SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – A successful summer pilot program in which South Lake students worked as ambassadors in city parks and beaches to clean litter and educate visitors will now be a permanent fixture.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to bring the city park Youth Ambassador Program pilot into a permanent program during its Tuesday evening council meeting.

The Park Steward-Park Ranger Program will allow students the opportunity to gain experience in the natural sciences, environment, sustainable recreation, and park management career paths, while helping keep public areas clean and informing visitors to those areas of best practices.

The Park Steward and Park Ranger 1 positions start at $15/hr and Park Ranger 2 starts at $17.94. Each position has opportunities for raises.

A workforce development grant led by Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Strong Workforce Pathway Coordinator, Kim Carr, who helped develop the pilot program, will also allow for the hiring of a seasonal Program Coordinator.

Councilmember Cody Bass shared his excitement about the success of the pilot program, saying that he saw the students out and about over the summer and would like to see the program continue to grow.

The creation of the program passed 4-0 with Councilmember Tamara Wallace being absent from the meeting.

Council finally approved the first reading of the Movable Tiny Homes code amendments.

The ordinance states, “A manufactured home, tiny home, factory built home or similar dwelling unit designed for occupancy as a permanent dwelling shall be allowed as a dwelling on those parcels where single-family dwellings are permitted in compliance with the requirements of the applicable zoning district, and subject to the same development standards to which a conventional single-family residential dwelling on the same lot would be subject to.”

The ordinance defines a Movable Tiny Home as a, “Park Model Recreational Vehicle functioning as a separate, independent dwelling unit that is no larger than 400 square feet (excluding lofts) providing complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation; is mounted on a wheeled trailer chassis; and is titled and registered to tow with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.”

During the meeting, the council approved the purchase of a new fire command vehicle from Champion Chevrolet for $54,325 to be used by the Fire Marshall. They also approved the submittal for a grant application to HOME Investment Partnership Program funds for $6,375,000 to be used on the Sugar Pine Village project.

The council was scheduled to discuss the purchase of back-up generators for the Police and Fire stations but City Manager Joe Irvin asked that the item be pulled from the agenda while more information was found.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1 at 9 a.m.