TRUCKEE, Calif.—– The Truckee-Donner Recreation & Park District has named Sven Leff as the new general manager to replace a local legend. He is a California native and Truckee resident who has served as TDRPD’s recreation superintendent for the past five years. 

Leff is taking over for Steve Randall, who has served as TDRPD GM for the past 38 years. Leff acknowledges Randall leaves behind a gigantic legacy and will be an extremely tough act to follow. “Steve has built most of what we have today,” says Leff. “He has a real keen business sense and that’s what made the district so successful over his tenure. He deserves a lot of credit and appreciation for everything he’s given to our community.”

Leff previously worked at recreation departments in Iowa and Nevada, but he says there’s nothing quite like the services the TDRPD has to offer the Truckee community. “We’re just really blessed to have the facilities and parks that we have in Truckee,” says Leff. “I do volunteer work with the National Rec. and Park Association so I’ve traveled around the country. I don’t think any other community rivals what we have to offer.”

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Looking Ahead

Even though Leff takes over a district that is in great shape, he recognizes some challenges ahead, particularly as the Truckee population continues to grow. The TDRPD set a level of service standard of 5 acres of park or property per capita, and as the town has grown, the district has fallen below that threshold. “We have greater demands on our land than we want to have and that makes the impact and the challenges for maintenance greater,” says Leff. “So our district needs to grow as the population grows.”

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The TDRPD has already started to tackle some of these issues with several new initiatives, including: 

• The TDRPD has started offering more individualized & smaller team sports programs, for example, the 5 on 5 soccer league, and pool exercise programs.
• In an effort to introduce more locals to each other, the TDRPD started the “Golden Meet & Greet” coffee social on Thursday mornings. These are open to local seniors and anyone who is interested in making community connections.
• The new Downtown Park is open and ready to host a variety of community events when the weather allows. There are a few finishing touches to complete this summer, but Leff says the TDRPD is going to allow the community to decide how best to use that park.
• The field renovations and new lighting at the Truckee River Regional Park are expected to be finished in May.
• A private group of citizens is raising money for a new skate park, which the TDRPD will own and maintain. 
• Another private group is raising money to build 16 outdoor pickleball courts at Riverview Park