Editor’s Note: The transformation is complete! We are now publishing all briefs — mostly News Briefs, but also Business Briefs as well as Moving In, Moving On, Moving Up transition announcements as they come our way — online first, weekly. See a rundown of the most important information that fits in print each month, but catch breaking information only on moonshineink.com.
News Briefs
New Gate in Place on Hirschdale Road
HIRSCHDALE
As of Jan. 15, a gate has been installed with a motion-detector alarm across Hirschdale Road, just beyond Hinton Road. The gate is equipped with a motion sensor audible alarm which serves to alert the landowner of cars attempting to access the road beyond the gate. While trail users will trigger the alarm, please note that the landowner is permitting Tahoe-Pyramid Trail users (hikers and cyclists) to go around the gate and continue down the road to the trail. Please stay on the road and do not trespass on the land on either side of the road nor attempt to access the river from this area as all lands on either side of the road are on private property.
Hirschdale Road parking: Current parking in Hirschdale is limited to street parking on the west side of the old Hirschdale/Highway 40 one-lane bridge. Due to the narrow roads in the area, the best options for parking are in the general area of the Interstate 80/Hirschdale Road exit. Runners, hikers, or cyclists starting their trail journey from this area will add about one or two miles (depending on the parking location) before entering the off-pavement section of trail at the east end of Hirschdale Road.
Cyclists: As a courtesy for runners and hikers, please park near the I-80 interchange so that hikers and runners can have the closer street parking options along east Hirschdale Road.
Read about the working group of community members in Nevada County to address property rights and recreation concerns: (our reporting in) News Briefs | 9 December 2021 – 12 January 2022, and opinions expressed in a My Shot titled Shots Fired on the River, and Readers Reflect January 2022.
~ Tahoe-Pyramid Trail Facebook post
County Assessor Nears Completion of Caldor Fire-Impacted Property Reassessments
EL DORADO COUNTY
The El Dorado County Assessor’s Office has completed approximately 96% of the reductions to assessed values of improved properties damaged in the Caldor Fire. The remaining improved properties are being reviewed and will be completed soon.
In the case of destroyed residential property, the assessed land values were reduced by half, and the improvement values were reduced by 95%, leaving a 5% residual improvement value to capture the underlying value of credits for impact and other permit fees. Properties that sustained damage but were not destroyed were processed based on a comprehensive review of the actual damage sustained.
“Of the reductions completed so far, 60% are in the Grizzly Flat region, with the other 40% mostly located along Highway 50,” said Danielle Yandow, assistant assessor. “The total assessed value reduction to date is $106 million, which is just over $1 million in property taxes.”
As soon as the improved property reductions are completed, the assessor’s office will review properties which sustained damage to land only and smoke damage claims. Yandow urged property owners who have not yet received a notice of reduced assessed value or who have not yet applied for reassessment for Caldor Fire damage to do so immediately. Due to the large perimeter and varied terrain within the area of the fire, the office has discovered the destruction of a group of residences through filed applications. However, no damage was indicated by the prior physical damage assessments. Furthermore, applications must be submitted within one year of the date of the calamity in order to qualify for retroactive relief. The assessor’s office is only allowed to grant tax relief on applications received after the one-year deadline on the tax roll being prepared at that point in time.
“In future years, all reduced values will be carried forward until the property owners begin to rebuild their residence or the property is sold,” Yandow said. “As well, any further reductions in value that may occur in the heavily damaged neighborhoods will also be considered annually, if indicated by the market.”
Fire victims and property owners who have questions are encouraged to call the assessor’s office. The main office is located at 360 Fair Ln. in Placerville. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the phone number is (530) 621-5719.
The South Lake Tahoe office is located at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Ste. 103. Office hours are also 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the phone number is (530) 573-3422. The assessor’s website, edcgov.us/assessor, has property information, additional information on a variety of property tax issues, as well as an online application for a calamity reduction.
~ El Dorado County press release
Expert XC Locals Will Go For the Gold
TAHOE CITY, TRUCKEE
U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced Jan. 20 its nominations for the U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team to represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which will be held between Feb. 4 and Feb. 19, 2022. Nominations are to be confirmed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee when it formally announces the U.S. Olympic Team.
Fourteen athletes were nominated to Team USA, including the 2018 Olympic gold medalist and defending World Cup overall and distance champion Jessie Diggins, and two-time World Cup winner Rosie Brennan. Brother and sister Caitlin and Scott Patterson, both 2018 Olympians, are also nominated to return to the games. The 10 remaining nominated athletes will be competing in their first olympic winter games, including JC Schoonmaker from Tahoe City and Hannah Halvorsen from Truckee.
Athletes were selected based upon World Cup results, World Cup rankings, SuperTour results, and the recently completed U.S. Cross Country Championships.
The 2022 Olympic Winter Games will feature 12 cross country events, including four individual events for both men and women and two team events for each gender, including the team sprint and the team relay. At each olympics, disciplines swap between freestyle and classic techniques. For example, Diggins and Kikkan Randall won the freestyle team sprint at the 2018 Games — the first-ever Olympic gold medal for the USA in cross country skiing. The team sprint hosted at the 2022 Games will be held in the classic technique.
Cross country kicks off the 2022 Games with its first medal event, the women’s 15k skiathlon on Saturday, Feb. 5. The event features two 7.5k legs, with the athletes skiing the classic technique for the first 7.5k, then switching to the freestyle technique for the second 7.5k. The men will compete in the 30k skiathlon on Sunday, Feb. 6 — a 15k classic followed by 15k freestyle. The complete Olympic cross country program is listed below.
2022 U.S. OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
Women
- Jessie Diggins, Afton, Minnesota and Stratton, Vermont; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team (Olympics: 2014, 2018)
- Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center (Olympics: 2018)
- Julia Kern, Waltham, Massachusetts; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team
- Hailey Swirbul, El Jebel, Colorado; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Center
- Sophia Laukli, Yarmouth, Maine; University of Utah
- Novie McCabe, Winthrop, Washington; Methow Valley Nordic Team
- Hannah Halvorsen, Truckee, California; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
- Caitlin Patterson, Craftsbury, Vermont; 1/30/90; Craftsbury Green Racing Project (Olympics: 2018)
Men
- JC Schoonmaker, Tahoe City, California; University of Alaska Anchorage
- Kevin Bolger, Minocqua, Wisconsin; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation
- Ben Ogden, Landgrove, Vermont; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team
- Luke Jager, Anchorage, Alaska; University of Utah/Alaska Pacific University
- Gus Schumacher, Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Winter Star
- Scott Patterson, Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Center (Olympics: 2018)
Watch Team USA compete on the networks of NBC throughout the olympics, Feb. 4 through 20, 2022. Follow the team throughout the Beijing Olympics: Instagram @usskiteam, Facebook @usskiandsnowboard, TikTok @usskiandsnowboard, and Twitter @usskiteam.
~ U.S. Ski & Snowboard website
Business Briefs
Pet Station Signs New Lease
INCLINE VILLAGE
Pet Station, a full-service pet company with 13 locations around the Reno/Tahoe region, has leased the 4,300-square-foot first floor at 800 Tahoe Blvd. in Incline Village. Kidder Mathews commercial real estate brokers Mark Keyzers and Troy Keeney represented Pet Station owners Marshall Grattan and Philip Bankhead. Pet Station will share the retail building with the Village Ski Loft. Plans are also being finalized for the inclusion of an ATM owned and operated by a major retail bank.
Pet Station plans to move into the space in spring 2022 following completion of improvements, leaving the Raley’s shopping center where the business has been for the past nine years. Located directly on State Route 28, which is both a state and National Scenic Byway, the new space will be a prominent corner location with improved retail visibility from over 10,000 vehicles passing on an average day.
~ Incline Village Crystal Bay Community and Business Association press release
The Parent Diary Makes Eco-friendly Donations to NAEIR
HOMEWOOD
The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, announced a generous gifts-in-kind donation by The Parent Diary, a retailer of eco-friendly products for families.
The Parent Diary provided 68 of its absorbent bamboo-rayon hooded towels and 300 of its insulated lunch bags to NAEIR, which collects unused inventory from American companies and makes it available to schools and nonprofits for little to no cost.
“After much research and correspondence with various charitable organizations, I was thrilled to be connected with NAEIR,” said Michele Collison, founder and CEO of the Homewood-based company. “They were extremely knowledgeable and a great resource, assuring me that our products would go to families in need.”
With its mission of saving the planet for future generations, The Parent Diary sells eco-friendly products that are practical, durable, and sustainable. Other products include 100% silicone lunch kits, stainless steel cups for kids, food storage solutions, and a placemat-dinner plate combination with a sippy cup holder.
This new year, The Parent Diary will change its name and become ErthOne.
~ NAEIR, The Parent Diary press release
Moving In, On, Up
Housing Program Manager Heads Out
TRUCKEE
Seana Doherty, who’s worked as housing program manager for the Town of Truckee for two years, is joining Agnew::Beck, multidisciplinary consulting firm focused on policy development, planning, public engagement, and more, as a senior manager. While the firm is based in Anchorage, Alaska, Doherty will stay in Truckee and work remotely.
“I am honored to have been part of the first housing division at the town,” Doherty shared in an email with Moonshine, “and know great work will continue under the leadership of our town council, stewarded by our hardworking, competent, and fun staff team.”
~ AH
Oberacker’s Passion for Parks and Rec Moves to the North Shore
TAHOE VISTA
The North Tahoe Public Utility District announced the addition of Amanda Oberacker as the district’s new recreation, parks, and facilities manager.
Oberacker comes to the NTPUD from the Truckee-Donner Recreation and Park District, where she spent 18 years, most recently as the recreation supervisor.
In her new NTPUD role, Oberacker will direct and manage the staff and operations of the district’s Recreation and Parks Department, including the administration of all the amenities, rentals, concessionaires, special events, and programs at the North Tahoe Regional Park and the Tahoe Vista Recreation Area. She will also oversee the district’s community events and activities at the North Tahoe Event Center.
“I believe in the power of recreation and parks to truly help shape and build community,” Oberacker said. “I look forward to joining the North Lake Tahoe community and making it an even better place to live, work, and play.”
Oberacker holds a master’s in public administration from San Diego State University and a bachelor of science in sociology from Springfield College. She is a graduate of the National Recreation and Park Association Supervisors’ Management School and is a certified parks and recreation professional. She is also a certified American Red Cross lifeguard instructor, trainer, and lifeguard.
A resident of the North Lake Tahoe/Truckee region since 2005, Oberacker is also a volunteer soccer coach and enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two children. She can be reached via email aoberacker@ntpud.org or by phone (530) 546-4212.
~ NTPUD press release
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