PREVIOUSLY

• Blue Lake May Take Water Tank Site After Years of Negotiation Problems; Property Owner Sues for $1.3 Million

###

On Tuesday night, the Blue Lake City Council approved a step toward using eminent domain to seize a water tank site.

The move follows years of unsuccessful negotiations with Erin McClure, a beneficiary of the trust that owns the land that city water infrastructure sits on.

The water tank stores 400,000 gallons of water out of Blue Lake’s total capacity of 900,000 gallons, and serves about 750 residents.

The council didn’t discuss the item in full, but voted 4-1 to approve the consent agenda. The action authorized the city manager to contract with a real estate legal firm for appraisal and acquisition for 1.89 acres of land. The council also approved a total of $46,000 for the feat.

Mayor John Sawatzky was hesitant to vote without council discussion. He looked to the other councilmembers to confirm they truly wanted to agree to the move without discussion.

“It’s concerning we’re pushing this through. They are big items we need to have big discussions around,” he said, later voting against the consent agenda.

During public comment, a new wrinkle emerged. There appears to be some conflict between the beneficiaries of the trust. A woman who identified herself as the daughter of the trust’s other beneficiary said she has an attorney working towards dissolving the trust, stating Erin “may not be the executor of the trust much longer.”

According to the city, a previous agreement that would have granted the city an easement to the site ultimately fell through because McClure refused to coordinate the trust’s other beneficiaries to sign their written consent to the agreement, something the city needed for title insurance. 

This agreement followed years of negotiations after a century-old lease to use the land expired, and McClure pressed vocally for a new one.

McClure has pushed back against the acquisition by filing a lawsuit for $1.3 million and accused the city of bullying her.

The city has pointed to the need to be able to access the water tank and other infrastructure on site for the municipal water supply and firefighting response.