Blue Lake transit service OK'd By Matt Kapko Eye Correspondent The Arcata Eye 08-20-2002 Supporters of the new Blue Lake public transit system packed in at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, showing their support for the project. Much to the liking of the crowd, the council approved the project after some minor discussion. A Humboldt County Association of Governments fund of $29,789, which the city is scheduled to receive for this fiscal year, will cover the $106 a day cost to the city. The Blue Lake Rancheria, which will operate and maintain the bus, is supposing on a full level of service at 10 roundtrips a day, five days a week, totaling 252 service days a year. Donna Lawson, the Rancheria’s transit director, is hopeful that service will begin this week. Currently the bus will offer service in Blue Lake and Arcata, hoping to add Fieldbrook when new drivers are hired. According to City Manager Duane Rigge, the agreement reflects many of the current agreements with the Humboldt Transit Authority. During discussion on the proposal, Rigge informed the council of numerous calls and walk-ins telling him that they wanted this service to be supported by the city. Councilmember Sherman Schapiro was concerned with public support for the project, noting that the city had a bus service in the past which received scant use from the public. He concluded that rider ship will determine the need for the service. Rancheria/city lawsuit In closed session, the council addressed the lawsuit filed by the Blue Lake Rancheria on July 26, challenging the city’s authority under previous agreement to impose any mitigations on the Tribe, specifically the city’s ability to shutoff water and sewer services. According to City Attorney Richard Platz there is no trial date set as both parties are still in the pleading process. The Rancheria had to file the lawsuit within a certain timeframe or it would lose its ability to do so in the future. In an effort to alleviate the dispute, the city chose to wipe the dust off an old proposal which it initially refused months ago. According to Schapiro, in the “reservation of rights” the city agrees to allow the Rancheria the right to challenge the city’s actions in the future, without deadlines. If the proposal is accepted by the Rancheria, the lawsuit could be avoided for now. Schapiro cites other city problems such as traffic generated from the casino’s early opening as reason for the council’s oversight on the previous proposal from the Rancheria. “I don’t think we really thought about it and gave it proper consideration,” he said. A special closed-session meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, which will allow time to discuss the lawsuit and the “reservation of rights” proposal. Mad River Levee Another major issue in Blue Lake is public access to the Mad River Levee. According to Platz, a group of residents called the Levee Access Group have jointly filed a lawsuit along with the state and county to resolve the disputed levee. The Levee Access Group is asking that the levee be made available to the public, while Manuel Morias claims the levee is on his land and doesn’t want the public to have access. A trial date is set for December, though negotiations between the potential litigants continue. Mad River Brewing Company receives award The success and implementation of the Mad River Brewing Company’s new wastewater pretreatment plant prompted the council to issue a proclamation to the brewery and its President and General Manager Bob Smith for its achievements. After receiving the proclamation, Smith addressed the council. When the brewery first opened in 1989, it and the city were assured that the Blue Lake wastewater treatment plant had adequate capacity and the industrial parks would be easily maintained by the existing plant. Six years after opening, and with no indicators that their waste was causing problems for the city, the brewery was informed that they would have to treat their own water discharge, Smith said. Coming at a time when beer sales were slowing, the financial assistance from the City Council along with the staff’s flexibility and help in finding a solution were critical to keeping the brewery in business, Smith said. Over the last 5 years the Mad River Brewing Company spent $50,000 to build the waste treatment facility and spent another $50,000 in wastewater charges to the city, Smith said. “None of our local competitors has had to pay anywhere close to that amount,” he said. Another new feature to the city is its new recycling bins, with plenty of room to recycle all those Mad River Brewing Company beer bottles. Home