LTCC not sure it wants SnowGlobe to return
By Kathryn Reed
Lake Tahoe Community College is so frustrated with how long it took SnowGlobe vendors to clean up their mess that a future contract is in jeopardy.
“For me, the board and staff we take pride in the fact that is our front door. We had to drive in by it every day,” LTCC President Jeff DeFranco told Lake Tahoe News. “We would give tours to perspective students and have to explain what that was all about. We can’t have that again.”
DeFranco was referring to the mangled chain link fencing, portable structures and other debris left for months after the three-day music festival had long ended. The crap left on college and city property made the area look like a junkyard.
The contract said everything was supposed to be removed by Jan. 3. The reality is things remained on site into April. It took the city sending a threatening letter for the promoter to finally do something. (The city’s contract say things must be removed as soon as possible, weather contingent.)
While South Lake Tahoe has a multi-year contract with promoter Chad Donnelly, which ends this year, the college has always been on a year-to-year contract. LTCC’s facilities are instrumental to a successful event. The parking lot is huge. The physical education building and food services are other key components.
Damaged chain link fences remained for months after SnowGlobe. Photo/LTN
The college board of trustees this week heard a presentation about how the 2016 event went. Normally the annual recap comes in February, but that was impossible with evidence of the event still visible.
While DeFranco said it was too early to know exactly what language might be in a future contract – if there is a contract – he said wording to ensure everything is removed before winter quarter starts would be a biggie.
“Our facility was ready to go, but access and parking wasn’t because of SnowGlobe remnants,” DeFranco said. “Another big issue is any blight from SnowGlobe and how it reflects on the campus and community.”
Much of the discussion on April 25 centered on the lack of demobilization. January snowstorms prevented the timely removal of the perimeter fencing and other items. Apparently, though, there was no contingency for this. It’s not like snow in Tahoe in winter should surprise anyone, especially in January.
Donnelly is expected to be at a future LTCC board meeting to plead his case. This could be as soon as May.
While DeFranco said the college wants to be a community partner and help with tourist related events that drive the local economy, he said those pursuits will always be secondary to the college’s main mission of being an institution of higher learning.
Ultimately it will be up to the five elected to decide if LTCC enters a contract of any kind with SnowGlobe. Things they are considering include:
· A larger damage deposit;
· Enhanced video surveillance;
· Limiting how the parking lot is used;
· Having the community play consortium have a contract for the use of the field;
· Establishing a wristband entrance fee for the consortium to offset the cost of maintaining the field. (The college and city are members of the consortium.)
It’s called a DEPOSIT people. SnoGlobe doesn’t get any $MONIE$ until all is and and done. Then the promoters and organizers get paid.
Pay ‘local’ companies to do all the work and make sure the ‘local’ companies are not owned or operated by any city employees or their relatives.
As someone who takes classes at the college – having to drive by all the residual damages, trailers, downed fences, etc. until April, was unacceptable. The pride & money invested by taxpayers and LTCC staff to make this campus so wonderful, returned a major blight to look at for the last 4 months., Not just potential students were impacted, current students, staff & the community were as well.
Finally, someone beginning to come to their senses! LTCC has to remember that serving their community doesn’t necessarily mean serving the politicians. In fact, it doesn’t mean that all.
The city needs to find a more suitable site if they want to continue Snow Globe. The disruption to the neighborhoods and unsightly mess along Al Tahoe reflects negatively on LTCC.
Changing the location could help but do we really need this event over Christmas and New Years? Maybe the airport at a different time. It’s time to end this event at this location.
I don’t here the lodging industry saying they don’t need the event.
There was no ‘group’ from the ‘lodging’ community cleaning TRASH from the LTCC grounds after the event either!
Clearly ‘they’ were not concerned with the appearance of the property. One wonders what their motels and VHR’s looked like after these people left.
Its interesting, as an avid festival goer, I saw very little about trash pick up, and being green friendly anywhere. Many festivals that I go to have way more signs than I can count pointing people to trash receptacles, recycling areas, and composting bins. Like an over abundance of these things. And then there are teams, LARGE TEAMS, of 15-30 people who go around and clean all the crap up. And many times, these groups are just mere volunteers working a bit to get their ticket. If Snow Globe were to continue, a large trash cleaning crew is dire. Cleaning up after 10,000+ people a day is a chore that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
A festival that doesn’t respect the earth underneath it and the community it resides in should not exist. I do believe there is an exceptional amount of room to grow, but only when the right steps are taken, like the taking care of the extremely basic principle of “cleaning up after yourself”
Just hire Skibum to clean up the mess and endeavor to stop doing such a horrible job of planning this event. It has all the feel of a mountain Frye Festival.
There is no justification for this sort of administrative failure, IMHO.
I wish I had the ability to “like” Brian Hirdman’s comment.
And, Carl, if the lodging association wants the event, they can support it financially and ensure that the mess gets cleaned up. Don’t you agree that they should be motivated to keep our City clean? Shouldn’t they want events that add to the City’s draw and image? Though the debate is still open regarding the success of SnowGlobe as regards the City’s economics, there is no doubt that the mess is unacceptable to both visitors and residents.