Letter: Meyers should focus on locals
To the community,
I was asked, “What did we want Meyers to look like?” After some thought, the things that matter to the people who live here are the things they care about like having a quiet, mountain neighborhood. The fact that people feel secure walking their dogs in the evening is a great part of living here. To know that you are safe in your neighborhood and that your neighbor will help you when you are in need are comforting; also, knowing your neighbors by name, everyone waving to each other as they pass by, and having spectacular views of the mountains and seeing stars above at night.
What else? A stoplight at the intersection of Apache and Highway 50 would be a great start. Why is it not even on the Capital Improvement Project list in our new draft Meyers Area Plan? Meyers residents like us have been asking for the signal light for more that 15 years. A traffic study was completed, funding was approved, and residents were even given a start date for the signal light. Now our request falls on deaf ears.
In one of the Meyers Planning meetings it was brought up again and had lots of residents support, but did not even make the top 25 on the list. Are they saying that giving away free Sierra juniper seedlings (Page 7-5 in Meyers Area Plan) is more important than the safety of our children trying to cross Highway 50 on a Friday afternoon to visit a friend or buy ice cream at Lira’s? To try to get across 50 now is like playing dodge and dash across to the other side. I have been told a stoplight costs about $150,000 and with about 3,000 people living in Meyers, it costs about $16 per person for three years. Is a child’s life worth that or do we have to have a body count high enough to meet the Caltrans requirements for a stoplight?
I am in support of a Meyers Community Hall, a building that would have multiple uses for the community, such as crab feeds, spaghetti dinners, or local fund-raising events. We need a place to have dances, community meetings and other social events. Yes, I would like to see a “Welcome to Meyers” sign and a facelift of the Highway 50 corridor.
I prefer locally owned businesses rather than corporations that really don’t have an interest in our local affairs. Why is it so hard for a local resident to build a small business here? Why does government make the process so convoluted?
On that note, have you looked at the new Meyers Area Plan yet? Don’t cross your eyes trying to figure out what Chapter 2 really says in the Meyers plan. Our government agencies should be looking at what the needs of the community are, not 45-foot-high buildings with high-density housing for tourists, multi-unit apartments, or a 477-space parking garage, or changing zoning boundary lines so that currently protected land could meet the condition for “incentive” projects. Why is the California Tahoe Conservancy able to sell taxpayer owned, conserved property for new land coverage projects? If that is your ideal vision, you probably live near state line.
With agencies such as the TRPA and entities like the MCAC talking about the MAP to the CTC with the new RPU, and trading ERUs or TAUs for CFA, and mixing CUP with just P’s only if you have footnotes (4) and (6) as a condition to build, and don’t forget the BMPs, you really get a feeling that something is not right in Meyers.
Joe Cardinale, Meyers
I have insomnia…. so I am a first responder! Joe – hang in there and keep sending the message. First – respond to TRPA’s message from their Director a day or so ago. Send that message! Put them on the spot. And, send it (same message) to Normal Santiago, who has seemingly not been very “present”. No matter – make it a matter of record, so whoever replaces her gets the message. Contact the State of California, Cal Trans, about getting your traffic light – (also, State Assemblyman and also State Senator). You will be surprised how much influence folks have by contacting their representatives who are RESPONSIBLE to voters. I have been doing this for many years.
FYI – Shortly after I purchased my home in SLT, I learned that the City & County wanted to put a huge development-park called Golden Bear, in back of our neighborhood (land dedicated as open space under the Santini-Burtpn Act.)…. Yikes – cars, parking everywhere, high density lighting and loud amplified sound systems. Well, we stopped it, and recommended the area where that park now is.
The Meyers Community seems to be strong…. engage and fight for your community! If I can help with input, I will.
Good words from Irish.
Fly-by-night’s come to the neighborhood, rape the land and flee the scene, leave something the locals did not want and now have to live with.
“Meyers” stand up and fight for what you want.
Good Job JOE !
There have been a lot of grubby little hands in the pie behind the scenes for the past few years designing what they can pillage from Meyers.
TRPA is a big part of this – silently negotiating Meyer’s future with these phony “sustainable groups” made up of consultants and developers.
The Conservancy quickly followed TRPA’s lead by jumping on board the commercial development train smelling enough money to sustain themselves as well.
We must take back our right to plan our own community !
Meyers and Tahoe Paradise Residents really need to come to the meeting on the 26th at the CCC building 6pm to say NO to all of this !
Having lived in Meyers for over 35 years and volunteered many hours working toward the improvement of our community, I find this entire process disheartening. I attempted to read the report but find the language of the report to be (possibly intentionally) unreadable. It is full of so many acronyms and jingoistic references that it is difficult to understand.
I have lived on Cochise Circle for ten years and have wondered for twenty what is with the MT old building that Joe Tweeten used for car sales and who knows what? It is one of the first eyesores everyone must see driving into Meyers and the South Shore. Now the next big building up the road that housed souvenirs of all sorts is now out of business. I would love to hear how these buildings will be transformed or mowed down.
I am appalled by the deception by John A and people handing out flyers in Meyers right now. The misinformation is disgusting. The Meyers Area Plan as drafted right now has been completely written by local residents and neighbors. The plan lists the top priority improving intersections and highway crossings for pedestrian safety because the people who wrote it live with that highway too. It’s great to see so many people energized and involved in this plan. The more the better, but there is too much false information and use of fear tactics going around. The Meyers Area Plan has been called the most inclusive and community-owned plan thus far. a couple dozen meetings that were all well-attended when the City and Douglas County’s meetings had maybe two or three people showing.
I am sorry, but y’all are being sold a load of hooey when they talk about skyscrapers and conspiracies.
Anyone that is against something tells the next person that the sky is falling and they tell the next person the sky is falling and it goes on and on and then the facts are so distorted and all it takes is one loud mouth who thinks the world revolves around them and we should all bow down to their way of thinking that they are the ONE that really matters and we should all go along with their distorted way of thinking and the downward spiral begins. Happens on this blog every day…
Trifle,
You can be appalled and disgusted all you want but the fact remains the new Meyers Plan and TRPA RPU weren’t written by all local residents.
The fact is the new Meyers Plan in combination with the TRPA RPU allows for height, density, and land use changes that condone the strong possibility of large scale commercial development and multi dwellings etc that doesn’t benefit local residents.
Let the people decide what they want for the community – not a bunch of “sustainable community groups” and agencies with their special interests in mind.
I don’t speak for the local residents – I just want them to have the say in what happens in their community.
I personally condone responsible Meyers commercial development projects that actually serve the community – not outside corporate developers and TRPA.
Again, I really can’t stress enough how important it is for Meyers/Tahoe Paradise residents to show at the meeting 6pm the 26th at the CCC building and voice their opinions.
Let local residents decide which “hooey” they want to believe……….
The Meyers Area Plan is tainted by self interests on the MCAC. You have a real estate agent with a vested interest in the Catalyst project moving forward. Joe’s 2 suggestions are exactly what Meyers needs, get across Hwy 50 safely and a community/ senior center
(I’m not getting any younger).
With the exception of North Star and Laub’s remodel of Bills have any of the last twenty proposed private projects been built??
One other suggestion I hope will be allowed to be posted here.
We all feel passionate about our opinions and discussion in these forums.
I have always posted using my real name – knowing that I literally “own” what I say here.
Call me self sacrificial or stupid, that’s the way I have always done things.
Most all news agencies require your real name and verification for posting public opinion/editorials.
My suggestion is the moderator of these forums require people to use their real names so that they too “own” what they say here.
The people who submit editorials are required to use their real name – why shouldn’t we ?
I believe using our real names would stop most of the useless bantering between the same forum dwellers and encourage people to think about what they post and “own”.
Everyone wants a secluded home in the woods.
But that kind of set up causes damage to the Lake. You have to drive a car to get to work and run errands, it causes more erosion and damage to the natural environment
Keeping things compact lets people walk and bike to do more things.
A stoplight at Apache?
I agree it would add to pedestrian safety, but
there needs to be a better way. (Tunnel, overhead pedestrian/bike bridge?) Without a bypass road, a new stoplight would create even more gridlock through Meyers on the high traffic days when general tourists and skiers etc come.
Just look at the Pioneer trail backup on the high traffic days. Another traffic light only a few hundred yards away will add to the time and frustration of getting through town, and possibly net additional vehicle accidents at the light.
A good example is the backup that happens when Caltrans monitors for chain compliance. There is a noticeable slowdown, which is likely much smaller than the impact of yet another multi minute delay for a new stoplight.
John A, at one time I too thought that it was chicken of people to post comments and not use therir true identity. I was new to this web site and nieve about filling in the info. Required to post, a name and a email address. So I put my name in the required field and posted my reply to a pubworkstv comment which I had totally disagreed with. When I actually saw the post on the front page of this blog with my name and then the threatening angry volatile reply telling me what a %÷&/^=€÷£$* I was by pubworkstv, I actually was afraid for my safety. Not knowing who this person was and knowing he could easily find out where I lived, that was pretty much the last time I would use my true name. I think other people posting on this blog feel the same.
Dear Joe,
As a member of the Meyers Community Advisory Council I want to show you that the stoplight at Apache and 50 is not only in the plan but it received the most votes form the people who attended one of the workshops we had. It received 18 votes. It is listed in the plan: Chapter 7 Implementation Elements 7-4.
Now getting a stoplight at the only existing four way intersection in Meyers is another story altogether.
Unless we go through the county and seek private funding we will have to deal with Caltrans.
We are getting two crosswalks this year according to Caltrans. One is 150 feet from the intersection of Apache and 50. It is between the intersection and the Bug Station. The second one is at the far end of the intersection of Pioneer and 50. It will be placed on the wrong side of the intersection. At least they are something that will happen this year.
John Garofalos
Meyers Community Advisor Council memeber
Nice article, Joe. Interesting comments, too. Although I don’t live in Myers, I do pass through on a regular basis. The stop light makes perfect sense. Safety is tantamount to convenience. Also, for that matter, why not reduce the speed limit to say 25 mph for a stretch? Let people get a look as they drive through. As to traffic congestion and delays, oh well too bad. As an artist and muralist, I love the idea of a “Welcome to Myers” sign…or better yet, a beautiful mural and would be only too happy to do it. I would agree that the eyesores on the roadside should be removed, renovated or whatever, as it takes away from the nice feel and character of Myers. I hope the residents of Myers come out in full force and not only make their voices heard but acted upon. It is about the people living there and what they want. I love Myers. It has a charm and uniqueness all its own. Good luck, Myers’ Residents! And as I always use my full name, I appreciate those doing the same. :)
John A & go figure,
I was using my real name untill I started getting creepy, scary, rambling phone calls at home. This one guy would not identify himself and he did sound threatening. That’s when I started using my “campfire name” when writing in and locking my doors at night. So I guess who ever this creep was succeded in making me feel unsafe. Was that his goal all along?
I don’t get it really, because I write some pretty tame stuff and go out of my way to be polite and inoffensive.
I’m okay now with my new guard dog and a few of my old shotguns I held onto from my duck hunting days.
There are some crazy people out there, so before you comment on LTN think about all the extreme wingnuts of a certain political leaning who comment here that may do you harm. OLS
a tower would go nice with the alpine backdrop. F-it lets turn this place into the alps..
tahoe concervency doesnt conserve anything.. they are a waste of resource.
Ols thanks for the reminder to be safe
ditto
Shoot, I would be happy if they just focused on old Little Norway, the old gas station and the old junk yards by the airport that have been eye sores for way to long.
I applaud everyone who is willing to stand up for your community and fight for what is right and what you believe is in the best interests of all citizens. We have the freedom to assemble and are protected under the first amendment to say what we feel without fear of reprisal. I believe if someone replies in a threatening way or if phone calls or other attempts to intimidate citizens who are simply voicing their thoughts, they should be reported to the Tahoe News and followed up by the Sheriffs Office. We should have no tolerance for Bullying!I am listening and will be at the meeting on the 26th . Your voices need to be heard and that message needs to be carried to the County loud and clear.We should not live in fear. Together we can make a difference. I will use my real name.
Great letter Joe!
Meyers should get to decide what it wants for its future. Most people I know out here had no idea TRPA changed the zoning for Meyers in 2012, and it’s not that people “just don’t pay attention” – an accusation that’s been thrown around a few times lately.
Rather, I think there is a desire to trust our government agencies and elected officials when they said the new Plan would help our (local) economy. To believe them when they said the new Plan would help our Lake’s clarity and protect our outdoor recreation lifestyle, that ‘sustainable communities’ meant sustainable communities, and that walkable communities just meant walkable communities. Not big corporate resorts and high density buildings.
No doubt the CTC will benefit from the new zoning that will allow much more profit to be made off selling their 9 lots in Meyers. Guess what? CTC has been up to their necks in the TRPA Plan update for years.
The source of grant money the agencies are using to pay for all of this ‘planning’ — OUR public tax dollars that we approved years ago in order to pay for WATER QUALITY benefits: check out Prop 84 back in 2006. Really?! As a CA taxpayer, I’m pretty upset about that.
http://laketahoesustainablecommunitiesprogram.org/ — see these agencies, their consultants, their plans and reports. Plus, although also paid for by part of these grants, the One Globe report isn’t posted online. Interesting.
Meyers – flood that meeting on Wednesday and DEMAND the facts!
Very Well Said J&B !! You hit the nail on the head !
Just in case there’s any doubt – read this letter from our County Supervisor- Norma Santiago
https://www.laketahoenews.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/this-letter.pdf