LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – County officials said this week that they are planning to begin winding down the donation management that the county took on last year in the wake of the Valley fire.
The closure of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Area Field Office in Lakeport at the end of January and the near-completion of the CalRecycle debris cleanup for residential lots has signaled a change in the direction of recovery as the Valley fire focus shifts towards rebuilding, the county of Lake reported.
“Many county staff have been working in the Emergency Operations Center and on fire recovery projects and programs since July 29, when the Rocky Fire broke out. Given the progress that has been achieved at this point, it’s the right time for many County staff to transition back into fulfilling their regular job duties,” said Lake County Administrative Officer Matt Perry. “Fulfilling these regular job duties will also contribute towards the rebuilding process.”
Donation management is one area that the county will be transitioning out of, officials said.
Managing donations is not a typical core service of any local government, but a county donation management team was established when it became apparent that Lake County was going to be inundated with physical contributions.
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown estimated there were close to 500 tons of donations that were received, sorted, organized and taken to distribution centers since the start of the Valley fire.
The donation center at the Work Right building in Lakeport is slated to be closed by the end of March, the county reported.
“The owner of the building has a lease to another business starting in April,” said Brown.
The Seventh-day Adventist Donation Center hopes to remain open at their Lakeport site, located in the Willow Tree Shopping Center on 11th Street, for as long as the need remains.
The Cobb Mountain Lion’s Club plans to keep their donation center open at the Little Red Schoolhouse until the one-year anniversary of the start of the Valley Fire, Sept. 12, 2016.
One of the larger donation items offered was the mobile laundry unit built by Brett Gayner of Sonoma County.
However, at the Feb. 2 Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Task Force meeting the county's recovery coordinator, Carol Huchingson, announced that the county is going to halt its efforts to place the unit.
“It has taken a significant amount of staff time looking for a workable location with the correct electrical and water hook ups and none of the possible arrangements pursued worked out,” Huchingson explained. “Staff can now devote that time to other areas of the recovery.”
Huchingson also pointed out that the owner of the existing Middletown Laundromat has reported that his facility is operating at only about 50- to 60-percent of capacity, thus indicating a readily available resource for Valley fire survivors who lost in-home laundry facilities when their homes burned.
“There are volunteer organizations in Lake County doing a tremendous job helping Valley fire survivors. County staff needs to focus on other areas of recovery to help Lake County rebuild. We are willing to support and encourage volunteer or community organizations to step in where there is a need,” said Brown.
County's Valley fire donation management set to wind down
- Lake County News reports
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