LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Visitor Information Center that for more than a decade has hosted tourists at its Lucerne location on Highway 20 will close its doors for the final time this week.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a request from County Administrative Officer Matt Perry to finally close the facility – located at 6110 E. Highway 20 – at 5 p.m. Friday.
The Halloween day closure is the final step in a plan that Perry and his staff first took to the board in the spring, when they argued that the county's marketing funds could be better spent elsewhere in branding the county and attracting visitors.
Since then, $53,000 in funds that previously would have been used for the Visitor Information Center have been reallocated to the Lake County Library, which will take over some of the visitor-related duties, as Lake County News has reported.
Perry told the board Tuesday that several computerized visitor information kiosks also are set to be installed in this week in various locations.
He said it was important to finally close the center, as keeping it open longer was requiring the county to take funding from elsewhere.
It also was noted during the report that the county was having issues keeping the center staffed.
Board Chair Denise Rushing said she wasn't surprised to hear of the staffing troubles, since the county had announced the center was going to close.
Rushing said that rather that putting money into the visitor experience, the county was putting emphasis on getting money out of the center.
“I don't know what the visitor experience is going to be once the doors are shut,” she said, noting those experiences already have deteriorated.
The center is struggling with staffing – including training employees – and the staff is worrying they won't have a job. “This is all a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Rushing said.
Rushing said she was sad for the community of Lucerne, adding there needs to be real people engaged in the visitor experience.
During the discussion, Rushing said she wanted the county to pursue gathering transient occupancy tax – or bed tax – from some of the nearly 200 properties listed for rent on Airbnb, which she estimated could give the county an additional $200,000 annually.
Lake County Chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton, also a member of the tourism advisory board that supported closing the Visitor Information Center, questioned the $200,000 number.
Rushing said she had put conditions on her spring vote to close the center. One of those conditions was that the county truly be ready to close it. She questioned if the county was ready, noting the kiosks haven't been tested.
While she said she believed in the new marketing plan, she was struggling with the visitor center's phase out. She said she had predicted it would be difficult, and that has proven to be true.
Supervisor Jeff Smith moved to close the facility, with the board voting 4-1. Rushing was the lone dissenter.
Supervisors don't support Sunday museum closure
A staff recommendation the supervisors didn't support on Tuesday involved closing the Lakeport Courthouse Museum on Sundays. The proposal was taken to the board just before the Visitor Information Center closure discussion.
Public Services Director Caroline Chavez, who took the request to the board, explained that she doesn't have the staff to operate the staff on Sundays any longer.
She is in the process of recruiting for a new assistant curator. There is also the matter of the retirement of Donna Howard, who the board honored earlier in the meeting.
Howard has worked both at the Visitor Information Center as well as filling one-fifth of a curator position at the museum during the Sunday slots, Chavez said. As such, the museum curator asked for the Sunday closures.
“There are several reasons beyond that, that go beyond Donna's departure,” said Chavez.
Some of those other reasons include thefts – a Pomo basket was stolen during one such incident – and there also have been security and safety concerns, such as when a homeless woman was found hiding inside one of the museum's rooms, according to Chavez.
Additionally, no one has Howard's extensive historical knowledge to be able to assist with museum interpretation, she said.
On the plus side, Chavez said she has received an “amazing” response to the recruitment for the 30-hour assistant curator job, which is a term position good through the end of May.
She said they have received 50 applications, about 40 of which were from out-of-state applicants.
Chavez reported that the museum curator also has asked to close the museum on Labor Day, noting very few people visit on that holiday.
Rushing said she wasn't interested in seeing the museums close on weekends, as the museums are some of the best places for tourists to visit.
When Chavez reiterated that it was a staffing issue, Rushing suggested that they needed to use some more imagination and find the funding to get people into the jobs. It was at that point she first raised the potential of seeking the TOT funds from Airbnb.
“The how is tough,” Rushing said.”
Supervisor Jim Comstock expressed his interest in Rushing's idea about Airbnb, adding that the museum is absolutely important.
Rushing added that once things are closed, it's easier not to reopen them.
Comstock suggested instituting a timeline for further consideration.
Chavez said she could come back once a new assistant curator is hired, introduce the person to the board and that can be the starting point for a reevaluation.
She expected to be conducting interviews of candidates within the next two weeks.
The board, however, indicated a desire to keep the museums open at current levels. Options discussed included looking for more volunteers or finding extra help employees who were not beyond their weekly 25-hour limit.
Chavez said she didn't have the money for additional staffing. Rushing asked how much additional money was needed, a figure which wasn't available.
The board will revisit the discussion on museum hours at its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The item is scheduled for 10:15 a.m.
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Supervisors approve final Lucerne Visitor Information Center closure; facility to close Oct. 31
- Elizabeth Larson
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