NTPUD’s Water Main Replacement Project
Work on NTPUD’s 2008 Water Main Replacement Project began on July 7th, and is expected to be completed by the end of August. The project, which is part of the Kings Beach Grid Master Plan, is necessary to replace aging infrastructure, install new front-yard water services, and install new infrastructure to prepare for future Grid projects. Because the low bid of $568,425 from Cruz Excavating, Inc. of Incline Village, NVNev., was significantly below the Engineer’s Estimate of $862,525, the scope of the project was increased. ‘The Cutthroat water main has been a costly line to maintain, and its replacement will not only save the ratepayers the repair expenses, but [the project] will reinforce a vital line in the Kings Beach Grid water distribution system,’ says Lee Schegg, P.E., the North Tahoe Public Utility District Public Works Director. The recently implemented System Replacement Fees are funding this project. ntpud.org, 530-546-4212.
Changes at North Tahoe Community Conference Center
On June 24, 2008, the NTPUD Board of Directors authorized the General Manager/CEO to develop a new transitional plan for the North Tahoe Community Conference Center. Over the last few years, the Conference Center has seen losses, which the District’s Recreation and Parks Department can no longer absorb. Rather than continuing to marketing professional conferences, the new business model will will look at a more diverse use of the 16,000-square-foot building for functions such as weddings, family reunions and anniversary parties, community and non-profit uses, and recreation. Initially the name will be changed to the North Tahoe Community Center or the Tahoe Beach Center. Meanwhile, the NTPUD will continue to operate the building and honor all commitments for weddings and rentals currently on the schedule. ntpud.org, 530-546-4212.
North Lake Tahoe Chamber Co-Sponsors Forums with Bonanza
The Chamber has partnered with the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza to present a series of public forums:
• August 20: Independent Incline Forum, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd, Incline Village, 5:30pm
• Sept 17: County Commissioners & Fire Board Forum, Large Assembly Room, Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Sierra Nevada College, 5:30pm. RSVP to 775-831-4666 or aflanz@tahoebonanza.com.
Wells Fargo Donates $10,000
Citing that Community Recovery Resources’ work with families and children has been exemplary, the Wells Fargo Foundation presented the agency with a donation of $10,000. ‘The work the agency is doing is important. We know this investment will be put to good use,’ said Jeremy Ashurst, a Wells Fargo Vice-President. Community Recovery Resources is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in Grass Valley, Calif., with an office in Truckee and Southern Nevada County, serving over 900 clients each month.
Shinneyboo Cabin Resort Hits the Market
Squaw Valley local Mike Rogers and his wife Christine built Shinneyboo Cabin Resort, the quaintly popular resort, from the ground up on 160 acres and have personally run the property for the past five years. They have decided their time is up and put the resort up for sale, listed for $3.5 million. The resort is surrounded on three sides by Tahoe National Forest and is nestled in a wooden glen where Shinneyboo Creek and the South Yuba River meet. Many mountain lakes and trails are close by. For info, contact Trinkie Watson, 800-582-0722, or twatson@chaseinternational.com.
Pinnacle Real Estate Merges with Chase International
Squaw Valley’s Pinnacle Real Estate recently joined forces with Chase International, increasing Chase’s total number of Reno-Tahoe offices to eight. The merge is a natural path for Pinnacle which was founded four years ago on the philosophy of offering unsurpassed service to clients, a value that Chase shares. chaseinternational.com.
Kelley Cheney joins Plumas
Plumas Bank recently announced that Kelley Cheney has joined its ranks as vice president, business development officer. Cheney received his Bachelor of Science degree in finance from California State University, Sacramento. He is a member of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders and an ambassador for the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce. With assets of over $450 million, Plumas Bank has 13 offices throughout Northeastern California. plumasbank.com.
Chipping Away at Defensible Space
While fire officials expected to be busy this summer, they didn’t expect quite the response that they’ve seen. North Tahoe and Meeks Bay Fire Districts have been overwhelmed with the tremendous response to free chipping services for defensible space. Both Districts have added extra staff, rented additional equipment, and are asking that homeowners understand that it may take as long as six weeks to respond to chipping requests.
According to North Tahoe Fire’s Public Information Officer Ed Miller, ‘For some properties, this is the first time defensible space measures have been implemented, and the sheer volume is enormous. Some piles are the size of a city bus!’ If you live in North Tahoe, call 530-546-4347 to get on the chipper list. Meeks Bay Fire District residents should call 530-525-7548. For information about working on a chipper crew, call 530-583-6911.
12th Lake Tahoe Summit
August 16
Co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, this year’s Summit will be held at Valhalla. The theme is continuing the commitment to the EIP (Environmental Improvement Program) and the Lake in the face of climate change and wildfire. The public is invited. Contact Jeff Cowen at jcowen@trpa.org or Julie Regan at jregan@trpa.org for additional information.
Fuel Reduction Program in Progress
Through a contract agreement between the Town of Truckee and CAL FIRE, a fire suppression hand crew from the Washington Ridge Camp is spending its weekdays in Truckee and the Tahoe Basin. When not actively out fighting fire, the 15-person crew is working on fuel reduction and snow removal improvements within the town limits. Their primary focus is reducing fuels along Truckee roads, to help keep fires on the ground and out of the tree canopy. The ultimate goal is to give the crew a quicker response time for emergencies in our community by having them working here locally. If you have questions or concerns, contact Thom Ravey, with the Town of Truckee, 530-582-2903. For any questions about fire safety inside or outside, contact Gene Welch at Truckee Fire District, 530-582-7635, or visit truckeefire.org.
Annual Alpen Wine Festival
Savor the pours of over 40 Northern California wineries while you listen to the sounds of the Ivan Najera Quintet and vocalist Emily Tessmer, watch card illusionist Mark Crowe, and bid on silent auction items on August 31 at the 20th Annual Alpen Wine Festival hosted by The Village at Squaw Valley USA and Uncorked Wine Bar. A $40 donation to the Heuga Center buys a commemorative Spiegalau wine glass and unlimited wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m. Former Olympic ski racer Jimmie Heuga will be on hand for the event, which supports The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis. For more information visit thevillageatsquaw.com or call 530-584-6266.
Tahoe Donner Club Promotes Being Green
Find out how to save potentially hundreds of dollars at the next Tahoe Donner Green Club presentation on August 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Northwoods Club house in Tahoe Donner. Mary Winston from Energy Masters will talk about energy-saving fixes to your home, and Scott Terrell from the Truckee Donner Public Utility District will discuss various rebates and hand out free CFL light bulbs. The public is invited. RSVP to TDGReenclub@aol.com.
Truckee River Council Victories
The Truckee River Watershed Council (TRWC) has been awarded a $91,500 planning grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) for the Coldstream Canyon Floodplain Restoration Project. The project, located near Donner Memorial State Park and the Teichert ‘ponds,’ is a partnership between the TRWC and California Department of Parks and Recreation. The completed project will provide increased flood protection, and increase riparian habitat. The TRWC will host a public meeting when the draft design is completed.
The TRWC has also received a $152,000 implementation grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy for the Merrill Davies Stream and Meadow Restoration Project. The project, which received the highest priority ranking by the stakeholders of the TRWC, is a partnership between the TRWC and Tahoe National Forest to restore 36 acres of meadow, wetland, and riparian areas in the Merrill Davies watersheds in the northeastern portion of the Truckee River watershed. These watersheds were severely degraded through historic timber harvest, grazing, and railroad construction and operations. Restoration goals are to reduce erosion, improve the quality of surface runoff, restore floodplain function, increase groundwater storage, and improve and increase meadow, wetland, and riparian habitat.
For more information, contact Beth Christman at the TRWC (530-550-8760), or Kerri Timmer at the SNC (530-823-4670).
Martis Creek Gets Grants
The Martis Fund has awarded $123,800 in grants to the Truckee River Watershed Council (TRWC) and the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation to support conservation and enhance restoration projects in the Martis Creek watershed. The Martis Fund – created in 2006 by conservationists and landowners to secure open space, promote habitat restoration, and create workforce housing in Martis Valley – is a collaborative project of DMB/Highlands, Mountain Area Preservation Foundation (MAPF), and Sierra Watch. ‘The Martis Fund provides great promise to help secure a healthy future for the Martis Valley watershed,’ said Lisa Wallace, Executive Director of the TRWC. ‘And we look forward to partnering in that important work.’ For information, contact Terry Watt at The Martis Fund, 415-377-6280.
The Sudan Comes to Sierra Nevada College
August 11 to September 15
The Meridian International Center is bringing an extraordinary event to Sierra Nevada College. ‘Sudan: The Land and the People’ is an exhibit based on the 2005 book of the same title featuring the photography of Michael Freeman and essays by Timothy Carney and Victoria Butler (as well as a foreword by former president Jimmy Carter). Copies of the book will be available for sale in the SNC bookstore. The college will also host a lecture by one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, viewings of the movie ‘Lost Boys of Sudan,’ and school field trips.
• ‘Sudan: The Land and the People’ exhibit: 3rd Floor. Prim Library, Mon. to Thurs. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun. 4 to 7 p.m. Free
• ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ film: Aug. 26 and 27, 7 to 9 p.m., Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, rm. 139/141. Donation requested.
• An Evening with Lost Boy Daniel Mabior: Sept. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m., Patterson Hall, Donation requested.
775-881-7589, sncevents@sierranevada.edu
Patriot Golf Day
September 1
On Sept. 1, public golf courses nationwide will request an additional $1 for each green fee, and private facilities will ask patrons for donations. The funds raised at Patriot Golf Day will support families of those who have become disabled or lost their lives in the line of military duty. PGA Professional Dan Rooney of Oklahoma is spearheading the program through the organization, Wounded Warriors, Inc., and both the PGA of America and The United States Golf Association (USGA) are endorsing and promoting the program.
Locally, golfers can participate at the Graeagle, Tahoe Donner, Old Greenwood, Coyote Moon, Gray’s Crossing, Northstar, and Martis Camp golf courses. Ron Parr, of DMB Highlands, was instrumental in bringing Patriot Golf to this area. Parr has a passion for golf, which led him to organize charity golf tournaments and help develop the Lahontan and Martis Camp golf course communities. ‘We can easily research the number of dead and injured statistics. But, what happens to the families of those statistics?’ he said. ‘The Foundation, thru Patriot Golf Day, honors their sacrifice and lessens the unintended consequence by offering scholarships to the family members of the fallen soldiers.’
For more information or to make a donation, visit PlayGolfAmerica.com or FallenHeroesFoundation.org.
