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With construction started in the U.S. 50 Cave Rock tunnel, travelers need to know restrictions now that both lanes of traffic go through the eastbound tunnel.

Because of the slope of the interior to the tunnel, no oversized vehicles or oversized loads are allowed (wider than 8'6" and taller than 14'6"). Most buses and RVs are smaller than these restricted sized, and have been able to travel through the tunnel safely according to Meg Ragonese, Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Public Information Officer.

NOTE: Most traffic-interfering work will be limited from 6 a.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Monday, May 30 for the Memorial Day weekend.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by summer 2017.

Around the world, invasive species are notorious for their ability to out-compete native plants and animals. Once introduced to an area, they can spread out of control and fundamentally change both landscapes and ecologies, and then pose incredible challenges to manage or eradicate.

While the official grand opening isn't until May 26, the doors have opened and office spaces are filling up at the new Tahoe Mountain Lab in South Lake Tahoe. What was once the Tahoe Daily Tribune offices on Lake Tahoe Blvd. is now home to 24 private offices, shared work spaces, tables and desks as well as the local paper's new office.

A joint effort between the City of South Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Community College will soon expand recreation offerings on the South Shore.

The Community Playfields Expansion Project will bring two new playfields to the area as work gets underway on the Community Playfields Expansion Project adjacent to the current soccer field at the college.

Sledders and snowboarders this season were not kind to the new Bijou Bike Park, breaking down banked trails, overturning tables and benches, and leaving the area full of trash.

At Thursday's South Lake Tahoe Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, City staff, commissions and bike enthusiasts discussed how to ensure the damage and some other issues at the park come to an end.

The following are incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue department responded to from April 25 to May 12, 2016.

4/25 - 5 calls: 3 EMS, 1 building fire, 1 interfacility transfer

4/26 - 8 calls: 3 EMS, 2 interfacility transfer, 1 psych transfer, 1 vehicle accident with injuries, 1 canceled en route

4/27 - 11 calls: 6 EMS, 1 police matter, 1 person in distress, 1 canceled en route, 1 false alarm, 1 CO detector malfunction

4/28 - 5 calls: 3 EMS, 2 interfacility transfer

4/29 - 11 calls: 5 EMS, 2 psych transfer, 3 canceled en route, 1 smoke detector activation

The City of South Lake Tahoe sent out emails to local businesses this week, advising them it is time for their required annual life and safety inspections of all existing commercial buildings which, among others, are used to sell merchandise, public assembly, hotels and motels.

Travis Taylor, the City's Fire Inspector, has begun the drop-in inspections which can take place Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

A 3.43 acre piece of land once owned by Randy Lane's Falcon Capital LLC may soon have a 22-unit condominium project built on it. The property (made up from two parcels) is underneath the gondola, adjacent to the Van Sickle Bi-State Park near the state line in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The listed owner of the property is now Lucky Look LLC.

Both lanes of traffic through the Cave Rock Tunnel are now being moved to the mountain side lane as the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) begins their $6 million enhancement of the tunnels, retaining of falling rock and lane improvements.

The Tahoe Bike Challenge runs from June 1 to June 14 in South Lake Tahoe. This is a time the community celebrates getting out of their cars and using a bike to get to work, play and school.

Thousands of miles were logged during the last Tahoe Bike Challenge by school kids, city and county workers, employees at local agencies and your neighbors as they ran errands, got to work, and enjoyed free time.

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.

Over one hundred community members will gather on May 14 as the League to Save Lake Tahoe organizes the year’s largest single-day, hands-on citizens science effort to capture a snapshot of the water quality health of South Shore streams feeding into Lake Tahoe.

“By participating in the 16th annual Snapshot Day, volunteers are building on years of data gathered in these streams to provide valuable data information we can use to help protect Lake Tahoe,” said Jesse Patterson, deputy director for the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

Six meadows in the southern portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin will be restored using a combination of tree removal, prescribed fire, stream channel repair, planting vegetation and rerouting trails starting in Spring 2017.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) made the announcement today of what is being called the Restoration of Fire Adapted Ecosystems Project.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work has resumed on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to just north of Granlibakken Road in Tahoe City that is upgrading storm water drainage and treatment systems, adding curb and gutter, resurfacing and realigning the road, adding new left-turn pockets and widening shoulders on an 8-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected by spring 2017.

Work on a new driveway and parking lot at Zephyr Cove Stables begins the week of May 1, 2016 when the first stage of the Zephyr Cove Stables Upgrade Project begins. Crews will be upgrading existing facilities, trails and utilities to meet current building code and accessibility standards and install Best Management Practices (BMPs) to improve water quality.

This is a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), Zephyr Cove Resort and Douglas County.

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

The South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition is collaborating with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office on the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 30, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in front of Lira's Supermarket in Meyers. Over the last two events on the South Shore, 100 pounds of unwanted prescription medication turned in to authorities.

The Meyers area will soon see a new erosion control project and water quality improvement projects in the neighborhood bordered by the Upper Truckee River on the west and Lake Tahoe Golf Course on the northwest, US Highway 501 State Route 89 on the south, and by Pioneer Trail on a small portion on the east.

The County will administer rights-of-way to install the improvements to the existing storm water conveyance system which is comprised of channels, basins, culverts, inlets, and infiltration system.

The opening dates for recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin have been announced, with the first ones set to e ready April 30, 2016.

Kiva Picnic area, Baldwin and Nevada beaches, Big Meadow trailhead, the McKinney Rubicon Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) area and Sawmill Pond, Eagle Falls, Chimney Beach and Secret Harbor parking areas will open April 30, 2016.

The Tallac Historic Site opens April 30, 2016, and will be staffed beginning Saturday, May 21, 2016 for Memorial Day weekend.

The Sandpit OHV area opens May 10, 2016.

Warmer water led to a loss in clarity of Lake Tahoe in 2015, according to data released Tuesday by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The average annual clarity (measurements from both summer and winter) is at 73.1 feet, a 4.8 foot decease from the previous year.

This isn't all bad news though, the clarity is still over nine feet greater than the lowest recorded average of 64.1 feet in 1997.

Researchers lower a 10-inch wide disk called a Secchi into the lake, and researchers measure the depth of its visibility.

Work on the second phase of the new campground and vehicle circulation plan at Camp Richardson Resort will continue beginning Monday, May 2, 2016 and last for approximately three months. Officially named the Camp Richardson Resort Campground and Vehicle Circulation Best Management Practices (BMPs) Retrofit, the result will allow the resort to meet current standards for water quality protection and increase universal accessibility to the area's activities.

The 2016 construction season in the Tahoe Basin will get under way next week with work resuming on a multi-year State Highway 89 project, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today.

The $70.1 million water-quality improvement project is building new drainage facilities to collect and treat stormwater runoff, adding curbs and gutters, widening the highway and repaving an eight-mile section of Highway 89 between Tahoma and Tahoe City. Work this season will focus on the remaining four miles of the project between Eagle Rock and Granlibakken Road.

The South Lake Tahoe Outrigger Canoe Club is kicking off their 2016 season with a New Paddlers Meet and Greet on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. in the Aspen Room of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center.

The club is using this introductory meeting to expand their adult and junior programs, as well as their recreational crew. No experience is necessary and everyone age 8 and over is welcome.

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