Big future on horizon for playfields in South Lake Tahoe

The lack of fields for soccer, baseball, football, softball and other sports has long been a point of contention in South Lake Tahoe.

Recognizing the value of recreation in South Lake Tahoe, along with the need for trails, fields and parks, Measure S passed by voters in 2000. It brought in $6,500,000 to be used to maintain new bike trails, acquire, construct, and equip athletic fields, upgrade of Paradise Park facilities and construction of an ice rink. The measure promised three new fields in South Lake Tahoe, they got one.

Measure R followed 11 years later to ensure $500,000 of Measure S funds would be used solely on bicycle paths.

With soccer a growing sport at Lake Tahoe Community College, and because LTCC, the Lake Tahoe Unified School District and the City of Lake Tahoe all need fields for games, tournaments and practice, conversations started between the three to figure out how to work together to make things fair for all on the available, and soon to be built, fields.

Lake Tahoe Community College has benefited from the Community Field build on part of their property, but with a rapidly growing soccer program, their need has grown along with everyone one else's.

A consortium of LTCC, City of SLT and LTUSD is being formed. It was on the City Council's agenda on Tuesday and will be on agendas for the other two next Tuesday. All are expected to take the same steps to make it a reality.

There will be a "one-stop" shop created out of the consortium which will create ease in booking fields for everything from practice to large scale tournaments. Prior to this, organizers had to involved several different offices just to get an answer if a field was available.

Also coming out of the agreement is a new college/high school regulation sized baseball field and two all-purpose grass fields that can be used for soccer and other sports.

The City's Fields Committee is made up of Councilmembers JoAnn Conner and Wendy David. The two have been working with officials from LTCC and LTUSD to create a Joint Powers Authority Agreement which the council approved this week after a few adjustments were made.

LTCC is spending $1.5 million to improved the existing community soccer field that is partially on their property. They plan to add new stands and a sound system.

LTUSD will be providing maintenance, scheduling, budget and accounting oversight of the four fields that will be part of the Community Play Consortium. The City will put in $100,000 annually into the program which is expected to bring in big tournaments. Come Up For Air (CUFA) is a proven example of how tournaments can bring in income to the community. For every player in a tournament there are 3-4 others that come along that shop, eat and stay in town.

The school district's contribution to the group will be the donation of a "floating acre" that the Johnson Family gave to LTUSD in 1972 for the building of a new district office. Since one acre isn't now big enough, and the lot has been sitting vacant since then, it will now be used for the new baseball field. Board members will be voting on this matter Tuesday, October 27.

The four new fields will be built near LTCC. Phase One will be a City project on City land south of the current Community Field. One grass field 330 ft x 195 ft that will be installed between the current field's parking lot and Al Tahoe Blvd.

Phase Two fields will be built partially on City land with the rest on college land. Another grass field 330 ft x 195 ft will be built right next to the current field. Between that field and Al Tahoe Blvd will be the new baseball field. The outfield can also be used as the fourth playfield of the project.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council is bringing back the issue of the JPA agreement on November 3 for final approval.