Lakeport opens Xabatin Community Park with blessing, dances from local Pomo tribes

A formerly undeveloped plot of lakefront property in Lakeport is now the site of a bustling community park that offers an array of recreational activities and pays honor to the Indigenous people who first called Clear Lake home.

Xabatin Community Park opened in late October with a ceremony featuring dances from Lakeport’s Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, as well as a land acknowledgment and blessing before a crowd of 600 to 800 residents enjoyed the park’s amenities for the first time, said Lakeport City Manager Kevin M. Ingram.

The park ’s name, Xabatin (pronounced Ka-ba-tin) means “big water” in the Pomo language and is derived from the original name given to Clear Lake by the Pomo tribes who originally settled there.

The 7-acre site where the park stands was owned by the Lakeport Unified School District and previously housed an elementary school, Ingram said, though the property had fallen into disrepair.

When a 2017 downtown revitalization plan asked for community input on the property, Ingram said, residents were vocal to the City Council in their desire to not see that lakefront site developed into commercial buildings.

“It’s the only spot from Main Street where the lake can be seen in the city,” Ingram said. “(The community) wanted to see it continue to be made available to the public, preferably as a park.”

When the city of Lakeport was awarded a $5.9 million grant in April 2020, funded by the State of California Parks and Water Bond (Proposition 68) for the development of a new community park, the City Council purchased the site from the school district, Ingram said. Residents again offered input about what amenities they wanted to see at the park. The City Council would go on to allocate another $1 million to the project based on the desires of the locals.

“Rather than reducing amenities, we felt this was worthy of dipping into our reserves to make sure this was consistent with that community desire,” Ingram said.

At the same time, representatives from the two Pomo tribes with territorial claims in Lakeport came forward to ask for the naming consideration.

“We were able to sit down and work with them, and it became apparent through that process that the highlight of the whole park was the lake,” Ingram said. “So let’s recognize that and give the park the original Pomo name for Clear Lake. Everybody was on board with honoring that past, present and future use there.”

In addition to views of the lake that can be enjoyed along a promenade, Xabatin Community Park includes a basketball court, skate park, outdoor gym, amphitheater, splash pad, public art, multi-use lawn area, sheltered picnic areas and a bathroom/concession building. The city also built a parking lot, landscaping and lighting throughout the park.

During the park’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 26, city officials welcomed both the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians to perform traditional dances. Ron Montez of the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians gave a blessing and Ingram read a dedication to recognize that “members of both tribes still live at Xa-Ba-Tin and are a vital part of today’s culture while continuing to practice traditional tribal activities.”

The ceremony also featured an exhibition of the skate park with professional skateboarders Eli Reams and Devin Bales, and BMX rider Ethan Reams, who appeared on behalf of the skate park designers at California RampWorks.

In the time since the opening ceremony, Ingram said, the basketball courts and skate park have all been packed with locals every time he drives past.

When the weather warms up again next year, features like the splash pad will round out the outdoor amenities, he added. Groups like the Clear Lake Scullers rowing club are already working on raising funds for a boathouse at the park to help get people out on the water.

Ingram’s favorite feature of the park is the pedestrian promenade along the lake.

“We now have a continuous walking path to our other parkland areas, Library Park and the public boat ramps that stretches a third of a mile along the lakefront, which is a fantastic feature for the downtown area and is part of that mission to make sure the lake is accessible to everybody.”