Trees growing into navigable airspace at airport, bid accepted for removal

Trees on the 46.52 acre Lake Tahoe Airport property will soon be removed as required (and overdue) by the California Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. It has been 11 years since trees have been removed on the property and there is increasing threat into the navigable airspace at north end of runway from trees. The aircraft that frequent the airport would be unable to takeoff with the increased growth.

For the past five years, the department has issued letters of correction to remove multiple tree obstructions on the runway.

In June, the City advertised for the need of licensed timber operators to submit a bid on the project. Eight companies attended a pre-bid meeting but only one of them submitted a bid, Mountain F. Enterprises, Inc. The initial estimated cost for the project was $100k-$200k, but the bid came in at $331,000.

The Council could have gone out for more bids but those chose to accept the one based on a several factors.

Airport Manager Mark Gibbs called two of the seven companies who didn't submit a bid after that initial meeting as he wanted to know why they chose not to participate. They both told Gibbs that they are more choosey about projects as the economy is good and they have many projects ahead of them. There are large increases in demand in California, much of it due to a CALFIRE prevention grant program that has allotted $195M for thinning projects next year, up from their current $14.75M budget.

They told Gibbs that going out for bid on forestry projects will be challenging in the future, so if the City went out for another bid in January 2019 they may end up with none.

Caltrans is offering financing for the project at low interest rates should the City so desire. Gibbs said the money for the project could come from undesignated reserves.

20 mature trees will be removed, the rest 10-feet tall or smaller. They will have the trees chipped to spread over the area which prevents new growth. Besides the City project, Lake Valley Fire Protection District will be working on two projects on the east and west ends of the airport property this fall. They received over $200k in grants to do those forest thinning projects.

The vote to accept the bid was 4-0, with Mayor Wendy David absent.