By Roxanne Rain

Now that we have entered a new era, a new decade, maybe it;s time to readdress the “hole” at Stateline and begin to use logic and reality, rather than archaic mundane concepts like a Convention Center.

I recently read on Lake Tahoe News that studies were performed that indicate a Convention Center would do well here. Most statistics can be skewed to give the desired outcome. The questions are: “Who wants the Convention Center? Who did they pay to have those statistics rendered to their specs? Why is this town beating a dead horse?

The enormous Convention Center in Reno doesn’t stay booked. In an economy like this, what makes anyone think Tahoe can keep one booked? The casinos are barely surviving, and they have convention centers that are never fully booked. Where is the logic?

When did the City Council become “The Planners” and what qualifies them? That’s not their job. They should focus on serving the town’s interests and current issues. Leave master designing to experienced entities.

I have lived in this town for 22 years, and the Convention Center is not a popular idea. The hole is better left in the hands of wealthy visionaries such as Steve Winn or Donald Trump for example. Accomplished moguls with a track record who have built and designed unique successful monuments and wonderlands. Let someone or some corporation with vision and power get the job done.

It’s time for the City Council to step aside and allow vision, intent and purpose to take over. It would be spectacular if “We the People” of this town sent all of our ideas about what we would like to see happen to a specific email address, i.e.: the hole@___.com, and then allow a committee to sift through and put together a model which incorporates the best ideas into a state-of-the-art multi-faceted architectural phenomenon.

Why not create a landmark, a fabulous monumental structure that stands out on its own. Something that brings people from all over the world just to see it, like the pyramids in Egypt, or the more modern Luxor. Why not get grandiose and do something big and special, get original and create an eighth Wonder of the World. Attach a zipline from the top of Heavenly continuing onto the top of the new structure, ending with a dive into the lake. Add some zest and zeal for the adventuresome thrill-seekers. Give the world something to come see and talk about that is glorious and multi-functional.

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about, and I declare a finder’s fee for the explicit idea.

Commission a special committee to collect ideas from the people of the town and the Internet. Find and explore some of the most exciting concepts and ideas, then hire a new age avant-garde firm, with a track record, to implement it. I would be happy to contribute to such a lofty creative adventure, melding architecture and art. Why settle for a boring mundane archaic idea when the sky is really the limit? If you do it right, people would want to come and hold meetings there, convention center or not. Convention rooms could be one aspect of the facility’s function.

A decade ago, I wrote an article about boosting the economy by allowing a topless club to exist, which generates enormous income, and brings in more businessmen, who currently choose Reno as a destination point, because of the option to indulge in the strip club atmosphere. That is not just my opinion, but fact. I have taken several calls from gentlemen seeking a topless club venue, for which I explain that we are an adult entertainment agency who sends entertainers out. Consequently, they have left Tahoe behind, chartered a bus to Reno, and spent their money elsewhere. There is no doubt they patronized other vendors in Reno as well, such as restaurants, casinos, specialty shops, etc. The point is they did not spend their money here.

To address the moralists, strip clubs are similar to churches in that no one forces anyone to attend. People go of their own volition, seeking the experiences they themselves choose. Strip clubs don’t bring in bad elements; bad elements congregate where they are able to thrive.

I have heard and read all the hype about drug dealing and prostitution associated with topless clubs. That element goes on across the globe, and will continue to go on no matter what. Strip clubs will only attract that element if those in charge (owners, managers) partake and perpetuate it. Good security, and upscale environment can deter undesirables. It’s time to stop playing judge and watchdog to the detriment of our economy. Let change unfold and flow as it naturally does. Let people with vision, intent, and purpose thrive and go forth.

I mentioned how hind sighted it was to try to stop indigenous American Indians from opening casinos in Shingle Springs (an entirely different community) when Red Hawk was in the planning stages, and rather focus on what we can do here to bring more people.

Well, I hate to observe, a decade later, the same mistakes are being made. Wake up and embrace change, forget the Convention Center and do Tahoe a favor, allow fresh creative influences to flourish.

And what about the Horizon Casino? I have heard of people turning buildings into new green producing projects that bring jobs to the unemployed. Wouldn’t it be spectacular if Heavenly did something for the children and created slide shoots in the summer from the top of the mountain to the base? They could use rope, instead of permanent structures, to implement a unique slide park for the kids. How cool would that be?

What if the whole zone from the hole to the Horizon became one huge monumental functional facility as well as an amusement facility for children? Let’s bring in some visionaries with innovative ideas and money to back them, then our town might have viable hope.

Transportation is another issue. I went to several city planning meetings where our group pushed for a monorail system that started in Meyers, and continued down the highway and Pioneer Trail all the way to Stateline, including all the main arteries (thoroughfares) of town. What a great vision. Do you think that beautiful concept got any airplay? People could park at a designated lot in Meyers and ride the rail. That would cut down on traffic, eliminate DUIs, and restore the social fabric of the community.

What a concept, why don’t intelligent things happen? Is it per chance we don’t think about the long-term benefits due to narrow-minded scope, or are we paralyzed by our own system that now serves itself rather than “We the People”?

Roxanne Rain is a resident of South Lake Tahoe.