public utility district

The South Tahoe Public Utility District is organizing a Board Candidate Forum for Wednesday, October 19, at 6 p.m. in the District Board Room.

The Forum is open to the public and is an opportunity for the community to attend and hear statements from each of the four candidates running for a seat in November: Kirk David, Nick Exline, Kelly Sheehan, and Randy Vogelgesang.

Each candidate will be allowed to give an opening statement, answer questions posed by the audience and then provide a closing statement. The Forum is anticipated to last approximately 1½ hours.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As part of ongoing efforts to evaluate and use numerous tools to fight aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association recently announced its plans to apply for a permit for a small-scale demonstration of aquatic herbicides in 2018.

South Tahoe Now is offering a new feature this election season, Ask the Candidates. Send your questions of Douglas County (Lake Tahoe side) and South Lake Tahoe candidates candidates, and South Tahoe Now will ask, and get their answers.

Please send your questions to: southtahoenow.com/contact.

The local candidates are:

South Lake Tahoe City Council
Jason Collin, JoAnn Conner, Patrick Jarrett, Brooke Laine, Ted Long, Danny Laughlin, Harold "Trey" Walker III, John Shearer, Robert Topel, Tamara Wallace

In operation in South Lake Tahoe since 1964, Tahoe Asphalt Inc. will replace their aging equipment this fall, some as old 63-years-old.

The batch plant, the only one of its kind in the Lake Tahoe Basin, was recently granted approval for their renovations by the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission after a series of public meetings. Located on Industrial Avenue, it predates most buildings west of the "Y", but a few neighbors were concerned about the plant and what it does to the environment.

Ski Run Blvd and Pioneer Trail will be transformed into a large water party pn August 27 when a 1000-ft water slide lets participants slipe and slide their way down the streets in South Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Regional Young Professional group is bringing "Slide the City" to town not only as a fundraiser, but as a fun and local event that will also feature live music, vendors and food through three-city blocks. In order for TRYP to get the funds, those ordering tickets must use the promo code "TRYPSLIDE."

The City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Lake Tahoe Community College and South Tahoe Public Utility District have all released advertisements, press releases and emails to the public, looking for candidates for their open seats this election season.

There will be two open seats for City Council, three seats for LTUSD School Board of Trustees, two for LTCC Board of Trustees, and two for the STPUD Board of Directors. All will be voted on during the next election, November 8, 2016.

For two weeks every year, Lake Tahoe area commuters, students and recreational riders get on their bikes instead of in the cars to get to where they need to go. This year's event started on June 1 and goes until June 14 so there are just a few days to make your bike rides count.

In addition to all the other reasons to participate (including that it is fun & free), the data collected goes to help show the need for bicycle paths and other infrastructure when we apply for grants and other funding.

The Board of Directors from the South Tahoe Public Utility District are having a special evening meeting to present their proposed 2016-17 budget, and ten-year financial and capital improvement plan to the public.

The budget meeting will be held on Thursday, May 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the STPUD board room located at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) is currently in the process of preparing the 2016/2017 budget. We invite the community to participate in a Public Meeting and Presentation on the Proposed Budget and Capital Improvement Plan at the District Offices on May 12, 2016, at 6 pm.

In 2014, the District sent a five-year Proposition 218 notice to all customers; this permitted the District to increase water rates up to a maximum of 6.5% and sewer rates up to a maximum of 6.0%.

Water

Over the past eight building seasons, a bi-state collaborative effort of the South Tahoe Public Utility District, U.S. Forest Service and the other area water agencies has enhanced the Lake Tahoe Basin's water infrastructure to better fight wildfires.

The Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees, the City of South Lake Tahoe and the California Tahoe Conservancy will soon be voting to swap land they own around the college so the South Lake Tahoe Greenway Shared-Use Bike Trail can be built between Bijou Community Park and Sierra Tract neighborhood.

The California Transportation Commission announced this week that it will award nearly $9 million in Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant funding to help complete three major bike and pedestrian projects in the City of South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City.

Members of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway Partnership applied for the grants. The partnership formed several years ago to secure funding for critical trail segments to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety and complete the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, a comprehensive multi-use trail network for the Lake Tahoe Region.

Tetrachloroethen, better known as PCE, has been found in two municipal wells and three private domestic in the western portion of South Lake Tahoe according to the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Do you want to overcome your fear of public speaking? Do you want to grow your professional skills? Then join Tahoe Toastmasters, South Lake Tahoe's local Toastmaster club.

We meet every 2nd, 4th, and 5th Monday at 6:30 PM at the South Lake Tahoe Public Utility District Boardroom at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive. Guests are welcome FREE of charge. Contact Frank at ozatlake@gmail.com for additional information.

Toastmasters provides a supportive and positive experience for you to develop communication and leadership skills. Join us! To find a club near you visit www.toastmasters.org

Location

Several South Lake Tahoe projects were awarded this week by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) as being the "Best in the Basin" for demonstrating exceptional planning, design, and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.

The projects that were recognized upgraded highways, built new bike trails, improved water quality, restored environmentally-sensitive areas, remodeled blighted commercial buildings, and created defensible space for better wildfire protection.

The Best in the Basin award winners are:

After an extensive search and interview process, the participants for the next Leadership Lake Tahoe program have been announced. Leadership Lake Tahoe is a 10-month program that covers key aspects of the South Shore community so participants have a better understanding of their home and may further develop their leadership skills.

Jenay Aiksnoras, Lake Tahoe Yoga & Zephyr Cove Elementary School
Amber Aneloski, The Getaway Café
Veronica Arriaga, Harrah's & Harveys
Morgan Beryl, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Brian Bigley, Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Alison Bourquin, Design Workshop

When Governor Jerry Brown told the residents of the state to cut back their water usage, he had the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) tell each region how much to cut back. That benchmark in South Lake Tahoe was 20%.

For the past three months, residents have cut much more than that. In May, water use at South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) was down 34%, followed by 24% in June and 27% in July. This is on top of the 27% reduction in water use that the district's customer have accomplished since 2007.

Get inspired to transform your home’s landscape into a mountain oasis at the 8th Annual Conservation Landscape Tour on Wednesday, August 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This year’s theme is discovering the many approaches to Tahoe Friendly Landscaping.

The public is invited to the 16th annual Children's Environmental Science Day presented by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center on Sunday, August 2 at Commons Beach in Tahoe City. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will continue until 3:30 p.m., with a free Mumbo Gumbo concert at 4:00 p.m.

During times of drought, homeowners turn to water conservation not only in their daily habits but in their gardens as well.

There is even a word for this: xeriscape. The definition of xeriscape is landscaping and gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation.

The Tahoe Resource Conservation District is hold a free workshop on xeriscping on Wednesday, June 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the South Tahoe Public Utility District.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board on Wednesday unanimously approved the Tahoe Transportation District’s State Route 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project to realign State Route 89 through Tahoe City.

The project realigns State Route 89 to route through traffic over roundabouts and a new two-lane bridge across the Truckee River to reduce transportation conflicts among drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians at the congested pinch point at the Tahoe City “Wye.”

Every year for two weeks, hundreds of Lake Tahoe residents and visitors park their cars and ride their bikes to work, school, and for fun. Participants in the Tahoe Bike Challenge, which runs from June 1 to June 14, track their miles and join the friendly competition for fun prizes and bragging rights.

The proposed South Tahoe Public Utility District budget for 2015-16 will be reviewed during a special public budget meeting on May 7, 2015 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Board of Directors will also be reviewing the ten-year financial and capital improvement plan for the district.

There will be no action taken during the board at this meeting. The proposed budget will be voted on by the Board of Directors at a regular Board Meeting being held on May 21 at 2 p.m. in the District Board Room.

Most people elected to special district boards receive no compensation to oversee the agencies that provide services such as water or local park maintenance.

But some district directors receive annual salaries approaching $20,000 and health benefits for a position that has few requirements besides preparing for and attending meetings.

Of the nearly 1,000 special district board members in the capital region, about 70 percent received no compensation, The Sacramento Bee found in an analysis of 2013 salary data recently released by the California State Controller's Office.