THIS IS AN ARCHIVE OF LAKE TAHOE NEWS, WHICH WAS OPERATIONAL FROM 2009-2018. IT IS FREELY AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH. THE WEBSITE IS NO LONGER UPDATED WITH NEW ARTICLES.
To be or not to be that is the question.
Goes for the city also.
According to reliable sources the population of the city is now about 18,000, down from the 23,000 proclaimed on road signs. Psst. Lets keep this a secret.
Robert Fleischer says - Posted: July 4, 2012
I would like to see a busy and vibrant airport, with scheduled daily airline service. Quiet jet and propjet airplanes are readily available from the airlines. One daily flight to begin with, with interconnecting service, of course. There are many problems to overcome before this can…or will…happen. The Tahoe area has changed a fair amount since I moved here nearly 40 years ago, but modern air service is needed from HERE. It is high time that the City begin to get a DIRECT financial income from the Airport.
X LOCAL says - Posted: July 4, 2012
It would be nice to see the Airport at least pay for itself, for to many years the City has lost millions of dollars. Give it away or get off the pot and make it work.
Eh – how about an airport… When I was a much younger man I remember jumping on a PSA flight out of San Jose to the airport in Tahoe, it was so nice and allowed for quick and affordable visits to this beautiful land we are luck to call home. Yes flights come with some noise, so what, we will all survive.
Steve says - Posted: July 4, 2012
Turn it into an amusement park with roller coaster, ferris wheel, bumper cars, mad tea cup ride, and house of mirrors.
Some could say that’s what it already is.
Rhinopoker says - Posted: July 4, 2012
The airport can be a gateway for low cost air travel to and from Taboe. Just like everything else around here too many people with too many ideas and nothing gets done. When I was a kid we had friends fly in on PSA or Air-Cal from all over. Why could this not happen now with Southwest or alliegence. Come on South Lake get your act together and get something that will bring revenue done!!!!!
We need to create more demand, before we up the supply of travel options…. commercial service is unnecessary at this point. We simply do not have a big enough market at this point. On the other hand, if we redevelop ‘The Hole in the Ground’ in to a multi-use, outdoor event venue, then we can create the demand necessary to warrant this faster, costlier travel option.
Steven says - Posted: July 4, 2012
A Park !
Jerome Evans says - Posted: July 4, 2012
An environmental research and education center for the Sierra.
30yrlocal says - Posted: July 4, 2012
An Airport. We could also add a California Welcome center there as so many of our visitors pass by and could get their vacation information at the beginning of their visit. The lobby could be welcoming and full of information.
Jackal says - Posted: July 4, 2012
Make it a parking lot, from which a free, reliable and regular bus system would service those who use it (presumably, the vast majority visitors). If folks choose not to use it (i.e. prefer to have their own car during their stay), they would be charged $20/day plus steep parking fees at their destinations around the basin. These fees would help keep the costs of parking low, and would pay for the whole system.
k9woods says - Posted: July 4, 2012
An airport with commercial service for both visitors and locals to also help offset some of the costs. Better cost sharing between the city and Douglas County reflective of the benefit they derive from the airport. This also guarantees a locale for emergency base operations in case of another major fire or other disaster.
KnowBears says - Posted: July 4, 2012
A small airport that can accommodate small commercial craft, but which is much narrower and less visible from the top of Meyers Grade. It should pay for itself.
It could be useful as a travel hub, where visitors could park long-term and then use public transit, shuttles, cabs and/or bikes to move about in the basin, instead of lining narrow highways with SUVs and their jay-walking owners. Less traffic, less pollution, revenue from parking fees….
Tahoe Sailor says - Posted: July 5, 2012
We need an airport. It is great we are building areas for tourists to enjoy, but they will become ghost towns if the visitors can’t get here.
I moved here as a kid and remember when Hughes Airwest, and Holiday, flew into here followed by Air Cal and PSA and a few others,( American Eagle, Aspen, Allegiant, Tahoe Air).
Shuttles from the airport for the guests to the casino core would help alleviate traffic miles.
Wake up, while we need to balance the environment, we have only 1 industry in town, tourism. Look at our city, our schools, our roads, our vacant stores, all supported by visitor dollars. How about our employment rate? again, dependent on the tourist dollar. There are very few businesses in town that aren’t effected by a visitor spending money.
We need the airport, we need the visitors. Open the sucker back up and let the city move back into other buildings they own that are standing empty
West Shore Local says - Posted: July 5, 2012
Small airport services, like South Lake Tahoe’s, have been economically suffering for sometime now. With the price of fuel and flight tickets so costly today, the larger airlines (i.e. Southwest, American,United Air lines,and Alaska) can access more locations and at better fares (yes, all costs associated with flying have risen). In addition, the cost to drive from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe is significantly cheaper then flying. In summary the City’s airport is a thing of the past and the tax funds would be better spent on something more productive.
I would suggest removing the airport facilities and restoring the land and creating a Community Park with a welcome/visitor center. The future of South Lake Tahoe and the entire Lake Tahoe Basin should be focused on enhancing our outdoor recreational activities.
I believe that can be our recipe for success :)
TahoeKaren says - Posted: July 5, 2012
How about a drag strip and/or raceway? OK, just kidding (kinda).
Bike/skate park with camping and outdoor music venue. Airport is a money suck that only services the rich.
David says - Posted: July 5, 2012
Love the idea of a park with picnic area etc., the bike path to town complete and some kind of trolley or shuttle service.
Karen, that’s just wrong.
John says - Posted: July 5, 2012
I dont get it. A lot of the comments make it sound like there is an airline willing to come here. I think the entire point is that with deregulation the FAA cant force an airline to service a place like Tahoe and no airline can come here profitably without a mandate to service the area. It has nothing to do with environmental regulation and everything to do with there being close international airports that can provide air service within 1 hour of Tahoe at a fraction of the cost of providing service into Tahoe. Think about it, Reno is closer to Tahoe than Salt Lake is to Alta / Snowbird and much much closer than Denver to the Summit County resorts. Why in the world would an airline come here?
tahoedad says - Posted: July 5, 2012
I love Julie and Brian’s ideas — outdoor summer concert venue with camping. Festivals are thriving and big money makers throughout the Sierra. I like West Shore Local’s idea too — a community park with a welcome/visitor center. Both ideas would entice many new visitors, which would bring in new tax revenues, which is the eternal unfulfilled promise of the Airport. The Airport, which is sold as bringing new people here to help our economy, in fact only accommodates elite private jet flyers, who could otherwise fly to Reno-Tahoe or Minden, all paid for by local taxpayers who get nothing in return but noise and pollution.
30 years in says - Posted: July 5, 2012
Rick Jenkins back would help.
Never Been a Public Employee says - Posted: July 7, 2012
The basin needs the airport, and it should be left there. General Aviation, helicopter ambulances, forest fire air services and other businesses all have effects which benefit us all. Some more than others as usual but we all benefit.
I believe that there are airport related businesses that could still be attracted to set up here, if the cost structure was not pushed over the top by rules, regulations, protests and costs etc. A wider selection of Flight training, aircraft and avionics repair, and yes, reasonable hanger rental oe commercial space rental would all attract dollars.
The failure of most recent commercial air service attempts was largely in using aircraft with many seats, and which rarely had a passenger load which covered the operating costs. Lack of backup aircraft was also often a problem.
There are, as many have pointed out, smaller turboprops with varying load and passenger capacities. Start small and see what the market will support, then add flights and larger aircraft if needed, don’t start with a 737 and expect to fill it.
I believe there is an existing carrier out there which would take that chance just to say they served Lake Tahoe if the rule book didn’t look like the Oxford English Dictionary BEFORE the FAA got involved.
Do I believe this is going to happen?
Based on “the hole” and the mounting evidence that the city can’t successfully manage a $200,000 contract for garbage containers, no, it probably will not happen in my lifetime.
Returned to it’s natural state,for the creatures that it was suppose to support.
That means no two legged idiots with chain saws,wheels,beer cans,Only Gods balanced cycle of the seasons that repair give birth with time.
All condos,time shares,developers will be eaten by a large Griz that’s been schooled to spot white bottom river trash with chinese money ,warped wild life agencies that can’t be bought off.
Biggerpicture says - Posted: July 7, 2012
Ah yes, Hang ups and his authentic frontier gibberish! Must be having visions.
Old Long Skiis says - Posted: July 7, 2012
Good comments as usual with one incoherent one, but I won’t name names.
TahoeKaren, the dragstrip / raceway idea is cool but in this town it would never fly. TRPA and all the other agencies would fight that tooth and nail. For years I’ve wanted to bring back the Hydroplane races on the lake but it looks like that will never happen.
I say keep the dang thing since we got it and maybe spruce it up a bit and try an attract a small airline. I’m talkin’ a 20 or 30 passenger plane.
The idea of a park is cool but actually you can fish the the Upper Truckee river(float a nightcrawler or cast a spinner) and have a great time as it is now.Ride your mountain bike to the snow dump at the end of Sierra blvd., take a right and there are lots of trails to ride…also good on x country skiis come winter. Heck the place is already a park as I see it!
Take care, Old Long Skiis
Old Long Skiis says - Posted: July 7, 2012
Hang Ups,
Your last comment directed to Biggerpicture was rude and uncalled for. “BAOT”? I’m going out on my “BOAT” tommorow morning with some friends. Hope to see you out there so maybe we can talk about things. I’ll bring my dictionary as well as a book on common courtesy.
Tahoe Wildlife Care surounds city hall, would be a nice match.
Joe says - Posted: July 9, 2012
Large Nuclear plant would be good.
fromform says - Posted: July 9, 2012
doesn’t need to be large. i advocate for this. little environmental impact, and all residents get energy stipend much as they do in alaska.
John says - Posted: July 9, 2012
Nueclear requires a bunch of water for cooling, which we have. The upside or downside depending on your point of view would be that the lake would be about the same temperature as a hot tub.
TeaTotal says - Posted: July 9, 2012
I’ll bet you could get the twin Gaines geniuses to promote Nukular Plant at the airport if you convinced them it was safe, that there was a plan for the waste, ,if it wasn’t going to be an instant terrorist target like all the rest of them, that there wouldn’t be any natural disaster event and that the end result energy production was worth all that. This could be accomplished easily with two strokes of the pen…. two Big campaign checks, done deal.
John says - Posted: July 9, 2012
I wonder what the market for state senators is today? I sure it is down from when folks were buying politicians to get uneeded development deals done.
Just no commercial service… Periodic elevated noise from celebrity golf can be dealt with but anything more is a nuisance to the surrounding community and wildlife.
Murak says - Posted: July 17, 2012
Remove and restore. Like one person already stated, the future of South Lake Tahoe and the entire Lake Tahoe Basin should be focused on enhancing our outdoor recreational activities.
nature bats last says - Posted: August 15, 2012
Get rid of the airport and its $400,000 costs per year then restore the Upper Truckee meadow. A canoe/kayak river park would be great.
To be or not to be that is the question.
Goes for the city also.
According to reliable sources the population of the city is now about 18,000, down from the 23,000 proclaimed on road signs. Psst. Lets keep this a secret.
I would like to see a busy and vibrant airport, with scheduled daily airline service. Quiet jet and propjet airplanes are readily available from the airlines. One daily flight to begin with, with interconnecting service, of course. There are many problems to overcome before this can…or will…happen. The Tahoe area has changed a fair amount since I moved here nearly 40 years ago, but modern air service is needed from HERE. It is high time that the City begin to get a DIRECT financial income from the Airport.
It would be nice to see the Airport at least pay for itself, for to many years the City has lost millions of dollars. Give it away or get off the pot and make it work.
Eh – how about an airport… When I was a much younger man I remember jumping on a PSA flight out of San Jose to the airport in Tahoe, it was so nice and allowed for quick and affordable visits to this beautiful land we are luck to call home. Yes flights come with some noise, so what, we will all survive.
Turn it into an amusement park with roller coaster, ferris wheel, bumper cars, mad tea cup ride, and house of mirrors.
Some could say that’s what it already is.
The airport can be a gateway for low cost air travel to and from Taboe. Just like everything else around here too many people with too many ideas and nothing gets done. When I was a kid we had friends fly in on PSA or Air-Cal from all over. Why could this not happen now with Southwest or alliegence. Come on South Lake get your act together and get something that will bring revenue done!!!!!
We need to create more demand, before we up the supply of travel options…. commercial service is unnecessary at this point. We simply do not have a big enough market at this point. On the other hand, if we redevelop ‘The Hole in the Ground’ in to a multi-use, outdoor event venue, then we can create the demand necessary to warrant this faster, costlier travel option.
A Park !
An environmental research and education center for the Sierra.
An Airport. We could also add a California Welcome center there as so many of our visitors pass by and could get their vacation information at the beginning of their visit. The lobby could be welcoming and full of information.
Make it a parking lot, from which a free, reliable and regular bus system would service those who use it (presumably, the vast majority visitors). If folks choose not to use it (i.e. prefer to have their own car during their stay), they would be charged $20/day plus steep parking fees at their destinations around the basin. These fees would help keep the costs of parking low, and would pay for the whole system.
An airport with commercial service for both visitors and locals to also help offset some of the costs. Better cost sharing between the city and Douglas County reflective of the benefit they derive from the airport. This also guarantees a locale for emergency base operations in case of another major fire or other disaster.
A small airport that can accommodate small commercial craft, but which is much narrower and less visible from the top of Meyers Grade. It should pay for itself.
It could be useful as a travel hub, where visitors could park long-term and then use public transit, shuttles, cabs and/or bikes to move about in the basin, instead of lining narrow highways with SUVs and their jay-walking owners. Less traffic, less pollution, revenue from parking fees….
We need an airport. It is great we are building areas for tourists to enjoy, but they will become ghost towns if the visitors can’t get here.
I moved here as a kid and remember when Hughes Airwest, and Holiday, flew into here followed by Air Cal and PSA and a few others,( American Eagle, Aspen, Allegiant, Tahoe Air).
Shuttles from the airport for the guests to the casino core would help alleviate traffic miles.
Wake up, while we need to balance the environment, we have only 1 industry in town, tourism. Look at our city, our schools, our roads, our vacant stores, all supported by visitor dollars. How about our employment rate? again, dependent on the tourist dollar. There are very few businesses in town that aren’t effected by a visitor spending money.
We need the airport, we need the visitors. Open the sucker back up and let the city move back into other buildings they own that are standing empty
Small airport services, like South Lake Tahoe’s, have been economically suffering for sometime now. With the price of fuel and flight tickets so costly today, the larger airlines (i.e. Southwest, American,United Air lines,and Alaska) can access more locations and at better fares (yes, all costs associated with flying have risen). In addition, the cost to drive from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe is significantly cheaper then flying. In summary the City’s airport is a thing of the past and the tax funds would be better spent on something more productive.
I would suggest removing the airport facilities and restoring the land and creating a Community Park with a welcome/visitor center. The future of South Lake Tahoe and the entire Lake Tahoe Basin should be focused on enhancing our outdoor recreational activities.
I believe that can be our recipe for success :)
How about a drag strip and/or raceway? OK, just kidding (kinda).
Outdoor summer concert series/pump-bmx track/skate park/camping grounds/
Think Telluride!
Bike/skate park with camping and outdoor music venue. Airport is a money suck that only services the rich.
Love the idea of a park with picnic area etc., the bike path to town complete and some kind of trolley or shuttle service.
Karen, that’s just wrong.
I dont get it. A lot of the comments make it sound like there is an airline willing to come here. I think the entire point is that with deregulation the FAA cant force an airline to service a place like Tahoe and no airline can come here profitably without a mandate to service the area. It has nothing to do with environmental regulation and everything to do with there being close international airports that can provide air service within 1 hour of Tahoe at a fraction of the cost of providing service into Tahoe. Think about it, Reno is closer to Tahoe than Salt Lake is to Alta / Snowbird and much much closer than Denver to the Summit County resorts. Why in the world would an airline come here?
I love Julie and Brian’s ideas — outdoor summer concert venue with camping. Festivals are thriving and big money makers throughout the Sierra. I like West Shore Local’s idea too — a community park with a welcome/visitor center. Both ideas would entice many new visitors, which would bring in new tax revenues, which is the eternal unfulfilled promise of the Airport. The Airport, which is sold as bringing new people here to help our economy, in fact only accommodates elite private jet flyers, who could otherwise fly to Reno-Tahoe or Minden, all paid for by local taxpayers who get nothing in return but noise and pollution.
Rick Jenkins back would help.
The basin needs the airport, and it should be left there. General Aviation, helicopter ambulances, forest fire air services and other businesses all have effects which benefit us all. Some more than others as usual but we all benefit.
I believe that there are airport related businesses that could still be attracted to set up here, if the cost structure was not pushed over the top by rules, regulations, protests and costs etc. A wider selection of Flight training, aircraft and avionics repair, and yes, reasonable hanger rental oe commercial space rental would all attract dollars.
The failure of most recent commercial air service attempts was largely in using aircraft with many seats, and which rarely had a passenger load which covered the operating costs. Lack of backup aircraft was also often a problem.
There are, as many have pointed out, smaller turboprops with varying load and passenger capacities. Start small and see what the market will support, then add flights and larger aircraft if needed, don’t start with a 737 and expect to fill it.
I believe there is an existing carrier out there which would take that chance just to say they served Lake Tahoe if the rule book didn’t look like the Oxford English Dictionary BEFORE the FAA got involved.
Do I believe this is going to happen?
Based on “the hole” and the mounting evidence that the city can’t successfully manage a $200,000 contract for garbage containers, no, it probably will not happen in my lifetime.
Returned to it’s natural state,for the creatures that it was suppose to support.
That means no two legged idiots with chain saws,wheels,beer cans,Only Gods balanced cycle of the seasons that repair give birth with time.
All condos,time shares,developers will be eaten by a large Griz that’s been schooled to spot white bottom river trash with chinese money ,warped wild life agencies that can’t be bought off.
Ah yes, Hang ups and his authentic frontier gibberish! Must be having visions.
Good comments as usual with one incoherent one, but I won’t name names.
TahoeKaren, the dragstrip / raceway idea is cool but in this town it would never fly. TRPA and all the other agencies would fight that tooth and nail. For years I’ve wanted to bring back the Hydroplane races on the lake but it looks like that will never happen.
I say keep the dang thing since we got it and maybe spruce it up a bit and try an attract a small airline. I’m talkin’ a 20 or 30 passenger plane.
The idea of a park is cool but actually you can fish the the Upper Truckee river(float a nightcrawler or cast a spinner) and have a great time as it is now.Ride your mountain bike to the snow dump at the end of Sierra blvd., take a right and there are lots of trails to ride…also good on x country skiis come winter. Heck the place is already a park as I see it!
Take care, Old Long Skiis
Hang Ups,
Your last comment directed to Biggerpicture was rude and uncalled for. “BAOT”? I’m going out on my “BOAT” tommorow morning with some friends. Hope to see you out there so maybe we can talk about things. I’ll bring my dictionary as well as a book on common courtesy.
Take care, Old Long Skiis
Tahoe Wildlife Care surounds city hall, would be a nice match.
Large Nuclear plant would be good.
doesn’t need to be large. i advocate for this. little environmental impact, and all residents get energy stipend much as they do in alaska.
Nueclear requires a bunch of water for cooling, which we have. The upside or downside depending on your point of view would be that the lake would be about the same temperature as a hot tub.
I’ll bet you could get the twin Gaines geniuses to promote Nukular Plant at the airport if you convinced them it was safe, that there was a plan for the waste, ,if it wasn’t going to be an instant terrorist target like all the rest of them, that there wouldn’t be any natural disaster event and that the end result energy production was worth all that. This could be accomplished easily with two strokes of the pen…. two Big campaign checks, done deal.
I wonder what the market for state senators is today? I sure it is down from when folks were buying politicians to get uneeded development deals done.
lol
Just no commercial service… Periodic elevated noise from celebrity golf can be dealt with but anything more is a nuisance to the surrounding community and wildlife.
Remove and restore. Like one person already stated, the future of South Lake Tahoe and the entire Lake Tahoe Basin should be focused on enhancing our outdoor recreational activities.
Get rid of the airport and its $400,000 costs per year then restore the Upper Truckee meadow. A canoe/kayak river park would be great.
Sure would make a nice wetland/marsh area