Letter: Meyers catalyst project must be shelved
To the community,
Having read the 71-page catalyst project paper, I am appalled and disheartened. If we could take a poll of Meyers residents, I bet the outcome would be this: we like our community the way it is. We moved here to live in the county, not the city. We don’t care if big crowds of tourists stop here.
The catalyst project amounts to “taxation without representation” because ultimately it will be the residents or “stakeholders” that will pay the enormous debt on these bonds. If the debt is not serviced, will the project end up as a time share? This does not benefit the residents in any way whatsoever.
After the wildly unsuccessful debacle at Stateline, that is, an attempt to build a convention center where none was needed, many parallels exist here. Without a real airport, a convention center was not viable. There are few nonstop flights to Reno and then the traveler faces a 90-minute bus ride to South Lake Tahoe. From Southern California, it’s far easier to travel elsewhere to ski or recreate. That leaves a narrower market of Northern California, primarily Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area. Snow country does not attract routine conventions that have to be canceled at the last minute due to weather, so winter months further decrease usability. These are but a few of the myriad reasons for the failure at Stateline.
Likewise, the proposed training center for world class athletes — is this really feasible? Professional athletes will seek treatment from elite physicians and facilities that already exist. World-class doctors will be at big city hospitals or university settings; I can guarantee they will not reside in Meyers and maintain a thriving business. Other training centers exist such as Salt Lake City where the 2002 Olympics were held and others like it are well established. Therefore the need for ancillary businesses such as restaurants is a pipe dream because they would be underutilized. This center is not for residents — it’s for outsiders. We don’t want a mega resort or mega anything. The right of eminent domain is to be used for public highway or structure, not an enterprise. We don’t want big businesses; we would like to support small businesses that are here. Give equal signage and road access, be fair with the little guy as much as a popular gas station.
The dictate to “park and go” arises from an ecological ideal, but undermines the very freedom of citizens. Also in question is how well these required electric vehicles with low ground clearance and 2-wheel drive can negotiate a snowstorm and who will be liable for accidents. Charging private residents a fee to use their own vehicles amounts to extortion. Meyers does not want to be the parking garage for the basin. Another idea to build a “bridge to nowhere” over highway 50 would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars is simply a waste. The grandiose ideas outlined in the catalyst project are unreasonable and extremely expensive, and wrong. It’s wrong to take away people’s homes, churn up a community by a handful of people and spend millions and millions of dollars that will not suit our community. This is big money at its worst. To trust the same people who were involved at Stateline to do another project is foolhardy.
Elizabeth Swope, Meyers
Elizabeth – you should run for Supervisor — take Santiago’s job. Thank you for your thoughtful letter pointing out the problems of pie-in-the-sky thinking. However, I do think SLT could develop a training center for world-class athletes (all sports) but it would require lots of brains… brainstorming, and folks who challenge the thinking and processes before moving forward. Because Tahoe has all seasons, we could think about training for bicycle-riding/racing and running (spring, summer & fall); all competitive snow sports (winter). The trainings could be lined to the Lake Tahoe Community College, which would bolster that great educational center and make the trainings university-professional level in scope. The big challenge in SLT and county areas is getting folks who are open to and INVITE challenged thinking so that we can see problems in advance. We don’t ever want to end up with a TaHOLE again, and the Council members and staff (including our legal staff) should be accountable for that mess. We need a City Attorney who knows REAL ESTATE LAW, PLANNING LAW, and the process to get everything required IN ORDER before letting the naive City Council approve such a debacle – or understands his/her limitations and engages PROFESSIONAL help!
Great article and comment! The rainbow and unicorn powered monorail to stateline would work as well as the gondola from Genoa.
Just wasted money on worthless consultants.
Well said Betsy and thanks!
Maybe people who yearn for the perceived stability of pre mid 80s SLT are trying to reinvent the atmosphere in Meyers. Might be easier to move to north/west shore. But then again, North Shore doesn’t have Heavenly or Kirkwood, can’t win for anything.
Irish Wahini, TeaTotal and Ryan Payne,
Irish your battin’ a 1000 this morning . All good comments and spot on. Yes, we need to get rid of paid parking and yes we need to raise the minumum wage here in SLT. To get by on $8 or $10 an hour in this town is practically impossible unless your working 2 or 3 jobs. Business owners would fight a wage increase tooth and nail but ,with enough support from the community, it could happen as it’s long overdue.
TeaTotal I agree we need to get rid of paid parking and the city council needs to see the writing on the wall. Either they vote it out or fear a very angry populace who will start looking into other unpopular misdeeds that for the most part have fallen off the radar. The hole, taxes frittered away on consultants, projects proposed but never implemented, wasting money on bad ideas and on and on. To be sure we need a HUGE turn out at the Feb.18 city council meeting. Strength in numbers!!!
Ryan Payne, yes we do need an outdoor events center here in SLT. The stateline gigs are fine but I’d like to see something within the city boundries. On course Events is doing a fine job with the Thursday night series but much more could be added and using other locations as well with a wider variety of music,( secret code language for music for old farts).
Just a few thoughts, OLS
Excellent letter, Betsy. Thanks.
The question begs… who paid for this 71-page catalyst project paper? A government agency? More tax dollars scattered to the wind?
This story explains the funding and a lot more: https://www.laketahoenews.net/2014/01/crystal-bay-company-wants-reinvent-south-shore-people-say-fast/
LTN staff
Our biggest concern should be Tweetieville. Mow it down and plant a wonderful wilderness area. First thing you see when coming to South Shore is nature. We need to show the feeling of the woods not the city. The city feeling is only 4 miles away.
Excellent letter! You called it: “we like our community the way it is. We moved here to live in the county, not the city.”
Exactly.
The Meyers Area Plan would, as currently written, allow this project, and the community couldn’t do much about it. But, the Area Plan is still in draft form, and we can change it to keep Meyers Meyers. Don’t let the agencies push the plan forward with their usual ‘assurances’ it will be dealt with at the project level. Anyone see TRPA or anyone else say no to any big projects lately?
“The right of eminent domain is to be used for public highway or structure, not an enterprise.”
Yeah, tell that to the businesses who were pushed out to create the goldola and Heavenly Village.
I live in Meyers and I like it just the way it is. We do not need condos, training facilities or any other of the ‘big city’ ideas. Those of us who live in Meyers chose it because it has a nice country feel to it. Don’t change that!
And I agree with County Gal that the old Tveten property is an eyesore and should be cleaned up (at least the old restaurant building is gone).
back in 07 I asked Lisa O’daily why the CTC does not to buy Tweeten’s she told me that they did not want it, because it is a Toxic wasteland and they wanted the Grocery Outlet bldg. instead
it’s all part of the Marvelous Makeover
I think Meyers should have more large statues
After all the potholes are gone and the streets repaved, let’s talk about redevelopment. Good letter, Betsy.
why so this town can continue to suck
I certainly agree with the basic premise in the opinion letter above. Meyers is not without some blight and eyesores, but they have solutions that do not involve new hazy concepts like training centers for athletes that are clearly not a sure success
One thing that makes me extremely irritated is the catalyst paper came out of nowhere, if my intelligence is correct, with no involvement or even notice to the Meyers council/Roundtable group or other interested parties.
This shows a self serving intent on behalf of the County, and a few other agencies who, in my opinion, have a larger tax base as their primary goal. Meyers is a bit of an open spot just begging for high dollar development to generate tax dollars for various governments to spend stupidly.
We do need a local revolt to indicate we are not going to roll over in Meyers.
GREAT LETTER… AMEN SISTER!!!!!
I agree with Observer, but short of a ‘revolt”, the folks in Meyer’s need to come together on what changes, if any will be made to our “town”. Most everyone here is living here because they don’t want to live in the “city”. However, there are some improvements that need to made to some of the neglected buildings (eyesores) and open spaces. A traffic light at Apache is a bad idea. Yes, it’s hard to get across and dangerous at times, but why not a rotary? They slow traffic down a bit, not as costly as a light and can be landscaped with some sort of “Meyer’s” monument, and yet still allow traffic to flow? Is that dumb?
First .. I think it’s going to be hard for Meyers to ” revolt”.. We can’t even get enough support to justify a bus out to us so we can take advantage of public transportation.
Second.. How many people that actually live in MEYERS pay attention to the way things are changing around them? If we had shown better involvement in what happens in our community ( including south lake) maybe we could have stopped some of the ridiculous decisions that have been made( I know we can’t vote on city council.. But we certainly could do our best to influence them)
Third… What influence on these ” changes” do ” non- year around” home owners have on thes things?
I’m sorry .. I feel the same way about a lot of things written here .. Especially the tweeten building and the ” leave us alone idea” but Meyers hasn’t shown much to me that we really want to be involved… Otherwise I think we would have a bus to Meyers an not to garbage… I mean Gardnerville!
Don’t get me wrong… I even call Meyers .. My elementary school.. I’ve been a resident here since 5th grade… I just don’t see the ” community involvement” or the support fom the representatives that we can vote for that needs to be there to stop big buiseness from getting its claws into us.
Well said Betsy! You go girl!
Yeah! Right on Liz! And let’s tear down the gondola and all that new stuff at Stateline and put back the old slums that where there for years too. Little Norway leads the way as the first and last thing people see of our part of Lake Tahoe; what a sight? That old closed down gas station is a nice touch. Oh, and that junk yard across the street from the airport is very charming. Sure thing Liz, you can help Meyers look like the crank capital of Tahoe! Yipee!