News

With the warmest months of the year upon it, it's important to make sure your air conditioning system is in good condition and can take the heat.

Parts of California have already seen record-breaking temperatures in 2016. If you don’t currently have an A/C unit, you may be thinking about getting one.

For those who already have one, there’s no time like the present to schedule a check-up. Regular check-ups and maintenance can help ward off future problems and costly repairs.

More than 11,200 complaints about heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) companies and contractors were filed with Better Business Bureau, or BBB, in 2015, up about one percent from 2014.

Complaints involve being charged up front for a service that was never done, difficulties with getting refunds, and misleading estimates.

Whether you’re installing a new system, scheduling a check-up, or repairing a broken unit, the following advice will help you hire a trustworthy HVAC contractor:

· Do your research. Ask family and friends for recommendations, and make sure to research companies for free at www.bbb.org . BBB Business Reviews will give you access to customer reviews, history of complaints, and any ad concerns. You can even use BBB’s Online Directory to search for a BBB Accredited Business by industry and location.

· Get multiple estimates. Try to obtain at least three estimates for the work being done. This will give you an idea of the price range of the service you need. Make sure you understand the reasoning for each estimate and the work to be performed – get all of this in writing. Use the free, online BBB Request-a-Quote to receive estimates from BBB Accredited Businesses online.

· Verify credentials and licenses. Make sure the company or contractor is licensed and insured, and ask for proof of the appropriate documents. California law requires an HVAC Contractor License (C-20) through California’s Contractor’s State License Board (CLSB) for projects that exceed $500. When installing a new HVAC system, you may have to obtain a building permit. Make sure you have the appropriate permits to avoid future fines or issues, and have your city or county perform a final inspection if necessary to ensure you’re meeting all regulations and codes.

· Request a price breakdown. Are there any trip or service charges or additional equipment costs not included in the quote? Make sure you know what you’re paying for and get this in writing.

· Get everything in writing! Make sure your contract is in writing and you’ve reviewed it carefully before signing. Information about warranties and guarantees should be clearly stated and understood. Check your current warranty to see if any repairs or replacements could be covered.

· Pay wisely. Use a credit card as it can offer more protection than other forms of payments. You shouldn’t have to pay in full until the work is completed and you’re satisfied. Any scheduled payments or payment plans should be clearly outlined in your contract. “

Rebecca Harpster is public relations specialist with your Better Business Bureau, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The LC Diamonds will be headlining at the Paint the Town Sock Hop on Saturday, Aug. 13.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, located at 527 Konocti Ave.

The $20 advance tickets include a three-course tri-tip dinner and will be $25 at the door.

There will be a bar and raffles held for various gifts. Contests will be held for the best dressed and best dressed couple with the 1950s sock hop theme.

Proceeds from this event will go towards the Meals on Wheels Thrift Store projects that include painting the exterior of the building, paving the parking lot and installation of the corner sign.

With the many improvements to the downtown area the store needs a facelift. The total needed for these projects is $5,500 and will only be possible through fundraising.

Tickets are available at the Thrift Store and Lakeport Senior Activity Center. Sponsors for the event are needed and will have their business prominently displayed in thanks at the store and newsletter.

For more information, or to become a sponsor call center Executive Director Jonathan Crooks at 707-263-4218 or Sandy at 707-263-6174.

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NORTH COAST, Calif. – On July 22, Mendocino Land Trust accepted a gift from The Conservation Fund, a beautiful 49-acre property at Ten Mile River.

The property lies east of the Ten Mile Dunes, on the southern bank of Ten Mile River estuary near the Ten Mile River Bridge, ten miles north of Fort Bragg, on the Mendocino Coast. 

The Land Trust will eventually provide public access along the south side of Ten Mile River and under the highway bridge, into MacKerricher State Park’s Ten Mile Dunes Reserve.

This acquisition marks the successful completion of a six year effort to permanently protect the 1,340 acre Smith Ranch.

“We’ve been working for several years with The Conservation Fund, landowners Maggie Perry and Susan Smith Lampman, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Nature Conservancy to complete the acquisition of this beautiful property, and we are grateful for the generous land donation and the landowners’ patience through all the project’s twists and turns,” said Mendocino Land Trust’s Executive Director Ann Cole. “We are pleased to add this gorgeous property to the portfolio of lands we are protecting forever.   It’s been great to work with such incredible partners and to be part of a larger conservation effort in the Ten Mile watershed.”

The property includes sand dunes, grasslands, fir forest, riverside habitats and of course, a portion of the gorgeous Ten Mile River estuary. 

The Land Trust has already started work to obtain necessary permits for a new trail, a parking area and a small picnic/viewing area. 

Funding for the Conservation Fund’s purchase of the property was provided in part by the State Coastal Conservancy.

The State Coastal Conservancy has provided the land trust with funding for the planning and permitting for the public access areas as well.

Readers of this column have probably noticed how much I love poems that give us new ways of looking at things, and in this example Faith Shearin does just that.

I especially like "four-legged relative / of the moon," which so perfectly describes the coat of a possum in partial light.

Shearin lives in West Virginia and her most recent book is Orpheus, Turning, from The Broadkill River Press.

Possum in the Garbage

He was a surprise of white: his teeth
like knives, his face a triangle
of albino dislike. I had seen him before,
 
on our back porch, where my father
sometimes left watermelon rinds,
and he dipped his tongue into them,
 
his skin glowing beneath our lights,
like some four-legged relative
of the moon. I knew him
as a citizen of the night:
 
a fainting, ghostly presence
with a tail so naked it was
embarrassed to drag behind him.
 
But that morning, terrified and violent,
he was different: a hissing fury
at the bottom of the garbage can,
a vampire bathed in light.
 
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright ©2015 by Faith Shearin, “Possum in the Garbage,” from Orpheus, Turning, (The Broadkill River Press, 2015). Poem reprinted by permission of Faith Shearin and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

An unusually complete opportunity has arisen for the community to participate in the review of a development project.

The Lake County Planning Commission has announced its intention of conducting a series of four meetings on the proposed Wild Diamond vineyards, winery, tasting room and visitor center, with the first to be held at the courthouse in Lakeport (255 N. Forbes St.) at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 11.

Several individuals have expressed concerns that this project, to be constructed just off Spruce Grove Road on the northeastern edge of Hidden Valley Lake, will have untenable impacts on the environment and on the quality of life of nearby residents.

Although the Community Development Department was apparently willing to base project approvals on a mitigated negative declaration, the applicants very commendably decided to engage in the more rigorous evaluation and broader public process provided by an environmental impact report, or EIR, and by doing so have possibly set a precedent that will apply to projects of a similar complexity in the future.

After careful review of the EIR, the Sierra Club Lake Group has concluded that few if any of the sometimes dramatically expressed concerns are warranted, and that all potentially negative impacts can be mitigated to a level that will allow this fundamentally beneficial project to move forward.

On the other hand we also identified several ways to reduce environmental damage and possible negative effects on nearby residents. Suggestions for improvement are included in the detailed comments we submitted in July.

Lake Group intends to participate in the planning commission discussion to make the case for our recommendations, and urges all concerned members of the community to do so as well.

These hearings provide a priceless opportunity to find out the truth about what Wild Diamond really is and how it will (and will not) affect its neighbors, and also to simultaneously improve the outcome, learn about sustainable viticultural practices and relieve rumor-fed anxieties.
 
Victoria Brandon is conservation chair for the Sierra Club Lake Group. She lives in Lower Lake, Calif.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Competitive cyclists or those just looking for a really fun bicycle rally should gear up for the 26th anniversary Konocti Challenge, which takes place this year on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Recently named Cycle California! Magazine’s Best Metric Century of 2014, the Konocti Challenge is a cycling adventure circling the incomparably scenic Clear Lake – the oldest lake in North America and largest natural freshwater lake in California – while breathing the cleanest air in America.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakeport, the Konocti Challenge is an incredibly fun and well-organized event for all levels of cyclists.

“We classify ourselves as a fun boutique ride with an amazing amount of local hospitality and fun,” said Konocti Challenge ride director Jennifer Strong.

“We also add a lot of unique features that other rides don’t do,” she said, referring to the race’s one-of-a-kind rest-stop competition, where seven local nonprofits build elaborately themed rest stops and serve delicious gourmet treats and smoothies in addition to the top notch cycling event fare.

Competing for a big charitable donations, the rest stops have employed entertaining and unique themes like MASH, Wizard of Oz and Gypsy Tent extravaganza just to name a few of the past themes.

“They decorate it up, they have a theme, they have fun with it,” Strong said. “They come up with these wild and crazy ideas that are truly an experience for the riders. You just never know what the next rest stop is going to look like.”

In addition to the fun at the rest stops and the amazing food along the way, the Konocti Challenge also boasts of some of the most challenging and beautiful terrain out there. 

There are four different routes to choose from: 20 miles, 40 miles, 65 miles and 100 miles. All of the routes offer views of majestic Mount Konocti and a lot of support and gear along the way.

Both the 65- and 100-mile routes circle the entire perimeter of Clear Lake, and wind through all but two of Lake County’s many ZIP codes.

“The people that are on the ride get a really good idea just how diverse the area is and how many little microclimates we have here,” Strong said. “We have the scenery, the clean air, the challenging courses, the amazing hospitality, and the weather even usually cooperates with us quite well in the first weekend of October.”

Since the ride is all about the experience, the cyclists are greeted at the end of the day with a scrumptious chicken and tri-tip barbecue enjoyed right on the shores of Clear Lake with panoramic views of Mount Konocti in the background. And you’ll be spoiled with the local charms of the Girl Scouts handing out ice cream bars and brownies.

“We get a lot of community volunteers that participate,” Strong said. “It really has become an awesome community event which brings people together and helps showcase the beauty of what we get to appreciate on a daily basis.”

This wonderful scenery, world class organization and the rest stops’ inspired lunacy have made the Konocti Challenge so popular that last year the ride was voted the best metric century ride of 2014 by Cycle California magazine. A metric century is 100 kilometers, or 62 miles.

“To be voted the best metric century in California is kind of a big deal and we are really honored to have been chosen,” Strong said.

Register at www.konoctichallenge.com .