By Kathryn Reed

SnowGlobe’s future in South Lake Tahoe is murky.

Lake Tahoe Community College’s board of trustees on May 9 heard a recap about the 2016 music festival. Promoter Chad Donnelly asked to be able to talk to the board and give a presentation, so he did.

The board is most concerned about protecting the new grass fields. Last year the ground was just dirt. Wear and tear on the college campus, a timely demobilization (unlike this year) and a larger deposit to protect the college are what the electeds mostly talked about.

Donnelly said he’s willing to purchase turf insurance for the fields.

However, Donnelly didn’t have adequate enough answers for all the questions, so the electeds are hoping in the next month he provides more robust solutions.

This last event, in addition to annoying locals with the booming bass, irritated a whole new crop of people because the remnants remained into April, making that stretch of Al Tahoe Boulevard and the roads into the college looking ghetto-like.

“The common thread for the board was the desire and need to protect the college and the asset that was entrusted to us,” LTCC President Jeff DeFranco told Lake Tahoe News. “There is a much deeper look being taken at SnowGlobe now.”         

No action was taken at Tuesday’s meeting. The topic is expected to be on a June agenda, at which time the board will be asked if the three-day music festival should be given another contract. The college has had a year-to-year contract for the last six years. The city of South Lake Tahoe has a three-year contract that expires this year.

“Our goal is to develop a meaningful and lasting partnership that is mutually beneficial to both parties,” Donnelly’s presentation said. “With that in mind, SnowGlobe respectfully requests a multi-year partnership agreement that is aligned with the multi-year contract we are seeking from the city.”

City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News there is no time line for the city to entertain any such contract with Donnelly.

Donnelly was so bold in his written material provided to the board to call SnowGlobe the “largest New Year’s Eve event in North America.” Apparently he hasn’t heard of Time Square, which has about 1 million revelers compared to his 10,000.

Three members of the public spoke at the LTCC meeting – Steven Denzler, Peggy Bourland and Tami Wallace – all in opposition of the festival.