory Committees who share similar concerns.
Maria Kann was voted in as council chair and Angela Amaral was elected vice chair. Member Holly Harris updated the members and the attendees, they had another meeting with Central Region Town Hall and Western Region Town Hall to form a MAC Alliance, coming together to work on programs that could benefit all North Shore residents in their combined district. Two members of each formed a subcommittee and put together a survey on the ERTH website to gauge people’s opinions if they feel combining the MACs would be beneficial to all. “We’ll see what comes from it and post the results on the ERTH website,” Kann noted collaborating together can achieve more of their goals than by acting individually, but no further action will be attempted until results of the survey are revealed.
Harris also alerted the gathering that Lars Ewing, public services director received a final draft on a master plan about what the John T. Klaus Park may look like, so he scheduled another drop-in session for the public to provide input. It will take place at the Nylander Building next to Nylander Park on May 22 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. It will include the landscape architect and the environmental lead principal. “Lars is preparing a social media flyer with details we’ll send out on the ERTH website,” said Harris.
Kahn then provided an update on traffic concerns on High Valley Road. The problems they are experiencing are with semi-trucks driving at what some consider an unsafe speed. “They come around blind curves and block the entire road, forcing small cars off, and there’s no white lines, no shoulders and no sidewalks,” Kann said. “High Valley Road has many areas where they are not compliant with 10-foot lanes so, its substandard. Trucks come up leaving the Valley and at times blocking egress and ingress. ”
Also, residents are seeking a reduction of speed noted Kann. At some point the speed limit went from 30 mph for 2-lane roads, as described in the General Plan to 55 mph. To those who know High Valey Road, 55 mph is a suicide mission, maintained Kann. So, they are putting together documents, pictures and reports to submit to Public Works to act, according to Kann. “All were asking is to reduce the speed limit and reduce the truck size,” she said. “It doesn’t require re-engineering the roads It also affects Cerrito and Alta Vista Dr Ther’s two major wineries in our valley, and they have large. trucks coming in and out.”
Kann and her neighbors asked Publlic Works Director Glen March yet he declined to schedule a personal meeting but is scheduled to meet later in the spring to give a presentation at the ERTH meeting place in the Moose Lodge. “We’re sending emails, pictures, and videos to make our point, Kann said. “The information is everywhere. We need to talk to him and when he comes, we’ll ask a lot of questions.”
ERTH also provided information on the EPA plan to clean up the Sulfur Bank Road Super Fund site, which has an inactive mercury mine. There is 200,000 cubic yards of waste from mine tailings and rock pile remnants. “They (EPA) are mitigating the site and coordinating closely with the Elam residents,” Harris said. “In the first phase the project will address mine field contamination in residential areas north and south of the mine site as well as set the stage for the larger mine site remediations that are still to come. At this time EPA believes they’ll break ground on residential work as soon as the rains stop in spring 2026”
Initially EPA will focus on roadway improvements to ensure there’s access for Sulphur Bank Road during all the remediation. “We will keep in contact with them to make sure everybody who lives on Sulfur Banks Road knows what’s going on with road excavating will be,” said Harris. “ERTH sent in a comment a year ago to propose a clean-up plan. And we included a request that the EPA, put emphasis on hiring local and buying local. Based on that EPA is Planning a small business fair. They have not given details. But they’re informing local contractors and operators of the opportunities they are anticipating in the upcoming years.
In District 3 Supervisor E. J. Crandell’s report, he briefed ERTH that he is working with Treasurer Patrick Sullivan regarding short term rentals focused on the properties not yet registered as being let and needs to track approximately 3,000 short term rentals which the transient occupancy tax, must account for, as an onlne component is being implemented. But Lake County is in process to make certain all transactions are in lawful compliance, so the BOS expects to have an applicable ordinance in place this spring.
