Additional public parking is in the works for Kings Beach with the board of supervisors approval today of a construction contract for a 29-space lot on Rainbow Avenue in this North Lake Tahoe community. The lot will allow off-street parking and encourage visitors and residents to make Kings Beach a walkable community. This will be the sixth lot the county has built. In all, the county will have constructed about 260 parking spaces in the Kings Beach community when this project is completed.
 
The lot is part of the Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project, a multi-year project. The first phase of the commercial core project is nearing completion. The contract awarded today will construct additional public parking on the west end of Kings Beach and add lighting and connect pedestrian corridors with new sidewalks.  This improvement brings the total to six public parking lots constructed in Kings Beach as part of the improvement project for a community that has struggled with parking challenges.
 
Additionally, construction will install landscaping at various locations throughout the highway corridor, install railings and replace damaged bollards, which are short posts that limit vehicle access in the project area. The construction will also modify an existing curb and gutter at Beaver Street and State Route 28 to improve drainage. 
 
The county determined that the $824,000 contract, awarded to Q&D Construction of Reno, represents an accurate reflection of the current market. Q&D was the only firm to formally respond to our opportunity, of the more than 350 firms notified. When questioned, other firms that reviewed the opportunity explained that they didn’t formally respond because it is just a busy time. 
 
Construction is expected to begin this spring, with completion anticipated in the fall.