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Officials assessing future of Incline Village beaches

Kevin MacMillan
kmacmillan@sierrasun.com
A view of Lake Tahoe from Incline Beach, which has become IVGID’s most popular — and most crowded — beach over the years.
File photo |

By the numbers

167,887: Visits to Incline, Ski and Burnt Cedar beaches in 2013

177,504: Visits in 2014 (roughly 5 percent increase)

73,430: Number of guests to visit the beaches last summer (2013)

76,292: Number of guests to visit the beaches this summer (2014)

94,457: Number of picture-pass holders to visit the beaches last summer

101,212: Number of picture-pass holders to visit the beaches last summer

Source: IVGID

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — With record-setting attendance at the beaches this summer in the rear-view mirror, officials want resident feedback on the future of IVGID’s hottest venues.

Incline Village General Improvement District General Manager Steve Pinkerton is hosting a “Beach Facility Open House” from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at The Chateau.

There, residents can expect to hear about the past and present status of Incline, Ski and Burnt Cedar beaches; view displays; and speak with district staff, consultants and any attending board members.



“We figure it’s smart to look at the overall longterm plan for all the beach facilities,” said Pinkerton, adding that, “there’s a certain level of focus on Incline Beach.”

Attendance at all three restricted-access beaches jumped about 5 percent in 2014, according the district, with 177,504 visits recorded.



Of that number, 101,212 (57 percent) were counted as IVGID picture-pass holders. Last year, 94,457 of 167,887 total beach visits were pass holders.

Further, despite Pinkerton’s decision to staff beach entrances until 10 p.m. on July 4 — which essentially banned access for the fireworks to people without a pass or who weren’t guests of those with passes — attendance on the Fourth was 11,178 (of that, 5,455 were counted at Incline Beach), a record for IVGID.

In recent years, IVGID has added food sales to Incline Beach, and alcohol sales at both Incline and Burnt Cedar, in response to larger crowds.

“We do think the Incline (Beach) facility is at the end of its useful life,” Pinkerton said.

The goal of next week’s open house — coupled with information from a recent beach survey that saw about 1,800 responses — is to “get initial feedback from the community … and allow time for everyone to absorb it.”

When asked for highlights of the survey, Pinkerton said staff hasn’t compiled any results yet. The plan is to talk about survey results in another public setting after the first of the year.

Looking back, attendance has soared in the 21st century. According to the district, the three beaches saw 108,514 visits in 2001. In 2007, it jumped to 155,106, and it increased to 160,140 in 2012.

In those same three year sets, the ratio between guests and picture-pass holders (PPH) is as follows:

33.38 percent guests/66.62 percent PPH in 2001

44.04 percent guests/55.96 percent PPH in 2007

40.49 percent guests/59.91 percent PPH in 2012

“They’re certainly our most popular venues, and we certainly want as much feedback as possible because everyone is passionate about the beaches,” said Pinkerton, who stressed that next week’s meeting is the first step in a longterm process that should feature plenty of public input before anything is recommended for board approval.

Visit yourtahoeplace.com learn more about IVGID.


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