Tahoe Queen undergoing winter maintenance

The Tahoe Queen, a Mississippi-style paddlewheel boat that offers scenic cruises on lake Tahoe, is undergoing a winter maintenance program in advance of the summer tourist season.

"The Queen is undergoing standard preventative maintenance," said Austin Sass, director of Aramark Parks and Destinations.

Construction is already under way and is tentatively scheduled to be completed by early May.

The maintenance program is focusing on upgrading the hull, the frame and body of the ship, inside and out. In order to conduct the maintenance operation, workers have gutted the galley, or kitchen, to reach down into the bilge.

"It's been pretty intensive with workers having to disassemble a walk-in freezer and several grilles and bring them out on the deck so workers could access the areas that need standard painting and preparation," Sass said.

Boats, because they are constantly in the water, need a high degree of maintenance on a yearly basis, said Sass.

Part of the impetus for the maintenance program is the Tahoe Queen is set to be inspected by the United States Coast Guard in the late summer of this year.

The inspections occur every five years, Sass said.

The Tahoe Queen is manned by 12 full-time employees year round. The employees will be offered full time work in positions with the Zephyr Cove resort and will retain their positions once the Queen is back cruising the lake.

Sass said that due to the many components of the project and the number of different contractors capable of performing the work, Aramark has yet to produce a cost estimate for the project.

"The Queen could go out on the water right now," said Sass. "With all the disassembled kitchen parks on the deck, it might not make for the best cruise, but it could do it. We just want to make sure we stay on top of maintenance to ensure we're always able to offer visitors the opportunity to see the lake."