Placer County supes allocate funds for Tahoe-area issues

Placer County, behind Caltrans, is responsible for snow clearing operations on the second highest number of roads miles in the state.

This requires the county to regularly maintain and upgrade its snow removal equipment. At last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the electeds authorized the purchase of two self-propelled snowblowers. The $1.1 million for the two apparatuses is funded by the county’s Road Fund with no net county cost.

Also at the meeting, which was conducted at a snowy Sugar Bowl ski resort, the board agreed to a funding agreement for acquiring property in the Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort and replacement of county regulations for liquid petroleum gas used above 5,000-feet elevation.

The board approved a $300,000 contribution in Park Dedication Fees from the Serene Lakes Recreation Area fund to help purchase Royal Gorge. Working in partnership with the Truckee Donner Land Trust, the Trust for Public Lands and the Northern Sierra Partnership, the acquisition of the 2,891 acre-site will permanently protect the property’s natural resources and create opportunities for public recreation in an area that has been closed to the general public for 50 years. With the funds being taken from park dedication fees, there is no cost to the county.

The new petroleum regulations approved by the board arose from problems with substandard propane systems. These problems became readily apparent two winters ago when heavy snowfall caused dozens of propane systems to fail and leak. One home in the Donner Summit area was destroyed when leaking propane filled the home and then exploded. No one was injured in the incident.