Today's meeting was opened by President Shelly. Our invocation from Lydia explained the Japanese concepts of Wabi Sabi, an appreciation of things imperfect and impermanent, and Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pieces of pottery with gold so that the scars are emphasized. Perhaps we should incorporate these values into our own lives by helping to repair broken lives and broken relationships, even though they are imperfect.

Today's guests included Diana Foster who we hope will soon join our group as a SITSter.

We are sending sunshine to Karen and Dan, as well as a classmate of Teresa's daughter whos father has cancer.

Our speaker this morning was Anush Nejad, P.E, T.E. who as been the City of South Lake Tahoe Public Works Director for two years. He was appointed right after the Caldor Fire and just before Snowmaggeden!

Mr. Nejad is a seasoned public works manager with more than 30 years of professional experience. Most recently, he served as the Community Development Director with Mountain House, a Master Planned Community in San Joaquin County, Calif. In this capacity, he oversaw the planning, design, and construction of all improvements and associated public facilities, including roadways, subdivisions, parks, community facilities, traffic signals, streetlights, communication systems, and utility infrastructure projects.

Before Mountain House, Mr. Nejad worked for consulting firms for over 27 years, including as a Principal and Senior Vice President at Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. He has worked on many public works projects in California and across the US, including highway and interchange projects, utility projects, corridor and master plan studies, bridge engineering, transit improvement studies, design and construction, Intelligent Transportation System planning and design, Airport planning and design, statewide program management and risk management services, and construction management services for projects up to $2 billion. He has also worked on international projects as a consultant.

Mr. Nejad holds a Master of Civil Engineering (MS) from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from California State University. He is a registered Civil and Traffic Engineer in California, and a licensed professional Engineer in 10 other states. Recently, he completed his Public Leadership Credential (PLC) from Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government. Nejad enjoys the outdoors, biking, and hiking. He also enjoys traveling and has visited all seven continents and more than 50 countries.

Mr. Nejad spoke about past and future snow operations in the city. Last year was stressful for all as his dedicated staff worked 24/7 for 60 days during our series of storms. He has requested and been approved for four additional graders, two blowers and one trail blower. They should be arriving by November 1, 2023. His goal is to continue to replace outdated equipment each year so that in 8 years all the old equipment will have been replaced. He has changed the staffing so that two operators work during the night in each zone so that the roads can be cleared by the morning commute. He needs a staff of at least 28 trained and experienced people to accomplish all the tasks for winter. in response to resident's complaints, he has installed GPS tracking on all the plows and sensors on the gates to be sure drivers are dropping the gates appropriately. But we must do our part. If the driver can't see your driveway, he doesn't know to drop the gates. Each homeowner should mark the edges of the driveway with reflective poles and keep the driveway clear as much as possible. Homeowners who only visit occasionally may have to contract with private companies to clear their driveway. Cal Trans is responsible for snow removal on Highway 50 and 89, however, Mr. Nejad is negotiating a resource sharing contract with Cal Trans whereby the city and state will support each other by sharing equipment if one or the other is broken down. In his short time here, Mr. Nejad has assessed the problems, listened to the residents and developed solutions to solve those problems.

Another subject of discussion was street maintenance and potholes! Thanks to Measure S, over $6 million dollars was spent on streets in the city. $800,000 of that just on potholes. The engineers try to pick the worst areas first. The speed humps on Lakeview have been well received and seem to be working to slow traffic down. Mr. Nejad has also been developing solutions for the Heavenly Ski Resort parking problems.

And finally Mr. Nejad was proud to announce that the city has finalized the contract on the new recreation center. Construction is set to begin May 2024 and completion is planned for January 2026.

After hearing the report and asking our questions, I think all in the room felt in very good hands having Mr. Anush Nejad in charge of the city's Public Works Department.

SITS Member Items & Our Projects

Healthy Women/Heathy World had a fantastic time on Saturday at South Tahoe Refuse.

We collected 1,200 lbs of waste!!!! Thank you to much to the many community members who cleaned out items from their homes and got them to the center. We want to thank Catherine and Luis of STR for their amazing organizing and support. And if you missed our smiles and homemade treats, you can always eliminate your e-waste any day of the week for FREE! Get that stuff out of your house people! Thank you to bakers Shelly and Nancy. All was yummy.

The Technology Committee Happy Hour at the Tech Cafe

October 13, 5:00 p.m.

Laurie Flesher’s home.

Join us for happy hour, drinks and nosh! Get help with your tech questions, learn some new skills that we would like all members to master, play some games and spend time with your SITSters. Please RSVP to LaurieFlesher@sitahoesierra.org.

Save The Date:  Leaf peeping walking tour at Taylor Creek on October 19 with Lois and club members. Meet after our meeting at 9:00 at the visitor’s center. We will walk the rainbow trail to see if any salmon are spawning yet and enjoy the fall colors. 

Challenge Day at the Middle School on November 30th Volunteer sign up- Middle School Challenge Day November 30th Volunteer Sign Up  There will also be an assembly on December 1st which is around 2 hours for all 7th and 8th graders. If you are interested in attending this please let Theresa Papandrea know.

Reminder to chairs: You can send vouchers for funding requests by email to: treasurers@sitahoesierra.org. One of the treasurers will cut the checks and deliver them to you at the following meeting.

TONIGHT! Bob Baunhauser Excellence In Service Award

Our fabulous Joanne Shope has been nominated again!!  Congratulations!!

There are those among us at all levels of society who go beyond the call of duty in their service to humanity. The Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe partnered with the South Tahoe Chamber and put out the call for the unsung heroes in our community. Six amazing people were nominated for recognition, and there will be a celebration on Thursday, September 28 at 6 p.m. at the Lake Tahoe Community College Duke Theatre.

The nominees:

Joanne Shope, Christmas Cheer

Larry Schussel, Live Violence Free

Glen Gerrard (Mr. Glen), Tahoe Valley Elementary

Miguel Correa, South Tahoe Middle School

Karl Koeppen, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue.

Marvin Buchmiller, Kiwanian, and special needs mentor will be honored Posthumously.

See full details here

NON-SITS Fun and Opportunities in Tahoe

There's actually so much going on so you're going to want to check out the EVENTS tab on www.southtahoenow.com, but here's a few to get you started!

Raising Support for Maui

SUPPORT MAUI: There are fully vetted charities on Maui that are collecting funds for those affected by the tragic Lahaina Fire. Visit HERE for a full list. Through our Soroptimist One Voice Committee, our club sent the Maui Soroptimist Sister Club $1,000. We continue to keep all of them in our hearts.

There will be a local SUPPORT MAUI event being spearheaded by a woman who is a member of Soroptimist of West Maui but also lives in South Lake Tahoe part-time. More on that soon but it looks like it will be at end of Sept.

Our club is also organizing a I Got Lei'd fundraiser. See above to get involved in the planning.

FIREFEST -

Sept 30th

Hardrock Casino

10-2

Full details here

SITS Social!! October 8 at 2:30 matinee and possibly a bite/beverage after. Buy your own tickets and see other SITSters there!! Contact Laurie Brazil with any questions..

From the amazing theater group, Black Ice Theatre Co., get ready for some spooky fun as they present House on Haunted Hill, a horror-comedy stage play based on the 1959 cult classic film! October 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 PM and Oct 8 at 2:30 PM at the South Tahoe Association of Realtors!

It's an evening of wine, snacks and spooky fun, supporting local theater – and a portion of ticket sales will go to the South Tahoe Association of REALTORS® Barbara Kelly Scholarship Fund – so it's supporting our local kids as well! Tickets are available online at: https://www.blackicetheatreco.com/shopnow/

Adults: $25 each | Students: $20 each

October 11th Community Forum brought to you by the Tahoe Learning Haven. This FREE forum designed for the questions of high school students and their parents is called "Adulting 101" Learn more about TLH here and save a spot for the forum by signing up below!

DANCING WITH THE STARS!!!

It's that time of year again! Tickets are on sale!!.

Click Here to see the full flyer with all the details of all the STARS!

Scholarship Giving Circle - From now until Feb 1st 2024

Scholarship Giving Circle- announcing a giving circle where anyone can contribute, and all funds collected will go towards scholarships at the each of the following EDC high schools (and you can choose which high school scholarship your funds are designated for): El Dorado High School, Ponderosa High School, Oak Ridge High School, South Tahoe High School and Union Mine High School.

You can become a member of this new giving circle for $40 or more, and 100% of your donation (and everyone else's) will go towards a new scholarship at the EDC high school of your choosing. Just click on the link or scan the QR code below to join this giving circle any time until Feb. 1, 2024.  Your membership will allow you to vote on how the funds are allocated for the scholarships (minimum scholarship amount will be $1000). Join today and become a part of something bigger than yourself!

Also, if you are interested in learning more, please join us for a zoom presentation on Tuesday, Oct. 10^th at noon. We will be collecting memberships until Feb. 1, 2004.  

If you want more information or have any questions, please email or call me...I am so excited! Another great opportunity to encourage higher education for our graduating seniors!!!

Click here for full details... or scan the QR code below

The next Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe softball field cleanup at Soroptimist Stadium at the South Tahoe Middle School is scheduled take place 12:30-4:30PM on Saturday, October 14. If there is inclement weather, we will plan for the following week. Feel free to bring your friends, family, and kids if they would like to help.

League to Save Lake Tahoe's Keep Tahoe Blue Volunteer Portal!

For all of those who want to help keep our Lake Tahoe prestene, here's a portal which you can now see the events and programs which are available to volunteer for! SHARE this with your family and friends! Portal here!

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless seeks community support in keeping people cared for.

Our South Shore community has been able to sleep better knowing that our homeless population has an indoor option. This winter season marked the seventh anniversary of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) providing warm beds to the most vulnerable in our community.

They are also in great need for clothing items and will accept donations at their office

The office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 12-4 at the Red Lodge, 1137 Emerald Bay Rd.

More details here

Tahoe Learning Haven - Click here for all their information and a link to each month's newsletter.

Blood Donations are Needed!

Our Nation continues to have a blood shortage everywhere. Giving blood is giving life. So GIVE!

Vitalant Blood Donations. Click here to find a blood draw near you!

Vitalent dates:

9/29/23

South Tahoe Association of Realtors

Building Addition

2307 James Ave

South Lake Tahoe, CA

Open 9am - 1pm

9/30/23

High Sierra Fellowship - Gym

1250 Gilman Ave

Gardnerville, NV

Open 10am - 2pm

Monday, 10/09/2023

Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare - Bristlecone

1600 Medical Parkway

CARSON CITY, NV, 89703

Open 8:00 AM - 1:15 PM

Thursday, 10/12/2023

Carson NDOT and DMV - Bloodmobile

1263 S. Stewart St.

CARSON CITY, NV, 89712

Open 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Monday, 10/16/2023

Palisades Tahoe - Bloodmobile

1960 Squaw Valley Rd

OLYMPIC VALLEY, CA, 96146

Open 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Monday, 10/23/2023

South Lake Tahoe Fire Department - SLTF Training Center

1195 Rufus Allen Blvd

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA, 96150

Open 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM

Many dates in September:

Carson City Vitalent Center

256 Winnie Lane

Carson City, NV

Open 7am - 4pm

Wed - Mon Carson City Vitalent Donation Center

256 Winnie Lane,Carson City, NV.

Click here to find more dates and locations

Sugar Pine Foundation

It's their busy time of the year! Check out the website for ALL the opportunities to do your bit to help!

Between Horses and Humans continues to grow! If you're a lover of youth and a lover of horses, this is a program for you! You can keep up on their information by reading their newsletters here! Volunteers and donations are always needed. BHH Update-they are soon relocating to the Amacker Ranch!

Food Assistance Guide for So. Lake Tahoe. If you know of anyone in need, please share this information. Click and print!