Search for Permanent Hospital CEO Begins
TRUCKEE
The search has begun for a permanent CEO for Tahoe Forest Hospital. The hospital board hired Oakland-based HFS Consultants to begin the search. HFS Consultants’ managing director of executive search, Don Whiteside, told the board at its April 28 meeting that the search could take up to six months. He will begin the search in May by interviewing hospital staff, the board, and the community to see what they want in a new CEO. Whiteside has also set up an email account so the community can anonymously give their input at thaoeforestceosearch@gmail.com. The board has also created a CEO Advisory Search Committee, which will give input to the board.
Jake Dorst began May 1 as interim CEO, replacing Ginny Razo, who left after two months in the position to take the CEO position at Curry Health Network in Oregon. Dorst has served as the hospital’s chief information and innovation officer since September. Most recently, Dorst served dual roles as vice president and CIO of Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health. ~ Kara Fox/Moonshine Ink
Placer Hosting a Workshop on Tahoe Area Parking
TAHOE CITY
Placer County will hold a public workshop to discuss the results of a recently completed parking study of the Kings Beach and Tahoe City business districts. The workshop will be held Mon., May 11, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Tahoe City Public Utility District offices, 221 Fairway Dr., Tahoe City.
The goal is to provide an overview of existing parking capacity and use, the results of a review of the county’s current parking standards and requirements, and an examination of potential parking programs such as an in-lieu fee parking program. To review the parking study, visit placer.ca.gov and type in Parking Study in the search tab. Info: Christopher Schmidt, senior planner, crschmid@placer.ca.gov, (530) 745.3076
NTPUD to Discuss Changing Elections
KINGS BEACH
The North Tahoe Public Utility Board has changed its meeting schedule to afternoons in an effort to make themselves more accessible to the public, and at the May 12 meeting will discuss one of the hottest topics from the election: at-large elections and/or term limits. The current system requires anyone who wants to run for a board seat to choose an opponent to run against. If elections were made at-large, it would be an open field, and those who had the most votes would get the seats. The board meeting is scheduled for Tues., May 12 at 3 p.m. at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.
Tahoe Expedition Academy, Martis Fund Strike Deal for Campus
TRUCKEE
Tahoe Expedition Academy, an expeditionary learning school started in Kings Beach in 2011, will pay the Martis Fund approximately $4 million for a 42-acre property on Schaffer Mill Road located in Placer County, just outside of Truckee town limits. The school plans to build a 60,000 square foot campus that will eventually enroll 270 students, kindergarten through 12th grade. Construction is tentatively planned to begin next May and be completed by 2017. As part of the agreement, Tahoe Expedition Academy will award $200,000 a year in scholarships in perpetuity for Truckee area working families. Info: futuretea.org
SNC Joins NAIA, Adds New Sports
INCLINE VILLAGE
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has approved Sierra Nevada College as a new member, effective Aug. 1. SNC will now launch women’s and men’s golf, cross-country, and soccer teams during the 2015-16 school year. SNC has also been accepted into the California Pacific Conference, and will play in the NAIA league. The SNC Eagles will begin its first season of NAIA soccer with two-time NSCAA Nevada State Coach of the Year Christian DeLeón heading the women’s team and NCAA veteran Jim Barlow leading the men’s team.
Lake Tahoe Water Clarity In 2014 the Best In More Than a Decade
LAKE TAHOE
Clarity levels at Lake Tahoe in 2014 showed the biggest improvements in more than a decade, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, who have studied the lake for the last half century. The improvements are in part due to continuous work from the Lake Tahoe community to lower pollutants to the lake. They were also influenced by the drought, as reduced precipitation meant fewer contaminants flowed into Lake Tahoe, particularly during the summer, when clarity levels were the highest recorded since 2002.
Data released by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency reported the average annual clarity level for 2014 at 77.8 feet. This represents a 7.5-foot increase over the previous year and is almost 14 feet greater than the value of 64.1 feet in 1997, when the lowest average clarity value was recorded.
Winter clarity last year improved by 1 foot, continuing the long-term pattern of improvement since 1997. The winter average of 78.7 feet was well above the worst winter average, 66.6 feet, seen in 1997.
The largest improvement was seen in summer clarity, where there was a 13-foot improvement over the preceding year. At 78.7 feet this is the highest value since 2002.
While the average annual clarity in the past decade has been better than in preceding decades, it is still short of the clarity restoration target of 97.4 feet set by federal and state regulators.
More information about environmental factors affecting Lake Tahoe will be included in the 2015 State of the Lake Report, expected this summer.
Truckee Roundhouse Seeking Input on Community Makerspace
TRUCKEE
Truckee Roundhouse, a new nonprofit organization, is seeking community input for a Truckee makerspace. The group intends to open for business this summer. Makerspaces are a growing movement across the nation merging do-it-yourself projects with community and collaboration, becoming hubs of creativity, innovation, and economic development with the learning, teaching, and practicing of a wide variety of crafts, technologies, and arts.
Truckee Roundhouse will soon be a vibrant community shop, housing quality tools of all mediums and incubating a diversity of creative and innovative projects made by local artisans, youth, hobbyists, tinkerers, entrepreneurs, and makers alike. Info: truckeeroundhouse.org/truckee-roundhouse-community-survey/
Lake Tahoe Boat Inspection Stations Open for Season
LAKE TAHOE
Roadside stations for inspections and decontaminations of motorized boats and watercraft are open for the 2015 boating season. Locations, hours of operation, and opening dates are as follows: Alpine Meadows, Spooner Summit, and Meyers stations will be open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. In lieu of the Northstar station, the Tahoe/Truckee station on Highway 267 off Airport Road will open May 21 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. The Homewood inspection station is closed this season. All motorized boats and watercraft require inspection for aquatic invasive species prior to launching into Lake Tahoe. Info: tahoeboatinspections.com, (888) 824-6267
Liberty Utilities Receives Approval for Electric Lines Upgrade Project
NORTH TAHOE
After more than four years of environmental review and analysis by federal, state, and local agencies, Liberty Utilities received approval from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on April 23 to upgrade a portion of its electric system serving the North Lake Tahoe region in order to provide reliable service to its customers. The TRPA Governing Board unanimously certified the project’s final environmental impact statement for construction phases 1 and 2, adopted proposed amendments to a plan area statement where an existing substation is located, and approved a permit to immediately begin construction on phase 1 of the project.
Liberty’s 625/650 Electric Lines Upgrade project seeks to rebuild two major transmission lines which primarily serve the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. The 625 and 650 power lines are some of the oldest electric lines in California, built in 1971 and 1959, respectively. Info: libertyutilities.com/west/community/reliability_625-650.html
Placer Releases Video Explaining Tahoe Budget
NORTH TAHOE
Wonder how your tax dollars are used in North Lake Tahoe? In the eastern end of Placer County, there are 88 different tax rate areas. The combination of property tax, transient occupancy tax from hotel stays, sales tax, and money paid for fees and services, grants, and other similar revenue sources brought in about $61.5 million last year. Placer County created this short video to explain the Tahoe budget in a way everyone can understand. Watch the video at youtube.com/watch?v=eOz-Us6PAPA.
