Tahoe business and building continues on the west side

By Heather Gould
On the west side of town, two new buildings are under construction and one is for sale: a Raley's gas station at its shopping center at the "Y" and a new California Conservation Corps facility in Meyers, next to Lira's Supermarket, are currently being built, while Sierra Recovery Center is seeking to move out of its location on Emerald Bay Road.
The CCC's motto is "Hard Work, Low Pay, Miserable Conditions and More . . . " But things are about to get a little more comfortable for both corps members and staff.

The CCC is building a new facility to replace several facilities it used over the years with various problems — a kitchen the size of an small office, asbestos contamination, staff members squeezed four to an office, according to local center director Leedy Dunkle.
About 80 corps members are based at the Tahoe Center of the CCC. The new building will contain a commercial kitchen/multipurpose room at 6,600 square feet, an administrative and classroom building (corps members are required to attend classes after hours to further their education) at 14,240 square feet and renovation of the existing residential building behind the new building as new dorms at 23,868 square feet, according to a press release from the agency.
The $21,984,000 price tag includes purchase of the property, walkways, landscaping, filtering mechanisms, retaining walls and all the usual that goes into constructing a building — power, sewer, etc. The project is funded by the sale of California State Lease Revenue Bonds. The project broke ground in July, 2010. The expected completion date is September 2012.
Phase II of the project — a new garage and shop — is currently on hold and is estimated to cost $4,696,000.
The CCC employs men and women ages 18 to 25 to perform natural resource work — planting trees, trail restoration and construction and wild habitat improvement, among other tasks — and to respond to disasters such as floods, fires and earthquakes.
Moving on down the road, the old Sierra Recovery Center has put its building — an old motel — on the market for $799,500. But the agency is staying put in South Lake Tahoe.
"We have no plans to discontinue any of the programs we have," said Dorothy North, CEO of Vitality Unlimited, which acquired the agency a few years ago. The building, which was purchased prior to Vitality's takeover, has a lot of unusable space, she said. North speculated that the old Sierra Recovery was planning to use its funding from the state of California to remodel, renovate or rebuild, but "California is broke."
A new, possibly more functional and cheaper space "may contribute to being able to offer additional programs," said North. Currently, the non-profit offers a DUI program and outpatient and residential addiction services. Vitality also owns four other treatment centers throughout the state of Nevada.
And finally at the intersection of Emerald Bay Road and Lake Tahoe Blvd. (Highway 89 and Highway 50), Raley's will be opening a new Aisle 1 gas station, car wash and convenience store.
Raley's, mostly thought of as a grocery store, got into the gas business in 2004 to provide a wider range of services to its customers, according the spokeswoman Ashley Zepernick. Those shopping at the grocery store can receive rewards and deals on gasoline, said Zepernick, as well as being able to combine two trips into one. The station is expected to be completed in February.