Forum Highlights Tahoe/Truckee Housing Data and Potential Solutions
NORTH LAKE TAHOE
The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation as part of a collaborative 2016 Regional Housing Study hosts three public forums in North Lake Tahoe. Public forums are a chance for everyone in the region to have their voices heard, regardless of employment status. The forum agenda will include preliminary data and housing survey results, and will seek input from the public about the preference and practicality of some possible solutions. The first will be April 28 at the Truckee Airport, the second will be May 2 at the North Tahoe Events Center in Kings Beach, and the third will be May 11 in Tahoe City (location TBD). Events will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Info: ttcf.net
IVGID Proposes Sewer and Water Rate Increase
INCLINE VILLAGE
Incline Village General Improvement District is proposing a sewer and water rate increase, with an average increase on water rates by 2.4 percent and sewer rates by 3.8 percent, for a total average utility rate increase of 3.2 percent. A public hearing for the 2016/17 budget and recreation roll will be held on May 18, 5:30 p.m. at the Chateau, 955 Fairway Blvd., Incline Village, 89451. Info: yourtahoeplace.com/ivgid
Castle Valley Trailhead Protected
DONNER SUMMIT
A 412-acre parcel of land that provides access to some of the most popular areas in the Tahoe area, including the Peter Grubb Hut, Pacific Crest Trail, Donner Lake Rim Trail, and Hole in the Ground Trail, has been taken off the market. The Trust for Public Land and Truckee Donner Land Trust, collaborating as part of the Northern Sierra Partnership, purchased the land from a private buyer for $2.1 million. The original asking price was $7.5 million, and the land has been on sale for more than 15 years. After the initial purchase the land was sold to the Tahoe National Forest, where it will be protected from development. The $2.1 million came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the federal government’s main source of money for land protection. Info: tpl.org
Cave Rock Project Approved
STATELINE
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency hearings officer approved the Cave Rock proposal during a March 31 meeting. The Nevada Department of Transportation has all the approvals needed to move forward. The estimated project cost is $5.5 million, and construction will start in early May and continue through fall. The project will install a 60-foot-long tunnel extension and rock fall shelter on the north side of the westbound Cave Rock tunnel to better protect the traveling public. The project will also implement water quality improvements on U.S. Highway 50 from Cave Rock to Spooner Summit. The application for this project is on file at the TRPA offices at 128 Market St., Stateline, Nev., and is available for public review during regular front counter hours.
Fanny Bridge Project to Begin this Summer
TAHOE CITY
Construction on the SR 89/Fanny Bridge project is slated to begin this summer, and is anticipated to take two summer seasons for completion. The SR 89 realignment, including the two roundabouts on either end of it, is planned for construction this summer. The new roundabout at the Tahoe City Wye, the rebuild of Fanny Bridge, and the creation of a complete street along what will be “old SR 89” (West Lake Blvd.) are planned for construction in summer 2017. Info: fannybridge.org
Bull Wheel Property Donated to Nevada Land Trust
INCLINE VILLAGE
A critical first step toward future public ownership of 18.6 acres of land near Incline Village has been taken, as Cheryl and David Duffield donated the property to the Nevada Land Trust. David is the CEO of PeopleSoft and the co-founder and co-CEO at Workday, Inc., both software companies. The land, known as the Bull Wheel property, provides the missing link needed to connect the 7-mile trail known as the Incline Flume Trail from Mt. Rose Highway to Tunnel Creek. Info: nevadalandtrust.org
California Tahoe Conservancy Board Awards $7 Million in Grants
TAHOE BASIN
The California Tahoe Conservancy Board awarded more than $7 million for seven watershed restoration and forest health projects on March 17. The funding came from Proposition 1, the 2014 water bond. The projects are key elements of Tahoe’s Environmental Improvement Program, an interagency effort to restore and protect Tahoe’s natural and recreational treasures. The largest amount of funding went to the Johnson Meadow Acquisition, which will help acquire the largest privately-owned meadow in the Lake Tahoe Basin. That project was awarded $4.2 million. Info: tahoe.ca.gov
Truckee Ranger District to Begin Spring Prescribed Fire Operations
TRUCKEE
The Truckee Ranger District, part of the Tahoe National Forest, will conduct prescribed fires this spring to reduce build-up of hazardous fuels and to increase ecological restoration. Planned projects include low to moderate intensity understory burns of vegetation on the forest floor and burning piles of stacked woody material. Cooler temperatures and ground fuels that are just becoming dry enough to carry low-intensity fire make spring an ideal time to conduct prescribed burning. The three planned areas for burns are near Stampede Reservoir, one mile northeast of Klondike Flats on Hwy. 89, and Russell Valley. Info: Linda Ferguson, (530) 587-3558, fs.usda.gov/tahoe
TRPA Adopts Active Transportation Plan for Tahoe
TAHOE BASIN
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, in its capacity as the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization, adopted an active transportation plan March 23 that will help communities continue to improve transportation options for bicyclists and pedestrians in the Tahoe Basin. The Linking Tahoe: Active Transportation Plan identifies high-priority transportation upgrades needed around the Tahoe Basin. The goal is a complete network of trails, sidewalks, bike lanes, and intersection crossings around Lake Tahoe that allows people to safely and efficiently get to school, work, shopping centers, and recreation sites without having to get into a motor vehicle. Info: tahoempo.org/activetransportationplan/
SNC Wins Three USCSA Championships
INCLINE VILLAGE
Sierra Nevada College’s men and women captured either the gold or silver overall team titles in all three of their divisions — snowboarding, freeskiing, and alpine skiing — at the 2016 U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Collegiate National Championships in Lake Placid in early March. The women’s teams brought home two overall Golds — in alpine and freeskiing — plus an overall Silver in snowboarding. The men’s teams captured the overall Gold in snowboarding and the overall Silver in freeskiing and alpine skiing. Info: sierranevada.edu/eagles-capture-three-uscsa-championships
Truckee Introduces YourGOV App
TRUCKEE
The Town of Truckee recently launched YourGOV, a pair of automated citizen request applications that allow community members to easily report non-emergency issues and service requests via the web, or directly from their smartphones. The decision to add YourGOV was prompted by goals to better engage the public in town operations, improve customer service, and respond faster to community issues and service requests. YourGOV is available immediately and is free of charge to every Town of Truckee citizen. Users of the Apple iPhone can download the app in the iTunes App Store. Users of Android-enabled smartphones can download it in the Google Market or Amazon App Store. Info: Thom Ravey, (530) 582-2903
Rob Leri Named Superintendent of the Year in California
TRUCKEE
Tahoe Truckee Unified School District’s Superintendent Chief Learning Officer Rob Leri was named the Association of California School Administrators Region 2 Superintendent of the Year. This award is the second round of awards for Leri. Leri was also named Placer County Superintendent of the Year. ACSA, the largest umbrella organization for school leaders in the United States, annually recognizes outstanding administrators for “their leadership skills, professionalism, creativity, innovation, and commitment to a quality education.”
Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project Wins Statewide Competition
KINGS BEACH
Placer County’s Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project has been honored with the 2016 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Award by the County Engineers Association of California and the Public Works Officers’ Institute. The Kings Beach project is transforming a 1.1-mile stretch of Hwy. 28 through the heart of Kings Beach and the adjacent residential neighborhood into a more environmentally-friendly and walkable community. Placer County won the award in the complete streets and multi-modal mobility projects category. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
Hannah Halvorsen Becomes Junior National Sprint Champion
NORDEN
With a win at the 2016 Cross Country Junior National Championships in Wisconsin, Sugar Bowl Academy senior Hannah Halvorsen won the junior national championship title in the sprints. Racing against the top Nordic skiers in the country, the races offer a preview into the future of Team USA. Hannah Halvorsen claimed the title with her win in the Under 18 women’s skate sprint.
