TAHOE CITY, Calif. – The Tahoe City Public Utility District Board of Directors provided an update on the Scotty Lapp memorial skate park at their meeting on Friday, Feb. 21, where numerous individuals expressed concerns over its proposed location.

The roughly 10,000 square foot dog park on Grove Street in Tahoe City is the identified location for the skate park that honors the teenager who died during a ski accident just over three years ago.

Homeowners and residents raised concerns over the noise, safety, liability, groundwater, environmental and property value impacts of this location. Some of them questioned where people could take their dogs after a skate park overlayed the area.

The criticism was countered with supporters who expressed support for the location lying within the core of the community and the recreational opportunities it provides, noting Tahoe offered numerous trails and acres for dogs and the baseball fields adjacent already pose noise to the neighborhoods.

During the board’s discussion, staff addressed concerns regarding liability, concluding that a skate park was not likely to present any additional or peculiar liability for the entity that owns the property, or owns and operates the skate park itself. Staff also concluded that liability would likely be the same no matter the site’s location.

Staff also touched on groundwater and said an environmental analysis would address the concern and any necessary mitigations will be incorporated into the project through that process.

Community outreach and Phase 1 of the North Lake Tahoe Active Recreation Community Needs assessment identified a skate park as a high-level priority for the community.

The district’s report notes the agency received comments and correspondence prior to the meeting that object to the removal of the current dog park and emphasize the need for a community dog park.

The report states, “While staff recognize the value of a community dog park, it is clear that the demand for a public skate park is greater and the proposed location is ideal given its connection to the community, parking, and other public recreation facilities.” District staff reiterated these points at the meeting.

The district says if the skate park project proceeds to construction, it will separately assess the need for a new community dog park and investigate potential suitable locations.

During the course of comment, some expressed alternative locations for the skate park. The board addressed these in discussion and revealed the length of evaluation on multiple sites and why they were not feasible. Proximity to neighborhoods, rules and regulations, coverage or use limitations, as well as timing eliminated many of the candidate sites. A majority of the dog park sits on school district property and did not have these limitations.

The alternatives raised, including Kilner Park and the Tahoe City Community Center, could instead be options for a replacement community dog park, which is not subject to the coverage limitations those sites pose.

The Scotty Lapp Foundation (SLF) plans to privately fund the public park. The foundation seeks to honor Lapp’s memory through empowering youth by making skiing, snowboarding, and skateboarding more accessible to underserved communities and assisting young athletes in reaching their full potential.

SLF would be responsible not only for funding the park, but also designing, permitting, and constructing the project. Upon satisfactory completion and agreement of the project, TCPUD would assume ownership and operations of the skate park facility.

Planning for a memorial skate park began shortly after Lapp’s passing in February 2022. A preliminary proposal was provided by SLF in March 2022. By summer of 2022, the foundation had constructed a temporary pop-up skate park behind the old Blue Agave in Tahoe City that was utilized for three years.

Negotiations between TTUSD and TCPUD on an agreement to build and operate the project were the subject of a closed session item at this Feb. 21 TCPUD board meeting.

Next steps for the project include SLF’s project applications with Placer County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis, and public outreach.

In other business, the TCPUD board authorized staff to negotiate an agreement for the first stage of the Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project. This stage consists of a majority of the design work and other pre-construction activities. The agreement would be with Granite Construction Company and DOWL, LLC. Staff expects construction to begin in 2026 and take three to four years to complete.

Staff also provided a final report to the board concerning the districts $2.7 million acquisition of the Tahoe Swiss Village Utility, Inc. assets (Tahoe Swiss Village Utility and Glenridge Park Water Company water systems). The formal closing and transfer of assets took place Feb. 3. TCPUD started billing customers effective at the start of February for the district’s approved rates. The district reports they are receiving customer inquiries regarding TCPUD water rates, which differ the water systems’ former rates. Staff continues to respond to such inquiries and work on customer outreach, including working on a frequently asked questions resource.