Meyers multi-use trails won't be plowed this winter

MEYERS, Calif. - Due to a lack of viable bids from local snow removal contractors there will be no plowing of the multi-use trails on the lake side of El Dorado County this winter.

In July the Bicycle Advisory Committee of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities JPA awarded $22,000 to El Dorado County for bike trail plowing in the county for winter of 2019/20. When the project went out to bid they only received interest from Alpine Smith, according to Donaldo Palaroan, P.E., senior civil engineer for the County. Their $48,500 bid was more than double of what was budgeted.

Previously, Armstrong Tree Service performed snow removal operations from November 2018 to March 2019 in the amount of $22,500.

"We are all (County and JPA) searching for other sources of funding and other possible solutions, but in the meantime it does not look like there will be any plowing of the County bike trails this year," said El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel.

El Dorado County does not have the equipment nor the staff to perform the work and they did not add any funds to the JPA allotment, said Novasel and Paloroan.

The trails at Sawmill Pond and into Meyers are included with the group of trails not being plowed. They are popular with bikers, walkers and joggers year-round.

The City of South Lake Tahoe will still be maintaining their bike paths with a small plow purchased for that task.