Airport board approves 10-year license for bike park after safety, liability debate

The Truckee Tahoe Airport Board voted to approve a 10-year license agreement for the Riverview bike park to the Rec and Park District after extended discussion about safety, liability and permitting.

Board member Mary, speaking during deliberations, said her “big concerns with anything that we do at the airport are tied to community, safety, and protecting the airport resources,” and urged staff to provide more detail about construction, usage and insurance before committing long-term. Mary pointed to a 2017 airport contribution of $25,000 toward the park’s youth features and said the park’s features have grown more difficult over time, increasing risk to users.

The board’s questions focused on three areas: legal and insurance protections in the proposed license agreement, the safety of large park features (a multi-level “treehouse” playscape that has been closed because of permitting questions), and the bike park’s location in the airport compatibility map’s Zone B — an area the board noted is on final approach and is associated in the compatibility guidance with higher rates of off-runway general aviation incidents.

Sven Laf, general manager of the Rec and Park District, told the board his agency is tightening its management of the facility and has recently shifted maintenance staff to be direct employees rather than relying on Biking for a Better World staff. Laf said plan sets for the large treehouse feature exist and “there is an email record that said, tree houses, playscapes don't need permits,” but that the town later directed the feature closed while permitting questions were resolved. Laf said Rec and Park is working to resolve outstanding permits, improve maintenance and secure the park in the off-season.

Mary pressed whether the indemnity and insurance provisions in the license would be sufficient, noting the likely litigation “food chain” would name the nonprofit first, then Rec and Park, and then the airport because the airport owns the land. Airport counsel/staff (identified in discussion as Josh) directed the board to section 4 of the proposed agreement, saying that although the initial term is 10 years “the airport, because we're the licensor, has the ability for so even though it's 10 years, there's off ramp at any time.”

Board members asked for additional reporting back from Rec and Park and from staff. Mary asked staff to research: who performs construction and maintenance (and whether those workers are covered by workers' compensation and general liability), whether the large features were engineered and permitted, counts of park usage and injuries, planned events and competitions, and options for an earlier contract termination if risks materialize.

After discussion, a motion to approve the license passed. The motion was seconded and the board voted in favor; the chair declared the motion carried.

What the board recorded as next steps: staff will assemble the information requested (construction/permitting records, insurance proof, usage estimates and incident history) and Rec and Park indicated it would provide periodic updates to the board on park operations and maintenance. Several board members said they expect staff to bring follow-up information to the next board meeting before ongoing reliance on a long-term agreement.