USFS NEWS RELEASE
New facility would improve visitor services
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has finalized a plan to replace its Taylor Creek Education Center to better serve the needs of visitors and provide a safe working environment for staff. The existing building was designed as the restroom and storage facility and was never designed to accommodate visitor information and support staff operations. The building is not adequately sized for the number of visitors and is inefficient due to the need to use trailers in addition to the visitor center building.
The LTBMU is seeking funding to implement the plan, which calls for construction of a new facility totaling approximately 3,800 square feet located on the existing building site. Patio areas, walkways, roadways, utilities and landscaping will be redesigned to match the new structure. The existing access from Highway 89 and the parking lot will remain unchanged. Demolishing the existing building and constructing a new facility will also allow the Forest Service to remove the two temporary trailers on site and rehabilitate their location.
The new education center would provide one central facility with a staffed information counter, area for issuing wilderness permits, public restrooms, sales of maps and educational materials, an area for preparing interpretive programs, seasonal staff working space, adequate storage space and an area for small outdoor patio talks. The Forest Service would design the building to blend with and enhance the existing landscape through the use of native materials and neutral colors. The new center will incorporate “green” technology to the extent possible and will use it as an interpretive opportunity. The project would also improve accessibility.
For more information on the plan, visit the LTBMU’s website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/ltbmu. On the left hand bar, navigate to land and resource management, then projects and plans. Alternatively, call the Forest Supervisor’s office at (530) 543-2694.
