Neighbors urge Tahoe-Truckee Unified board to reconsider converting longtime dog park into skate park

Colleen McDowell, a local resident, told the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) board on Jan. 22 that neighbors were not consulted before the district began investigating replacing a long‑standing dog park with a skate park. "We are very disappointed. No one seemed to care that this is not a good location for a skate park because number one, it is close to houses like ours," McDowell said, reading a letter from her husband, Stan Scott.

McDowell told the board the dog park has been used daily for more than 13 years by residents, tourists and Tahoe students, including in winter. She said the proposed location is near bars and a liquor store and adjacent to a parking lot she described as “known for drugs, drinking, and violent fights.” "We are also disappointed that this board seemed to rush to a decision while your board president was out of the country," she said, and asked the district to work with the Tahoe City Public Utility District (TCPUD) on alternative sites.

Sue Ann, a retired teacher and another member of the public, said her experience installing a skate park in a different community indicated parks should be located within non‑commercial parkland rather than adjacent to schools. "My school district would no more allow or buy a skate park near school," she said.

McDowell recommended an alternate site she said is owned by TCPUD at the corner of Grand View Road and State Highway 28 on the West Shore, near the community center. She offered to walk district staff and board members through neighborhood concerns and said many neighbors would support relocating the skate park to a less residential site.

The remarks came during the meeting’s public comment period; board members did not take an immediate formal action on the dog‑park/skate‑park topic during the Jan. 22 meeting. The subject was raised again in grant and program items later in the agenda (see Votes at a glance).