Only two weeks into the summer and the school year seems like a distant memory. Although there is still evidence of Sierra House around the building, it is wonderful to have full use of our building again and for staff to be able to park onsite. Despite the school having packed up and left, there has been much chatter in the community regarding return of Sierra House in the fall. At the time of writing, the Club understands that the renovation work at the school is progressing well and that the staff and students will be able to return to their own building at the start of the next academic year.
We are glad for them, and glad for us, as we need to move forward with our own building plans and prepare the Al Tahoe site for construction. All being well, the old 6 pack of portables behind the MPR will be taken down at the end of this summer and rerouting work completed by Liberty (electricity) and STUPD (water/sewer). Once completed the site will be ready for ground breaking in the Spring of 2020.
The overall design of the new Club has been completed and now we are working on the fine details, such as where to place electrical sockets and how to minimize noise. And while those fun details are being worked out, we are also still hard at work raising the funding to complete the facility. Thanks to the Angel of Tahoe, Lisa Maloff, we already have over 50% of the required funding, but still need to raise a further $3 million to make our dream a reality. So if you know anyone looking to invest in a lifelong project – or who wish to have their name in light forever – send them our way!
And, for those of you who recall Measure P and voted for the new Rec. center, including space for BGCLT, well be assured that those plans have not been abandoned. The Rec. Center redevelopment was put on hold for a while due to a change in City Council Members and the passing of Measure T (which reduces the amount of income available for the Rec. Center project). But our Executive Director, Jude Wood, was recently voted onto the Measure P Citizen’s Oversight Committee, the purpose of which is to make sure that the Measure P funding is only used for recreation and primarily the new Rec. Center, and the City has recently reengaged the project architect so that the ball can start rolling again.
Measure P promised space for the Club and even with our new building we know that we could easily run another program at the Rec. Center. At this time we anticipate that we would run a Teen Program at the Rec Center (ages 13 and up) but have also floated the idea of an after-school program for all ages that focuses on physical recreation; that bridge will be crossed as and when the new facility is up and running. But hopefully within 5 years we will have two beautiful new facilities for our kids and our community to enjoy.
For further information on the building work please contact Jude directly at [email protected]
