Washoe tribe to manage Meeks Bay Resort at Tahoe

Wednesday, April 29, 1998 | 11:23 a.m.

With the approval Tuesday, the tribe is moving ahead with plans to open the seasonal resort by Memorial Day, and put its cultural stamp on the center which stands on grounds of a traditional Washoe summer camp.

Brian Wallace, the tribe's chairman, said managing the resort on the lake's west shore will mean the Washoe will be a visible part of the Tahoe Basin from now on.

"We plan to be here as firmly as the mountains, and as long as the sun and moon endure," Wallace said.

The Forest Service also announced a new five-year permit for California Land Management to continue operating the Meeks Bay Campground, continuing an arrangement that is now eight years old. The company operates all Forest Service campgrounds in the Tahoe Basin.

The Washoe tribe bested four other bidders to win a 20-year lease of the property that was developed as a resort in 1919. Juan Palma, forest supervisor of the Forest Service's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, said the Washoe won the permit because its bid was consistent with the Forest Service's goal to maintain Meeks Bay as a family-oriented resort.

"The Washoe bid stands on its own merits," said Palma, who added that considerations of the Washoe's historic role at Meeks Bay were secondary.

The Washoe pledged to renovate all of the resort's facilities to comply with the federal Americans with Disability Act. In addition to promising a number of improvements, the Washoe agreed to prepare a master plan within one year to identify other possible projects.

Wallace said the tribe on Monday negotiated to receive a $1 million line of credit to pay for repairs to Meeks Bay Resort, which was managed by the DeWitt Clinton Growth Corp. since 1978. He said the Washoe are budgeting $257,000 to run the resort this year.

He added the Washoe intend to restore stream meadows and upgrade the shoreline area, prepare cultural and historic exhibits, and immediately put the Washoe stamp on every part of the resort.

"We will create a Washoe identity from the smallest detail of the renovation, to the use of native materials in the outdoor signage and the best stewardship practices," Wallace said.