By Kathryn Reed

Neighborhood parks. They are a priority of South Lake Tahoe’s Parks Department.

Called pocket parks – they are usually between two-thirds and 2 acres in size. The amenities ideally cater to the people living in the area who would use it. A half-court basketball facility, dog park, picnic tables, grass, pad for skateboarding, bicycle racks or a combination of those and other things could be included.

Talk of developing these facilities was an agenda item at a parks commission meeting this summer.

Gary Moore, parks director, said his department has been discussing with Safeway Corp. about the L shape piece of property it owns on Ski Run Boulevard as a possible park.

“I said we want you to give it to us. We’ll call it Safeway Park,” Moore said at the meeting.

His department calls the Y area of South Lake Tahoe “park deprived” except for Tahoe Valley Elementary School. Part of the Tahoe Valley Community Plan could include a park. Another possibility is using the parcel owned by the California Tahoe Conservancy near the overflow parking lot for the old City Council chambers as a park.

Sierra Tract is another area being talked about to have a pocket park. Commissioners talked about acquiring some of houses that have been foreclosed and turning the property into a park.

Another consideration is to have a park tie into the stalled Meyers to Stateline bike path. This would have the South Shore resemble the American River Bike Trail that has one park after another along it.

Other areas of town have also been identified as needing a pocket park.

Parks and rec realizes the way to make the pocket parks come to fruition is public-private partnerships – something it is working on.