Edgewood Companies, City of South Lake Tahoe to break ground on Bonanza Park

A local South Lake Tahoe neighborhood will soon have something to cheer about because on Monday, April 30 from 5:30pm to 6 pm Edgewood Companies will join City officials, families, neighbors and community members at a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony. The groundbreaking will mark the start of construction on Bonanza Park, located at 1209 Bonanza Street.

With construction equipment ready to go at the Bonanza neighborhood site of the former C&M Lodge,
City Mayor Claire Fortier stated that, “with private and public partnerships such as this, we can do more for our community. First the removal of blight followed by a sustainable deconstruction effort and later this summer, we’ll have a brighter more useful gathering place for the Bonanza neighborhood.”

In June 2011, the South Lake Tahoe City Council authorized the transfer of Edgewood Companies’ development rights (TAUs owned by Edgewood) from the outdated motel site to create a LEED designed, world-class Lodge with substantial water quality improvements and community economic benefits at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. As a condition of the TAU transfer, Edgewood agreed to construct and donate the proposed neighborhood park to the City. Last summer, Edgewood Companies oversaw the removal of the blighted C&M Lodge site recycling more the 50 percent of materials in a sustainable deconstruction effort to get ready for creating Bonanza Park.

“We are pleased to be partnering with the City toward the goal of removing unproductive blight that negatively impacts the environment and the attractiveness of the community,” stated Brandon Hill, project manager with Edgewood Companies. “Last fall, we gathered ideas from over 100 neighbors and community members and what they wanted was a playground for kids to play and a spot for families to gather and neighbors to meet.”

Bonanza Park Timetable
According to Hill, construction of Bonanza Park is planned to be completed within the late June to early July timeframe. There will be a grand opening dedication event that will occur after completion.

Edgewood Companies has hired South Lake Tahoe local contractor, Pat Baginski of Tahoe Outdoor Living, to construct the Park. “We’re very enthusiastic about getting started with Pat and his crew at Tahoe Outdoor Living,” said Hill.

Park Elements
Bonanza Park will include a children’s play area, grass play area, picnic pods, basketball court, and a horseshoe toss. It will also feature an environmentally friendly design including solar lighting, recycling containers, low flow irrigation and a native demonstration landscape planting material.

“The new park will certainly improve our neighborhood and we are thankful to Edgewood and the City for listening to our ideas,” stated Ellen Nunes, a 19-year resident of the Bonanza neighborhood and director of Clean Tahoe.

About Edgewood Tahoe Lodge:
Currently the Edgewood Tahoe Lodge project is undergoing a 60-day public EIS review process. For more information and to comment on the public EIS, visit: www.trpa.org. The vision of the Edgewood Tahoe Lodge is to create a unique world-class destination that delivers significant economic and water quality benefits to Lake Tahoe. The Lodge will attract new visitors to Lake Tahoe who stay longer and drive less. The state-of-the-art, LEED designed Lodge project will include unprecedented water quality improvements for the Edgewood Creek watershed. Go here for more information.

About Edgewood Companies:
Edgewood Companies is proud to have been part of the Carson Valley and South Lake Tahoe communities for over 140 years and will continue to act upon the company mantra, “To be stewards of the land, guardians of the Lake, and solid corporate citizens in the communities in which we operate.”