At the Lake: Forest supervisor calls for fewer tree cuts at Heavenly

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Forest Supervisor Terri Marceron released her decision regarding the Phase 1 projects of Heavenly Mountain Resort's Master Plan Amendment.

After extensive analysis, she has selected Alternative 5 with three modifications developed during the public review process.

Two of the modifications require less tree-cutting than originally called for in the plan's environmental impact report on two of the three ski trails to be developed in the resort's North Bowl.

The third modification will allow Olympic lift to be replaced with a high-speed detachable quad in its current alignment. The environmental impact report originally called for this lift to be replaced by a fixed-grip quad chair lift.

Additional Phase 1 projects:

- Two new gladed trails from the Skyline Trail to the California Trail in the area known as the Skiways.

- One gladed trail from the top of Powderbowl Express lift to Lower Mombo Trail in the area known as the Powderbowl Trees.

- One connector trail from Lower Orion's trail to the base of the Dipper Express lift;

- Regrading of Skyline Trail.

- Construction of a new mid-mountain lodge and restaurant near the top of Powderbowl Express lift.

- A skier ramp will be added at the gondola's top station to facilitate skier and rider flow to the Tamarack Express lift base station.

- Construction of a new system of summer hiking trails between the gondola mid-station, top station, and East Peak. Approximately 2.7 miles of these trails will be groomed for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing during the winter.

- Installation of a summer zipline near the top of Tamarack Express lift to near the top of the gondola.

The full record of decision can be viewed at www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu.

After a year's delay, El Dorado County officials expect to begin construction on the first leg of the Sawmill Bike Path Project on June 18.

County supervisors originally authorized advertisement for construction bids on June 20, 2006, but did not receive any offers during the 2006 construction season.

Alfred Knotts, principal planner with the county's Department of Transportation, suspects the relatively late call for bids was the reason for a lack of contractor interest.

The department received five bids for the project this season.

"This is a great project that I'm sure the community will appreciate," said Bob Slater, deputy director of engineering at the County Department of Transportation, in a press statement. "We were thrilled that the low bid came in under the county estimate, and it's nice to finally be moving forward."

El Dorado County supervisors awarded a construction contract to the lowest responsive bidder, Burdick Excavation Company, Inc., at their May 22 meeting.

Burdick's bid was $1.2 million, a figure 10 percent lower than the county engineer's construction estimate, according to a department of transportation press release.

The Phase 1A portion of the project is a Class 1 bike lane running along the west side of Highway 50 from Santa Fe Drive to the entrance of the Lake Tahoe Golf course, including a connection from Arapahoe Drive.

Class 1 bike lanes are 10 feet wide and completely separate from the roadway.

"They become corridors that give visitors and residents safe transportation from location to location, particularly for the disabled," said Ty Polastri, president of the Lake Tahoe Bike Coalition, on Wednesday.

David Kelly, spokesman for the Tahoe Area Coordinating Council for the Disabled, agreed.

"It's a lot easier to be on a bike trail than to be on Highway 50," Kelley said. "We're all in favor of anything they can do to help."

El Dorado County officials hope to have the Phase 1 section of the path completed by the end of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's grading season on Oct. 15.

Phase 1B, which will extend the bike path to Lake Tahoe Boulevard along Sawmill Road, is slated to start the bidding process in the fall, according to Knotts.