Public gets glimpse of S. Tahoe recreation plan
By Jessie Marchesseau
About 30 people gathered at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center on Sept. 25 for a public open house to review the recently released draft of South Lake Tahoe’s first Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan.
The plan, which has been in the works for more than a year, is collaboration between El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe. During this time coordinators have gathered more than 1,200 surveys and questionnaires from residents indicating what they believe should be the community’s park and recreation priorities.
The draft is available to view on the city’s website, but this was the first public presentation of it.
Consultant Cindy Mendoza on Sept. 25 presents the recreation plan highlights.
Photo/Jessie Marchesseau
At a long table on one side of the gymnasium sat four of the six core project team members: Norma Santiago, Angela Swanson, Vickie Sanders and Lauren Thomaselli, and five of the 11 master plan advisory committee members: Andrew Strain, Steve Yonker, Scott Valentine, Ty Polastri and Garrett Villanueva.
Thomaselli, Swanson, Strain, Polastri and Santiago each took a few minutes to speak to attendees about the plan, the process and their personal visions before handing the podium over to Cindy Mendoza, a project manager with planning and design firm MIG.
Mendoza has been helping the committee and team members develop the overall plan. She broke down some of the survey data for attendees revealing, for example, how 94 percent of residents agreed that trails, pathways and mobility were the most important areas needing improvement. One aspect she found surprising, however, was that people indicated they wanted these bike trails and paths not so much for recreation purposes, but for getting where they needed to go such as work and the grocery store.
Mendoza, in conjunction with the project team and advisory committee took these survey results and combined them with economic data, environmental concerns and recreation opportunities to create this master plan vision statement:
We envision an accessible, interconnected, and sustainable system of diverse, year-round recreation opportunities for residents and visitors. Our world-class parks, facilities, trails, and programs inspire and engage recreation enthusiasts, shape our community, connect us to our natural environment and support our shared future in the South Shore.
The master plan breaks down projects into three main categories: quick wins, short-term projects, and long-term initiatives. Long-term initiatives are the lowest on the priority list and/or the larger, more time-consuming projects; these have a six- to 10-year time line. Short-term projects will have a two- to five-year timeframe, and quick wins are projects that can be done within the next year, offering instant gratification and a feeling of getting the ball rolling.
“We do feel like quick wins are demonstrating action,” Thomaselli said.
Some of these projects which can already be seen around town are the improvements to the Al Tahoe sports fields which were completed this summer and the extensive resurfacing of city bike trails. Dirt is also piling up at the Bijou bike park which will undergo construction next spring.
Listed as short-term priorities are a number of projects including restoration of Regan Beach, improvements to Bijou Golf Course and implementing water efficiency programs.
Making the long-term list is the renovation of the recreation and swim complex, an outdoor amphitheater or events venue, and a new park for county residents among other things.
Even though the plan’s vision statement calls for “year-round recreation opportunities,” any mention of winter activities or improvements was noticeably missing from the evening’s presentation. When asked about this oversight, Polastri said the city is going to try plowing the bike paths this winter. Beyond that, Mendoza said the focus would be more on providing people with indoor activities during the winter such as using the recreation and swim complex.
During open discussion, attendees brought up several other seemingly overlooked recreation concerns such as the Bijou skate park, fishing opportunities, rock climbing access, softball fields and sledding hills. Mendoza explained that most of these items did not show up as priorities in the public surveys, but encouraged participants to submit their concerns on questionnaire sheets available at the door.
The planners are adamant that the South Lake Tahoe of the past which had a tendency to do a lot of planning but never carry through on those plans is no more.
“We are great at planning,” Santiago said, “but now we have a group of committed people that are good at implementation.”
The projects already under way or completed appear to be a step in the right direction. However, financial funding for most of the short- and long-term projects is still unaccounted for, though Thomaselli said she is confident if the plans are in place, the funding will come through.
The public has until Oct. 10 to submit comments and opinions on the master plan draft. The plan is online.
They left out only a fifth of the surveys were returned after three mailings. Way over 80% of the community could care less about the recreational plan so the survey is bogus and incomplete.
FYI link in article doesn’t work
It’s been fixed.
Sorry.
LTN staff
Hello:
That there was ‘surprise’ at the end of this excerpt shows a rather serious disconnect: “94 percent of residents agreed that trails, pathways and mobility were the most important areas needing improvement. One aspect she found surprising, however, was that people indicated they wanted these bike trails and paths not so much for recreation purposes, but for getting where they needed to go such as work & the grocery store . . .” as the City has also expressed a surveyed interest in “wikable” (bikable/walkable) directions as well. . .
Thanks to Nancy Kerry for that term. . .
I know, I know – this was to be a ‘Parks, Trails & Recreational Master Plan’ but it is the overall quality-of-life that is to be the goal, so my disconnect comment is two-fold, that being the first.
The second is that, aside from Consultant Mendoza’s guidance, the proposed amenities seem more to the liking of its’ advocates, as the visiting public is not as motivated in the same directions, & the need to know why will be paramount, so we don’t burden ourselves with yet another ‘improvement’ geared to the few. . .
The undue “surprise” comes after 20+ years of pointing out how unsafe our major thoroughfare [U.S. 50] is for ‘transit’ (such as normal daily errands, like a grocery store)…
If there is a “build it, and they will come” mentality at play, the taxpayers are owed the option of ‘better- bang-for-the-buck’, when those bucks are limited. . .
A mantra derived (borrowed ?) from over 30 years & 450 miles of bike trails in & around the Montreal area is: “It’s Not Just Sport, It’s Transport”. . . which still needs to be taken into consideration for the above-mentioned ‘qualtity-of-life’, not to mention economic development on a scale beyond the next “event”. . .
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t the photo on the Parks and Recreation web page showing the bike path taken somewhere in the North Shore area or was the South Lake bike path greatly improved somewhere I am not aware of?
The “year round” part of the vision statement needs to be supported more. Going inside isn’t the answer and doesn’t take advantage of what makes Tahoe unique.
In my reading of the draft plan it seemed to unnecessarily denigrate mountain biking, which was odd since that is such a popular activity in the area.
As a frequent visitor to mountain towns all over, and regular trail user when I visit, here’s how I approach finding and using their trail networks. The ones that meet this approach usually provide the best and most memorable experiences, and Tahoe can improve in this regard:
1. Go to visitor center or hotel brochure racks and look for color brochures with nearby hiking/biking/x-c skiing trails listed, described, and mapped – preferably on terrain-like rendering to give an idea of elevation changes. The best ones have trails clearly marked in separate colors, and each trail would have a unique name or number code for easy identification. These names/numbers are also listed on signs along the trails. Make the brochures available in kiosk slots outside the offices when not staffed, so they’re always available.
2. Talk to visitor center staff or hotel concierge (who should be well trained in trail info), to ask about the best trails for the given user — level of difficulty, time to complete, best for views, etc. They should be able to give tips based on your level of experience and the amount of time you have to use the trails. Also, info on how to access trails by walking, bike, car or public transit, and the best websites to visit for further detailed information.
3. All types of trails should be well and clearly marked at trailheads and junctions – whether they’re bike paths in town, wilderness footpaths, etc. They do this really well in Europe, where they have frequent signposts with directional pointers to multiple locations. Switzerland is the best – these exist all over the country, in towns and out, on sturdy steel poles with standard signage colors and shapes in every location, of high quality and bolted onto the poles. Many signs also include estimated time or distance to destinations. The brochures should also explain the color coding and meaning of different types of standard signs.
While this is probably government supported there, and cities in the US wouldn’t fund such an extensive network, these sign networks make it easy to get up and go, even without a map at times. I never saw any signs vandalized or graffiti ridden there either. But, that was Switzerland, where a different mentality seems to prevail :). Nevertheless, a great model to emulate as much as possible, if attempting to make SLT and Stateline more trail friendly for visitors and locals alike.
I am not a supporter of more consultants, coordinators, facilitators and so on.
Having said that, Not Born…, you are so correct, the Europeans have much more respect culturally for their institutions than many Americans. And, they are willing to pay for their institutions. However, gun ownership is a requirement, mass transit is excellent, health care is universal and immigration is very limited in Switzerland There are many more stark differences. The country really doesn’t compare well to the U.S.
How about making the sidewalks and trails wider? A bike cannot pass a hand-holding couple taking a leisurely stroll. SLT is not exactly a pedestrian/bike paradise…