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SVAP Meeting Preview
Large turnout needed for the Saturday Feb 3 meeting at Pleasant Valley Elem. school between 10am-2pm

Submitted by a member of the working group:

At the January 16th Planning Commission meeting, south valley citizens and area plan working group members unanimously expresses dissatisfaction with the SVAP Update as submitted by planner Eric Young. This plan DOES NOT reflect most of the working group's recommendations for Washoe & Pleasant Valleys and Steamboat. The draft plan will be reviewed Saturday, February 3rd at a joint meeting of the East Washoe Valley CAB, West Washoe Valley CAB, Galena-Steamboat CAB and Washoe County Planning Commission.

The planning commission will not be deliberating or taking any action. They will moderate the meeting, and listen to the concerns of the CABs and the citizens who attend.

The three CAB's are expected to vote on the plan at this meeting. The working groups, made up of concerned local residents, have attempted for more than 2 years to convince planner Eric Young that residents of Washoe & Pleasant Valleys and Steamboat want to retain open space, recreational lands, wildlife, habitat and our rural heritage. We are still working with Eric Young to that end, but for the most part, our recommendations have fallen on deaf ears resulting in a plan that serves developers and a variety of commercial enterprises.

The SVAP as written:

• Greatly expands "old" Washoe City's commercial area, north to both sides of the new I-580 highway and northeast to the top of Washoe Hill.

• Defines "old" Washoe City District as Mixed Use, allowing apartment houses and commercial uses incompatible with our rural lifestyle.

• Nieghborhood commercial uses will include hotels and convention facilities, and other, inapprpriate, non-rural uses.

• General Rural will include commercial uses including gas stations, condominiums and heliports.

• Aggregate mining on private property will be allowed.

  and last but certainly not least,

• Weston/Lowden will be given their own "Specific Plan" of 1/2 acre and larger lots, with undefined commercial uses, no dedicated open space, no water/wastewater plan, and no natural resource & wildlife plan available at this time.

Washoe Valley, Pleasant Valley, Steamboat- Rural?  Not any more!

If this SV Area Plan is approved in its present form, its bye-bye rural valleys.

Update, Friday, Feb 2, 1pm: At the last two 4 hour meetings with Planner Eric Young, we made some gains.  A compromise was reached on the Weston/Lowden property, such as removal of the Specific Plan for W/L, reduced density based upon a slope formula, and protection for open space; BUT it still has some half acre parcels.   Point #4 below, General Rural uses will require special use permits.  Most importantly, there will be stronger language to keep the TMSA out of WV, which should go a long way to limit growth. 

Additional notes from a EWV resident:

"I attended the Monday night working group meeting where Planner Eric Young attended. There is another one Thursday night (Feb 1). All in all it is frustrating and although updated language is in the SVP…the westin-lowden project as well as more commercial and or special use permits will be issued for Washoe Valley (including mention of an Apartment complex just as an example…oh but stores underneath with only 2 stories)   As former Assembly guy, Bob from West Washoe says, If the TMSA (sewer) comes in, it is over for the Valley. I had no idea but the corridor up to Rhodes Road and then to Steamboat will be rezoned and thus there could be strip malls…and of course a proposed new casino in Steambaot.  I had asked Mr. Young about providing us with his research and or models for “cluster home” and protecting rural living areas. 

*The interesting aspect to Mr. Young is that he said he grew up in a rural town in Ohio where agriculture etc was the life. He claims to not understand or he wanted us to explain or expound about how our “rural heritage” will be lost really with this “cluster development and rezoning in the SVAP…..and that we don’t “trust him”. Tough one.

Productive meetings but so frustrating."

It is critical that we attend Saturdays meeting and show that the community is united in the desire to retain our current lifestyle here in Washoe Valley.

"All residents, liberal and conservative alike, have a duty to help shape and guide their communities"
February 2, 2007
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Comments:

Feb 3, 2007:

"We designed & built a home @ 1730 E. Guffey Dr. & lived there from spring
of '75 to Sept. of '06. The death of my partner prompted me to sell out &
move to a condo in Reno. This does not mean that I have lost interest in
thwarting the machinations of those who want to ruin the life style of the
area. I have said for years that if W/L want to change the zoning on their
property, they should go thru the rezoning process & not try to sneak in the
back door by including the change in the area plan.
Special use permits for any commercial properties are no more than an done
deal. Ask those who live next to the horse arena on Lake Shore. Even Erik
Young admitted at a meeting that they are easy to obtain. The CABs need to
stand firm against any change which permits intrusion of Reno or the TMSA.
Eric Young may have grown up in a small, agricultural area of Ohio but he
certainly has retained none of the small town/rural philosophy if he can't
understand our concern that our ³rural heritage² will be lost with this
³cluster development and rezoning in the SVAP." I grew up in the same type
of area in Indiana, 90 mi from Chicago. Probably the only reason it's still
the same is that no developer has seen any profit in investing there.
Altho I live in Reno, I will continue to do what I can to stop the changes
which Mr. Young & developers desire.
To paraphrase the title of a book about Florida's growth problems: "Sprawl
will take it all!"

Help Wanted: Reporter

Ever wanted to be a reporter but never went to journalism school, got any experience? Turned off by deadlines? Want to volunteer in the community on your own schedule? Want to actually accomplish something on the computer? We have the job for you. Become a washoevalley.org reporter. Go to public meetings, profile local businesses and residents, submit general observations about Washoe Valley life. Presidents Bush and Clinton all urge us to volunteer. Sign up today!
January 30, 2007
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Wild Horse Sanctuary Proposed

This RGJ.com article relates how Dayton residents are collecting money and banding together with the idea to someday form a sanctuary in the Virginia Range that forms the eastern border of Washoe Valley. Seems a mysterious white mustang, nicknamed "Phantom", has provided the inspiration. Maybe Washoe Valley residents should join the effort?
January 30, 2007
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Nuisance Ordinance "Town Hall" Meeting

Washoe County invites the public to the Commission Chambers on January 7th (Wed) from 6-10pm for a "Town Hall" Meeting to discuss the proposed changes to the county Nuisance Ordinance.

"The purpose of the Town Hall Meeting is to introduce the Committee members and staff working group, and to solicit comments from the public regarding regulating nuisances in unincorporated Washoe County and to provide more efficient and effective administrative enforcement tools. The Town Hall Meeting will be televised live on SNCAT – Channel 17. If you are unable to attend the Town Hall Meeting, please email your comments to nuisances@washoecounty.us. or visit www.washoecounty.us/nuisances."
 

We went to a recent EWVCAB meeting where the proposed Nuisance Ordinance was presented by the county. They explained that complaints by the public are handled by several different county departments and they want to consolidate it all under one agency whose job it would be to mitigate and arbitrate all nuisances along with updating the nuisance definitions.
January 30, 2007
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RV Storage Planned For Washoe City

A proposal for a Recreational Vehicle Storage Facility is scheduled to be discussed at the Feb. 5th meeting of the WVCAB. Hopefully it will include a steel warehouse building like the ones we are so fond of .

Question: Why do some commercial enterprises have to give proposals and get applications and others don't before construction?
January 30, 2007
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Area Plan Draft Update!

Just in time for your review before the Saturday joint CAB meeting to discuss it, the South Valleys Area Plan has been updated and is available for your review. The pdf document is here and contains several photos provided by washoevalley.org along with photos from other residents. Several passages have been modified and clarified. The update can also be found on this Washoe County Webpage with other SVAP information.

"Please feel free to attend and have your questions answered concerning the draft area plan for the south valleys. The Planning Commission will not be deliberating nor taking any action. They will moderate the meeting, and listen to the concerns of the CABs and the citizens who attend. After this meeting, staff will make any necessary adjustments to the plan in preparation for a Planning Commission Public Hearing being scheduled for Tuesday February 20^th. Staff is continuing to meet with community members to ensure that the draft plan that goes forward on February 20th enjoys broad community support. Please contact Eric Young at 328-3613 with any questions. "
January 30, 2007
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Board Of Commissioners Accepting Applications

The board is accepting applications for the following positions in several committees and panels. Now is your chance to take part. See the announcement here with more details. Deadline is February 9th.
January 29, 2007
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West WVCAB Meeting and Agenda

The meeting of  January 8th dealt mostly with the proposed South Valleys Area Plan. Several letters were received by the CAB on the subject. Letters were also received concerning the West Washoe Association and the four trucks that tipped over during the last wind event. This letter expressed public safety issues with potential fires and injury. It was suggested that WV could be closed during winds of 55 mph or higher. Comments on the SVAP included those about commercial development, transportation and water. See the full minutes here.

See the Agenda for the February 5th regular meeting of the CAB is here. The Feb 3rd SVAP meeting will be discussed and also a proposal for a RV storage facility in Washoe City.
January 30, 2007
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Notice of SVAP Meeting

The county sent out a notice of a "Joint Meeting of the Planning Commission and the East Washoe Valley, West Washoe Valley and Galena-Steamboat Citizen Advisory Boards" today for 10am, February 3rd at the Pleasant Valley Elementary School. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss in detail the proposed South Valleys Area Plan, take public testimony and the recommendations of the 3 CABs. The full text of the notice is here.

This may be the last chance for the public to influence the "character" of Washoe Valley for many years. Review the SVAP Draft here and our SVAP page here.
January 22, 2007
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Frozen Lakes & Dogs

Trish Freed, of A Dog's Life Canine Retreat Center (see the Local Services Page" sends in this reminder: "As dog lovers, we have been incredibly fortunate that the leash law has not been strictly enforced at Washoe Lake State Park. As a result, many of us run our dogs on the beach, and they happily frolic in the water and retrieve sticks we toss. Since the lake has frozen, people toss sticks out on the ice for their dog to retrieve. The danger of this game (besides the obvious) is that sometimes sticks are left out on the ice. Some of our dogs (mine, for instance) will do anything to get a stick, and if the conditions of the ice changed we might end up facing an ice water bath to rescue our dogs. If I don’t like the look of the ice I leash my dog when I see a stick. If your dog enjoys chasing sticks on the ice, it would be thoughtful to others to end the game with the stick on the beach. "

It would be a good idea to think about the overall safety issues with our ice conditions this winter. Sooner or later, the ice will start to melt and what once was solid will not be and you or your pet may be on "thin ice". Our waters may be shallow, but think twice before attempting any rescues and end up needing a rescue yourself. (ed.)
January 22, 2007
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Twisted Sisters Stable Update

We hear from the county planning dept. that that the application for the "administrative permit" to operate as a commercial stable has been put off until March or April and those residents that received a notification from the county planning dept will receive another before the meeting. In the meantime, the owners can board their own horses, but not those of others. See related articles here and here.

We've looked at the current Development Plan for Washoe Valley and noted that commercial stables and the associated buildings and equipment are allowed in areas zoned Low Density Suburban (LDS) which is most of the "old" areas or New Washoe City. Also allowed are "convenience" businesses: Convenience refers to establishments or places of business primarily engaged in the preparation and retail sale of food and beverages, and have a short customer turnover rate (typically less than one hour). Typical uses include drive-in and fast-food restaurants, ice cream parlors, sandwich shops and delicatessens. (page 304-10, Washoe County Dev. Code). What is planned for that vacant lot next to you?

The county is in the final stages for preparing a new development plan for the foreseeable future and are determining what uses will be allowed. To be involved in the process, visit your next CAB meeting. Get up to speed by visiting our South valleys Area Plan Page.
January 19, 2007
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Volunteer Fire Dept. News

Now that the "big" holidays are over here's something to look forward to April 8th:

Grey's Anatomy? Real Life Medical Drama Right Here.

Washoe Valley physician Dr. Todd Chapman aids a Carson Valley heart victim in this dramatic real-life story from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
January 19, 2007
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Dog Shooting in New Washoe City

A local dog has been shot and killed in NWC last week and the shooter is unidentified in this RGJ.com article. Be extra carefull your animals don't get out but it also illegal and unneighborly to discharge firearms in populated areas. Our sympathies go out to the family of this pet.
January 19, 2007
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"I would like to thank everyone who has come by and given my family their sympathy for the loss of our dog Lucy. I hope no one else has to go thru what we did. I realize some people feel that it was our fault that she got shot. It was a total accident that she was out that morning. I ask people that if a dog is out and being a pest please call animal control don't take matters into your own hands and kill someones beloved pet. It's not the animals fault that they are out.   Thanks again for everyone's support." Patti M.

"Very sad to loose a pet. Even sadder that one of our neighbors might have shot this beautiful dog 'Lucy.' "

Comments: "My sympathies to Patty and her family.
This is a sad thing to have happened."

Freeway Work Resumes

A North Dakota sand and gravel company has been awarded the contract for finishing the freeway extension from Mt. Rose highway to Washoe Valley. according to this article at KOLO-TV they are setting up now and will push south from Mt. Rose Highway. Work on the "Big Bridge" will start again in July or August with the whole project being done in 2011. A RGJ.com article here.
January 19, 2007
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Deadman's Creek Trail

This trail in southwest WV near the entrance to Washoe Lake State Park is covered by Rich Moreno in his Backyard Travels blog here. For a map, go to the Deadman's Creeek Trail System Map. The official trail is in blue, all others are historic, unmaintained trails. Single tracks are for hiking and equestrians only. Watch for snakes in snake season.
January 18, 2007
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Mountain Lion in the Virginia Range!

Duh! This article in the RGJ.com reports that authorities are radio-tracking a cougar that is apparently feeding on the wild horses up on the mountain range to the east of Washoe Valley. This sounds like a pretty unremarkable thing to us but some media outlets sound like they are trying to whip up some hysteria over it like the headline found on newscarsoncity.com. This would be unfortunate for the state of "wildness" we enjoy around here if it enters the local mindset that we can't have predator species up in the hills. Mountain Lion attacks on humans are very rare and even impending attacks can be avoided with the right human behavior. Off-road vehicles have killed more people in our back-country than wild animals.
January 9, 2007

Washoe Valley Webcam Is Back!

Go to the Photos & Webcams page for the new and imprved webcam experience. It's in New Washoe City and pointed at Slide Mt. since that is the most interesting thing you can actually see from here. Check out the weather, snow, wind and season (there are a couple of trees in the foreground).

Update January 19: the webcam program makes windows XP crash so it's going to be "hit or miss" till I get it figured out.
January 4, 2006

Most of the construction on the Twisted Sisters Barn at 3180 Clark is completed. The owners, Rebecca Jankovich and Warren Goedert, have submitted an administrative use permit to the county asking to run a stable at the barn. Kathy Chambless will be the horse trainer and stable manager. The main focus of the stable will be to provide a space where Kathy Chambless can train horses and Rebecca's endurance horses can have a home. The Twisted Sisters want to be good neighbors, so there won't be any outdoor floodlights; the indoor arena isn't wired for lights because it's not for riding as much as for training. The horse trainer only gives lessons to people whose horses she's trained so there won't be a lot of additional traffic since she only has 4 or 5 horses in training at a time; she figures she might give 5 lessons a month. There will be no clinics, no events, no groups of people; just plain training and teaching the owners of training horses to know as much as the horses know. The ranch will be landscaped so we're adding trees and color to the land. If you have any questions, just give Kathy (22-0426) or Rebecca (322-1839) a call.
press release January, 3, 2007

See the associated, original article here which includes comments from readers in an on-going discussion. ed.

Post your comments here.

Local MD Offers House Calls

Dr. Robert Fliegler, an East Washoe Valley resident, is being added to the services page. See his website and an article from the Nevada Appeal about his practice. ed.

"My practice model is different from the standard modern medical practice in several ways and is focused on fostering a strong patient-physician relationship.  I limited my practice size to 400 patients rather than the typical 3000 to 5000 patients seen in other internal medicine practices that are seeing 30 patients per day.

 I am available to my patients 24-hours-a-day-seven-days-a-week via cell phone or email and I offer same day appointments any day of the week with no waiting.  I also make house calls which I have found to be an especially rewarding experience

In short, I do everything I can to bend over backwards for my patients, and this model gives me the time and availability to do that.

 I work within Medicare and the other insurance companies so that all x-rays, labs or other out-of-the-office expenses are still covered by the insurance companies.  The insurance companies however do not cover the monthly fee that I charge for this service."
January 3, 2006

Coming Big Mess Explained

The Nevada Observer has a good article that explains how the local government, NDOT and developers work together to make traffic foul-ups that taxpayers have to fix, if there is a fix. This matters because the corner of Eastlake and 395 will have to accommodate intersections for two adjacent large subdivisions soon.
January 3, 2007

Locals Announce New Biz Start-up

East WVCAB Minutes and Agenda

The December EWVCAB was an important meeting as the South Valleys Area Plan Draft was handed out and discussed. The minutes are here and my review is here. The Agenda for the EWVCAB meeting next Tuesday is here. The CAB is expected to entertain presentations on a possible future sound wall on Hwy 395 and water rights. Final review of the Area Plan Draft will undertaken so if you would like to contribute to the future, here is your chance.
January 3, 2006

West WVCAB Minutes and Agenda

The folks on the west side will discuss the South Valleys Area Plan Draft also as part of its agenda for the meeting next Monday the 8th at 7pm at the Bowers FD building. The minutes from the December meeting are available too. The minutes are interesting for a letter the CAB sent to the Planning Dept. chiding them for the lack of communication and progress on the Area Plan Update.
January 3, 2006

"Stal-Mart" Wakes Up Residents...Again

Just a couple of months after the neighbors of a New Washoe City commercial stable took the matter to the county commissioners, another "Stal-Mart" has sprung up in the neighborhood. Continuing what seems now to be a trend in NWC, property owners are erecting large, industrial-looking steel buildings and opening "Commercial Stables" as they are called in the county development code. The county code allows commercial stables in Low Density Suburban zoned areas such as NWC by a special Administrative Permit process. See the complete article and a readers comments.
December 28, 2006

WV Lives Up To Its Reputation

Winds clocked at 80 mph in the valley and 135 mph over Slide Mt. are reminding everyone that Washoe Valley can be a mighty windy spot. Hopefully it will be a reminder to all those foolish ;-) enough to want to move here. No damage in our yard but the winds were from unusal directions and knocked over a few things that normally survive the prevailing wind directions. I have to remind people though that it is very windy for a day or two and then calm for 3 weeks, typically. Some think it is windy all the time.

Several semis tipped over and some of them even on the "wind bypass" on old 395. Here's the RGJ.com article here.
December 27, 2006

Christmas Carolers Horse Around

This is the 10th annual Washoe Valley Trailrider's Christmas Caroling event. They trailed to homes nearby Pintail Drive in Washoe Valley to private homes who requested their serenade. A few of the residents tearfully listened and were moved by this wonderful event. It was snowing and the streets were quite slippery, so the riders were very concerned about their horses.
Apparently if a horse falls he can land on their belly and get seriously hurt. Nevertheless, the riders and their horses persevered and caroled at about 20 different residences around there. They caroled on Saturday, December 16th, then partied afterwards. All had a blast! So did Santa seen in front. The riders were Donna Artz with Bill, Valerie Williams with Breeze, Donna Richter with Clinton, Greta Andersen with Libby, Debie Ribnick with Tonotah, Amy Casey with Sonny, Karen Filfinger with Smittey. Thanks to Ed Y. for this article and photo.
December 23, 2006

Winter Fun at Galena Creek Park

Galena Creek Regional Park will host several "Funderland" programs for the whole family throughout the winter starting on January 6th. Besides the ongoing "skating on the pond" there will several special events outlined on this flyer provided by Carol I. Thanks Carol!

The events will be on the events page and also listed on the right hand margin.
December 19, 2006

Suddenly its Winter!

Yes, we know its been winter for quite awhile and we even had a dusting of snow previous to last weekends inch (or two?) but I wanted an excuse to post this beautiful reader submitted "winter scene" photo on the front page taken in Washoe City. Thanks Tom P.!
See other submitted photos on the Photos Page.
December 19, 2006

Local Engineer Brings Step Son’s Invention To Life
In Washoe Valley
by Carol Infranca

   A tiny, ultra bright LED that weighs less than a dime can make any latex balloon containing either air or helium, light up, flash and even change colors. It’s called a Balloominator and it was invented by Douglas Oxborrow, a Sparks high school graduate, and brought to life by his stepfather, Siegfried Goepner, in his Washoe Valley workshop. See the rest of the article here.
December 19, 2006
 

Home of the Washoe Seeress

Local author Rich Moreno provides another look at Washoe Valley in his blog titled Backyard Traveler This time he profiles historic Bowers Mansion on the west side of the valley.
December 19, 2006

State Park Christmas Event a Success

About 40 families braved last Saturdays snowstorm to enjoy the Christmas event hosted by the state park. The turnout was about twice last years. See the Nevada Appeal story here.

Thanks to the park staff for all the extra work they did to put on this event. It's nice to know our local state parks staff is composed of people that have some community spirit.
photo courtesy Nevada Appeal
December 19, 2006

East WVCAB Meeting Report

The big meeting was full of stuff including the highlight of the night: The distribution of the South Valleys Area Plan Draft, the plan for development in Washoe Valley for the next 20 years. In it the county is proposing a crossroads whereby we ditch what we thought was the tool for preserving the character of the valley and replacing it with another. Read the report here. If you were at the meeting and have more to add, let me know.
December 15, 2006

Property Tax Warning!
Taxes Seem Too High?
There May Be A Mistake!
by Carol Infranca

   Lee Schlenker who lives in Washoe Valley noticed a pretty big jump in his tax rate three years ago. He thought his property value had increased.
   This year, when talking with a friend who lives in Reno, Schlenker discovered he was paying even more tax than a city dweller with a really nice home so his wife Carol visited the Washoe County Assessor’s Office to ask some questions.
   The appraiser went over the tax bill for the Schlenker home and discovered the couple had been paying taxes on a swimming pool for the past three years.
   “We don’t have a pool,” Schlenker said.
   “We changed our appraisal system to a computer assisted one three years ago and there must have been a coding error,” the Washoe       County Appraiser Josh Wilson explained.
   A coding error that occurred in that process provided a 28% increase to taxes on the Schlenker home.
   The Schlenkers are entitled to a rebate – for up to three years.   Luckily the error occurred only three years ago so they should get all of their additional tax money back.
   Appraiser Wilson told the Washoe Valley Community Advisory Board April meeting attendees they all might want check their property tax bill.
   “You can go to Washoe County Assessor’s website at http://www.co.washoe.nv.us/assessor then click on property assessment data, type in your parcel number or your home address to check,” he explained.
   If you find you’re being taxed for something that doesn’t exist, contact the Assessor’s office and they’ll get it fixed.
December 19, 2006

Weston/Lowden Subdivision Nears Approval

A quick review of the Washoe County South Valleys Area Plan Draft shows that it intends to pave the way for approval of the controversial subdivision bounded by Hwy 395, Eastlake Blvd and Skinner Rd. The plan approves 145 units in "cluster" configurations. This reader found the question of commercial development in the subdivision unclear. It may approve it but clarification of the wording is needed (page 13).

Also, the plan seems to call for "regulatory relief" for the project if water and sewer requirements for the project can't meet present or future regulatory or natural requirements (page 14).

To refresh your memory on this project find a link to the project proposal here and my review and questions on it here.
December 10, 2006

Area Plan Draft Now Available

The much anticipated draft of the proposed area plan is now available online as a PDF file as well as several other supporting documents. there will also be a permanent link on our South Valleys Area Plan Page. The plan was reportedly presented to the West WVCAB last Monday and will be presented to the East WVCAB this Tuesday.

County Staff will collect feedback till January 15 then have a final draft at the January meeting of the East WV CAB on January 22nd. (NOTE: The CAB is expected to change future meeting dates to the third Monday of the month starting in January).
December 10, 2006

East WV CAB Minutes & Agenda

The minutes of the November meeting are here. The Agenda for the Tuesday, Dec. 12th meeting is here. County Staff will present the South Valleys Area Plan Draft for review (until January 15th). Also, they will vote for officers and there will be a presentation by Scenic Byways.

Also, the CAB will host a holiday social event prior to the meeting at 6pm. Both events will be at the Nevada Div. of Forestry office on Eastlake Blvd.
December 10, 2006

Ice Rink Open (call first!)

This press release from the Washoe County parks site:

Subject: Davis Creek ice skating pond frozen and available to the public Reno, Nevada. The pond at Davis Creek Regional Park in Washoe Valley is now frozen and open for public ice-skating. The Davis Creek pond is a great natural outdoor ice-skating area and skating there is free. No skate rentals are available at the pond.

This time of year, skating is best in the morning before temperatures rise. The park opens at 8:00 a.m. everyday. The pond is open until 4:30 p.m.

Davis Creek Park is located just off Old U.S. 395 on the northwest side of Washoe Valley. Turn off on Davis Creek Road and follow the signs to the pond.

Weather conditions change rapidly so call ahead for updates on skating conditions: (775) 849-0684.
December 10, 2006

Postal Cafe Christmas Arts & Crafts Fair

The newly-renovated Postal Cafe on Eastlake Blvd was humming with activity during its Christmas event last Saturday. Santa was there lending a sympathetic ear to the needs of local kids and several booths were outside in the mild sunshine selling a surprising array of potential gifts and stocking stuffers. The new kitchen was as busy as Santa's workshop turning out tasty fare.
December 10, 2006 

Wild Horse Spirit Saves Wild Horses and Mends Human Spirits

Locals Bobbi Royle and Betty Kelly work with wild horses is celebrated in this article submitted to washoevalley.org by Carol Infranca.
December 10, 2006

Local Business Profile: Washoe Flats Restaurant

The former Cattleman's, in Washoe City, sold earlier this year, is covered in this RGJ article.
December 5, 2006

Local Christmas Events

Hot Diggity! This Christmas is shaping up to be a great one with several events that will put you in the mood. Check out the right-hand column and Events Page for info on these upcoming events. We have a Christmas Fair at the newly remodeled Postal Cafe on Eastlake Blvd., An Old-fashioned Christmas celebration with Santa and wagon rides at the State Park, and caroling on horseback even! Plus, a drive around the valley to enjoy the lights will be memorable.

If you know of any other celebrations, let us know!
December, 4, 2006

Local Business Profile: A Dog's Life Canine Retreat Center

Trish Freed's dog boarding business is covered in this local blog entry
December 3, 2006

Author Moves To Washoe Valley

Chris Platt, formerly of Salem, Oregon and author of equestrian related books for young girls, has relocated to our own Washoe Valley where she continues her writing and work with horses. Her latest book, "Moon Shadow" is a story for girls 12 and older. Its central character, Callie McLean, is 13 and lives on the edge of the Nevada desert. Chris will reportedly be at the Christmas Fair at the Postal Cafe on Dec. 9th (see the right column for more info).  Learn more in this article and welcome, Chris, to the valley!
December 3, 2006

New Fire Station Delayed

The new fire station planned for East Washoe Valley will be delayed a couple of years due to the July fire at the fire station in south Reno according to this article at RGJ.com
December 3, 2006

Another Chance To Make It Better

Washoe County is presenting us with another chance to be involved and take part in county government in a relatively painless way. If you want to have a voice or just want to give back to the community a little check out this application for membership on a temporary citizens committee to advise the county commissioners here. Deadline is January 17th.
December 03, 2006
 

Washoe Lake Kiteboarding

Ever wonder what its like to kite board on the lake? Kiteboarding is a popular new sport that combines a wakeboard and a parasail that allows one to ski across the water by the power of the wind- both of which we have ample supplies of. Check out this video from the kiteboarders perspective on our own Washoe Lake.
November 28, 2006

West Washoe CAB December Agenda

The December meeting will be at the new day- the first Monday of the month which is December 4th. The usual reports will be given by the sheriff's and fire depts. PLUS- Area Plan Update  – Staff will distribute the latest draft of the Area Plan update; answer questions, and ask for feedback between tonight and one week before the January meeting so that a final draft can be prepared for the January meeting. Be sure to attend if you are concerned about the future of Washoe Valley.
November 25, 2006

Trails Master Plan Deserves a Look
editorial by the editor

Don’t look back 5 years from now and wonder why someone didn’t do something in 2006. We take open space and public trails for granted here in Washoe Valley as they are everywhere and plentiful for all types of recreation. Many areas around the valley that are undeveloped are private land even though they are indistinguishable from public land to the casual observer. Washoe County is putting together the final touches on a Parks and Trails Master Plan that will guide the county for the foreseeable future on what (see the rest of the article here)...

Parks Master Plan Draft located here.
Comment on this article at the Franktown Cafe Blog.
November 24, 2006

Keep Washoe Valley Wild!
by Susan J. 

I live in one of the East Washoe Valley neighborhoods that backs up to BLM land, and believe I speak for my whole neighborhood in saying how greatly we appreciate the many opportunities to enjoy encounters with wildlife our location allows (no tract homes yet!!).   

Possibly owing to the current popularity of domestic poultry in our neighborhood, last week two of us spotted a bobcat in our yards for the first time ever, though we’ve known they were up on Jumbo Grade from the report of a dog walking friend who lucky enough to see a female bobcat and five kittens two springs ago. In my case, he was just a few feet from the back porch around 9:00 pm. The light was sufficient for me to take in his spots, great tufted ears and strong chest and my dog and I just stared before I saw what HE was staring at – my 6 month old kitten, which had slipped out earlier that evening. I opened the sliding door and shouted “Run, Pumpkin, run!”, as if she needed any prompting. The bobcat on seeing the dog and I trotted the other way and slipped under the gate. Pumpkin came out of hiding and into the house around 11:00. 

A few nights later, my dog woke me up barking, which isn’t so unusual given our location and the countless coyote howls we’ve heard in 10 years, plus the yearly fall migration of deer to nibble my apple trees in spite of the several fences that separate the orchard from BLM land. The next day, my neighbors told me their chickens’ fence had been torn nearly off by something. We speculated a bobcat would not likely have done that…and then my neighbor discovered a large pile of unusual scat…and then we discovered another, and another, all full of apple bits. I looked around. The tree I had noticed just the day before still holding on to a few red apples was bare. Not only was it bare, large branches were hanging by bits of bark. So were branches on several other trees. I easily climbed over the fence between our yards where what we were now sure was a bear bent the wire nearly down to the ground and checked out the chicken coop. The creature (i.e. the bear) had broken a crosspiece in two and torn the chicken wire completely off a section of fence. Lucky for the chickens and their eggs, the opening to the coop is small, and all the chickens were accounted for.

 I am awed and grateful for the opportunities to experience some of the myriad wonders of wild nature. Thank you to the many, many people in Washoe Valley working so hard to keep it wild!

Thanks!, Susan, for your contribution to our site. We encourage all residents to contribute to the Washoe Valley online community.

The residents of Genoa are also experiencing interaction with wildlife as covered here in this Record-Courier (Douglas County) article (Ed.)
November 19, 2006

Live Entertainment Alive and Well at Scotty's

Scotty's Saloon on Eastlake Blvd in New Washoe City features live entertainment as seen in the following videos of the local bands Terrapin Road and the Hellbusters. their next event will be a New Years Eve Bash on December 31st at 8pm. This bar caters to motorcycle enthusiasts but we know from experience they are always happy to see local residents.
Buried Alive in the Blues- Terrapin Road
Drinking Wine- Terrapin Road
Skinny Woman- Hellbusters
Rollin and Tumblin- Hellbusters
November 16, 2006

West WV CAB Meeting Agenda & Minutes

The agenda for next weeks meeting on Tuesday is here. The sheriff's office, fire dept., ambulance service, and NDOT are all expected to give presentations and answer questions. Bob Rusk will give a report on the settlement agreement. We need a correspondent to take notes on this important issue.

The minutes for last months meeting are here. They are 4 pages long and include many items worth reviewing. On in particular was a presentation given by the Washoe County Parks Dept. on the Parks Master Plan being developed. Comments are being solicited from the public on the plan and it is something that will affect public access that we now take for granted for years to come.
November 19, 2006

Santa Plans Visit

Washoe Lake State Park is planning a Christmas celebration on Saturday, December 16th, weather permitting. Time 2:00 pm.
November 12, 2006

Nevada Writer Chronicles WV

Richard Moreno, former publisher of Nevada Magazine, wrote up Washoe Valley in his blog, The Backyard Traveler. He has written several books on traveling around and exploring our state which make for fun weekend jaunts.
November 12, 2006

East WV CAB Agenda

This Tuesday's agenda calls for a presentation by the county on possibly changing the CAB membership and areas and meeting date. Other topics may include the Sierra Reflections subdivision, parks and the Area Plan. The meeting will be at the NDF Building on Eastlake at 7pm, Tuesday the 14th.
November 12, 2006

East WV CAB October Minutes

Deputy Jeff Masten of the WCSO and Division Chief Joe DuRousseau of the fire dept. both gave presentations and updates on calls in the area. A presentation on the "non-contiguous annexation policy proposed legislation was given. The parks master plan will be available on the county website (isn't there yet) and a final draft of the Area Plan is being worked on. The minutes are here.
November 12, 2006

Strategies for Merging Onto 395 South

Once again, we were headed for Carson and had to slow behind a car that was entering the freeway at the onramp at Hobart Road at the Lakeview subdivision going about 30. Some even come to a complete stop at the end of the merge lane which makes it dangerous for those behind who are looking at traffic in the rear view mirror and accelerating to freeway speed to merge. Sometimes the slow lane is full of cars and semis doing 70 and that it really is impossible to merge safely. A better strategy would be to slow or stop at the beginning of the onramp and wait there until it is safe to accelerate and merge.
November 8, 2006

West Washoe Valley to Be Logged

Starting next month, 5,600 acres of federal land in the mountains to the west of Washoe Lake will be logged in a "thinning" operation to reduce fire danger. Hopefully, enough of the ladder fuels, tree limbs and other "slash" will be removed along with the marketable logs as those items are the biggest fire danger. An RGJ.com article says that the logging company is required to remove 2,000 tons of slash that will be used to fuel the company's biomass power plant. Truck traffic in west Washoe Valley is expected to increase. Another article here.
November 8, 2006

Galena Bridge Contract Awarded

The "big bridge" is back in the news with the awarding of the new contract to a sand and gravel (!) company from Arizona. The subcontractor says they will change the design from a steel arch to poured concrete which should be quite a show from the highway for the next 4 years.
November 8, 2006

More Bears In Eastlake!

I got an email from Lynn last week reporting that she also had seen 2 bears while walking her dogs in the vicinity of Dunbar and Skinner in north New Washoe City. Remember to give these animals a wide berth if you see them and to secure your trash- "A Fed Bear Is A Dead Bear" and it would be a shame to inadvertently cause the demise of these creatures that represent the wildlands we enjoy living near. Here's some tips on living in bear country from the Bear League at Tahoe.
November 8, 2006

Election Summary

David Humke retained his position as County Commissioner, Bonnie Parnell retained her position with the Nevada State Legislature and Dean Heller will be our new Congressman joining incumbent John Ensign come January. You can't smoke-either marijuana or cigarettes, education will come first, it's harder to condemn property but also harder to build roads, you'll get a minimum wage raise and if you are civic minded enough to be a state legislator, you still have to serve for free. We went to the polls at about 9:30 am and it was fairly busy even at that odd time so it looks like another important issue, voter turnout, won also.
November 8, 2006

Washoe Valley Cemetery?

We've received a request for information about the old Washoe City Cemetery just east of Washoe Flats Restaurant (Cattleman's) from a party who is interested in volunteering time and effort in restoration and maintenance of the old resting place. Whoever has some information on this site and who to contact, please let us know.
November 2, 2006

Washoe Valley in Nevada Magazine

The Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory at the north end of the valley got a write-up in the current issue of Nevada Magazine. Owners Dan and Caroline Salzwimmer are retiring after more than 20 years and are handing the store over to their son, Danny. The article reminds us that the store is an excellent source of gifts and treats for Christmas. We're glad they are going to remain open and promise to patronize the Washoe Valley landmark soon.
November 2, 2006

Report on Nevada's Last Chance Scenic Places

The Scenic Nevada News Conference went well.  It was a beautiful day and quite a few people showed up. 

Thirteen places were chosen as Nevada's LAST CHANCE Scenic Places;
 Hillside Cemetery, Reno,
 Rosewood Canyon and Wash, Reno,
Virginia Street Bridge, Reno,
 Black Rock Desert/HighRock,Gerlach,
Charles Shelldon National Wildlife Refuge,
Washoe Valley,
Comstock Cemetery, Virginia City,
Walker Lake, Hawthorne,
Monte Cristo's Castle, Tonopah,
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas,
Mount Charleston, Las Vegas,
Upper Las Vegas Wash, Las Vegas,
Flat Top Mesa, Mesquite

Monika Frank and I (Carol Christensen) were interviewed by the Reno Journal Gazette, and Channel 2.  Channel 2 then met us at little Washoe Lake and Monika gave them a very nice on camera interview. 
I will write a thank you note to Scenic Nevada.  They are great people and really did a nice job.  I think it is a real privilege to have the entire Washoe Valley included as a Last Chance Scenic Place in Nevada.  The booklet that will be ready for distribution on December 1st, and will include pictures.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the nomination, pictures, field trip, ideas, etc.

Carol
November 2, 2006

Wild Horse Spirit Sanctuary

Cory Farley of RGJ.com wrote up the sanctuary this week in new "South Suburban" section of the site. Bobbi Royle and Betty Kelly of Washoe Valley founded the nonprofit and were interviewed for the story. The sanctuary's website is here. The sanctuary is actively involved in rescuing wild horses and monitoring legislation that concerns wild horses.
November 2, 2006

Nevada Historical Society Calendar

The 2007 calendar is available now and one month features "Flappers wearing "daring" 1920s woolen bathing dresses pose at the fountain in front of Bowers Mansion in Washoe Valley." as the photo for one month. The calendar costs $10.99 plus $3 shipping and handling. To order, call Pam Massey at 687-0611 or e-mail pam@nevadamagazine.com. (from Nevada Appeal).
November 2, 2006

The Days to Duck

Be advised that at the Scripps Wildlife Management Area and at Washoe Lake State Park, both in Washoe Valley, during the waterfowl season, hunting is permitted only on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and certain Holidays.
November 2, 2006

Virginia Range Explained

Many articles are available on the discovery of the "Comstock Lode", the fabulous riches of gold and silver found in the mountains that form the eastern side of Washoe Valley. But I really haven't seen an explanation of how those minerals came to be in the Virginia Range, until now. A nice article in the UNLV "Rebel Yell" student newspaper explains it and gives a concise overall history.
November 2, 2006