Night lake speed limit mulled

By Tiffany Revelle -- Staff reporter
Updated: 04/22/2009 09:29:58 PM PDT

LAKE COUNTY The possibility of a nighttime speed limit on Clear Lake spurred debate during a Tuesday Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting, despite a request at the beginning of the discussion to reschedule the item.

The board agreed to direct the Clear Lake Advisory Subcommittee (CLAS) to discuss the concept and consider the committee's recommendation at a future meeting. CLAS member Brent Siemer said he would put the discussion on the committee's Friday agenda and contact Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell about sending a representative.

"This is ripe for discussion," District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said.

Farrington said at the top of the meeting that he didn't want to identify a specific speed limit yet, but discuss the logistics of implementing any speed limit at night on the lake.

Echoing the concerns of Kelseyville resident Phil Murphy, who requested the board consider a speed limit, Farrington said he had lost friends to nighttime boating accidents on Clear Lake.

Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell thanked Murphy for asking the board to reschedule the discussion. Mitchell told the board he wanted boat patrol Sgt. Dennis Ostini to be involved in the discussion, but Ostini was not available Tuesday.

"I think this is an important discussion to have," Mitchell said. "Whether the board decides to do something to implement a speed limit at night nor not, it should be discussed and some information needs to be

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vetted through that process."
District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith said he had been a member of CLAS, which he said would be the appropriate entity to do the legwork on issues concerning Clear Lake.

"During this process you have to compare apples to apples," Smith said, referring to speed limits on other state watercourses.

Kelseyville resident Bert Atwood said a "safe and sane" approach was needed, calling Murphy's suggested 15-mph speed limit absurd.

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