Letter: Fire, safety, noise and trash concerns remain with SnowGlobe

Welcome to the ninth year summary of the SnowGlobe Music Festival. This is the first year the TRPA has done any monitoring and the event continues to violate TRPA’s pre-existing rules. We can add air pollution to the list of accomplishments for this event given the recent successful lawsuit by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH). Onsite inspections for building and fire continue to find violations (they have had violations every year) and the fireworks were moved to an open undeveloped area in the forest of Bijou Park this year. We are told the Playfields are in good shape but are left to wonder how this conclusion was made given there remains snow on the ground and it is too early to know how the grass will recover. Confetti and fireworks debris can still be found throughout Bijou Park and LTCC to this day despite contract requirements for its removal.

The CEH lawsuit will likely mean that the City and SnowGlobe will need to work out power arrangements going forward. Without electricity being provided the generators they are running will continue to violate California air quality regulations. The response the City provided when questioned about this lawsuit was that they were unaware of it and that it was largely a nuisance suit targeting large concerts. Whether that is the case or not, the actual air pollution is happening. Who pays for the power and the infrastructure required should be an interesting discussion.

The fireworks are also a huge question given the recent fires throughout California and the growing fire danger due to climate change. The fireworks were witnessed as being fired from the forest floor and at treetop height in the middle of town and have left toxic debris throughout Bijou Park and around the Playfields. This should concern everyone! Rather than focus on the known danger and pollution, we should look at the opportunity this presents. South Lake Tahoe could make a choice to lead by insisting that fireworks no longer be used and that other types of entertainment be used such as lasers or drones. This would solve the pollution and fire danger but would require leadership to be accomplished.

Members of the No Globe Alliance have been walking both Bijou Park and LTCC and have discovered a sea of trash that has been left behind. That this can be found after multiple seasons, recent snowfall and after years of cleanup is the most enlightening discovery. How is it that the confetti that was to be cleaned up within 24 hours can be found intact weeks after the event and after several storms? How is it that fireworks from prior years continues to be found around the Playfields after all these years? Plainly, the cleanup efforts have been less than successful. Plainly, SnowGlobe is not as environmentally responsible as they claim to be and are not likely meeting their contract obligations. The cost to clean all this up should be fully covered by SnowGlobe.

This is not to say that progress has not been made. The stage was changed yet again and sound engineers have been brought in and the sound is lower. Pioneer Village is reported to be almost livable now and meets the arbitrary noise limit of 95 decibels the City wrote for itself which is in-fact louder than what is allowed at our local airport. The Sierra Tract is another story as the full force of the sound is now directed at them. Consequently, complaints from those targeted increased this year. We are ten years into this event which has not once met the TRPA limits, El Dorado County limits and not a single noise violation has been cited. Despite much publicity about being environmentally friendly, SnowGlobe continues to invade our neighborhoods, pollute our environment and present a fire risk to the center of our town. We can congratulate them for improving the sound but the trash and fire hazard must be dealt with. Hopefully, a new site will be identified and the continuing problems dealt with.

Scott Ramirez
Resident, City of South Lake Tahoe