Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) board members met to approve the next steps in developing the Diamond Peak Snowflake Lodge, proceed with the implementation of a new district general counsel, and discuss a possible direction for the Incline Beach House and Access Projects.

IVGID voted unanimously to proceed with a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to perform a needs assessment for the Diamond Peak Snowflake Lodge, and passed a motion to proceed with an RFQ for District General Counsel services. 

The motion to approve the RFQ for the Snowflake Lodge replacement project was passed 4/0. Former Acting General Manager Mike Bandelin opened the discussion with an overview of the staff report and background on the RFQ related to the needs assessment. Bandelin said that the replacement analysis is based on the 2015 Master Development plan, which determined that significant expansion would be needed to accommodate a deficiency in seating capacity in the lodge. 

Trustees also considered the possibility that an assessment may find that no action is required to expand the snowflake lodge. Trustee Ray Tulloch suggested that a review could suggest that it would make more sense to expand the base facility at Diamond Peak Ski Resort. The facility was developed in 1966 and offers expansive views of Lake Tahoe. It has since become a tourism favorite in Incline Village, and has seen the number of visitors increasing throughout decades. Community feedback is also taken into consideration in addition the needs assessments. 

Steps to recruit District General Counsel

Trustees additionally settled on pursuing a dual-track District General Counsel with the professional recruitment of an in-house counsel. The board proceeded with a Request for Qualifications for District General Counsel services, with a motion passed 4/0. 

Director of Administrative Services Susan Herron opened the conversation, providing an introduction and recommendation to move forward with a request for quote for counsel services. During the discussion, Tulloch said the board and staff should have separate attorneys and remained firm in suggesting that there should be an outside counsel to prevent any conflict of interest. The sentiment was countered by Noble, who said an in-house counsel should represent the district as a whole. 

Beach House to see more debate

Regarding the Beach House, there was significant discussion around design and future plans, but no firm decisions have yet been made. The board will debate it more concretely on February 26, and include consideration of proposals from the contractor. 

IVGID Project Manager Bee Waters outlined the three-step development process in the meeting. “We have completed the first step in that design process, which is hiring the design build team and getting to this 30% design.”

The second step is the “construction development, the permitting, the bidding and getting to that GMP number,” said Waters. The final step, she said is defining the construction contract. Board members agreed that the Incline Beach House Project was still a priority for the agency. Noble said that while he did not originally support the design proposed last year, he has changed his stance. 

“When I first looked at the results of the 30% design, I wasn’t a big fan. However, in the eight months since then, I’ve come around and I think it is what we should be pursuing,” said Noble. “It ticks off all the boxes in my mind as far as the kitchen expanded, an actual bar, outdoor seating, and is built in a way that is going to last for 50 plus years, and will be reasonable from a cost perspective to maintain.”

Trustees also agreed that the Incline Beach Access Project should wait until the Incline Beach House Project is complete, and will be executed separately.