News Briefs
Missing Person Kiely Rodni
TRUCKEE
Kiely Rodni, a 16-year-old Truckee local, went missing this past weekend after a party near Prosser. Authorities are still looking for leads and asking community members to please come forward with any information.
Her description is as follows: 16 years old, blonde hair, hazel eyes, 5 feet 7 inches,118 pounds, several piercings including nose and belly button, ‘17’ tattoo on ribs. She was last seen wearing green Dickies pants, a black, spaghetti-strap bodysuit, studded black belt, and black vans. Her car, a silver 2013 Honda CRV with license plate 8YUR127, is also missing.
Information can be reported by contacting the Placer County Sheriff’s Department at (530) 886-5375, the anonymous tip line (530) 581-6320, option 7, and the anonymous email address sheriff_tahoeinvesttips@placer.ca.gov.
Moonshine Ink will continue to post updates regarding the case to our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
~ KM
Board of Supervisors Vote on Ballot Measures
NEVADA COUNTY
At the regular Nevada County Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 9, the board voted in favor of placing an emergency services sales tax measure on the
Nov. 8 General Election ballot. The measure was amended to include a 10-year
sunset date in order to ensure accountability over monies spent and to bring back a memorandum of understanding between the Town of Truckee for approval on Aug. 23 .
The Board of Supervisors confirmed emergency preparedness as a board objective earlier this year and support the revenue measure goals of preventing wildfires, reducing flammable brush, improving evacuation routes, enforcing fire safety laws, improving emergency communications and early warning systems and helping low-income seniors and disabled residents maintain defensible space around their homes.
~ Nevada County District 5 press release
Placer Creates North Tahoe Truckee Biomass Task Force
PLACER COUNTY
The Placer County Board of Supervisors has voted to create the North Tahoe Truckee Biomass Task Force — a regional effort to reduce catastrophic forest wildfires while reducing local green waste tipping fees for customers and agencies.
A major goal of the task force is the establishment of biomass facilities. These facilities can create renewable energy or heat by converting wood scraps left over from forest clearing and defensible space efforts, which then help remove hazardous sources of fuel from wildfires.
Other task force goals include completing an integrated infrastructure and fuel supply study, understanding the current biomass fuel availability and its long-term sustainability, as well as analyzing the effectiveness of biomass for renewable energy and heating, centralizing biomass processing, reducing biomass disposal costs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The task force consists of Placer and Nevada counties, the Town of Truckee, Northstar Community Service District and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation.
Currently, the lack of biomass outlets has continued to drive up the cost of disposal and is pushing some programs to leave biomass material on the forest floors increasing fuel loading for future wildfires.
In March, the Board of Supervisors authorized a feasibility evaluation for the Cabin Creek biomass facility in North Lake Tahoe.
TDPUD Awards Broadband Study Contract
TRUCKEE
The Truckee Donner Public Utility District board of directors took action at its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 3 to award a contract to Uptown Services for the TDPUD Community-Wide Broadband Initial Scoping Study. The vote was unanimous. This is an exciting step in pursuing the TDPUD board’s community broadband initiative, which came out of the its 2021 through 2024 strategic plan. Key deliverables from this study include: a market and demand survey, a review of TDPUD assets and operations, evaluations of potential business models to address community-wide broadband, identification of potential funding sources for future efforts and a recommendation of potential models/projects to consider pursuing.
The development of the request for proposal for the TDPUD Community-Wide Broadband Initial Scoping Study was the culmination of extensive work by TDPUD staff and community members. This included an initial general manager task force to help inform the board initiative, a formal board Community Broadband Committee to make recommendations to the board and a second general manager task force to help develop the RFP and participate in vendor selection. One key recommendation from the board’s Community Broadband Committee was to “engage consultants in developing a strategic broadband plan for the entire Truckee community. Consultants must have PUD, rural community, funding, and broadband business model experience.”
The Uptown Services proposal was very strong both technically and for cost, while demonstrating past success with public utility districts, working in rural areas, evaluating potential business models and accessing funding. It is anticipated that Uptown Services will provide a final report and present recommendations to TDPUD’s board at the regularly scheduled Dec. 7 board meeting.
~ TDPUD press release
Microtransit Community Survey
TRUCKEE
The Town of Truckee, partnering with Visit Truckee-Tahoe, Tahoe Donner Association, Glenshire/Devonshire Residents Association, and Tahoe Forest Health System. is operating a pilot microtransit on-demand transit service in portions of Truckee. Your feedbackis crucial to the future of this pilot program. If you have comments, concerns, or suggestions for this transit service, please include your thoughts in this short survey.
For the English version, go to surveymonkey.com/r/2022TruckeeTARTMicrotransit
The Spanish version is available at surveymonkey.com/r/2022EncuestadeTARTConnect
~ Town of Truckee
New Form Simplifies Child Support Enrollment
PLACER COUNTY
Child Support Services now offers a new, simplified enrollment form to better serve new and existing customers. The new feature requires less information, only takes minutes to complete and can be finalized online or over the phone.
“The realm of child support can certainly be a challenging time period for parents and this online form should help alleviate that. Our CSS team is ready to assist those in need of financial stability to help care for their children,” said Placer County Department of Child Support Services Director Laura Van Buskirk.
Enrollees should be prepared to share basic information about themselves, their children and the person they wish to open the child support case with. The improvement comes on the heels of Child Awareness Month, which is recognized every August in California and nationwide.
~ Placer County press release
Take It Slow, Tahoe Promotes Safe Driving
LAKE TAHOE
A new campaign to encourage safe driving in Tahoe was unveiled this week at a used-car-lot-like event at Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. The collaborative Take Care Tahoe public education team’s Take it Slow, Tahoe campaign captures the attention of drivers and creatively incorporates artwork to remind them of why driving safely is so important: to protect people and animals.
Take Care partners revamped the parking lot at Sand Harbor State Park to appear like a car dealership, adding signage, inflatable tube dancers, and information about how to Take it Slow, Tahoe. Attendees and visitors to the park voted on their favorite messages and engaged with representatives from Take Care Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, Nevada Department of Transportation, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and others about the importance of driving slowly and staying vigilant. In all, over 50 partners collaborate through the Take Care campaign, which encourages sustainability and responsible recreation with fun, positive messages.
According to the June 2022 New Yorker article, When Cars Kill, “the average pedestrian, if struck by a car moving at 40 miles per hour, has about a 50% chance of survival. If the car is going 20 miles per hour, the pedestrian has more than a 90% chance.”
Incline Village resident Helen Neff proposed the campaign to Take Care Tahoe partners after being hit by a reckless driver in her hometown while legally crossing the street in a crosswalk on a clear day in 2021.
This and other Take Care campaigns are available at takecaretahoe.org for use wherever they can reach people who might be making simple mistakes that could hurt Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.
~ TRPA press release
Conservancy Provides Funds for Protecting Tahoe During Wildfires
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE
The California Tahoe Conservancy is awarding a $406,500 grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District to update critical plans to reduce wildfire danger to Tahoe communities. Tahoe RCD will coordinate regional efforts to update Tahoe’s “pre-attack plans” and the Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire and Protection Plan to reflect lessons learned from the 2021 Caldor Fire.
Tahoe RCD will lead a process to update all pre-attack plans in the Basin, in coordination with the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team’s21 federal, tribal, state, and local conservation, land management, and fire agencies. Pre-attack plans help first responders in the event of a wildfire by identifying important infrastructure, vulnerable populations, evacuation routes, water sources, temporary refuge areas, and areas where land managers have already thinned forests. Tahoe’s existing pre-attack plans helped firefighters prioritize and coordinate efforts as the Caldor Fire approached Lake Tahoe last summer. The plans were particularly helpful for the many firefighters who arrived from across the country to protect south shore communities.
Also in coordination with the TFFT, Tahoe RCD will lead a process to update the Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan . The existing CWPP is a comprehensive planning document that has helped Tahoe partners prioritize steps to reduce wildfire danger. The plan details strategies to reduce hazardous fuels, harden homes and improve defensible space, and prepare Tahoe communities for wildfire. Because TFFT partners completed the CWPP in 2015, dated information needs to be updated, including lessons learned from the Caldor Fire. The update process will also result in a modernized plan with online access and dynamic updates, replacing what had been a 500-page compilation of text, tables, and maps.
Funds for these projects come from a Regional Forest and Fire Capacity grant provided by the California Department of Conservation. Regional Forest and Fire Capacity grants advance the goals of the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force, which include supporting activities that build local capacity, help plan and prioritize where to reduce hazardous fuels, and decrease the potential for future high-intensity wildfire.
~ California Tahoe Conservancy press release
Sand Harbor State Park to Host Tahoe Summit
INCLINE VILLAGE
Sand Harbor State Park will be closed for the Tahoe Summit from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 16. During the closure, only those attending the Tahoe Summit may enter the park. Visitors interested in attending the summit can register at takecaretahoe.org/events/2022-lake-tahoe-summit/.
The East Shore Trail will remain open from Tunnel Creek to the Sand Harbor Boat Ramp; however, there will be no access to enter Sand Harbor via the trail. Kokanee Bar and Grill and Clearly Tahoe Rentals will also be closed.
~ Nevada Division of State Parks press release
Draft Environmental Impact Report Released
TRUCKEE
The Town of Truckee has released the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan Update. The report can be found at truckee2040.com/documents.
~ KM
Moving In, Moving On, Moving Up
Jessica Penman Named President and CEO of Truckee Chamber
TRUCKEE
After conducting an extensive search and interview process, the Truckee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has announced Jessica Penman as the new [resident and CEO, effective Oct.. Penman will replace retiring President and CEO Lynn Saunders, after a successful 20-year tenure with the chamber.
Through her experience at the Yountville Chamber of Commerce as director of community relations, Penman has seen the positive impacts chambers have on their communities. Her years at the Yountville Chamber have allowed her to oversee numerous projects designed to support and educate the business community; her unique skill set and background will make her an exceptional leader for the Truckee community.
A smooth transition from the chamber’s current president and CEO, Lynn Saunders, has been arranged, allowing Penman the benefit of shadowing Saunders prior to her departure. Penman will begin with a round of community introductions to gain insight that will be valuable in implementing a new strategic direction for the chamber, one that focuses on business advocacy, community outreach and education, and economic development.
~ Truckee Chamber of Commerce press release
Business Briefs
Visitors Bureau is Now Travel North Tahoe Nevada
INCLINE VILLAGE
Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau has rebranded as Travel North Tahoe Nevada to reflect an enhanced commitment to responsible travel and sustainable tourism initiatives. As the public organization responsible for visitor services and destination marketing and management for the North Shore, Nevada, side of Lake Tahoe, the staff and board of directors began focusing on foundational changes last fall. At the forefront is a promise to the local community to encourage destination experiences that support a thriving economy and to foster a continued legacy of sustainability and stewardship and to encourage exceptional destination experiences in North Lake Tahoe, along with a commitment of funds – 10% from their annual budget – devoted solely to sustainability programs.
TNTNV will continue to lead the region in tourism sustainability by prioritizing and investing in events and services that lead to more sustainable practices for visitors and residents alike. From regional initiatives like TART Connect, to highlighting events that educate guests about the health of Lake Tahoe through the Tahoe Environmental Research Center and the recent drone SkyShow that took place on the Fourth of July in Incline Village, TNTNV has already begun implementing these types of programs.
Tourism is a critical economic driver for North Lake Tahoe communities. According to a recently released economic impact of tourism report prepared by Dean Runyan Associates, in 2021 North Lake Tahoe (Nevada and California) saw $1.1 billion in travel spending, a 29.4% increase of travel spending from 2020. Visitor spending in the destination supported 7,600 jobs and generated $70 million in state and local tax revenue that supports infrastructure improvements, transportation services, and other programs and projects that benefit residents of the community.
As destination experts, TNTNV will continue to promote the limitless recreation opportunities of North Lake Tahoe and drive responsible tourism. For more information about Travel North Tahoe Nevada, click here.
~ Travel North Tahoe Nevada press release
InnerRhythms is Back
TRUCKEE
Greathouse of Dance is transitioning back to InnerRhythms and is heading into the fall 2022 semester with a new executive director, a remodeled studio, and a refreshed class schedule encouraging everyone to come dance.
The teachers and classes you know and love will continue along with new and exciting offerings. Class schedules will be available on Aug. 15 but you can pre-register at dancestudio-pro.com/online/index.php?account_id=25638
~ InnerRhythms newsletter
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