An engineering firm has been hired after the go-ahead from the Clearlake City Council to design improvements on Lakeshore Drive. The city was looking for the final streetscape design and picked a company with a bid of up to, and not exceeding $450,000. There is a 10% contingency baked in, just in case. The city’s finance director says the ongoing project has been very challenging due to its location next to the lake, a narrow road and because it’s a popular tourist spot. The design group chosen will take public comment and previous plans into consideration as they envision what’s next. It should include streets with pedestrian and bicycle connections, options for intersection configurations, parking, gateway and visual opportunities, and stormwater. The company is also said to be securing grant money to finish the project.
The final arguments are being accepted for the annexation of a portion of South Lakeport. The city’s looking to annex 50 parcels on about 140 acres, now referred to as Measure P. Voters will get to have their voice heard this November. 16 of the 50 parcel owners are protesting the move. At least 25% were needed to trigger an election on the subject. So, a special election was approved for November 8th which the City Council approved last month. Only 20 voters will have the final say, because they live in the annexation area. Arguments supporting and against Measure P need to be submitted for the ballot no later than July 25th.
It’s still up in the air, as to what to do about an open Lake County Board of Supervisors seat. District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott is leaving for a teaching position, giving her resignation months ago. It’s effective at the end of the month. She’s been on the board for about six years, half-way through her second term. Lake Co News reports she’s the first to leave without finishing out her term in forty years. The board has had the matter on their agenda a few times but has not decided how to fill the seat yet. The Governor can also fill the vacancy, if need be, after a resignation. Those interested can fill out an appointment application on the Governor’s Office appointments website: gov.ca.gov/appointments.
Due to the extreme drought, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors have approved a draft agreement for water hauling which came about because of concerned community members. Mendo Voice reports the draft goes next to the planning commission even though 5th District Supervisor and Board Chair Ted Williams voted against it due to funding concerns. The ordinance looks to regulate selling and moving groundwater out of private wells. It comes from the 1st and 3rd District Supervisors who sponsored the measure and sat on a committee of residents from Laytonville, Redwood Valley, Covelo, Albion, and other towns in the county to draft it. The wording says the county can calculate a well’s maximum flow rate for extraction, and monitor them to be sure if water’s taken it wouldn’t dramatically decrease the overall water available.
A woman out on bail for a fatal hit and run three years ago may have to report back to jail. Mendo Voice reports Gina Rae Bean is appealing her conviction for the crash that killed Calum Hunnicutt who was riding his skateboard near Mendocino. But she was apparently cited a couple weeks ago for being in possession of drug paraphernalia in Fort Bragg, so the county’s looking to revoke her probation. She was the passenger in a car pulled over for driving recklessly. Since Bean’s out on bail and on probation for her previous conviction, she could be searched. That’s when a cop found a meth pipe with meth residue inside. She was not taken to jail because it’s a misdemeanor. A probation officer says Bean used poor judgment and they’re disappointed in her decision making. She was sentenced to nine months in prison for the fatal crash, but is appealing.
A man from Willits is missing. The family of 50-year-old Shannon Phillips says they haven’t seen him since July 4th and are concerned he may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Phillip’s daughter says they’re worried he’s not taking his medication and has not been acting like himself. She says, him being gone this long, is unusual. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported last Friday there was a disturbance at Lake Mendocino near an RV, but Phillips was released. He’s described as being 5’7” about 145 pounds with long, brown/gray hair. And he may have been wearing blue jeans or dark shorts.
