Financial concerns stall walkway by convention center

By Kathryn Reed

Money was the overriding concern of South Lake Tahoe City Council members as they went back and forth with what to do about the unsafe walkway in front of the rebar and concrete known as the convention center.

What staff brought them last week were two ideas – one a covered walkway, one an uncovered – for the stretch of asphalt from Stateline Avenue to McP’s Pub. Uncovered would cost about $200,000, while a cover would be almost an additional $100,000.

What any walkway will mean to cyclists remains to be seen. Photo/Kathryn Reed

After much deliberation, the council unanimously agreed it wants staff to bring back more alternatives – ideally less costly ones. They also want to know what Caltrans has to say about the ideas because the right-of-way belongs to the state agency. They even said Caltrans should be dealing with this.

“This should have been done at the beginning with the building permit,” City Manager Tony O’Rourke told the council Feb. 8. “This should be the developer’s cost.”

But prior councils apparently didn’t think so, that’s why this council is left with the decision about how to make the strip of asphalt less of a liability to the city if someone were to be seriously injured or killed there.

The signs saying “don’t walk” are not effective. The cement barriers abutting the fence allow enough space for people to easily walk along the highway.

Councilwoman Claire Fortier repeatedly asked about placing concrete barriers in a manner so pedestrians had no room to walk. But her idea did not resonate with staff.

No matter what walkway is built, the mural along the fence is still going to be erected.  However, it was noted, depending on what walkway might go up, the mural could be obscured.