- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
City of Clearlake considers how to move Burns Valley sports complex project forward
The sports and recreation center, to be built on 25 acres behind the Burns Valley Mall at 14885 Burns Valley Road, is proposed to include baseball and soccer fields, a 20,000 square foot recreation center with basketball and volleyball courts, a small amount of retail space, a new public works corporation yard, a picnic site, walking areas, an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible playground and a native plant demonstration area.
City leadership sees the project as key to the city’s future prospects.
“You believe as I do that this is a critical project for the future of the city and the larger region as well and we really need to figure this out,” City Manager Alan Flora told the council during its Dec. 7 meeting.
Flora said the city has been working on the Burns Valley sports complex project for several years.
The city purchased the property at the end of 2020 and immediately started working on the environmental review and design work, Flora said.
However, the project was stalled for about a year as the city attempted to reach an agreement with the Koi Nation tribe over mitigation measures. “That agreement was ultimately never reached,” Flora said.
The city planning commission went forward with approving the environmental documents. After the council refused to grant the Koi’s appeal of that decision, the tribe filed a lawsuit in July, four months after it had sued over the city’s 18th Avenue project, which went to a hearing in October. Last month, a judge ruled against the tribe on the 18th Avenue suit.
Flora said the Burns Valley litigation is still ongoing. Lake County Superior Court records show a case management conference is scheduled for February.
The problem the city is facing now with the continual delays, said Flora, is the increase in costs.
When the city started working on the grant, estimates are that the project would cost a little over $8 million. Flora said the city was able to put $9 million through grants from the state and federal governments, city funds, and contributions from Lake County Tribal Health and the Konocti Unified School District.
The city has continued working to complete the project’s construction documents. A few weeks before the meeting, Flora said they received the 60% design plans from their design team — the same firm that did the design of Lakeport’s Xabatin Park.
Along with those plans, the city received an updated cost estimate that put the construction at $18.7 million — over twice what the city has available — and a figure which doesn’t include the recreation center itself, expected to cost another $12 million to $15 million, Flora said.
On top of that, the city still has to deal with the litigation with the Koi Nation. In October, the council approved doubling the money set aside for the litigation to $500,000.
To overcome what Flora called the “very significant gap” between the earlier and recent cost estimates, the city will have to look both at cost reductions and additional funding opportunities.
The council could make the decision to abandon the whole project, but Flora cited the project’s role in the city’s future.
He wasn’t asking the council to try to solve all of the problems at that meeting, but he wanted council members to be aware of the need to come up with ideas about additional funding.
Flora noted that the council had established for the project an advisory committee composed of planning commissioners, council members and community group representatives. He suggested reconvening that group.
There are basic project components that can’t be eliminated, like the infrastructure for the electrical and lighting components, which Flora said totals $6 million. It’s a high-end system that eliminates glare for the neighborhood.
The soccer field proposes artificial turf, more expensive than sod. “Is that something we really want?” Flora asked.
He also asked council members to speak to state and federal representatives for possible additional funding.
Flora said the goal, as of a month before that point, was to complete the project design plans in January and to put it out to bid. They hoped the litigation would have been resolved by that time, but as it isn’t, there are going to be additional delays.
Councilman Dirk Slooten asked how confident Flora was in the recent estimate, noting it was so different from the first that one of them must be wrong.
Flora said he wished he didn't have very much confidence in the latest estimate, but that he’s gone through it, line by line, and compared it with recent projects the city has completed. He also noted that the design firm is the same one that did the Lakeport park, so they had the cost estimates for that project available.
Ultimately, he noted, “I don’t think it’s as far off as we would like it to be.”
Councilmember Joyce Overton asked if there was a way to do the project in phases while looking for more funds.
Flora said yes, but he said they may not like the alternatives. “A lot of the cost is really the basic infrastructure,” he said, explaining that it doesn’t make sense to cut infrastructure — like field lighting — that will be needed for key aspects of the project. Other items like park benches and trees could be cut out, but that won’t save much.
There are some potential grant opportunities coming up early in 2024, which Flora shared with the council.
While there are those opportunities out there, it will take time. “The more time it takes, the more it costs,” said Flora, and if the city has the $18.7 million at this time next year, it’s not going to be enough.
Councilman Russ Cremer said the project is extremely important for the community’s youth and he didn’t see the council walking away from it.
Councilman David Claffey said he saw it the opposite way. “This is devastating,” he said, adding that the city had a short window in which they had the money and the plans, and they missed it.
Claffey was concerned that the city would be chasing its tail for the next five years. “We’re in a tough spot here.”
Flora said during the discussion that the city needed to be really committed to making the project a world-class facility.
Overton agreed, and suggested they reconvene the advisory group as a first step.
Flora said city staff also is working on a sponsorship program that could help raise some funding, as it did for Austin Park. They want to roll that out after the start of the new year.
During public comment, when a community member suggested abandoning the project and choosing another site, Flora responded, “Unfortunately, the Koi Nation are threatening litigation on almost every development project in the city” so he didn’t think choosing another site would be helpful.
The council also heard support from community members involved with youth sports.
One of those was Helen Mitcham, a board member for South Shore Little League. She said 392 children played for the league last year, which doesn’t count volunteers. “This is a big deal for them.”
The league was chartered in 1959 and so is celebrating its 65th anniversary, Mitcham said. Cremer said he had played on the fields as a child.
“We have a lot of people who are excited about this,” Mitcham said, adding that she refuses to be negative and believes they will find the money somewhere.
Cremer said they have to do a full-court press to find more money and shave costs, because they absolutely need the project for the community and to boost tourism. “So it’s good all the way around. We’ve got to get it done.”
The council agreed to reconvene the advisory committee and to press forward.
Flora, in turn, asked the council to speak to their state representatives about financial help.
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