City breaks ground at future site of new community playfields

You may have noticed the bulldozer and tree removal activity adjacent to the Community Playfield on Al Tahoe Blvd this week.

Work has begun on the Community Playfields Expansion Project, one by the City of South Lake Tahoe to bring two new playfields to the area next to the current soccer field at Lake Tahoe Community College.

SLT City Council awarded a construction contract at their May 17, 2016 meeting in the amount of $338,409 to local company Burdick Excavation Co. Inc. to begin construction of the playfield expansion project. Local business, Ed Cook Tree Service, was subcontracted to remove the trees.

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. Now, the community is getting the other two through a joint effort between the City and LTCC. The increase in popularity of soccer at the college has resulted in their needing more play time on the one soccer field on their property, leaving the community to need the other fields.

This summer, crews will be clearing, grading, soil amendments, installing temporary BMPs as well as a sidewalk.

The final SnowGlobe concert on the current contract will be held December 29-31, 2016 on these newly graded fields before the grass goes in. LTCC will not allow SnowGlobe on their field which is currently getting a new playing surface.

The final irrigation and turf is scheduled for spring of 2017. According to Chuck Taylor, the project manager for the City of SLT, the fields should be prepped for play by late spring or summer 2017.