development

In 2009 the City of South Lake Tahoe was awarded its first lead hazard control grant for $1.5 million dollars that was federally funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Lead Safe Tahoe program was established so that the City could assist members of our community in reducing their exposure to hazards from lead-based paint. In 2011 the City was awarded a second lead hazard control grant in the amount of $2.0 million dollars.

The partnership between California and Nevada that created the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency turns 45 years old today, marking nearly a half-century of progress in the protection and restoration of Lake Tahoe and its treasured environment.

President Richard Nixon signed the Bi-State Compact creating TRPA on Thursday, December 18, 1969. Nixon’s signature followed the compact’s ratification by Congress and its approval by both states’ legislatures and former governors Ronald Reagan in California and Paul Laxalt in Nevada.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe was granted $35,000 by the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation to support its land-use planning program. The foundation also added $200,000 to their endowment with the League.

During last week's Loop Road open house, residents and businesspeople gave their input on what they felt the US Highway 50/South Shore Community Revitalization project should offer.

Results show that 82% of the people participating believe the most important goal is to beautify the corridor and create gathering spaces for locals and visitors.

Another 67% of the respondents believe there should be efforts to reduce traffic congestion and improve mobility options, 60% said the project should revitalize the area and boost economic development.

During Tuesday's City Council the most recent group of graduates from the South Lake Tahoe Citizen's Academy received their certificates from Mayor Hal Cole.

The Academy gives locals a chance to increase their knowledge about their government and become more involved in the future development of the community.

Held twice a year, the participants attend sessions once a week for six weeks, covering topics such as parks & recreation, fire and police, and others.

Fall 2014 Citizens Academy Graduates at the meeting Tuesday are pictured from left to right:

Many people have trouble managing their own money and balancing their checkbook, but Douglas County is giving all residents a chance the manage the county's money.

This unique opportunity gives locals $500 to spend on the county's six areas identified on their Strategic Plan. They'll distribute the funds on Safe Community, Economic Vitality, Well Maintained Infrastructure, Financial Stability, Preservation of Natural Environment, Resources and Cultural Heritage and Managed Growth and Development.

Always one of the "go to" events of the holidays, the Tahoe Regional Youth Professionals (TRYP) have announced the date of their 3rd Annual Winter White Party.

The party this year returns to the Riva Grill on November 22.

We have started a new weekly feature on South Tahoe Now: Five Questions, Meet Your Neighbor. Get to know your neighbors, the every day people you see at the store, on a walk or at the library.

1. Why did you choose South Lake Tahoe as your home?

My husband, Steve, had been coming to Tahoe since he was two. Once we had a family, we began spending our summer vacations here too. After he retired, we knew we could live anywhere and South Lake Tahoe met all our criteria. AND we knew our sons would visit if we lived some place really cool.

Environmental groups concerned that the 2004 Sierra Nevada Framework Forest Plan failed to protect old growth forests and associated wildlife species, was not consistent with national environmental laws so they filed suit.

A coalition of conservation organizations led by Sierra Forest Legacy and including the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society have signed a settlement agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, ending the decade long battle.

Most of us moved to Meyers because it's a rural community, away from the City & tourist congestion. I am pro-growth, most locals are, as long as it's appropriately sized growth for our community. The proposed Meyer's Plan however, opens the door to a Mega Resort, with incentives for large development and in my mind, lacks long range planning.

I started going to planning meetings last summer, just to listen, but it wasn't until December that I got really concerned. Here's a timeline of events, from my perspective:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is expected to allocated $2.3M to communities in the form of grants that fit the categories of community facilities, planning and capacity building, economic development, micro enterprise programs, and low/moderate income development.

People are now able to apply for the Community Development Block Grant program in Douglas County. The public is invited to provide ideas, comments and potential projects.

A collegiate Division 1 hockey player and pro prospect was named the new General Manager and Coaching Director for Tahoe Sports and Entertainment, Inc (TSE), the operators of the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.

Michael Findorff joins TSE after working for Vail Resorts, most recently as Assistant Manager in Products, Sales and Service. Prior to that Findorff spent two years pursuing a professional hockey career with the New York Islanders and Phoenix Coyotes organizations.

Honorable Dylan Sullivan was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to fill retiring Judge Daniel B. Proud's seat on the El Dorado County Superior Court. She won the June primary to become the Judge for Office 5, so this announcement moved up her start date by four months.

Judge Sullivan has been specifically assigned to department 7 by Presiding Judge Suzanne N. Kingsbury, due to her training and experience, to assist the Court in effectively implementing criminal justice realignment in El Dorado County. She was sworn in by Kingsbury on September 19.

Earlier this year the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) purchased three properties in order to provide open space, improve water quality and remove blight.

The first of these properties, the Alta Mira Building, was demolished this week.

"We hope these acquisitions will be just the first wave of our renewed
efforts to partner with the City in helping to revitalize South Lake Tahoe," Tom Davis said in May when the Conservancy Board voted to purchase the building for $2.5 million. He sits on both the Conservancy Board and South Lake Tahoe City Council.

TahoeChamber has endorsed seven candidates for the upcoming election that best portray the values and abilities necessary to serve the South Shore business community. As directed by the TahoeChamber Board of Directors, the TahoeChamber Candidate Endorsement Committee (TC-CEC) used the pillars of the Chamber’s adopted Tahoe Future A South Shore Community Vision 2020 as the foundational criteria for evaluating candidates. The pillars include Economic Vitality, Quality of Life, Sustainability, Infrastructure and Intellectual Capital.

Lake Tahoe Community College has been chosen by the California Community Colleges’ Online Education Initiative (OEI) as one of eight colleges that will participate in the OEI’s full pilot launch, slated to take place from Fall 2014 through Spring 2016. LTCC was selected based on a number of criteria, including its accreditation standing, its well-established online degree programs, and its well-established professional development program to assist faculty with online education-oriented services and course design.

Douglas County can now say they have a County Manager, a position that hasn't been filled since the former manager left earlier this year.

Jim Nichols has accepted the position of Douglas County Manager at a pay rate of $172,000. He is expected to begin September 29, 2014.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit purchased Incline Lake on the north shore in 2011, and after it was deemed unsafe to development downstream it was drained.

Now they are planning on restoring the wetlands in the area and removing the dam.

Guidelines for the operation of Bingo games in South Lake Tahoe are to be voted on during the City Council meeting on September 2. In an effort to clean up the city's code, City Attorney Tom Watson has been evaluating and updating all rules in the books, and the Bingo rules are part of this change.

Mark McLaughlin, award-winning, nationally published author, professional speaker, and photographer returns to the SLT Library with the compelling presentation: The History of Lake Tahoe and the Comstock.

The 1859 discovery of silver in western Nevada and the development of the Comstock brought entrepreneurs of all types to the region. It also brought disastrous consequences for the Tahoe basin and its environment. But one timber baron was a visionary who saw beyond the denuded lake-side slopes to dream of a paradise for tourists and nature lovers.

Location

Not only has the Tahoe Prosperity Center has been working on issues to create healthier communities around the lake, they have also been welcoming new members to their Board of Directors.

New to the board are locals John McLaughlin, Chief Financial Officer of Edgewood Companies and Ken Riley, Senior Vice President, Kiewit Infrastructure Group, Inc. They join 24 other community members on the board whose goal is to also promote regional sustainability through economic vitality and by being environmental stewards.

One year after California and Nevada resolved a long-standing feud over development around Lake Tahoe, John Laird, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, arrived at a summit near the water’s edge Tuesday and said “peace is at hand.”

On June 17, 2014, the City Council held a workshop regarding the City’s five-year financial forecast and the overall economic forecast for the local community. While the forecast has improved, we need to attract substantial capital investment over the next ten years to grow the economy, meet the community’s needs and fund projects protecting the natural environment.

The City of South Lake Tahoe made several strategic moves in 2010, allowing them to survive the financial crisis which caused so many problems in 2010. As the Five Year Financial Forecast is presented during Tuesday's City Council Meeting, it will be evident that it is time again to make more strategic moves to stay in the black and be sustainable. One such move should be a focus on growing the local economy.