4 BlueGo stops to have shelters erected

By Kathryn Reed

INCLINE VILLAGE — Shelters for bus riders, or the lack of them, has been a legitimate complaint for years. Gradually, there will be less to complain about.

Federal stimulus money is paying for four shelters in Nevada – three in the basin, one in valley – all served by BlueGo.

The Tahoe Transportation District board this month approved a basic shelter like what is used at some South Lake Tahoe locations. (Ron McIntyre abstained.) It is enclosed, has a roof, benches and is completely see through. A gap at the bottom lets air through, which makes is not become a sauna on hot days. The openness provides a modicum of safety.

The bench on the other side of the sign will be a covered bus shelter soon.

Douglas County does not have a typical or standard shelter that is already approved, thus the reason the board needed to pick a design. Several options were presented to the board. The design Mammoth has chosen costs close to $100,000. That was quickly nixed.

The South Tahoe version costs about $8,000 each.

Staff suggested what was approved be used for the more urban areas and possibly have a more alpine look for outlying areas. As more money for shelters comes in the board will tackle the design issue then.

TTD board member and Douglas County Commissioner Nancy McDermid wanted her board to give input on which shelter to pick, but the TTD board went ahead with its vote.

It was suggested that in more rural areas where bears are a problem bear boxes should be installed at the shelters like what the North Shore did.

The shelters will be put in front of Horizon and Harveys, on Kingsbury Grade at Market Street, and at the bottom of Kingsbury Grade at Foothill Road. These are sites the Nevada Department of Transportation identified as priorities.

There was talk about shelters South Lake Tahoe has but is not using. No one at the TTD meeting knew who owned them. South Tahoe City Councilman Bruce Grego is on the TTD board and was at the meeting.

An email by Lake Tahoe News to Assistant City Manager Rick Angelocci produced an answer. He said the eight shelters are not assembled. One was bought by ABHOW for the Kelly Ridge project and the rest by the now bankrupt South Tahoe Area Transit Authority when John Andoh was transit administrator.

“Mr. Andoh was in the process of obtaining the required TRPA permits and assistance to install them when he parted ways with STATA. TTD staff has now committed to complete the process of obtaining permits through TRPA and getting the shelters installed at the highest priority sites,” Angelocci wrote.

But that can’t really be happening since TTD doesn’t even know who owns the shelters.

Angelocci went on to say, “Based on the infrastructure [or lack thereof] each of the shelter sites will need a platform of pavers or concrete to secure the shelters to. In most cases this will require additional land coverage. The shelter locations must also be coordinated with the Caltrans Highway 50 project so there are no conflicts. Site design has to also comply with ADA access.”