Lake Tahoe Derby Dames is having an open recruitment night Jan. 3 at 7:30pm at Kahle Community Center in Stateline.

Information about joining the roller derby team will be available as well as an opportunity to skate.

Energetic men and women interested in learning the sport of flat track roller derby as a skater or referee are encouraged to attend.

Derby Dames home bouts are at Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN file

The Dames offer general training for the new-on-your-skates to the well seasoned derby girl. Practices are co-ed (offering everyone the chance to skate) while bouts follow the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association guidelines.

Equipment borrowing is on a first come/first served. Bring a mouth guard. Must be 18.

For more detailed information, go online.

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – Not wanting their permit to become invalid, Tahoe Beach Club developers decided to create even more phases for the multimillion dollar project at the end of Kahle Drive in Stateline.

Putting in about 60 feet of what will be a 159.6-foot pier this fall and adding the remainder next year satisfies the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s stipulations that movement on a project must begin within three years of the permit being issued. Had the developers – Tom Castaneda and Bob Mecay – not put in the floating pier this fall, it would have meant starting at the very beginning with the permitting process.

That would have been a costly endeavor – time-wise and financially.

The floating section of the Tahoe Beach Club pier was installed this fall. Photos/Kathryn Reed

After all, five agencies were involved in the pier – TRPA, Douglas County, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Nevada Division of State Lands, and the Coast Guard.

Three engineering firms had to witness the pylons being put in to make sure the soil wasn’t disturbed in a manner that would stir up the sand and be bad for Lake Tahoe. Some who witnessed the installation said a person walking in the water would have kicked up more sand.

The pier, when complete, will have a price tag of about $400,000 – with a substantial portion of that figure involving the permitting process.

Castaneda and Mecay wanted the entire pier to be floating, but said TRPA rules no longer allow that to happen because with the dock abutting the shore it could present erosion concerns.

The Tahoe Beach Club pier brings the number of floating docks on Lake Tahoe to 19. The 275-foot one at the Hyatt in Incline comes all the way to the shore.

“New engineering designs will allow us to lower and raise the entire 100-foot second section,” Castaneda said. “We will do that two to three times a year so that it is at the same level of the floating pier. Then there will be an adjustable ramp between them.”

Walking on the Trex platform it’s hard to know it’s floating because of the stability. Steel sits on top of the floats.

With waves several feet high a couple weeks ago, the dock’s stability passed Mother Nature’s test.

The end of the floating section is 36-feet-long – twice what the walkway is. This is so larger boats could dock to pick up residents for excursions.

The main project

While the economy has stalled Castaneda and Mecay’s plans to remove the mobile home park and replace it with 143 high-end housing units, they see a ray of light in the financial world.

“The financial investment atmosphere is a lot better than a year and two years ago,” Castaneda told Lake Tahoe News. “We would like to lock up some construction financing. I would safely say next year and then begin the project.”

This would be the first multifamily residential property built on the shores of Lake Tahoe in nearly 30 years.

Tom Castaneda and Bob Mecay are eager to build Tahoe Beach Club.

Castaneda and Mecay bought the 19-acre parcel in 2002 for about $12.6 million. At that time 155 mobile homes occupied most of the land that sits between Rabe Meadow and the University of Nevada 4-H Camp. Now at Tahoe Shores Mobile Home Park there are 18 vacant lots, about 30 people leasing spots from the property owners, and another 110 mobile homes the two men own and lease out. It has been a mobile home park since the 1960s.

While 39 units were supposed to be real phase 1, that will now be phase 3. One hundred and fifty people are on a waiting list to buy into the development. They want one of the units that range from 1,250- to 4,000-square-feet.

The luxury villas will have 19 to 30 units in a building, while the estate homes have four to eight units. The lower level will be one story, while second floor units will have a loft.

The later will be designed to have the feel of a brownstone.

The architecture, though, is old-style Tahoe, with influences of the Tahoe Tavern running throughout.

In all, there will be 14 buildings along one mile.

A private 40,000-square-foot beach club on the water is part of the plans. It will include a restaurant, full spa, workout area and facilities for banquets-parties-weddings. The club will offer memberships to the public.

Club members will have access to the 270-foot stretch of private beach.

Before the market crashed it was estimated the project would cost $260 million, with units selling for between $1.5 million and $4 million. Those numbers could change depending on when construction and sales begin.

Environmental benefits

Environmental improvements are part of the development’s goals as well. The project ties into the Rabe Meadow restoration work being done by Sierra Colina, Douglas County and the U.S. Forest Service.

Today about 11,384 pounds of sediment reach Lake Tahoe from the acreage owned by Tahoe Beach Club. When the project is built out that will be reduced to 632 pounds of sediment a year.

Two acres of stream environment will be restored. Currently it’s paved.

Greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by 63 percent. Much of that will be accomplished by getting rid of the woodstoves that are now in use.

The goal is to treat the water onsite through an intricate filtration process.

Native vegetation will be used in the landscaping.

Power lines will be put underground. Part of the deal is the developers will also bury the line on the 4-H site.

The whole project is going after silver LEED certification.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on renderings for full picture.)

By Sean Whaley, Nevada News Bureau

CARSON CITY – A member of the panel charged with helping diversify Nevada’s economy and create jobs said he wants to make sure the state plan developed to achieve these goals is a practical working document.

“I hope we have concrete definitions that go beyond buzzwords,” said Sam Routson, a member of the state Board of Economic Development.

The plan needs to be a working tool that the public can easily understand, he said. Routson is the chief administrative officer for the agricultural company Winnemucca Farms.

Routson’s comments were in response to a report prepared by the Brookings Institution and SRI International that was delivered to the panel in early November. The report, intended to help the state with its economic diversification efforts, identifies seven economic sectors, some already in existence such as gaming and tourism, and some emerging, such as clean energy, where Nevada should focus its efforts.

The report has come in for some criticism for failing to offer clear definitions of the economic sectors the state should be focusing on to diversify the state economy.

Ray Bacon, executive director of the Nevada Manufacturers Association who testified in the public comment section of the meeting of the panel, which includes Gov. Brian Sandoval and several private sector appointees, said he would have sent the report back because of a lack of clear definitions.

The report discusses advanced manufacturing, which used to be called high tech, but it lacks specifics, Bacon said. Other sectors, such as clean energy, are not defined either, he said.

“We can’t get there until we know what the definitions are,” Bacon said.

Steve Hill, executive director of the Governor’s Office on Economic Development, said the intent is to produce a state plan that is a working document and one that is “direct and to the point.”

The plan is being developed now and is expected to be released in January.

Board member Kathleen Drakulich asked Hill if the Brookings/SRI report provided enough detail to prepare the state’s plan.

Hill said the report has provided a great deal of depth, but that the state’s plan won’t be prepared based solely on the information. Hill said he is reaching out across the state to get comment for the plan.

Because it is being generated so quickly, Hill said the first draft of the plan will not be a complete answer to Nevada’s economic diversification efforts. As the board and state officials learn more about what works, the plan will be updated to reflect that knowledge, he said.

After the meeting Thursday, Sandoval said the criticisms are welcome.

“Now Mr. Hill, who is writing that plan as we speak, has heard some of the concerns of folks with regard to the Brookings report,” Sandoval said. “That report was never supposed to be the end-all, be-all with regard to economic development in the state of Nevada. It was going to identify our strengths, our weaknesses, which clusters we should be focusing on and essentially provide the foundation for our state economic development plan. And I think it accomplished just that.”

The state’s plan of action will be a business plan with the measurements needed to ensure accountability, he said.

The South Shore community has again been granted the privilege of producing the Eve Ensler production “The Vagina Monologues”.

A casting call and volunteer meeting for all men and women interested in participating is Dec. 19 at 6:30pm at the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center, 2941 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For those who are interested, call Natalie Yanish at (775) 843.7142 or email natalie@realtordeb.com for more information about how to get involved and what to expect at the casting call, as well as performance dates and details.

V-Day is a worldwide organization spreading awareness, raising money for local organizations, and fighting violence against women and girls.

People are needed to:

Act

Publicity and marketing

Art coordinator

Volunteer coordinator

Production team

Volunteers: If you do not have much time, but would like to help in the production and fundraising, help would be appreciated.

Five reasons why men should participate in the production:

Your mother, sister, girlfriend, wife and daughter.

V-Day’s three core beliefs:

Art has the power to reach, transform, and inspire to act.

Empowered women are unstoppable leaders and lasting social and cultural change is spread through their experience.

You cannot end violence against women without looking at the intersection of poverty, racism, the environment and war.

V-Day dreams of a world in which women and girls will be free to thrive, rather then merely survive.

By Steve Green, Las Vegas Sun

Casino operators Caesars Entertainment Corp., MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts Ltd. scored high Thursday in a ranking of companies for their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation in Washington, D.C., issued its annual Corporate Equality Index assessing how corporations treat LGBT employees and how supportive they are of the LGBT community.

The scores are based on returned surveys and cover factors such as whether a company has an inclusive work environment and commitments to the LGBT community through philanthropy and supplier diversity.

The rankings also consider whether equal health care coverage is provided for LGBT employees and their families including domestic partner benefits.

Numerous Fortune 500 companies such as 3M Co., Apple Inc. and UnitedHealthGroup Inc. received perfect 100 percent scores.

Among the nation’s casino operators, three participated in the survey and were ranked: Caesars received a perfect 100 and MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts each received a 90. (Harrah’s and Harveys in Stateline are owned by Caesars Entertainment.)

Read the whole story

Winter White was the theme of Tahoe Regional Young Professionals’ inaugural holiday party which raised more than $3,000 for Tahoe Youth & Family Services.

“So many businesses in the community came out not only to support the event but gave of their services and gifts for our raffle and silent auction,” Rebecca Wass, TRYP founder and president said in a press release. “Then, all of a sudden the crowd’s voices picked up and there was a donation match, between Matt Wiggins’ from Corporate Nevada, Ltd., Erik Watada State Farm Insurance Agency, Maggie Wattle and Alisa Ashbaugh from Big Blue Spa Service and Repair and Todd Poth with Getaway Reno/Tahoe. It was so exciting.”

More than $2,000 was given to TYFS from just the gift match.

The goal of the young professionals was to raise money to help one family. Enough was raised that TY&FS said more than 60 teens and 15 families will be assisted, with money for other programs.

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals is a group of forward thinking individuals who believe in giving back to the community that has provided an inspirational place to work, live, play and prosper – Lake Tahoe. By connecting Tahoe’s next generation to help better their community, the young professionals organize and participate in charity FUNdraisers, networking events and provide career opportunities to help support Tahoe residents and businesses.

By Teri Mizuhara

The recent wind event that caused more than a dozen fires in Amador and El Dorado counties found many people without power for three or more days. Those who were prepared did well, but those who did not prepare had a far more difficult time.

“As emergency responders we encourage residents to be prepared to be without water or power for a minimum of 72 hours. Power outages are an occasional fact of life living in the foothills and anyone who hasn’t prepared themselves needs to do so right away,” says Chief Kelly Keenan of the CalFire Amador-El Dorado unit.

“In the fire service, we prepare for the worst case, we train constantly and when the call comes we respond immediately but we can’t be everywhere all the time,” Keenan said. “In a situation where emergency services are being stretched, you may find yourself on your own for a three days. Can you really sustain your family for three days? During the winter months when outside temperatures are dipping into the 30s?”

If you have answered “no”, you now know that you and your family aren’t prepared. You need to begin planning now. Take the first step today and line out a plan so over time you can implement your entire families disaster preparedness plan and rest easy that no matter what, you and your loved ones will be okay.

Here are some key items you will need to think about:

•  back-up generator with a transfer switch at your electrical panel to supply power to your home
•  generator for your well pump or
• a minimum of 1 gallon of water per day per person properly stored
• non-perishable food and can opener if you need one
• radio, flashlights and extra batteries for both
• medications
• first aid kit
•  cash
• supplies for your pets (food, water, medicines, etc.).

Depending on the type of disaster (wildfire, floods/mudslides, snow storm, hazardous materials incident, etc.) and time of year, your needs will change. If you have an infant or elderly or a disabled individual who resides with you, can their specific needs be met without power, running water or heat?

Disaster preparedness begins and ends with you.

You can find more information at our website, through FEMA, and the Humane Society.

Teri Mizuhara works out of the CalFire office in Camino.

A burn ban is in effect for Washoe County because of air pollution.

The Washoe District Health Department issued the code red at 8:25am Sunday.

People with respiratory problems and children are advised to stay indoors.

The health department cited a high level of fine particles in pollution in air, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.

— Reno Gazette-Journal

Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News is looking for gift ideas that are less than $20. Find out how to make a suggestion.

Alpen Sierra coffee has lots of hot ideas for Christmas that are less than $20.

The $9.95 gift basket can be customized to include a half pound of either coffee or tea and a gourmet dark chocolate bar.

The $15 option is 1 pound of organic Alpen Sierra Coffee with a gourmet dark chocolate bar.

Both are finished with Tahoe inspired wrapping. They can be ordered online.

— Audrey Douglas

Tahoe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present Mendelssohn in the Mountains featuring Elizabeth Pitcairn, violinist, performing Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor on the legendary Red Stradivarius Violin. The Symphony Chorus will be featured in Part 2 of Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Performances are:

Jan. 19 7pm at the North Tahoe Hebrew Center in Tahoe Vista

Jan. 21 at 3pm at St. Patrick’s Church in Incline Village

Jan. 22 at 3pm in St. Theresa Church in South Lake Tahoe

Jan. 24 at 7pm in Trinity Church in Reno.

Tickets are available at the door or online. General admission to all concerts is $30 adults, $25 seniors, $5 students, and preferred seating is $40.

There are special room and dinner/concert combinations at the Resort at Squaw Creek. Call (530) 581.6615 for information on these packages.

For information or preferred seating, call (775) 313.9697, or email ToccataTahoe@gmail.com.