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SLT Council commits resources to state grant

Jack Barnwell
jbarnwell@tahoedailytribune.com

South Lake Tahoe’s City Council committed its support and resources in a $2.16 million state grant at its meeting Tuesday, signifying what members called a major cooperative agreement.

The grant application, submitted to the state’s Active Transportation Program, would be applied to major pedestrian and bicycle improvements along Al Tahoe Boulevard, according to Jim Marino, the city’s capital improvement project manager.

The ATP includes multiple funding sources that focus on projects that encourage active transportation and pedestrian safety improvements.



The city’s public works department, the Tahoe Area Planning Agency (TRPA), Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization, Tahoe Transportation District and the Citizens Mobility Group coordinated the effort as part of the Middle School Connectivity Plan.

Applications are due by June 1.



“All of this is defined to improve traffic safety at a major corridor,” Marino told the council.

While the current application process doesn’t require a local match, Marino said the city should offer $83,000 of in-kind staff time. Past ATP grants required a 11.47 percent local match.

The South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority’s bicycle advisory committee recommended $65,000 in support for the project from its 2016 allocation, barring any major maintenance issues on Measure R or Measure S-funded bike paths. The JPA will need to approve the recommendation at its meeting in June.

The project, on paper, would include a 5-foot sidewalk and 8-foot sidewalk/bike trail on Al Tahoe Boulevard from Highway 50 to Johnson Boulevard, complete construction of a Class II bike trail along Johnson and Al Tahoe boulevards, make traffic improvements at the Al Tahoe/Highway 50 intersection and create travel lanes on Johnson, Al Tahoe and Rufus Allen boulevards.

Marino said the city doesn’t have the proposed project on its list of planned capital improvement projects, at least not until funding is secured.

“Staff feels that this is a viable project,” Marino said.

A local match lowers the amount the city asks for, which in turn allows for money to be available to other projects across the state.

He added it fits within the city’s Al Tahoe/Bijou community plans and TRPA’s plan as well.

City Manager Nancy Kerry said the proposed project fits into a broader context for the area. The city will be building the Bijou bike park and the California Tahoe Conservancy is submitting its own grant application for its proposed South Tahoe Greenway Shared Use Trail.

It could also include cooperation with the Lake Tahoe Community College District, and will benefit the schools in the area, including South Tahoe Middle School and Tahoe Valley Elementary.

The city would have to take into consideration maintenance costs after it is completed, something Marino estimated at $5,500 annually.

Several members of the public, including those whose organizations helped, advocated the grant application.

Steve Teshara, chair of the Tahoe Transportation District’s board of directors said the plan had full input from parents, teachers, students and community members. While the collaborative efforts captured nine priority projects, one stood out.

“That was improvements on the Al Tahoe corridor,” Teshara said. “The idea was to look at all the things around the middle school about connectivity.”

Steve Morales, director of facilities for Lake Tahoe Unified School District, said any pedestrian improvements were essential along that stretch of road.

“I’ve lived on that corner for the last 33 years with the school district and I can tell you it’s nothing short of miraculous that there hasn’t been very serious accidents there,” Morales said. “There’s been multiple close calls.”

Morales said the bus drivers coming in and out of Tahoe Valley Elementary are also in harm’s way when doing their jobs. The grant application addresses the situation extremely well, he added.

Council members, in approving the grant application, called it an astounding show of support.

“It takes a lot to bring these projects together,” Mayor Hal Cole said. “I hope it’s a sign of things to come.

Councilwoman JoAnn Conner, who sits on the Recreation JPA, agreed.

“I see no downside to this because we are creating a community based on recreation,” Conner said. “This is one piece of the puzzle for what the JPA is accomplishing. This isn’t just for our students and our community, because people who want to come to Tahoe want to recreate safely.”

(This version corrects a version that listed Tahoe Valley Elementary as Al Tahoe Elementary.


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