Bonanza Park at South Lake Tahoe celebrates grand opening

UPDATE MONDAY: Saturday's grand opening of Bonanza Park brought community members of all ages to hear the dedication from Chuck Scharer, President and CEO of Edgewood Companies and South Lake Tahoe Mayor Claire Fortier.
Youth immediately began playing on the park equipment and the basketball court was ready to host its first game while hot dogs and hamburgers were grilled for the crowd of families and dignitaries to enjoy.
Bonanza Park, which broke ground in April, is the result of a public-private partnership which benefits the South Lake Tahoe Community. It is located at 1209 Bonanza Avenue off of D Street in South Lake Tahoe.

Bonanza Park includes a children’s play area, grass play area, picnic pods, basketball court, and a horseshoe toss. It also features an environmentally friendly design including solar lighting, recycling containers, low flow irrigation and a native demonstration landscape planting material.
Pat Baginski of Tahoe Outdoor Living constructed the park.
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Tahoe City Council authorized the transfer of Edgewood Companies’ development rights (TAUs owned by Edgewood) from the outdated motel site to create a LEED designed, world-class Lodge with substantial water quality improvements and community economic benefits at Edgewood Tahoe Golf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 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.

Here is a news release from Edgwood Companies made available on Monday:

NEW BONANZA PARK OPENS WITH GRAND OPENING RIBBON CUTTING!

Neighborhood Families Joined City Council Members and Edgewood Team Saturday to Officially Open Bonanza Park, an Environmental Redevelopment Partnership between Edgewood Companies and the City of South Lake Tahoe.

(South Lake Tahoe, CA) – 1209 Bonanza Street has officially been transformed from a blighted and unsafe motel to a new neighborhood park with lots of green grass and many play area amenities. The local South Lake Tahoe neighborhood celebrated with a ribbon cutting, free barbecue and kids activities on Saturday, July 14. “It’s clear our community is asking to have more neighborhood parks and to see all these kids and families enjoying Bonanza Park today is a true pleasure,” stated City of South Lake Tahoe Mayor, Claire Fortier who spoke at the grand opening event.

The event was full of energy with more than 60 people in attendance and officials welcoming the residents with a barbecue and face painting for kids, hosted by Edgewood Companies. Chuck Scharer, President and CEO of Edgewood Companies, stated “The park is a great example of how public private partnerships work to help Tahoe transition out of the status quo into a healthier community." Scharer noted the numerous partners involved in the effort and thanked the community.

The partners involved with making the park happen include: The Bonanza Street Neighbors, City of South Lake Tahoe Council Members, City of South Lake Tahoe Staff, TRPA, Tahoe Outdoor Living, The Garden Shop, ESA Engineering, RO Anderson, Design Workshop, Cornerstone Monuments, Carson Valley Signs, Buell Recreation, Woodburn & Wedge, Clean Tahoe Program, Dinner Table Project, Wise Consulting, Michael Rohrer Construction, Tahoe Choice Real Estate, Tahoe Paving Stones, Gary Jones Paving, Mark S. Cutright, JE Construction, Winters Electric, GS Concepts, El Dorado County, Charrette Participants, St. Theresa’s Students.

The City Council convened a Special Meeting just prior to the Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting of Bonanza Park. While convened in special session, the City Council unanimously and enthusiastically approved the Dedication Agreement to receive the conveyance of Bonanza Park from Edgewood Companies. "Bonanza Park is a great deal for the City,” said Tom Davis, City Council member. “I’d stand in line any time for a deal that involved performing maintenance in exchange for a free Park like this," he continued.

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% of materials in a sustainable deconstruction effort to get ready for creating Bonanza Park.

“Here’s a tangible example of how private and public partnerships such as this can do more for our community. First the removal of blight followed by a sustainable deconstruction effort and now we have a brighter more useful gathering place where kids can play in the Bonanza neighborhood,” Fortier continued.

More than 100 neighbors and community members contributed to the Bonanza Park concept and Edgewood Companies has delivered the neighborhood a playground for kids to play and a spot for families to gather and locals to meet. Bonanza Park includes 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.

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.”