Denise Davis – Forum Moderator
Good morning, Forum. I’m Denise Davis your moderator. Ronda Tycer is our Forum recap editor. And Amanda McPhaill is our tech guru. As a reminder, our meeting is being recorded. Before you begin speaking, please state your name. For those here in the room, please come up to the microphones. Because of the room’s acoustics we can’t hear you unless you’re within a foot or two of the microphones. 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 at the end of the meeting recap. We partner with IVCB Community 1s.t.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 Forum meeting notices and recaps, send an email to us at ivcbcommunityforum@gmail.com.
I was recently asked about the URLs mentioned in the Forum. All the URLs are given in the Chat Box at the bottom of the recap. So to find something, scroll down to the bottom of the recap and it should be there.
Kari Ferguson is out of town today. So Shelia, would you like to tell us what’s happening at IVGID?
Shelia Leijon – Incline Village General Improvement District, Parks & Recreation Superintendent
For our Aquatics Department, we are looking at rolling back the hours, mainly because of a lack of ability to safely guard the beaches and our aquatic facilities. We’re looking at getting creative with the hours. So here’s a plug for lifeguards. If you’re interested in becoming a lifeguard, let us know. It would be a great way for you to support the swimming community in Incline Village, and also assist us in keeping open that beautiful brand new pool at Burnt Cedar as long as we can into fall.
Then rolling right on into our beaches, they are still operational and fully staffed. Restrictions on boat launching remain at a maximum, length of 22 feet. If there are any questions or concerns about that you can reach out to me either by email or phone: 775 832-1030. I can answer any questions you might have related to the beaches or launching boats.
Moving on to our two Centers we currently have through Parks and Recreation. At the Recreation Center we’re looking to restore the gymnasium floor in the next month. There’s a little bit of a supply-chain issue, so please bear with us as we work with the contractor to set the dates according to the materials we need. Relative to the Tennis Center, it is in full operation until the end of this month. Then we will be looking at reducing the hours at the pro shop but keeping the courts open and ready for play. We had two amazing tournaments – a pickleball tournament back-to-back with a tennis tournament. We had great turnout and great registration and a fun time for everyone. I think that’s about it for Parks and Recreation.
[Speaker]
When will the men’s locker room open up?
Shelia Leijon
We’re looking at the end of September for that. We are on track. And I will tell you that we have a weekly tour with the contractor, and they are beautiful. They are lovely. So we’re looking forward to opening that and restoring showers to the guys who work out at the Rec Center.
Sara Schmitz – Incline Village General Improvement District Trustee, IVCB Community 1st Director
I received an email from a community member, and one of the suggestions was, since the locker rooms are closed at the Rec Center, would it be possible to reduce hours for the guarded swim at the Rec Center pool to keep the other pool open. That was a suggestion that was made. I’m interested in what your perspective is on that.
Shelia Leijon
My perspective on that is that it is a great suggestion. However, we are required to have a lifeguard on duty whether the pool is operational or not simply because we cannot lock those doors. For safety reasons for the community, there has to be a qualified, fully certified lifeguard on staff on duty at the Rec Center even if the hours are reduced. That’s to make sure that with the doors open—some child or adult doesn’t just come in and jump in the pool, hit their head, and there’s nobody on duty to deal with that.
Patricia Moser Morris – Incline Village Resident
Why not just install some locks on the doors?
Shelia Leijon
It’s not possible. It’s against our regulations through the County. There has to be the ability for them to get in and out for emergency reasons. So if somebody was in the pool and the door was locked, and nobody could get to the pool, it would present quite an issue.
Patricia Moser Morris
So if the doors are locked, how would somebody get into the pool?
Shelia Leijon
There have been accidents. It’s just one of those things that unfortunately we [inaudible 6:04]. We’ve looked at the possibility of locking off the pool, and it’s just not possible at this time. I’m not saying that we couldn’t advocate for something like that, but there are certain regulations that guide how we keep the pool open [inaudible 6:21].
But to your point, Sara, what we’re looking at – and I’m meeting with [ ] today to look at extending the hours at Burnt Cedar. We are looking at possibly having one guard [ ] through certain hours. They don’t have to sit at the pool, but they have to be present. So someone could be working in the guard’s office and serve at that bar, as long as they are certified and qualified to handle an emergency. [inaudible] The hope is then to shift some of the guard’s hours from the Rec Center to the Burnt Cedar pool. But again, we’re reduced to 5 lifeguards. Most of our college-age staff have gone back to school or they’re getting ready to go back. So if any of you want to be a lifeguard, it would be a fun thing to do. [inaudible 7:24] Are there any other questions about Parks and Recreation?
Denise Davis
I have a comment to make. I want everyone to know that just like everywhere else, “If you see something, say something.” I saw something happen at the beach and I reported it to Shelia and she followed up on it and took care of the problem. So instead of telling your friends what happened, be sure you tell IVGID what happened. They can’t take care of or correct things if they don’t know they are occurring. So thank you for taking care of that.
Shelia Leijon
Absolutely, and thank you for reporting it. I think that’s one of the most important things you can take away from this conversation. If you tell us, we are able to do something. We can’t have eyes on every single venue. So if you see an issue you are concerned about, please report it to me or to Indra or any of the supervisors of Parks and Recreation and they’ll get it to the right person who can handle it.
Sara Schmitz
I have a suggestion for next year. I walk the beaches and pick up trash. And what I pick up most are straws and the wrappers from straws. If we could ask Incline Spirits to make some changes for next year, it would be good, because the straws and wrappers are everywhere. That’s the biggest thing I pick up other than cigarette butts at our “non-smoking” beaches.
Shelia Leijon
You wear gloves I hope.
Sara Schmitz
I wash my hands.
Shelia Leijon
That’s a really good point, Sara, because they are plastic straws, and as we all know, they are really bad for the environment. They’re unsightly [inaudible 9:31], they’re small, they’re slippery. So paper straws are at least biodegradable. That’s a great suggestion. I’ll make sure I mention it. Thank you.
Ray Tulloch – Incline Village Resident, Candidate for IVGID Trustee, IVGID Audit Committee
Can I make a suggestion for the beaches? I’m walking the beach about once a day and [inaudible]. It’s extremely dangerous with people walking along the beach [inaudible 10:03]. There’s a lot of [ ] there. I still see people [inaudible 10:13 ]. A couple of weeks ago I was in the [inaudible 10:19].
Shelia Leijon
So Abby works on this. [10:25]
Ray Tulloch
[Inaudible 10:40] do something [ ] particularly at the far west end.
Shelia Leijon
[inaudible 10:42]
Bruce Townsend – Incline Village Resident
We were down at the beach a couple of weeks ago and somebody had rented the volleyball courts and they were playing this loud, loud music. We couldn’t even sit across the stream from it. So I went over and talked to somebody. The supervisor came down and said, “Oh, they can make as much noise as they want. They rented this place.”
Shelia Leijon
Was that the incident where it was coming from the party barge on the lake?
Bruce Townsend
No.
Shelia Leijon
It was on the beach itself?
Bruce Townsend
Yes, on the volleyball court. They had a big megaphone and were announcing things, and they had music. And the supervisor came, and when I talked to him, he basically said, “They rented it so they can make as much noise they want.” We couldn’t… we actually had to move down the beach because they were making so much noise.
Shelia Leijon
That needs to be corrected [inaudible 11:50]. Any amplifier on the beaches has to be approved by me. If it’s something other than a simple speaker [ ]—which is acceptable. But If it’s blaring music that actually interferes with somebody’s opportunity to enjoy the beach, that’s not okay. [inaudible 12:21] But if something like that happens again, call me directly. I have my office number forwarded to my cell phone, so even if I’m off, I can take a phone call and direct someone to actually deal with it.
Sara Schmitz
The next day there was a lot of trash and debris from that same group. I walked through [inaudible].
Shelia Leijon
And to that point, one of the things we do [inaudible 12:56] when we rent a beach facility –or any of our picnic facilities – there is a clause in the agreement that you sign off on – that if you create a larger impact than what is normal – and you [ ] the crap that you bring to an event [inaudible 13:19] and it impacts our park staff, it creates greater cost to the District by additional dump trucks taking trash to the dump, you will be charged accordingly. That’s something that our [ ] regulates, and if they find that is the case, someone has signed off, they have a credit card on file, and they know that we will be charging them a fee.
Ray Tulloch
[inaudible 13:47] possible to take enough on a deposit up front but make it refundable. [inaudible 13:53] because if they’re aware of it up front, it is much more likely they will [inaudible 13:58]
Shelia Leijon
That’s one of the reasons we have them sign on their application process and it is [inaudible 14:00 ] at the time of their application. Our [ ] system does not easily provide an opportunity for refunding [ ] So taking a deposit, holding it, and then refunding it is a challenge for our current software system. That is something that we’ve thought about and [ ] so we’ve found that the best way to do it is to address it at the time of the application. Let them know that this is our policy. If they abuse our facilities and don’t return them in the condition they receive them in, then they will be charged. Currently that’s the way it is.
Ray Tulloch
I understood. I just think it focuses them much more if you have the deposit up front.
Shelia Leijon
You’re right. And I agree. We let them know their card is on file and that we will charge them if they abuse our facilities. Any other questions for me?
Ronda Tycer – Recap Editor
I just want to say that even with the microphones positioned as they are I wasn’t able to hear what Ray was saying. And I think that the first row thinks we can hear you, but it’s not really clear. There’s a problem with the room where you speak and there’s an echo or something that muddles things. So I’d really appreciate it if anyone who’s speaking could speak towards the microphone within 2 feet. Thank you.
Denise Davis
Thanks, Ronda. Ray’s question was if IVGID could charge a refundable deposit up front when they book the venue.
Ronda Tycer
Got it.
Kari Ferguson – Incline Village General Improvement District Communication Coordinator
Shelia, thanks for pitch-hitting today. I didn’t know if my web service was going to be good. I just want to tag onto what was said about trash. We do have available at the Rec Center Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if you’re interested in picking up trash. You can check in at the counter and borrow one of the little trash picker-upper sticks, and go out and bag trash. We’re calling it “Be a Hero and Clean up Tahoe.” That was brought to us by our community member Carolyn Unsinger. That’s available if you want to help clean up the beach, like Sara. So if you’re interested, come see us at the Rec Center.
I also want to let people know we have a new City Clerk coming on board on Monday. Her name is Melissa. And the Board of Trustees meeting will be held on August 31st.
Shelia Leijon
Kari, do you have any updates on golf for us?
Kari Ferguson
I know they are also desperately looking for staff. We don’t have our hired person yet. They’ve been hired, but they are not here yet. They are really struggling. One of our very key staff members just got married last week, so Darren is holding the whole place down by himself there. I don’t have anything else major. I do know they are wrapping up some of their events.
Shelia Leijon
Thanks, Kari, and just one last point. Diamond Peak is now recruiting for new staff. So if you want to work at our ski area, keep that in mind as well.
Patricia Moser Morris
Last year I bought one of those season passes to Diamond Peak thinking I’d start skiing. But I had trouble and got sick and didn’t even use it once. Somebody told me that if you don’t use it even once, you can get your money back. Is that right?
Shelia Leijon
I will direct that question to [ ] but if you give me your contact information, I’ll get a response to you.
Denise Davis
You can get a refund on your season pass if you don’t use it by January 15. They deduct the processing fee. And it’s “no questions asked.” After that I think you have to talk to staff.
Kari Ferguson
It’s available for rollover. If you want to push it to this year, that can also happen.
Patricia Moser Morris
I’m the eternal optimist. I’ve already bought another one for this season.
Shelia Leijon
Well good for you.
Denise Davis
And thank you for your donation to Diamond Peak.
Shelia Leijon
Just one more thing—I’d like to thank Bruce Townsend for his support. When I was a Senior Program Coordinator and Manager, Bruce was always very supportive. I know he’s leaving the area and it’s a loss to the community, but we’re excited for him and Cindy in their new venture. Thanks, Bruce.
Bruce Townsend
Thank you.
Denise Davis
Thanks, Shelia, and join us more often. And Kari, thanks for phoning in.
Kari Ferguson
Of course, you guys. Happy Friday.
Denise Davis
We have some landscaping going on right outside the windows. Moving on. I don’t see anyone from our fire or sheriff’s office and don’t have any announcements from them. So I’ll begin filling you in on what’s going on with all our agencies.
• In case you haven’t heard, the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitor Bureau has a new name. They are rebranded as Travel North Tahoe Nevada.
• The Washoe County Sheriff Office non-emergency number is 775 785-9276. Last week we had several items on the news and I received some emails about scams, which seem to be in overdrive right now. So just be aware, and alert anyone you know—especially who is younger or older who may not have heard scams are at high intensity right now.
• Another reminder is that NDOT is working on nail walls from Incline to Sand Harbor. There are night closures at the East Shore Trail from Sunday through Thursday, 8pm to 6am. There is still road construction where they are working on various sections. That’s a pop-up issue, so I can’t tell you exactly where.
• The Reno Justice Court is going to host a “criminal record-sealing” event. If you know anyone who has a problem getting a job or housing because of something that is on their record, this is an opportunity for them to talk to the legal community to learn how to deal with that on their record. The event will be held August 30 10-2pm in Reno. Further contact information is in the recap URLs.
* If you would like to give your input on hemp products intended for human consumption, the Washoe County Health District would like to hear from you. Go onto the Washoe County website or, if you’re interested, you can come look at the printout for what they are interested in. They are proposing to make amendments to the Nevada Administrative Code. So there is a long list. You need to respond before that closes on September 2nd.
• The Washoe County Board of Commissioners will have their meeting on Tuesday at 10am. There are no agenda items specifically related to Incline Village. There is an item of interest. The Burning Man administration will reimburse the County $129,582 for additional law enforcement for the Burning Man event.
* The Incline Village Mobility Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday August 29 at 5:30. I’ve heard that the meeting may be cancelled. Neither the notice of cancellation nor the agenda has been posted. Our Forum members Carole Black and John Crockett are on that committee.
• Our IVCB Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) meeting will be held Tuesday September 6 because the Labor Day holiday is on Monday September 5. Our August meeting was cancelled due to technical problems. So our September meeting has the same agenda. Washoe County Manager Eric Brown will be participating. So if you have questions about how the CAB now functions… Previously the CAB addressed Planning and Building issues. But now that has been revamped. The CAB discusses basically everything except Planning and Development issues. So if you want to comment on that, Manager Brown will be on the meeting.
I believe they are still looking for an Alternate Member to serve on the CAB. If you’d like to apply, go online; and the URL will be at the bottom of the recap Chat Box.
Also on the CAB agenda, Amy Cummings from Parametrix who has spoken with the Forum before, will discuss progress on the Washoe County transportation plan. And Dave Solaro, Assistant County Manager, will be discussing Washoe County traffic-calming policy.
• Tahoe Transportation District – The TTD does not have any board meetings scheduled until October.
• The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has a Governing Board meeting Wednesday August 24, at 9:30. It will be a hybrid on Zoom and in-person at the TRPA office in South Lake Tahoe. The Legal Committee and Operations and Governance Committee will be meeting earlier at 8:30.
• We have coming up the Interim Committee of the Nevada Legislature. We have interim committees because our Legislature meets every 2 years, and won’t meet until 2023. But they do have interim committees. One is the Legislative Committee for Review and Oversight of TRPA and Marlette Lake Water System. Marlette Lake supplies water to Carson City and Virginia City. If you want to learn about that, watch their first interim meeting. Their next meeting is Wednesday August 31st at 1pm likely online only. The agenda is not yet posted.
• Another thing to discuss is our Washoe County “Neighborhood Meetings.” We had two Neighborhood Meetings this week because, as I said before, the CAB was revamped. Part of the revamp was how development projects go through the planning process. The previous complaint was that a project would get to a point where it was almost ready for approval, before there was community input. Then the community input would be such that the developer was frustrated and the community was frustrated, so the Planning Department decided to put community comment closer to the beginning of the process rather than at the end. That’s the purpose of these Neighborhood Meetings. They would like the community input closer to the beginning than to the end.
We had two Neighborhood Meetings this last week. IVGID was in one of those meetings concerned with a new effluent tank at the IVGID Wastewater Treatment Facility. This tank is needed before we can begin the effluent pipeline project.
The second Neighborhood Meeting concerned developing Phase 2 of the Incline Bike Park, which is located between the Recreation Center and the Tennis Center. I believe the recording will be available, but I’m not certain.
But coming up on Monday is another important Neighborhood Meeting addressing the 947 Tahoe Boulevard condominiums, which are across from the skate park.
Helen Neff was asking about this before the meeting. The way the Neighborhood Meeting is worded is to address the fact that in our adopted Washoe County Tahoe Area Plan, single-family housing is not permitted in that zone. So Helen talked to Washoe Planner Courtney Weiche, who has been very helpful and responsive. But it’s a lot to digest and understand.
Helen Neff – Incline Village Resident
There is a Washoe County Tahoe Area Plan. This condo development falls in Special Area 1. In this area, “Allowed Uses” include “Employee Housing, Multifamily Dwellings, Nursing and Personal Care, and Residential Care.” It does not include “Multi-Person Dwelling,” or “Single-Family-Dwelling.”
From what I understand—and I’m not sure, so don’t quote me—because the 947 Tahoe project is a condominium project, it falls under “Single-Family-Dwelling,” not “Multiple-Family-Dwelling.” An apartment building or workforce housing that is not owned by a single family I believe would be acceptable, but because this is a condominium, it requires an amendment. That is my understanding.
In our email exchange, Courtney was running off to a meeting and said she will get back to me on Monday. But if anyone in the room or on this call has any further insight or information, it would be helpful.
Denise Davis
Just to follow up, the Neighborhood Meeting is being held this coming Monday August 22 from 5-6pm on Zoom. The Zoom URL ID and passcode is:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/76717459808?pwd=ML2Ol93jMkO1gizI1YnfsF78QUUWU7.1
Meeting ID: 767 1745 9808
Passcode: 3Vb4ed
Todd Lowe – Incline Village Resident, Village League to Save Incline Assets President
Did you say that condominiums are categorized as single-family residences?
Denise Davis
Yes, I believe because it has individual owners of the condos.
Todd Lowe
The Washoe County Tax Assessor maintains all this stuff. There is a Land Use code for condos and it’s not the same as single-family residences. So I’m surprised, because condominiums have their own specific Land Use code. So it’s almost incomprehensible to me that someone would say that a condo is a Single-Family-Residence given it’s a separate Land Use.
Helen Neff
So the notice of the Neighborhood Meeting says “the purpose of the amendment is to encourage residential development and redevelopment that will further the Area Plan’s goal of creating walkable and bikeable town centers.”
“Amend “Permissible Use” in Special Area 1 of the Tahoe Area Plan to include Single-Family-Dwellings limited to condominiums.” So that would make me think that this plan says that a condominium is a “Single-Family-Dwelling.” That’s my assumption, but correct me if I’m wrong.
Todd Lowe
I don’t know if you’re wrong. It sounds to me like whoever wrote that is confused about Land Use.
Helen Neff
So it will be a very interesting meeting.
Todd Lowe
Yes.
Sara Schmitz
[inaudible 34:35] … the Tahoe Area Plan.
Denise Davis
Actually I think that is part of the Commercial Area – the [TRPA] Town Center Commercial Area.
Helen Neff
Right. It says, Incline Village Commercial. It’s under Special Area 1 according to the map. And that says that “Single-Family-Dwellings” are not allowed. They don’t have an “A” so they are not “Allowed.”
Todd Lowe
I mean condominiums are taxed differently, and everything is different. It just doesn’t make sense.
Helen Neff
There’s also a question of the Recreation privileges. It’s two parcels now that I believe they merged already. And so they had 10 passes. And now they’re proposing 40 units…
Todd Lowe
If you know the parcel APNs, then go on to the Assessors website…
Denise Davis
I don’t think they have APNs yet because they aren’t…
Todd Lowe
The current APNs…
Denise Davis
I don’t think there’s an issue with the IVGID passes. Because once they go on the tax roll… they become a parcel…
Todd Lowe
Then they are paying the Recreation Fee per parcel.
Denise Davis
In terms of IVGID Recreation privileges…
Todd Lowe
They are already on the tax roll. So it’s just a matter of who owns them, who gets assessed.
Helen Neff
But instead of having 5 passes or 10 for the two parcels, they will have 40 APNs…
Denise Davis
Because the two parcels will become 40 APNs, so once that happens…
Sara Schmitz
What’s interesting is that the WC Tahoe Area Plan clearly appears as though it was developed to promote Multiple-Family-Dwelling units in their commercial areas as opposed to Single-Family-Dwellings, in order to meet housing needs.
Todd Lowe
Right, so…
Denise Davis
Well, tune in Monday at 5pm and we can get the lowdown from Courtney Weiche, because I’m sure she’ll be able to explain what the difference is.
Kathie Julian –Washoe County Board of Adjustment Member, Citizen Advisory Board Past Member
When did this notice about the Neighborhood Meeting come out? I’ve been off-line for a bit, but I didn’t see it. Was it broadly distributed to the community?
Denise Davis
It went to everybody who signed up with Washoe County to receive notifications. If you’re signed up for the County emails you should have received it. If you got other notifications of Neighborhood Meetings you should have received this one.
[Subscribe at: https://neighborhood-washoe.hub.arcgis.com/]
Jack Dalton, MD – Incline Village Resident
First, I signed up for the County emails, but I got nothing from the County. Two, is about the newly proposed gym—or whatever it is— at the Rec Center. But I got the notice of the cancellation of that Neighborhood Meeting on NextDoor. I never got anything from IVGID.
Denise Davis
It doesn’t come from IVGID. It comes from the County.
Sara Schmitz
Check your spam folder –
Jack Dalton, MD
I check my spam folder all the time. It’s not there.
Denise Davis
I get emails from the County almost every day.
Jack Dalton, MD
I understand that’s you. That’s not me. So the question is, is this the meeting for the… is this a County issue for the… It was an IVGID notice on NextDoor.
Denise Davis
It’s Washoe County. The County requires whoever is doing a project, to hold a Neighborhood Meeting.
Jack Dalton, MD
I’m not talking about the Neighborhood Meeting. I’m talking about the Duffield athletic program.
Denise Davis
That’s TRPA.
Helen Neff
Are you talking about the expansion of the Rec Center?
Denise Davis
The Duffields are building a gym over at the Ponderosa, and that’s TRPA.
Jack Dalton, MD
Okay, so I didn’t get that notice either except on NextDoor.
Denise Davis
I got a notice in the mail because I live within so many feet of the project.
Sara Schmitz
That was actually listed in the IVCB Community 1st newsletter. I actually wrote— it was not only on the calendar [Jack Dalton, MD – I read the newsletter] but also a blurb that was written in the newsletter about the Duffield gymnasium at the Ponderosa. There were two things—the cell tower and the building of the Duffield gymnasium on the Ponderosa. Those were both in the newsletter as TRPA agenda items. We’re trying our best to keep everybody informed about what’s going on.
Jack Dalton, MD
Was the cancellation there too? I didn’t see it.
Sara Schmitz
I’ll get with you online to make sure you’re getting them.
Jack Dalton, MD
I’m getting your stuff, and might not have looked at the TRPA stuff. But this Duffield program needs to have a lot of questions answered.
Denise Davis
Currently there are several programs that the Duffields are supporting. There’s the expansion of the existing Recreation Center. The Duffields are building a private gym on the old Ponderosa parking lot. They’re also supporting rehabbing the High School football field. There are several projects they are involved in. So there will be different notices for different things coming from the specific agency, not from IVGID.
Helen Neff
Jack, I don’t know how long ago you signed up for those emails from the Washoe County website. But I had signed up for them and then didn’t receive any. So I went back on and I signed up again. And now I’m getting emails every day…. for all kinds of job offers as well.
Denise Davis
There are an astounding number of jobs doing an astounding number of things available to the County.
Jack Dalton, MD
I will do that. I think one of the comments that Kristina Hill made is really good about the County. Washoe let STRs run wild, and now they want multi-unit dwellings and higher density in Town Centers because we have no workforce housing. And I think the issues about expanding it… if you read the comments about affluent California with an acre going for $8 million… you’re not going to be building workforce housing there. We had an opportunity with the Old Elementary School owned by the Washoe County School District where the land wouldn’t have been expensive and we could have had a place for workforce housing. It’s a shame. It’s just unfortunate that TRPA and TTD eliminated the possibility of workforce housing there.
Denise Davis
Kathie, before I forget, did you have anything to report from the Board of Adjustment?
Kathie Julian
No, we had a very uneventful meeting of the Board of Adjustment a few weeks ago with just one item that dealt with something up in Cold Springs in the northern part of Washoe County. This coming meeting, which will be the 1st Thursday of September, should be filled with more items. We’ll know that in about a week or so. I’ll alert people if there is anything with reference to Incline Village. So far there hasn’t been anything to do with Incline Village since I’ve been on the Board.
Helen Neff
Some of you may be aware of this already. I want to bring attention to Take Care Tahoe’s new campaign to encourage safe driving in Tahoe to protect people and animals. I think everyone is familiar with these graphics (“Take it Slow Tahoe”) from past campaigns. The Tahoe Fund is working on updating the sign requests and also getting lawn signs available. Obviously you don’t want to put signs where there is a lot of traffic or it’s going to be a danger to read them. But in parking lots or in neighborhoods, this perhaps makes some sense.
The idea is to get people to take it slow, and be aware that your car can hurt a person or an animal. So around Lake Tahoe—particularly when it was developed in the last century – the focus was just on cars. But today many drivers are in a hurry, they are distracted, they are impaired, they’re not paying attention—so pedestrians, cyclists, and wildlife are more and more at risk. The other issue is that most of us have SUVs or pickup trucks. They’ve become bigger and heavier and stronger in the last 20 years. They are relatively safer for the drivers with all the safety equipment on them. But they are really a lethal weapon when a big heavy speeding car hits a person or animal. So I just want everyone to be aware of that. Keep an eye out for places for signage on places like beaches, parking lots—everywhere you see the prior campaign signs that said “mask up and social distancing.” That has gotten in our brains. So there are a lot of those signs that could be exchanged for “Take it Slow Tahoe.” And just remind people to “take it slow.”
Denise Davis
Todd, did you want to give us any updates about the City of Incline Village?
Todd Lowe
Shelia, when you talked about lifeguards, you have to be a certified lifeguard, is there a class for that?
Shelia Leijon
Yes, we have a certification class.
Todd Lowe
I’m already certified.
Shelia Leijon
You are?
Todd Lowe
Yes, but I would encourage everyone to go down and sit with the 17-18 year olds to take one of these classes. It’s sort of an “out of this world” experience.
Shelia Leijon
If you have time and interest in coming on board, I’m grabbing you.
Todd Lowe
Well, I’ve got some other projects I’m working on… [laughter]
[Speaker]
With benefits too?
Shelia Leijon
Only if you’re full-time, year-round.
Todd Lowe
So just a quick update on how things are progressing with the City of Incline Village. Our website CityofInclineVillage.com has grown, so subscribe to get updates. We just did a FAQ update with questions and queries about this and that. And we will continue to do that. So that’s your best avenue to learn about what’s happening.
We’ve done a couple of things. Right now we’re primarily reaching out to professional advisors. So we brought a surveyor on board who is drafting up potential boundaries for our city. We’re looking at three different alternatives right now. We hired a second law firm—and that’s a team of lawyers—looking really, really closely at the Beach Deed situation. I’ve spoken about that before because that’s something that’s imperative to maintain or improve. I’ve been making the rounds to various groups and organizations just to listen and share where we’re at with the incorporation effort.
We’re now looking at proposals for a “petition campaign manager.” I think this is going to sort out… We would like to be petitioning right now. But we don’t quite have all our ducks in a row, so between the amount of time it’s going to take to get the petition campaign up and running and get all the professional input, and get it nailed down – and incorporate everyone’s interests—I don’t see this campaign—as we said on our website—starting in September. It’s going to be sometime later. This doesn’t change the overall schedule for the opportunity. But it does mean it will be sometime later. When that will be I don’t know. What we really want to do is make sure we’re offering an opportunity to voters when they’re here to decide whether or not. And what’s going to happen here shortly is that schools will come into session – people start leaving and doing other things with their winter plans. So if too much time passes, we’ll just delay the petition, probably, to the spring.
Denise Davis
Is there a time limit as far as getting signatures on the petition?
Todd Lowe
There is. That’s a good question and an important question, and drives what I’m saying here. Once you submit a petition to the county you have 90 days to collect signatures. And if you don’t, you’re shut down for at least 1 year. You can’t try again. There are things you can do when you prepare a petition. They could classify it as inadequate. So we want to make sure that we are above every hurdle so that we don’t have a petition that is rejected. If it gets rejected, then you’re in court – which is not a place we really want to be.
Denise Davis
And the people who sign the petition have to be registered voters in Washoe County or just registered voters?
Todd Lowe
Yes, they do have to be registered voters who live here. Your residence has to be Incline Village or Crystal Bay. Only registered voters who live in what would be the city’s boundaries. We’re looking at three sets of boundaries. One is 32 square miles. One is 25 square miles. One is 22 square miles.
Denise Davis
So if someone is a second-home owner and this is not their primary residence and they are not a registered voter, their signature on the petition won’t count toward the required number of signatures. Correct?
Todd Lowe
That is correct. If you’re not a registered voter—if you’re one of those people, you probably don’t like, or you may be uncomfortable with this process–but it’s the law. We’re not proposing to go outside the law. Certainly anyone who isn’t a registered voter and has an opinion can voice it or share it with a registered voter – but only registered voters get a say in this matter. And if you think about it, that makes a lot of sense.
Ray Tulloch
[inaudible]
Denise Davis
Ronda, those were the precinct numbers.
Todd Lowe
Right. So what happens is the petition goes to the County Clerk who then validates all the signatures. That’s part of the process. And once 90 days expires after the petition goes in, there’s another calendar that takes place. It’s a stack of 30 days here, 60 days there, that kind of thing.
[Speaker]
So how many signatures do we need?
Todd Lowe
Just a little under 3000. We would hope—that if we do our homework – and we do something that actually appeals to the community – that there would be way more than 3000.
[Speaker]
How many people are registered to vote in Incline Village and Crystal Bay?
Todd Lowe
Somewhere between 8000-9000.
Sara Schmitz
I just have something for you to add to the list. I have received charters for the Tahoe Transportation District and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. In both of those documents, it states that the Washoe County Commissioners appoint individuals are on their governing boards. And my feeling is we should request that be changed .
Todd Lowe
So on that topic, I personally agree with you. And if we do what we’re proposing to put into the petition, all of Lake Tahoe in IVCB will be inside the City of Incline Village from California all the way down to Carson County. So there won’t be a strong basis for anyone but someone who lives here to be a representative on those Boards.
Sara Schmitz
I understand, however, their charters state that, so we have to ask for modifications to their charters.
Todd Lowe
But they can deputize someone else.
Denise Davis
Are there any other questions from anyone online?
Todd Lowe
There’s a lot going on. I’ll come back and give updates as progress is made. We’re sort of right at an Inflection point, when all the professional advisors, if you will, come out with their output and we process that. The next really big thing is what are we going to do and how much will it cost? So that’s really important.
Kathie Julian
I just want to know when someone might mention the new Washoe County Evacuation Plan. Just let me know when I can speak to that issue.
Denise Davis
Well we may have to take time at the next meeting, okay?
Kathie Julian
I think it’s important for people to look at it at this meeting. Sadly, the Fire Department representative isn’t here. But people should be aware that this is out there. The community should be aware that the County’s Kelly Echeverria and her team using an outside consultant have prepared an evacuation plan. I’m not sure if the Board of Commissioners has approved it or not. But it has in the evacuation plan for all of Washoe County, a section on Incline Village wherein it says we can evacuate Incline Village and Crystal Bay in 6 hours. There’s only something like 3800 cars and something like 8500 people. It appears that this evacuation plan hasn’t factored in tourism – the tourist influx on a holiday weekend in the summer—or any of the kind of traffic flows you get going to Sand Harbor. In so far as it doesn’t factor in those things—nor STR growth nor the growth of Boulder Bay and other developments—it appears to be a very short-sighted and flawed plan. People should look at the agenda for the last Board of Commissioners meeting, look at those reports, and decide if this is something you have a problem with. I looked at it and I thought the plan has issues. I sent emails to both Alexis Hill and Chief Ryan Sommers questioning the assumptions in the report.
Ann Nichols – Crystal Bay Resident, North Tahoe Preservation Alliance Director
We’re doing a video on 6—or if you count Tahoe City—9 developments—that have been approved or are in review for the North Shore with our limited infrastructure. We’re considering NDOT data from 2019, which shows 19,000 cars on peak summer days. Each project will add more and more cars also—about 3000 per large project. So please go to our website (see the Chat Box) and see TRPA’s plans for higher height, density, and coverage on residential parcels—like going from 15 units to 40 units per parcel, and going from 35% coverage to 70%, and as to height—they’re talking about going up to the tree canopy. So this is the most serious thing I’ve seen in the 52 years I’ve lived here.
Denise Davis
Talking about the canopy reminded me that the new mono-pine cell tower was approved yesterday at the TRPA hearing officer meeting.
Yolanda Knaak – Incline Village Resident, Candidate for IVGID Trustee
Thank you so much. I’m Yolanda Knaak. I’m running for IVGID trustee. I have a great website and a great platform at electyolandaKnaak.com. If you have any questions feel free to email me or call me. My email address is yolanda4ivgid@gmail.com. My phone is 775 413-5112. Thank you so much.
Denise Davis
We are working on having a candidate forum in person and online sometime in September and October. So stay tuned for that.
Ray Tulloch
Thank you Denise and thank you to everyone who’s attending. This is going to be a slightly different presentation than usual. This is not going to be a campaign commercial. It grieves me to have to make this public statement. However, in light of some of the ridiculous untruths that appear to be getting spread about me in the community, I feel it’s necessary to make this statement. I would normally ignore these untruths and these falsehoods as just normal dirty campaigning. However, given that they have been attributed to and verified as being made by a retiring IVGID Board member, some people may give these claims more validity.
The first untruth concerns the future of our current General Manager Mr. Winquest. It has been claimed that should the community elect me, it’s my intention to fire Mr. Winquest. This is totally untrue. I’ve never made any such statement and this is certainly not my intention. In fact this rumor is deeply offensive not just to me, but much more importantly, to Mr. Winquest. It would suggest that his position as General Manager is predicated on the patronage of the party spreading these untruths and his supported candidate rather than Mr. Winquest’s own demonstrated merits. I’m sure all of our community would agree with me in finding this to be deeply insulting to Mr. Winquest and his demonstrated abilities. I’ve spoken with Mr. Winquest about this. He shares my concerns that this false accusation has been spread in the community. I have a very good, open and respectful relationship with Mr. Winquest and have assured him of my support.
The second allegation is regarding golf fees. It has been suggested that as Chair of the Audit Committee, I was responsible for the increase in golf rates this year, and I intend to raise them much more should I be elected. Again this is completely ridiculous, and quite frankly laughable. Golf rates have nothing to do with the Audit Committee and were never discussed by the Committee. Golf rate recommendations came from the Golf Committee, and were discussed, reviewed, and agreed by the Board on a 5-0 vote – including the person making some of these accusations. I would expect any future increases or changes to golf rates would be subject to similar Board processes and review. I have made absolutely no statements nor expressed any views on golf rates, and indeed have no views on this.
It may be a good campaign tactic for those relying on negative campaigning, but it has absolutely no basis in fact. If anyone can come up with any evidence of me making any such claim, I will donate $1000 from my campaign to a charity of their choice. In closing I would like to thank you all for this opportunity to set the record straight. I’ve heard similar rumors to this in the past but ignored them as simply dirty campaigning. However, given the elevated role in the community of the person spreading this, I felt it essential to speak out and refute these rumors.
I will continue to run a positive campaign in the same way as I have to date. And I will restate my commitment to listening to and getting input from all community members, not just special interest groups who may be funding or supporting my campaign. I sincerely believe this is something that we in the community should expect from every trustee candidate. It’s disappointing that any campaigner would feel it necessary to stoop to levels such as this. Let’s keep the campaigning civil. I think the community has the right to expect that. I trust people to make up their own minds based on facts and to vote for their candidates based on this, not on false rumors. I have no objection to people having opinions and not wanting to vote for me and to vote for somebody else. But I do object to people spreading false rumors that might influence voters. To those spreading the rumors, I would point out that you’re entitled to your own opinions but not your own facts. And as some of these people express themselves as people of faith, they should perhaps refer to the Gospel of St John, Chapter 8. Thank you.
Denise Davis
Thanks, Ray. Yolanda would you like some more time, since we gave Ray extra? [No thanks.]
Sara Schmitz
I would like to add that the comments included my name and another trustee as colluding to remove General Manager Winquest. And I too would like to say that is factually incorrect. I feel saddened for Mr. Winquest to have these types of statements being made. And I just want to clarify for the record, there is no such plan. It’s just harmful to Mr. Winquest and to staff. And I would like to clarify and support what Mr. Tulloch just said. There is motivation to work with the District and with Mr. Winquest, not against him. Thank you.
Shirley Appel – Incline Village Resident, HOA President, Republican Women’s Club
I just want to remind everyone that we’re having Gordan Chang to speak on August 30 at the Chateau. It’s $125 including dinner. Anyone interested in attending, please contact me or go to our website ivcbrw.org (Republican Women’s website).
Denise Davis
Our next meeting will be the 1st Friday of September, which is September 2. That’s the Friday before Labor Day weekend. So summer is quickly coming to a close. Amanda, does the Library have any announcements?
Amanda McPhaill – Incline Village Library Librarian
[Sent for the recap]
· Tahoe Talks season begins in September. Here’s the schedule and topics:
Tuesday, September 13, 6:30 pm – 1st Amendment
Tuesday, October 11, 6:30 pm – Homelessness in the Tahoe Basin
Tuesday, November 15, 6:30 pm – State Rights vs. Federal Rights
· Incline to Read Book Group meets on Tuesday, September 20, 10:30 am. Reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Coffee and refreshments served.
· Early voting and election day voting will be held at the library this year. No confusion on where to go on election day!
· Also, beginning in September we’re bringing back our Makerspace. The first Thursday of the month from 3-5 pm, and by appointment only, we will feature a maker event. September’s project is sublimation printing. Patrons can print a photo or graphic of their choice, at no cost (!!!), on a coffee mug or coaster. To sign up for a 30 min spot here’s the link: https://events.washoecountylibrary.us/event/9169236
Denise Davis
Our library offers so many services. You wouldn’t think—off the top of your head, “Oh, I’ll go to the library to take care of that.” But our library offers an amazing variety of services to individuals and groups and our community, and supports us here at the Forum.
[Speaker]
Does the library have a calendar we could pick up with all the specific events?
Denise Davis
They have a book they publish for every quarter that lists not only meetings here at our library but through the entire Washoe County Library System.
Amanda McPhaill
We have a monthly newsletter that is specific to Incline Village. If you’d like to sign up for that, let me know and I’ll add your name to the list.
[Speaker]
Thank you I will.
Denise Davis
Yes, email Amanda if you’d like to join the Incline Library email list. [amcphaill@washoecounty.gov]
Kathie Julian
Yes, Amanda—on the voting—when I spoke with the Registrar of Voters about voting locations, and complained how small the Aspen Grove facility was, I was assured they would be going for a significantly larger facility. It would not be the library; it would be one of the schools. Did they mention that there would be one of the schools involved in voting, or are they suggesting it would be the library and Aspen Grove? What specifically have you heard?
Amanda McPhaill
It’s my understanding that it will be at the library both for early voting and on Election Day.
Kathie Julian
I’m more concerned with Election Day voting. It needs to be [inaudible]. Then I would recommend that folks reach out to the Registrar of Voters that on Election Day it needs to be in a much larger facility than the library. That is totally inadequate for Election Day voting. In the past, it’s been held at one of the schools and Aspen Grove —both of them—or one of the schools and Raley’s Supermarket. It needs to incorporate one of the schools to accommodate the volume we need on Election Day. That’s my observation after watching elections for the past 4-5 years in this town. I will be reaching out.
Denise Davis
I see no more hands raised, so we will adjourn. Stay safe. See you September 2nd.
Participants
Amanda McPhaill
Andrew Whyman
Ann Nichols
Bruce Townsend
Darlene Velicki
Denise Davis
Doug Flaherty
Helen Durfee
Helen Neff
Jack Dalton
Jacquie Chandler
Kari Ferguson
Kathie Julian
Pam Straley
Patricia Moser Morris
Ray Tulloch
Ronda Tycer
Sara Schmitz
Shelia Leijon
Shirley Appel
Steve Price
Todd Lowe
Yolanda Knaak
CHAT LOG:
09:14:56 From IVGID Communications : You are doing great Shelia!
09:15:58 From IVGID Communications : Me too. I couldn’t hear Ray
09:36:46 From Doug Flaherty : Can Helen supply her email address. I would like to know more about her research.
09:54:01 From ann nichols B.4527 : TRPA is developing an EIS and pilot project for extra height, density and coverage for residential and multi family everywhere at the Lake. Please go to www.ntpac.org and read the article we wrote and sign our petition requesting TRPA to determine capacity among other things before more additive development with our limited infrastructure.
FORUM URLS:
INCLINE VILLAGE
IVCB Forum:
IV/CB Community 1st
Incline Village Crystal Bay Community and Business Association (IVCBA.org)
Village League to Save Incline Assets: City of Incline Village
https://www.cityofinclinevillage.com/
WASHOE COUNTY:
Washoe County Sheriff Office (WCSO)
Non-emergency dispatch: 775-785-9276
Washoe County Roads: construction
Washoe County Planning Department
Community Meeting:
947 Tahoe Boulevard – Amend Code to include Single-Family-Use in Special Area 1
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/76717459808?pwd=ML2Ol93jMkO1gizI1YnfsF78QUUWU7.1
Meeting ID: 767 1745 9808
Passcode: 3Vb4ed
Washoe County Board of Commissioners
www.washoecounty.gov/bcc/board_committees/index.php
WC BCC Agenda for August 23, 2022
Washoe County IVCB Citizens Advisory Board (CAB)
IV/CB Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) agenda for Sept 6, 2022
https://www.washoecounty.gov/CABS/IVCB_CAB/2022/files/IVCB-Agenda-9-6-221.pdf
To apply for CAB Alternate Member position:
Washoe County Justice Court
Justice Court Criminal Record Sealing Event
Contact Court Administrator James P Conway at jconway@washoecounty.gov
Washoe County Health District
On behalf of the NV Dept of Health and Human Services
Respond to the Small-Business Impact Survey here. Responses are required on or before September 1, 2022
Tahoe Transportation District
Incline Village Mobility Hub Committee Aug 29 meeting
https://www.inclinevillagemobilityhub.org/
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
TRPA Governing Board Meeting Aug 24
https://www.trpa.gov/governing-board-documents-august-24-2022-hybrid-meeting/
State of Nevada
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/InterimCommittee/REL/Interim2021/Committee/1902/Meetings
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