November 8th may be the most important day for the Club in recent history. On that day, voters in California and South Lake Tahoe will decide our future.
Proposition 51 on the State ballot seeks to raise funding for educational buildings and maintenance. If passed then the School District will be able to fund the renovation of the Al Tahoe School (our current main site) and turn it back into an Elementary School as early as August 2017. The School District are immensely supportive of the Club, as we are for the need for an additional elementary school, but this will mean that we need to find a new home for our main site.
Which brings us to Measure P. Measure P on the South Lake Tahoe ballot seeks to increase tourist occupancy tax by 2% (TOT is that random tax that you see on your bill when you check out from a hotel and DOES NOT affect locals). The money raised from the tax will be 100% tied to recreation initiatives, and if passed, will be used to rebuild the Rec. Center on Rufus Allen Blvd – turning it into a two story, state of the art facility. As the Center will have more space, the City have graciously said that the Boys and Girls Club can have space inside the building for our after-school and vacation activities. So a vote for Measure P is a vote for our new home.
However, the Club would also like a space all of our own – where we can focus on the educational aspect of our programs and that can form the hub of the Club. We would like this to be in close proximity to the Rec. Center so that we can make use of rooms and sport facilities there and can build a smaller home of our own. To fund this home we will be holding a capital campaign and everything from $5 to $500,000 will make a difference.
I hope that you will support us in our efforts to find a new home and please vote YES on Measure P.
