At the Lake: Alder Inn opens doors-for student housing

As a competitive skier and high school graduate, 18-year-old New Yorker Lara Cevoli basically wants two things: world-class skiing and a college education.

Lake Tahoe Community College was considered but the school's lack of student housing dissuaded her and her parents.

They then pondered Sierra Nevada College at Tahoe's North Shore in Nevada.

Cevoli, though, a native New Yorker, pined to be in California.

But then something happened. An occurrence not seen in Lake Tahoe Community College's 32-year history emerged from the minds of a motel-owning couple on Ski Run Boulevard: converting their property to student housing.

Cevoli, now intending to attend Lake Tahoe Community College once she graduates high school this week, was stoked her inner Californian would emerge.

"I think that's really cool," she said. "I think that's almost better than dorms ... I can't wait. Seriously, I'm over the New York scene."

Joseph and Kira Balius (pronounced Bayless) are also stoked. After a lackluster winter adversely impacted their bottom line at the Alder Inn, the couple decided to renovate the 20 rooms for college students.

"It's something our little town needs, and I've probably talked to 15 parents in the last two days since I've gotten the word out," Joseph said Thursday.

College officials, including President Guy Lease, visited the inn earlier this month. Lease believes it can work. There is even a link on the college's Web site promoting the new student housing.

"It's a real blessing for us and a great opportunity for students who want to come to school here," Lease said. "The location is excellent, I think."

Joseph agrees. Ski Run Boulevard is bookended by Heavenly Mountain Resort and Lake Tahoe. The boulevard recently had improvements such as bike trails, street lamps and landscaping. It is a short bike ride to Safeway and the college. Shuttles and buses have stops near the Alder Inn.

Joseph's deadline for conversion is Aug. 25, when the inn will no longer be a motel. The "dorm rooms" will have two beds, two desks, two study lamps, two chairs, wireless Internet access, a coffee maker, a microwave, television and refrigerator. Joseph hopes to find beds with drawers underneath, knowing storage will be an issue.

Each 242-square-foot room will house two roommates, while there will be a community room with a large flat-screen television, laundry equipment and a kitchen. There's also a hot tub and pool.

"I look back at my college days in the dorm room with the guys; it's friendships you make for a lifetime," Joseph said.

Applications will be taken to set up roommates with similar lifestyles, although students can make requests for their roomie. Coed roommates are a possibility, but Joseph won't be do any matchmaking.

"I'm not eHarmony," he said.

Rent will be $535 a month for full-time students attending the college for the three-term school year, and $575 for students who will be attending for one semester.

Joseph said discounts can be made for good grades.

There will be no curfew, but there will be a code of conduct and the rule of two people per room will adhere, he said.

"I'm trying to make this a turnkey system," said Joseph, who credited South Lake Tahoe Councilman Ted Long for assistance.

A room will be reserved for friends and family to occupy.

Lease said three motel owners have approached the college for possibly housing students but the plans fell through. Calls for a dormitory at the sprawling campus off Al Tahoe Boulevard have been made but Lease said the financially feasibility, both building it and making it profitable for the leaser, is poor.

"We're very excited because we've been trying to get this going for years," he said.

Cevoli is also excited to leave the "ice and rocks" at east coast ski resorts for Sierra Nevada powder and a college education.

"It's perfect," she said.

Kevin Hegge remembers the ice rescue well.

He was sweating. But he was in a dry suit.

The ice rescue was a memorable portion for all 20 graduating students of Lake Tahoe Community College's fire academy, which completed its first year with, um, glowing accolades and graduates with burning ambitions.

Modeled after the highly-respected program in Butte, South Shore's fire academy was a longtime desire short on funds. Leona Allen, program coordinator, credited the partnerships with neighboring fire departments in making the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy a reality.

Now Allen is fielding numerous calls from people inquiring about the program.

"I'm getting two calls a week and the majority of the calls are from outside the area which is very interesting," she said.

Compared to other vocational education programs at the college, Director of Vocational Education Virginia Boyar said she receives most of the inquiries on the fire academy.

"I think it's the type of program we're going to have waiting lists for," said Guy Lease, president of the college.

While the supply of fire fighters could increase in the coming years with the academy, so will demand. Lorenzo Gigliotti, chief of the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, expects a handful of retirements in the next three or so years.

The academy contained 428 hours of instruction, not counting the 80 hours for the class to be an emergency medical technician, basically a minimum need for budding fire fighters.

Hegge, 33, initially wanted to be a ranger or fire fighter with the U.S. Forest Service.

But after enrolling in the academy and taking classes such as ice rescue, swift

water rescue and vehicle extrication where students tore "into cars like a tuna can," Hegge said he changed his mind and is pursuing a fire fighter career because of the "brotherhood."

The camaraderie Hegge spoke about was evident in the partnerships between South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, Lake Valley Fire Protection District and Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District. All three departments had representatives on the program's planning committee. Tahoe-Douglas donated a reserve fire engine for student use. Even departments miles away contributed, such as North Tahoe and Arroyo Grande in Southern California.

Saturday's graduation at noon in the college's theater is expected to have an audience of roughly 245 people.

For 18-year-old graduate Connor Alexander, it's being at the right place at the right time. Alexander was a junior at South Tahoe High School when fire science was introduced as an elective. He graduated from high school last year and quickly enrolled in the fire academy.

Alexander plans to attend school somewhere on the coast to earn a paramedic degree then return to Tahoe.