Denise Davis – IVCB Forum Moderator
Good morning, forum. I’m Denise Davis, your moderator. Ronda Tycer is our forum recap editor, and John Crockett is our tech guru.
As a reminder, this meeting is being recorded. Before you begin speaking, please state your name. While speaking, please be respectful—personal attacks will not be tolerated. For those online, if you’d like to share URLs, post them in the Chat Box and they’ll be included in the meeting recap. We partner with IVCB Community 1st.org and IVCBA.org to get information out. So, be sure to visit their websites and sign up for their newsletters. To sign up for our forum meeting notices and recaps, send an email to us at ivcbcommunityforum@gmail.com.
Kari Ferguson – Incline Village General Improvement District Communication Coordinator
Good morning, everybody and happy Friday to all. I apologize for missing the last two meetings. It’s been a busy summer here. Kids in Incline go back to school on Monday. So it’s our last final hurrah. Washoe County started already. We’re on a different schedule.
We had a Board of Trustees meeting on August 9. I’m awaiting approval of the synopsis. There will be more of those posted. Our approval process has been affected by everyone leaving. So I’m trying to get those on line so you can read the meeting recaps and see what was voted on and what was and what wasn’t passed. Those should all be on the website early next week. We have another Board meeting on the 30th of this month. There is none this week.
The golf cart path project is almost underway. I’ll put the link in the Chat for the information and the key dates for that. The golf courses are open but if there’s lightening, please choose not to go. We love our community members and we want them around. Hopefully everyone is getting out and enjoying all the summer venues.
A big thank-you to North Lake Tahoe Fire and CERT and Denise and all other agencies at the Recreation Center for the evacuation drill. It was a great place to get information and see everyone again. We really appreciate everyone’s help in that, especially with all the fires that are starting to happen. It’s fire season, so it’s good to be prepared. That’s about it for me. Thanks, guys.
Denise Davis
You covered what I had written down— the Mountain Course cart path improvement project which starts after Labor Day, and our Board of Trustee meeting on August 30.
Pandora Bahlam – Incline Village General Improvement District
We also had a blood drive last weekend at the Recreation Center that was very successful. We even ran out of supplies for the people who were there. So that was very nice. We were doing a drive for the community and also for a specific person in need. Thanks to everyone who came and gave blood.
Kari Ferguson
Pandora reminded me that the pool is closed this weekend at the Recreation Center. A lot of our lifeguards are college students heading back to their colleges. We are very short-staffed. But we are keeping the Burnt Cedar pool open—pending lightening of course. The Rec Center pool will be closed both Saturday and Sunday.
Helen Neff – Incline Village Resident
Is it closed all day, because the sign said it would be closed at noon.
Pandora Bahlam
[inaudible 5:31]
Kari Ferguson
I’ll confirm and put it in the Chat.
Pandora Bahlam
It’s kind of a moving target because we just don’t have staff. I think they have it scheduled out to this Friday. This weekend should be fine at the Rec Center until 12:00.
Denise Davis
Mornings open—afternoon and evenings closed on weekends, so far. Staffing shortages create a floating schedule.
Ryan Sommers – North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Chief
Good morning. We had our evacuation drill. And thank you Kari and others for the excellent job. Tia is online and will back me up here but we do have some statistics:
– 89 agency participants
– 30 CERT volunteers
– and approximately 59 evacuees attended the fair
We hit a lot of houses in the Ponderosa/Second Creek area, and 59 of those people came down and attended the fair.
– 200+ attendees at the Preparedness Fair from the community itself
– 3 animals were chipped
Our after-action report will be out… we’re going to conduct it next week to see what exactly we can learn from it—what went well and what didn’t go well. I thank everybody and applaud everybody who came down there. And if you were an evacuee, I appreciate you playing along so we could test the plan.
Our chipping and Defensible Space programs are still continuing. We attended the Summit the week before. That went well. And I’ll turn it over to Tia.
Tia Rancourt – North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Public Information Officer
In terms of the media coverage for the event, we were happy with that. We had Channels 2, 4, and 8 come up. I saw an actual clip from Channel 2 and 8 and am waiting to hear back from Channel 4 to find a link I can post on their coverage. And we did get coverage in the Tahoe Tribune and the Sierra Sun. There might be more coming out on that. South Tahoe will now cover it. So we were really happy with the media coverage.
I felt it went really well. We’ll see what the takeaways are next week.
Denise Davis
Chief, do we have any people involved with the efforts in Hawaii?
Ryan Sommers
No, we do not have anyone from North Lake Tahoe Fire in Hawaii. CAL Fire sent a few over there but we don’t have any members on that team. We have people on the Slide Mountain fire, which is up in California, and on the Rifle Peak fire in Idaho.
Helen Neff
I have family in Hawaii, and they were preparing for hurricane and rain—as we are doing this weekend. But the rain never came and huge winds did. And as we all know, the power company did not shut off the power. So my first point is, for this weekend, if the power needs to be shut off, I trust someone is in charge of that.
Ryan Sommers
Yes, they are. That would be NV Energy.
Helen Neff
Okay, I hope they turn it off before it becomes a drastic situation. My other question is—I’m preparing for the power to go out. So I dug out my transistor radio and put in new batteries, and I have no idea what station I should turn to. I haven’t listened to a radio since I was 18. What station? And we know from Maui that when the power goes out there is no cell phone coverage. Everyone is telling us to download an app. But if the cell coverage goes out, we have no way to get information and we have to go to our radios. What station do we go to?
Ryan Sommers
That is a good question. Up here I think the station is AM 780, but I’ll research and get that out to all the residents.
Tia Rancourt
I’ll put it in the Chat.
Helene Neff
Add it on your Emergency Preparedness page. Could you put it on your website in case we need it this weekend before the recap gets out? Ronda is quick, but I don’t want to put pressure on her, especially if the power’s out.
Tia Rancourt
Sure, I can add it to our website on the Emergency Preparedness page.
Helen Neff
That would be great. Thank you. I will look for that this afternoon.
Ryan Sommers
You just said, no pressure. Now you’re pressuring us [chuckle].
Ann Nichols – Crystal Bay Resident, North Lake Tahoe Preservation Alliance Director
So Paradise, CA is putting up sirens that can be programmed to have different sounds for different kinds of events. My first question is, “Would you ever consider doing that here?” It would be nice, considering Maui. And then also, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Board is characterizing the local Fire Departments—when they give presentations—as ‘not being concerned about evacuation.’ So why is the public? Especially Vince Hoenigman just wrote us an email about that. He’s on the Governing Board. So if you could address those two things that would be great.
Ryan Sommers
We can look at sirens. We used to have one on the top of the old Incline substation. It’s been disconnected because it was noise pollution. So we’ll look back into that. I didn’t fully understand your second question.
Ann Nichols
You guys are concerned about evacuation. But how it’s being characterized to the public is that you’re not really that concerned about it. That’s what Vince Hoenigman from TRPA wrote to us.
Ryan Sommers
Well I think that’s an interpretation thing for TRPA. Jeff’s online so he can address that. But NLTFPD is very concerned about evacuation. That’s why we conducted this drill and it’s been in the forefront of everything we’ve been talking about and doing lately.
Ann Nichols
Thank you.
Kathie Julian – Incline Village Resident
How many houses are in the 2nd creek area where you tried to knock on doors, or at least that was the target. How many houses were there?
Ryan Sommers
I want to say that they hit—they knocked on almost 80 houses. And I think there are 150 in the area, maybe. I’m sure there’s somebody in the crowd who probably knows.
Kathie Julian
Okay, that gives me a range. That’s fine. Will there be a public after-action report available for folks to look at?
Ryan Sommers
Yes, I support that 100%. When we do our after-action report next week, I will talk to Kelly Echeverria about getting something put out. Or I’ll talk to my Board and I can definitely put out a report as far as what NLTFPD did and how it went. But you have to understand we don’t own that plan, as we talked about previously. But we will get something out to the public for sure. This is too big of an item just to drop now that we’ve conducted the drill. We need to know the pros and cons from that.
Kathie Julian
Okay. That’s great. And the county is involved and Kelly is the go-to person for that?
Ryan Sommers
Yes, Kelly’s office is the entity that actually put on the drill.
Kathie Julian
Okay. And I was one of those people who went to the fair and I appreciated being able to talk to all of these people. It was very interesting. It was a great chance to get together with community members too. So, kudos for that. It was enjoyable.
Ryan Sommers
Thank you.
Kathie Julian
At some point it would be great to have a presentation at the CAB comparing Maui and Incline when more is known about Maui and things are a bit settled. I think this is a wakeup call for everybody on a visceral level as to how fires can be. And it would be great to see what are the comparisons, what are the similarities and dissimilarities? What are the lessons for the Tahoe Basin from what we’ve seen in Maui? I just want to put that out there. Thank you very much.
Kari Ferguson
Yes, I want to let everyone know I’m also tasked with doing a post-event report. I will be sending that out through the IVGID Special Announcement email and post it to the website once it’s approved and ready.
Denise Davis
Thanks, Kari. And I also want to remind everyone that the end of this month is the deadline to submit comments for the Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan. If you have comments and concerns to share in that process, remember this month’s end is the deadline.
Barbara Whyman – Incline Village Resident
I have some things to share and also some things for Ryan. We talk about Lahaina. I live in Lahaina. Fortunately, at this point, my house has been spared. But unfortunately, almost everyone I know has lost everything. I have talked with those folks. Some of the things we’re talking about here need to be addressed in terms of the reports that come out. But a lot that we need to address won’t be in those reports. They are going to be things that each one of us ought to be fully aware of.
In Lahaina, everything is gone. There are no public records, no proof that you own your house—or that you were born on a certain day in a certain place. Everything is gone. We need to recognize that it is our obligation to secure what we have somehow. Because when you have nothing physical – you need to have proof that you had something physical. All of us need to recognize that.
Many of the people whose lives are lost and haven’t been identified yet were in the cars—3-4 miles long—trying to get out of Lahaina. They took the clothes on their backs, their children, and their car. That’s all they had. They hadn’t thought they didn’t have identity. They had no proof of their identity.
I want all of us to consider that. Because we may know where we’re supposed to head to get out of here, but there is no guarantee we’ll get there. That’s the thing that we have personal responsibility, to take care of things we really need when things like this happen. It’s so easy to get it lost in other ways.
In terms of the fires themselves—and blame, every major fire has the same issues. It’s waiting for the reports—and blame. We can learn things because we know about our community. And our community looks very, very much the same as Lahaina. I’m always struck by that.
As we are here – Andy and I are involved in things there, as well. Their library… And I want to remind people Hawaiians don’t have a written language. It’s “tell story”; it’s oral language. So those folks saved things that were recognizable. And the elders that were there are revered because those persons are the libraries. They lost everything. The library burned down. I’m involved with the cultural collaboration to bring forth so we can get more information out there into the public. Every one of the people who were involved in that collaboration lost their homes, lost their research, lost everything that they had.
We need to remember that. We’re in the library right now. This library is a community center. It’s a vault. It’s full of information and camaraderie. That’s why we have these cities. We need to recognize what we do, and not let it go, because you can’t replace it.
Denise Davis
Thank you Dr. Whyman. Did you have any questions?
Barbara Whyman
No, I just wanted Ryan to recognize that a lot of information will come out in those reports – but a lot of information is sitting right around here and walking around that we need to actually recognize what we have to do next to get some action.
Denise Davis
Thank you.
Joe Farrell – Incline Village Resident
I’d just like to echo a couple of comments from Dr. Whyman. I don’t know if any of you have ever been evacuated from a fire. How many? A few. It’s pretty frightening. My wife and I were evacuated with our family in the 1992 Moccasin fire in Pine Mountain Lake. The flames were…here from the roadway. We were escorted out by CHP. From here to the roadway were the flames. Even with the windows closed and the air conditioning blasting, you could feel the heat through the car windows. It’s a very scary situation.
I want to dovetail on the previous speaker’s comments about being prepared. Having had a place in Tuolomne County Pine Mountain Lake for 10 years, we had a Go-Kit, I had a bag with all my important insurance information. At that time we weren’t in the digital age.
Currently my wife and I have a Go-Kit with all our important information. I can get at it in 30 seconds. It’s all there. I want to advise our group that there are some financial companies—I have my money with Goldman Sachs—and I have an online secure digital record of all my important papers: insurance, passports, birth certificates, and so on. And the only people with access are my financial advisor and two adult daughters. We also have a plan, that If they hear there’s a fire in Incline Village, they do a wellness check. I think these are things we need to be prepared for. I am an Eagle Scout so I am always prepared. I just wanted to let you all know that and check if you have a financial group to work with your assets, if you can upload this stuff to a secure website, then you don’t lose that important information. Thank you very much.
Denise Davis
I’ll dovetail on the end of that conversation. When we were at the Preparedness Fair, I was talking with the NV Department of Emergency Management. They were giving out “handle” things (called Perfect Grabbers). And one of the persons said you might want to share this with parents and grandparents. We intended them for carrying bags. But I had an extra one lying around my house, and realized if we were in a car accident and I was unable to communicate, the rescue people may not know what to do with my child. They wouldn’t know their name. They wouldn’t have contact information. So she was sharing with me that on the backside of these Perfect Grabbers—they have a place for name, address, city, and contact information. She was recommending people get these and wrap them around their seatbelt straps. So if the adults in the car aren’t able to communicate, the rescue people will have the child’s name. And put some contact information— like maybe grandparents, or somebody in the area—to contact. You know we’ve all taught our kids so well to not talk to strangers… don’t tell anybody your name. A 2-year-old may not be able to share a lot of meaningful information. I just want to pass that along, that these little Perfect Grabbers—even though they are intended for carrying bags—have a new use. You might want to share this with parents. Make sure there is some information on the seatbelt straps or on safety seats, so if you’re not able to communicate, rescue people can talk to the child and contact somebody.
Helen Neff
That’s a great idea. I was also at the Preparedness Fair. I wasn’t one of the evacuees. I live down in Mill Creek. But I really appreciate the wealth of information, and people I could talk to, and the technology of identifying where fires are, and how that all comes about. It was great. I do have a question that just came up Chief because of something you said—that sirens are not installed because they are sound pollution. Could you comment more about that? Because I would think that was the whole point of them.
Ryan Sommers
Let me do some research on why it was disconnected. It was disconnected on the top of the station before I became Fire Chief. There is a tank up there with a large horn. I do know of some local scuttlebutt that we had to disconnect it like Minden had to disconnect theirs. So I’ll have to research that. I believe Minden’s was going off every single day at noon, which I think is different from an emergency siren. I will do some research on that and see what we can do to get that up and operational again.
Helen Neff
Well, it’s your decision. I wasn’t saying you should or should not do it. I was just confused about why it was disconnected
Ryan Sommers
And like I said, maybe I misspoke, but in today’s world there are so many changes we have to make that I lose track of why we have to make these changes. So I’ll have to research it.
Helen Neff
And it brought up another comment that I wanted to make this morning. I heard on the news that the police chief in Maui said one of the reasons he didn’t sound the sirens is because the people are used to the sirens being a tsunami warning when you try to go up into the mountains to get to high ground, and that would be confusing. And I’d never thought about that. And as you do your research, perhaps you could find out if that’s a concern here also. I don’t know how, but I just wanted you to zone in on that when you’re doing your report.
Ryan Sommers
Yes, I believe he was the Chief of Emergency Services not the Police Chief but the Chief Emergency Manager who resigned.
Denise Davis
The horn in Minden—the issue over that was—it went off at 5pm and that was an old leftover from when a certain ethnic group had to be out of the city limits at 5 pm. So that was the story behind the 5 o’clock horn in Minden.
Aaron Vanderpool – Incline Village Resident; HOA President
I have something that’s been on my mind lately. I don’t know the answer, but I’ve been thinking about this. We are all required to have car insurance so, if we hit somebody’s car or somebody’s property, our insurance covers that. I’ve been thinking about what happens with these AirBnbs? When you have these short-term rentals with 18 new people coming in and out of these homes—some of them out in the forest—there’s an increased risk and burden on the community. I’m curious about the requirements for them having fire insurance that covers neighbors and community… As far as the other things they don’t cover such as increased police staffing, security measures, burdens on our septic and water systems, and garbage and roads—what about fire. As far as I know we get insurance to cover our own property, which is different from covering other people’s property. And how STRs should be required to have insurance for that increased risk. I know our HOA insurance is lower if we outlaw STRs in our CC&Rs.
Ryan Sommers
That’s way out of the spectrum for the fire chief in any fire district. You’ll have to talk to the local politicians about it. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. But there’s not much I can do about that in my current position.
Aaron Vanderpool
I understand. It’s just something on my mind.
Denise Davis
Tiffany is here to share information about the picnic and a few other things.
Tiffany Clements – Washoe County Sheriff Office
I just have a reminder that the Sheriff is hosting his annual picnic here for the community on September 16. We’re going to host it at the Middle School Ridgeline ball field from 10 am until 2 pm. There will be free hamburgers and hot dogs. They’re planning to have some of the same resources that were coordinated at the fire preparedness fair. Captain Beard sent apologies for not being able to attend, and for the communication to be as transparent as possible, But, yes, he is meeting with Secret Service regarding the President’s Tahoe Basin visit. I don’t have much other information for you. No, he’s not staying at the Hyatt. He did have a lot of statistics to share with you. But he will catch up with you regarding that at the next meeting.
Denise Davis
Actually I think I have some of those statistics. For the second quarter of this year, the Sheriff Office provided the CAB with some statistics as far as all kinds of different incidents. I picked up all the leftovers, so I’ll have I’ll have those available if anyone would like to browse through them.
Tiffany Clements
Any other questions for the Sheriff Office?
Denise Davis
I don’t see Jennifer so I’ll give you a quick road update. Starting Tuesday August 22 at 6pm through Thursday August 24th at 10am – milling and paving on State Route 28 will occur from the roundabout at Mt Rose Highway through Incline Village towards Village Boulevard—creeping past Preston Field and through town this way, not up the hill. During this time side-street closures will occur at Northwood and Southwood by Wells Fargo and at Village Boulevard. Crews will be paving ½ of the road at a time, with ½ open and no two streets will be closed at the same time. When Northwood is closed, the Southwood side of the intersection will remain open and traffic needing to use Northwood will detour to Village Blvd.
Then starting Thursday August 24 at 6 pm, crews will pave along State Route 28 from Gonawabie to the Post Office in Crystal Bay. As we know there are no alternative routes. So pack a lunch and go to the bathroom before you leave.
Be sure you sign up for text alerts. Sign up for text alert incline 775-242-9168 for updates and expect delays up to 30 minutes with single lane flagger-controlled closures. Paving work will occur each day between 6 pm and 10 am.
On St Rte. 28 in Incline Village, crews will continue curb, gutter, and enhanced sidewalk ramp installation. Concrete work will include small work zones with shoulder closures. Working hours are Sunday through Friday from 6pm to 10am. It is expected to conclude by the end of August.
On St Rt 28 in the Marlette Creek area, work continues on the new detention basin and drainage improvements near Thunderbird Lodge with single-lane flagger control. Working hours are 24 hours/day from Sundays 8 pm through Fridays at noon. It’s expected to conclude by the end of September. So we had a little reprieve, but now it’s back.
Linda Offerdahl – Incline Village Crystal Bay Business and Community Association Executive Director
I want to start with a little plug for our service clubs. At the Rotary Club of Tahoe Incline, this last Thursday we raised $8K for the people in Lahaina. These service clubs always welcome new members. Rotary in particular helps internationally as well as locally. They have a food drive with a box at the Recreation Center. They are going to distribute that down in Reno to some of the homeless shelters next Thursday. That is sort of an ongoing community service project for them. They roll into the winter Warmth and Wellness gathering coats in winter and then the [ ] for tax. Let me know if you want to join the Rotary Club. There are two. One meets at noon on Monday and one on Thursday at 7am.
There are two community events coming up this week—both on Thursday. The Tastes of Incline, but also at the UNR-Lake Tahoe campus, there is a Tahoe Talks featuring Zeb Hogan, the host of Monster Fish on the Discovery Channel. He is a professor at UNR. And he’s doing the Tahoe Talks.
IVCBA has two job postings, one for an office administrator and one for a program manager. And we’re also looking for somebody to be a community engagement liaison. That’s going to use some of the ARPA money we’re getting from Washoe County. So if you know anybody, have them contact me.
We’re planning a Biz-Buzz mixer, which is a community event at a business. Umqua Bank along with their neighbor Mountain Hardware and Gail Krolick, and the Potlach might do something. I believe the date is Tuesday September 12.
We’re talking about a Job Fair with IVGID. We did this partnership last spring with IVGID and the Hyatt and Raley’s to promote jobs and get people hired. We don’t have a date for the Job Fair yet but for the Biz Buzz mixer we’d like the Sheriff Office to be there Tiffany. It’s tentatively scheduled for Tuesday September 12.
Denise Davis
Thanks Linda. The Board of Washoe County Commissioners next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday August 22. Incline has two items on the agenda: Item 9 is in regards to STR fees and Item 10 is in regards to a possible limit or cap on the number of STRs permitted in an area. Both of those items are tagged as “virtual public comment eligible” meaning on those two items you can do your public comment from here at the library those days. The agenda is posted and the URL will be in the recap.
I’ll say just a reminder that property taxes are due Monday. There’s no penalty if you get them paid by the end of the month. There’s no fee for online E-check payments. But if you pay via credit card or another device, there is a fee the vendor charges.
Also, a hantavirus case has been confirmed in the county so be careful when sweeping out your garages and sheds.
The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Mobility Hub Open House that was previously scheduled for last Monday August 14th has been tentatively rescheduled for September 18. No details are available as yet. But as described at the last Mobility Hub committee meeting, the consultant would like to have it be more of a chat among the consultants, the board, and the attendees. They were not planning to have a formal presentation, so they are calling it an Open House. John, what else would you like to tell us about the Mobility Hub?
John Crocket – Washoe County Incline Library Head Librarian, IV Mobility Hub Committee Member
I don’t have anything more to add on that. The new date of the Open House was news to me, so I’m happy to hear that. Thanks for sharing the new date.
Denise Davis
It is scheduled for September 18 Monday night. So far there are no Mobility Hub Committee meetings scheduled for August or September. Typically, they are the last Monday of the month. At the moment those are not listed on the website. The only thing listed is the Open House on September 18. There are no details available yet. But it will likely be at the Parasol Building. That detail has not been confirmed.
Yolanda Knaak
So the Mobility Hub Committee is using our tax dollars to bring in a consultant. Our community has made it clear we do not want a mobility hub or a bus station here in Incline Village. What really needs to happen is it needs to be a parking lot like the Mt. Rose ski resort—maybe renting their parking lot during the summer and bringing up people by bus. And having a regular bus up and down the hill. Or it could be Galena or South Reno. I’m so disappointed in our county for spending money on a consultant when we have been very, very, very, very, very consistent that we don’t want a bus hub here in Incline Village.
John Crockett
I’m sure some county tax money is going into it, but TTD is the agency who hired the consultant.
Kathie Julian
Thanks for the announcement of that date. I would hope we’ll have a Mobility Hub Committee meeting before hand – because we as a community need to follow up with the committee and TTD and TRPA with the information from their surveys and the data that they’ve collected thus far, and the results from the workshop they held several months ago before we go into another workshop, so that at least we have some of the data they’ve collected and can comment on it. People have been asking for this for months, and it has not been forthcoming from TTD. That’s a critical point.
I would just qualify what Yolanda has said. I think the community as a whole has made it very clear in terms of the petition-signing that they don’t want a mobility hub at the Old Elementary School site. I think the community remains a little split or open to the concept of a mobility hub in Incline Village, so long as it is not a large parking lot for cars from outside. Thank you.
Denise Davis
I found the URL for 2023 Lake Tahoe Summit video replay. So that’s in our recap URLs.
Jeff Cowen – Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Public Information Officer
Good morning, everybody. I didn’t think I had much to say, but as I’m going through my notes, I guess I do. The Governing Board meeting is next week in North Shore. We’re having a special time to return to regular [inaudible 46:47] It will be Wednesday at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach. The only agenda item for the North Shore is the Chimney Beach USFS parking lot project that is part of the Highway 28 Corridor Management Plan that we’ve been talking about for quite a long time. There are a number of projects in the corridor aimed at solving roadside parking issues and more. This is one of the first projects after the East Shore Trail and the beginning of the East Shore Express. We’re pretty excited about it. The idea is that the US Forest Service will be replacing about 130 roadside parking spaces with a parking lot that has additional amenities to try to improve recreation access in that corridor. That is up for consideration by the Governing Board next week.
There is a Governing Board walking tour around Kings Beach at 1:30 that is hosted by the Advisory Planning Commission members and Placer County and TRPA staff looking at Complete Community Concepts and possible transportation and environmental redevelopment and recreation projects.
The Summit last week was pretty successful, we think. There were a lot of great conversations and talks that came out of that, not just what the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act and Federal support for the agency has achieved, but also the many challenges ahead.
I do want to mention that the Presidential visit is not associated with the Summit, just in case anyone was wondering. It was just fortuitous. We do hope that his visit to the lake will continue to build and strengthen the Federal and Executive Branch support for our projects in the Basin as well.
I do have a couple of links I just want to share. One of the items I wanted to cover today was we’ve been working with Helen Neff on questions about the 947 project and the next steps for that. She and I spoke last night at the University of Reno-Lake Tahoe talk with Julie Regan. She asked for a little bit more information, which I’ll present for everybody.
The question is “How does the subdivision process and deed-restriction and condominiums happen? So the applicant has to apply to TRPA for the subdivision ofthe building into separate units. That hasn’t actually happened yet. They will have to meet a couple of conditions in the Regional Plan and the Area Plan amendments regarding the deed-restricted affordable housing component and the mixed-use component. That would be placing the deed restrictions TRPA monitors for compliance annually. I have a couple of more questions for TRPA counsel John Hester about what kind of process that would be. Would it be staff level or a publicly-noticed hearing? So one of the links I shared in the Chat was to our Deed Restrictions page, which explains the compliance program. I do want to stress that the deed restrictions in Incline Village are under a compliance program and they are enforceable. TRPA has started to track those. Most of them are in compliance. We’re just gathering more information. The same team that is developing the housing code amendments for deed-restricted affordable housing is working on that at the same time.
The last of Julie Regan’s TRPA talks happened last night at the UNR-Tahoe campus. We’ve been getting a lot of great information and feedback from the public. Most of the issues you’re all aware of that you get to share with us regularly as well.
We also attended the Environmental Dive Center grand opening yesterday in Incline Village at 925 Lake Tahoe Boulevard. They are now participating— not just in being a source for “voluntourism,” where people coming into the Basin can go on a dive trip that actually cleans up litter—but they’re’ also helping TRPA educate the public about the Tahoe Keepers Program, trying to get non-motorized watercraft operators and paddlers to certify themselves for aquatic-invasive species protections in the lake.
I’ll get some questions going, of course. But the comment that Ann Nichols made about TRPA’s characterization of evacuation, I just want to say that last month we had a recording of it that was shared in our newsletter at the beginning of August that was looking at TRPA coming into work with fire districts in the region on emergency evacuation response and planning. This is the first time that we’ve done it. We are listening to those organizations and agencies, and trying to understand our role going forward. And a little bit about what we heard from them was shared in that meeting. I think it would be good for everyone to review. I don’t think we would characterize anything about how Fire Districts feel. I think we would just be sharing facts. As an agency, TRPA wouldn’t try to summarize how other organizations are feeling, but rather just state the facts of what’s happening. We can’t always speak for any of our individual Governing Board members. Vince Hoenigman is the California Natural Resources Agency appointee to the Governing Board. He’s more answerable to that organization than to the TRPA staff itself.
Dr. Whyman, it’s very good to see you back. My heart definitely goes out to the people of Lahaina and other folks in Incline Village with really deep connections to Hawaii and everything they’re going through. It’s incredibly disturbing and I appreciate what you shared.
Denise Davis
Jeff, your audio was a bit fuzzy when you started so I’ll just repeat what you said. The RPIC and the Governing Board are meeting August 23, in Kings Beach at the North Tahoe Event Center, and a portion of the meeting will be a walking tour of Kings Beach.
Yolanda Knaak
Jeff Cowan I’m concerned and I’ve been talking about this a lot. I don’t know if you’ve heard me on this issue about changing the zoning for our downtown along Tahoe Boulevard. I’m really concerned because a lot of our businesses there are renters, and if you change the zoning, the building owner could sell to a developer and they could put multi-million dollar condos there. And then where would our businesses be able to rent?
My personal bank—US Bank—is a renter. So I’m really concerned. I’ve talked about this situation and I’ve talked about it many times, and I don’t hear any changes in the plan. The other question I had is that I heard that in Kings Beach, TRPA is approving 5-story buildings. Is that true? Are you planning to do that here? I’m totally opposed to it.
Jeff Cowen
The plan that’s being developed over the next couple of months looks at ways to encourage deed-restricted affordable housing in town centers. The current state of that proposal does include up to 5-story structures for deed-restricted affordable housing. We’re continuing to get more feedback from the public on that before anything is finalized. So thank you for those comments. Hopefully I’ll be able to do a little research on what’s happening with the town centers in the Washoe Tahoe Area Plan regarding single-family uses going forward. I’m not sure.
Kristina Hill – Incline Village Resident
Hi, Jeff. It’s really disturbing to me—I know it’s not TRPA—but I just want to comment on the TTD plan to put in a 130-parking-space lot to access Chimney Beach. That is nut-so. Have you seen that beach? It’s only 30 yards long and 6 feet wide. So where are all those people going to go? That seems like bad planning to me. Do you have an idea of what that is?
Jeff Cowen
Yes, this is replacing roadside parking. All of the Corridor Management Plan comes to getting the roadside parking under control and working on improving recreational access and trying to reduce the impacts of all the folks accessing the corridor. It is about not increasing the capacity for parking, but better managing the parking that is already there. Along with any additional parking lot, they have to block off an equal number of spaces. Any future increases in demand for those areas would all be coming from transit and trails. The USFS and National Parks want to take the existing demand, and not take too much of it away, because they have a mission to serve the public and to get public access to recreational areas – so not to reduce the existing parking demand, but rather to better manage it. Any additional demand from the increased population that we’re seeing outside the region would be managed through transit and trails. There’s another parking lot being built at Spooner Summit as we try to continue the East Shore Express and the East Shore Trail all the way to the top of Spooner Summit. It’s not 130. It’s 160, because there are already 30 spaces at the Chimney Beach parking lot now, so a total of 160.
Kristina Hill
So you’re saying they’re adding 130 spaces, but are they going to take away 130 spaces on the side of the road?
Jeff Cowen
Yes, they are taking away 130 on the road.
Kristina Hill
Okay. Good answer. Thank you.
Shirley Appel – Incline Village Resident, HOA President
In regard to the Chimney Beach redo, I think I read you’re closing the parking lot this coming week and it will be closed through the end of the year. I think it’s early to be closing these parking lots when we still have thousands of tourists coming into the area. Where are they going to park, on the streets?
Jeff Cowen
The ones doing the project are deciding about the timing. It is difficult in the Basin with the October grading deadline. It’s always a challenge to try to fit these kinds of projects in. They’re developing the 130 total spaces at a time when schools are starting to open and students starting to return. I think they weren’t expecting there would be major impacts from it. Again, the roadside parking is at capacity for that region, that area right now. There won’t be any additional. I think people will just have to find a different way to get there. About 30 cars would have to find a different way, and there aren’t going to be any additional impacts, and people going back to school could help that.
Shirley Appel
Let’s hope so. Thank you.
Aaron Vanderpool
I’m really appalled and frightened and I hope that most everybody in the community will show up and give feedback on these projects. The idea of replacing roadside parking with these parking lots and these trails… this is exactly the situation that created this nightmare mobility hub in Incline Village.
People seem to have less and less respect for the law. They park anywhere they want. I’m appalled that they’re still permitting the East Shore Express to operate from the Old Incline Elementary School. Yesterday and constantly I have cars speeding past me on Oriole Way. They go around and pass on this crowded 2-way street with roadside parking and kids running around.
And also I want to ask, what’s the process for going to TRPA to get enforcement of the TRPA noise ordinance? There are multiple people in my neighborhood with these cars that are clearly violating the “under 35 decibel limit.” What’s the process for getting TRPA involved in enforcing their noise limit? The local county law enforcement can only do so much. We have to put our life and property at risk in order to get these noise enforcements done. So that’s my question.
I want to say again we need to be careful about creating amenities and parking lots and creating reasons for people to come to Tahoe for recreational opportunities. That’s why we’re in this situation in the first place.
Jeff Cowen
Always reach out to our compliance team regarding enforcement. I will tell you that our noise ordinance is based on a 24-hour measurement for noise. So typically those aren’t anything that break our ordinance. We write noise ordinances primarily for construction starting at a certain time – and we’re working on a shoreline plan for go-fast boats that are incredibly loud. There are only about 7 operating on the lake. We’re working toward trying to reduce those particular noise impacts. But we don’t do it as a community noise abatement issue just because the local governments have a hold on those issues already.
Aaron Vanderpool
Then why is it that you have in your noise ordinance a decibel limit for vehicles going under 35 miles per hour for a 6000 pound vehicle? That’s a single point noise and in the ordinance.
Jeff Cowen
Good question. I’ll do research. Do I have your email address?
Denise Davis
Okay, so Jeff is going to do some research and get more information about the noise ordinance.
Jeff Cowen
Thank you. I’ll just put my email in the chat.
John Crockett
I have another question for you in response to Yolanda’s comment. I’ve definitely heard the process about the appeal of the zoning change for the 947-project go back and forth. And initially—forgive my ignorance on this—but my understanding was it was initially an approval for the whole commercial core, but that got whacked back to just this individual project. I still feel like I can’t find out exactly what this will mean for the next …. If it’s an exception, what will happen for the rest?
Jeff Cowen
Yeah, I got you. They’re off of that project a couple of weeks ago just before I went to the Governing Board. So I apologize for not having it on the tip of my tongue. You’re absolutely right. That was the discussion. Does it go to the entire commercial zone or just to that particular parcel? That was something going back and forth. And I apologize. But I’ll find out for you, Mr. Crockett, and Yolanda as well.
John Crockett
Thank you.
Denise Davis
We’re after 10 am so Kathie I’m going to ask you to keep your question or comment brief.
Kathie Julian
Okay. My understanding is that the entire commercial zone along SR 28 has been rezoned with the little deed-restriction mitigations—which I consider ineffectual—and the mixed-use provisions applied to all of that zone with some special arrangement for 947 Tahoe Boulevard. People in this community need to understand that the entire stretch of SR 28 has been significantly changed because of this zoning change. Those older commercial properties there can be redeveloped into luxury condos with very little room for our smaller businesses that can’t afford to rent a ground-floor in a luxury condo.
I take issue with your point about the deed restrictions. I encourage people to go to the Request for Proposals (RFP) that TRPA has recently put out for monitoring those deed restrictions. If you read that RFP, you’ll see how difficult it is to monitor for deed restrictions. While I appreciate TRPA’s efforts, in my view that RFP needs considerable work to strengthen it. And we really don’t have any effectual way of monitoring our 95 deed-restricted properties in Incline. Ronda, I’ll send you a link to the RFP. It’s publicly available. It’s already been put out and I’m not sure where it is in the process right now. Thank you, Jeff, for coming to these morning meetings. We really do appreciate your participation.
Jeff Cowen
I appreciate you. And I apologize that I don’t always have the answers at my fingertips.
Denise Davis
Doug Flaherty, again it’s after 10 o’clock so I’m going to ask you to be brief in your question or comment.
Doug Flaherty – Incline Village Resident, Tahoe Clean Air Director
A week or so ago—Steve Dolan’s on the call so he can speak for himself—but Steve Dolan, and Toby Tyler from the Sierra Club, and myself went up to take a look at the lack of BMPs on the Old Incline Lake. We were slated to meet with several people from TRPA and the Forest Service. So we went up the day before and witnessed first- hand a huge track hoe pushing huge amounts of dirt into the lower banks of 3rd Creek. We also witnessed numerous violations of BMPs around the project. And we witnessed a beaver dam that had been started several weeks ago of which now there is now no beaver oddly enough.
When the TRPA code-enforcement guy showed up for our meeting, he was very condescending. He treated Steve Dolan very shabbily. I’ll let Steve speak to that. But I’m telling you that the enforcement arm of the TRPA is worthless. He told us that the US Forest Service isn’t treated the same, and projects like this don’t have to comply with the BMPs like a construction project in Incline. He said he was short on staff. There were all types of excuses why the BMPs hadn’t been put in place or maintained. It was total failure of oversight on the US Forest Service. It was total failure of oversight on the part of the TRPA. And that is happening all the way around the lake. And our pro-growth friends at TRPA continue to state, “Oh, we can’t do anything.” We have MOUs with the Forest Service and rely on them to do their job.” It’s garbage.
Jeff Cowen
I don’t want to use this space to really argue back and forth, so I’ll just respect Doug’s position. The US Forest Service is a good partner around the Basin. Their projects are incredibly solid. They do a lot of great work for Tahoe. This project has been a problem for a long time and 5 people met up at the Incline dam last week with the Forest staff supervisor Eric Walker. Our staff walked away knowing that the folks we’re engaging with in the community have very good points. The project can definitely be improved. We know that the Forest Service is listening and improving that site. And the fact that TRPA capped all development in the Basin in 1987 and has slowed all existing development potential in the Basin for a very long time means that we are not a “pro-growth” organization.
Helen Neff
Thanks, Jeff, for all your information. The Washoe Tahoe Area Plan, which was approved by the County— and I don’t remember the exact date— but was also approved by the TRPA is now in effect.
My question to Jeff is on 947, because it was permitted as a consent item in June 2022. It got some relief from the new requirements on mixed-use and other items because it was already permitted. They do have to comply with conditions 3 and 4 on affordable housing. My question to Jeff is how do we know that process? They have to do it. He will let us know how the public will be informed if we’ll be informed. It might just be a paper thing that happens internally.
I want everyone to be aware it’s coming before the Planning Commission on Tuesday September 5th. I asked Commissioner Hill how they will comply with conditions 3 and 4. It’s not in their application. Commissioner Hill verbally told me she has advised the Planning Department they need to submit a new application. I’ve been watching the Planning website. It was not on the website as of last night. Whether it will be on before September 5th or whether the application will be delayed another month, I don’t know. September 5th is a Tuesday. It was originally the same day as a CAB meeting; but Chair Diane Becker informed me that’s been postponed or cancelled.
Denise Davis
I’m on the CAB and I have not been notified of any of that. I don’t know if any of that is still what’s happening. Mr. Dolan did you have a comment? Again, it’s after 10 so please be brief.
Steve Dolan – Incline Village Resident
I’m responding to my name being mentioned just now. Mr. Flaherty represented correctly the tone of that meeting, which was essentially based around the video that I put on YouTube. The US Forest Service doesn’t like me. That’s the case. With regard to Jeff saying the TRPA partnership with the US Forest service is long and good… the reason I put out that video is because it’s not just about the last 4 horrible years of the lack of BMPS, it’s about how they do it all around the lake, which is a big concern. If they can’t be pulled in with 4 years of evidence… It’s all around the lake. They are the biggest manager of the lake land. So I’m actually preparing a report for TRPA and we’ll talk about it further later.
Denise Davis
I have just a quick update if you’re not on the email list for the Waldorf Astoria Lake Tahoe (WALT) project. They sent out information on demolition and construction plans. “Revitalized Tahoe Biltmore is excited to share an update on the 2023 demolition and construction plans to continue our commitment to the community. Asbestos abatement for the Tahoe Biltmore will be completed during the summer of 2023 followed by the demolition of the property’s cottages scheduled to start in a few weeks. Demolition of the Tahoe Biltmore casino and hotel building will begin upon abatement completion, with demolition expected to be completed by the end of 2023 in preparation for the 2024 construction season. If you have any questions, call Mike Dunn at 775 901 6633.”
Also, if you decide you’re going down to the Washoe Planning Commission meeting September 5, I want to give everyone a heads up that the county puts on a Senior Fest every year the day after Labor Day 9 am to 5 pm at the Reno Town Mall. They offer all kinds of things of interest to seniors. Sometimes they do flu vaccines and health screenings. They have a lot of vendors there to help you find information. They have Veterans Administration representatives who can help veterans find information. They often have information about assisted and independent living programs, and parks and recreation programs.
John Crockett
The library is open. And Happy Anniversary to the Whymans!
Denise Davis
As long as we’re on that note, Happy 80th birthday to my mom today!
And with that, we will see you again on Friday September 1st. As always, be safe, be aware, and have a good 2 weeks.
PARTICIPANTS
Aaron Vanderpool
Andrew Whyman
Ann Nichols
Barbara P Whyman
David Simon
Denise Davis
Doug Flaherty
Greg Juhl
Helen Durfee
Helen Neff
Jeff Cowen
Joe Farrell
John Crockett
John James
Jon Davidson
Kari Ferguson
Kathie Julian
Kristina Hill
Linda Offerdahl
Marsha Berkbigler
Pam Straley
Pandora Bahlman
Ronda Tycer
Ryan Sommers
Shirley Appel
Steve Dolan
Steve Price
Tia Rancourt
Tiffany Clements
Yolanda Knaak
CHAT LOG
09:07:55 From Kari Ferguson : My apologies. The rec pool is open until noon on Saturday and Sunday
09:16:59 From Tia Rancourt Iphone 13 Pro!! : We have KKOH 780am, KUNR 88.9 FM, KOWL 1490 AM, KRLT 93.9 FM, KTKE 101.5FM listed in our current emergency preparedness guide.
I will confirm the radio stations with WCEM and post on our website today.
09:33:51 From Marsha Berkbigler : So glad to hear everyone thinking of the comparison between Maui/Lahaina and IV/CB. Fire sirens in IV/CB is a great idea. The Fire District is great and can and will do a great job of evacuation but why isn’t the County putting together a plan for sirens to be installed??
09:45:36 From Marsha Berkbigler : Curious if anyone knows how many structure fire engines will be operating inside IV/CB to protect structures should a large fire threaten the community?
09:49:14 From Jeff Cowen – Tahoe Regional Planning Agency : TRPA Governing Board Meeting Information:https://www.trpa.gov/wp-https://www.trpa.gov/governing-board-documents-august-23-2023-hybrid-meeting/TRPA Affordable Housing Deed-Restriction Information Page:https://www.trpa.gov/applications-forms/deed-restrictions-for-affordable-housing/Senator Padilla Tahoe Summit Recap:https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-hosts-27th-annual-lake-tahoe-summit-calls-for-sustainable-solutions-to-combat-climate-crisis/
09:55:04 From Ryan Sommers : Marsha, your question on how many engines (structure) would be operating within IV/CB is a very dynamic question. We have 3 staffed 24/7. We get 5 engines (2 from neighboring agencies) on any reported structure fire. With a larger fire, we order 15-25 engines and also the same amount of brush engines. If you or anyone wants to discuss further, please get hold of me.
09:59:58 From kathie julian : The area re-zoned already on SR28 will allow for all of those older commercial properties to be re-developed into luxury condos with no affordable space for our existing small businesses. This impacts some 40 commercial properties along SR28 between 947 Tahoe and the High Sierra nursery area. The re-zoning was just approved by TRPA and Washoe County. We will likely see a loss of affordable retail space for our small businesses, and loss of services to our community. The mixe-use requirements have loopholes. Large condo lobbies and condo gyms and condo sales offices count as “mixed use/commercial space”.
10:02:33 From Jeff Cowen – Tahoe Regional Planning Agency : Noise concern report:https://www.trpa.gov/contact/report-a-concern/
10:02:55 From Marsha Berkbigler : Replying to “Marsha, your question…”
Thanks Ryan. This is helpful info in the effort to get the County to provide you funds to pay for sirens.
10:04:40 From Jeff Cowen – Tahoe Regional Planning Agency : jcowen@trpa.gov
10:08:07 From Kari Ferguson : Thank you Jeff!
10:08:17 From Kari Ferguson : I need to hop off. Have a great weekend everyone!
10:08:23 From Washoe County Libraries : Thank you Jeff and Kari!
10:09:20 From Kari Ferguson : https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/news/mountain-golf-course-cart-path-improvement-project
10:10:18 From Tia Rancourt Iphone 13 Pro!! : I’m hopping off as well. I’ve emailed Kelly Echeverria, WCEM confirming EAS radio stations and will get that info to you.
10:11:11 From Washoe County Libraries : Thanks Tia!
10:12:23 From kathie julian : Jeff, please supply the link to the RFP 240001 for the deed monitoring for the deed restricted properties in Tahoe Basin. It is a public document, issued in June 2023. While the proposals are not public, the Request for Proposals should be. Thanks!!!
10:16:44 From Jeff Cowen – Tahoe Regional Planning Agency : Deed restriction RFP:https://www.trpa.gov/wp-content/uploads/Deed-Restriction-Monitoring-RFP-240001.pdf
Forum URLs:
Our email is:
Washoe County Sheriff Office (WCSO)
non-emergency dispatch 775-785-9276
Incline substation Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Washoe-County-Sheriffs-Office-Incline-Village-Substation-143827955640457/
North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District website
non-emergency fire dispatch (Grass Valley) 530-477-0641, then pick 7
defensible space info
https://nltfpd.org/defensible-space
Lake Tahoe Basin CWPP (Community Wildfire Protection Plan) update – survey closes August 31
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/efc908b220ec4d82b02969bbd23ef122
QR code available at nltfpd.org
helping Tahoe residents and visitors prepare for wildfire
Washoe County emergency alert sign-up
https://www.washoecounty.gov/em/RegionalAlerts.php
Washoe Regional Emergency Information Center
https://www.EmergencyWashoe.com/
Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) prescribed burn info
road construction updates
https://www.inclinehighways.com/
Aug 22 – Washoe County BCC (Board of County Commissioners) meeting
Washoe County Speak Up and eComment instructions
https://washoe-nv.granicusideas.com/
Aug 23 – TRPA RPIC and Governing Board meetings
https://www.trpa.gov/event/governing-board-meeting-5-2023-08-23/
Aug 24 – ‘Talks at Tahoe’ – Zeb Hogan, monster fish
https://www.unr.edu/lake-tahoe/talks
Aug 30 – IVGID BOT meeting
https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/ivgid/board-of-trustees/meetings-and-agendas
Sept 16 – WCSO Incline Village Community Picnic
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=669431281884142&set=a.620611276766143
Sept 18 – IV mobility hub public information open house – NEW DATE
Mountain Golf Course Cart Path Improvement Project
https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/news/mountain-golf-course-cart-path-improvement-project
all applications for Washoe County Commission District 1
https://www.washoecounty.gov/csd/planning_and_development/applications/apps_commish_district_one.php
Neighborhood Meetings for upcoming projects
https://neighborhood-washoe.hub.arcgis.com/
Washoe311 – request for service
call 311 or 775-328-2003
https://washoecountynv.qscend.com/311/request/add
Washoe County board and commission openings
https://www.washoecounty.gov/bcc/board_opportunities.php
IV/CB Community 1st meetings and community info
IVCBA (Incline Village Crystal Bay Community and Business Association)
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