It has purchased a ship--a used aircraft carrier--from the U.S. Navy for $1 dollar. The ship will allow TRPA staff and officials to move freely around Lake Tahoe.

"We see it as a perfect solution to making TRPA more accessible to citizens as we work on a new, 25-year management plan for the Tahoe Basin," said a spokesperson for TRPA.

Since its inception in 1970, by an act of the U.S. Congress, TRPA has been home-based at South Lake Tahoe. In recent years, with increased staffing due to an expanding workload, TRPA has had increasing difficulty in completing its tasks, according to many observers in both state capitals. "The new combination of living and office space will promote teamwork and reduce car emissions from commuting," observed a board member after the vote was taken at regular meeting on Wednesday.



In general, the plans are to make the hanger below the flight deck the main room for large public meetings. The carrier can pull into different bays around Lake Tahoe, drop the anchor, and citizens will be ferried aboard by shore craft. "We'll become a familiar sight on the lake," said one staff member. "We'll move from day to day."

Staff housing will be located in the existing crew and officer's quarters scattered around the ship. "Some conversion of the present space will be required," according to Skip Thompson (descendent of Snowshoe Thompson) who is the staff coordinator for the new TRPA headquarters.

Casino on Board?
There is already a proposal before the TRPA board to establish a for-profit casino and hotel in the island on the carrier. TRPA would lease the space to a professional gaming company and use the income to help finance TRPA operations and P7 development. Harrah's and the Crystal Bay Club have each expressed interest in the concept.

Two Other Proposals in Process: Landing Strip and Affordable Housing
Since TRPA announced its plan, the Mountain Pilots Association is discussing a request to the board to allow small planes to land on the carrier when it is at anchor. Overnight stays would be allowed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Also, there are rumors that WHATT is doing the numbers on the feasibility of using the flight deck for affordable housing. "A hundred mobile homes or trailers could be lined up there, and we would have a mobile workforce," commented one of the staff people enthused about prospects.

Timetable
The ship will be brought to Lake Tahoe in pieces from Alameda in San Francisco Bay where it is presently housed at the naval station carrier base there. The disassembly and re-assembly on the Lake will take approximately two years and provide up to 466 temporary jobs in the basin.