LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday heard an update on the process of cleaning up Valley fire debris and clearing wood from the Hoberg’s Resort property in Cobb.
Supervisor Rob Brown placed the matter on the agenda, and asked county Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski and Cobb Area Council member Karl Parker to attend to contribute to the discussion.
Brown said Parker has taken on the role of liaison to Cobb residents about what is happening at Hoberg’s, the historic mountain resort destroyed by the Valley fire.
“He’s done a fantastic job of staying on top of what’s going on there,” Brown said of Parker.
After the resort was destroyed, the property was used for storing and processing logs from trees cut as a result of the fire. That operation, as well as issues with stormwater runoff, have led to concerns from both residents and officials about environmental impacts.
In the spring of 2016 the county ordered an abatement on the property due to stormwater surcharging the resort’s damaged septic system, with the water then running into a nearby creek, as Lake County News has reported.
With it now being August – and nearly two years after the Valley fire – Brown said it was time to start buttoning up the property, and he wanted to bring the matter up for discussion before the seasonal rains started.
“This thing’s not going to go on forever,” he said.
Scott Schellinger, the Hoberg’s representative, was not able to attend, Brown said, but he asked Parker to give an update on the situation.
Parker explained that the Cobb Area Council formed the Cobb Abatement Monitoring Committee a little over a year ago. It’s as part of that committee that Parker has taken part in weekly meetings with the Hoberg’s management in an attempt to build a bridge between them and the community.
“I’m just a concerned citizen and a former Cobb resident,” said Parker, who lost his home in the Valley fire.
He offered the board a report based on a set of questions Ruminski had sent to Schellinger on July 24, with the information current as of Monday.
Parker said Hoberg’s reported that the structural debris cleanup project is complete, with more than 65 loads going to the Lake County Landfill and more than 20 to special out-of-county facilities that handle hazardous waste.
He said Hoberg’s Historical Association, the mortgage holder, has spent close to $1 million cleaning up the site.
Now, the property’s owners are working on the final certification for soil cleanup. That was necessary due, in part, to friable asbestos making up more than 1 percent of the debris, with that hazardous debris having to be taken to the out-of-county handling facilities, Parker said.
Hoberg’s has reached a final agreement – reviewed by county officials – with a Fremont firm for the soil testing and certification. That work began on Friday and is expected to be done by Aug. 24. If more work needs to be done to finalize the certification, Hoberg’s has said it will be done by the end of September, according to Parker.
Parker said there also is a plan for all concrete on the property – such as building foundations – to be removed and crushed on site and recycled for uses including fill and road base on the resort land. However, that can’t be done until the soil certification is complete.
He said more than 900 cords of firewood have been processed and taken off the property, and more than 150 loads of firewood delivered to local residents at no charge as a service and act of goodwill.
Additionally, more than 184,000 board feet of wood have removed from the property, and 80 percent of all wood has been cleared off the land. Parker said 95 percent of the wood is expected to be removed by Oct. 15.
He said the last 5 percent of the wood will be moved to the back of property for future processing and burning. Parker said the abatement committee had emphasized to the Hoberg’s management that the blighted area has an emotional impact on residents, thus the plan to remove the wood from public view
Disposal challenges remain for items like stumps and wood that can’t be turned into firewood, he said.
However, Brown emphasized that when it came to that remaining wood, “They’re not going to burn there.”
Parker said Hoberg’s management had indicated they would be burning stumps according to a permitted process.
“There needs to be another option,” said Brown, suggesting other avenues like moving the wood off of the property, grinding and chipping.
“When somebody starts a barbecue up there right now, it rattles nerves, as you know,” said Brown. As to the idea of having stumps burning and smoldering in the area, “That’s not going to work,” he added.
Parker said Cobb residents have noted the visible progress on the property, and Hoberg’s in turn has used its equipment to help with removal of hazard trees for 20 Cobb residents over the winter.
Regarding stormwater runoff and erosion control, Parker said a Healdsburg firm will be creating an erosion control plan, which should be submitted to county agencies no later than Sept. 15.
He said archaeological work on the site, led by Dr. John Parker, has been completed under the old lodge building, where a “treasure trove” of items was found. Those items are now being processed at the Ely Stage Stop.
Karl Parker said everyone involved knows and understands the importance of getting the work done before the rainy season.
During the discussion, Ruminski raised the issue of what would trigger action by the county if the resort’s management fails to meet its deadlines. That question wasn’t specifically answered.
Brown questioned when trees were no longer going to be brought in to the property. Parker replied that, to his knowledge, no trees have been brought in for processing for a long time.
Supervisor Jim Steele said he was concerned about the stormwater plan in the face of the uncertainty about what the coming winter might hold. He said there should be a “plan B” in case the resort’s intended plan isn’t completed.
Ruminski noted that if it’s raining in Lakeport, it’s it’s two or three times as rainy on Cobb.
Supervisor Moke Simon said the work needed to get done. He said it’s going on two years from the Valley fire, and no other property owners have been allowed to wait so long to abate their properties.
Simon said definite deadlines need to be set. “One more winter, I think, is too many winters, with this stuff out there on the ground,” he said, adding that if the work isn’t done by October, the county should take action.
Parker said the Hoberg’s management has set deadlines of Sept. 30 for soil certification and Oct. 15 as its project completion date.
Board Chair Jeff Smith said he wanted to have the matter come back at around the time of those deadlines.
County Counsel Anita Grant suggested that county representatives might want to check with the property owners on what kind of written commitments they’ve received in making those deadline determinations.
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Supervisors hear status update on Hoberg’s Resort fire cleanup
- Elizabeth Larson
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