TAHOE CITY, Calif. – The Tahoe City Public Utility District Board of Directors approved a Letter of Intent at their meeting on Friday, April 18 that ultimately authorizes the initiation of planning and design of the Scotty Lapp Memorial Skate Park.

The Letter of Intent is between Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, TCPUD, and the Scotty Lapp Foundation.

The letter describes the parties’ intent and general parameters for negotiating real property rights as most of the project area is located on the school district’s Tahoe Lake Elementary School property and a small portion on TCPUD’s Tahoe City Golf Course property.

Whereas February’s meeting on the topic received a fair amount of public comment opposed to the location at the dog park on Grove Street, public comment at this meeting was entirely supportive, with North Tahoe High School students appearing and commenting in support.

“When was the last time that you guys saw this many teenagers and high schoolers this involved in the community and this involved in a project going on in the community?,” one student said. “Which I really think speaks a lot for how much this really means to all of us and how much having this skate park would really improve the everyday lives of all the students and all the kids in the area.”

The board also approved a Design-Build Agreement with Granite Construction Company for the Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project, which has been in the works since 2018. The project is divided into three phases with each phase covering one of three portions of the water system’s neighborhoods. The board’s action at the meeting allows the project to proceed with the first stage of Phase 1, which includes design and pre-construction activities. Stage 2 will encompass final design, permitting and construction. Staff hopes to start Phase 1 construction in 2026 and complete one phase each year over the course of three years with the project completed by 2029.

In a major step towards the construction of the Tahoe Cross Country replacement lodge and expansion project, the board approved a Development Agreement with Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Association. The organization holds the concession agreement with TCPUD to operate cross-country ski programs. Construction will be divided into two phases with the first planned to start in June. This first phase constructs a driveway, parking lot and utility infrastructure for the future lodge. Phase two will then be the actual construction of the lodge and will begin at a later date.

The board also confirmed a Parks and Recreation Cost Recovery Methodology, which seeks to strengthen financial and operational sustainability. The methodology involves a cost recovery pyramid of four categories, direct and indirect expense considerations, recreation programming, recreation business operations, and a benefits filter. Staff will now develop a district policy on the methodology. The proposed policy will go before the board during the summer for approval before it goes through the 2026 budget development and approval process. The policy will be revisited each year at the annual budget development.

After a lengthy discussion concerning the Tahoe City Community Center, the board also came to a consensus directing staff to engage a consultant to develop a scope of possibilities for the site located at 401 W. Lake Blvd. The board requested the possibilities be simple and cost effective. The scope will help the board make decisions down the road on whether to pursue a recreation center, an aquatics center, or both at the location. In 2020, the district took ownership of the 11-acre property with the longterm goal to evaluate opportunities at the site to enhance recreational services. Central to the board’s discussions were past polling results on tax levels needed to support the construction and operation of a recreation and aquatics center. The results revealed that support fell short of the required super majority for such a measure. This motivated the board’s request that the scope of possibilities provide simple and cost effective options.