Latest news with #LongLake
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Changes could be coming to Whitehorse's popular Long Lake
The City of Whitehorse wants to make changes to the Long Lake day use area, saying the area is seeing a growing a number of users. The city is proposing to add a formal parking lot, a barrier-free trail connecting the parking area to the beach, additional portable toilets and garbage cans, change rooms, benches and picnic tables. The proposal is now being assessed by the Yukon Environmental Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB). "I think this is long overdue," says Dave Paquet, who regularly swims in the lake and walks the trails. The popular lake is about a ten-minute drive from downtown Whitehorse and attracts large crowds on hot summer days. Currently, the area has a small parking area, a hiking trail that circles the lake, two portable toilets and a few garbage cans. The city recently added a dock and a life jacket loaner station. The city is proposing to clear vegetation in the area to make way for the new facilities. Some of the mature trees near the lake provide nesting areas for birds, but the city says it will only clear vegetation outside of the main nesting period. It also says riparian areas surrounding the lake may be disturbed during construction. However, once the project is complete, the city says it will help protect vegetation and riparian areas, which are often disturbed by users. Megan Sharp runs on the Long Lake trails and swims in the lake in the summer. She says leaving the area "wild" may not be the best way to protect it. "When it's less developed and less people use it, I find there's lots of trash and maybe there's lots of folks maybe doing stuff like making a bonfire when they shouldn't," she said. Sharp also thinks the upgrades will make Long Lake more inclusive. "There's not a lot of places that are accessible for folks that maybe have mobility challenges," she said. Paquet says he has been advocating for upgrades to make Long Lake more accessible for years. As he gets older, he's finding it harder to walk the narrow, root-strewn paths around the lake. "As you get older, it might be nice to have a little more ease of access." Nikki Krocker is one of the early morning swimmers who brave the lake's cool water before the daytime crowds arrive. She says the peace and quiet draws her to the lake in the mornings and that she likes that the area is undeveloped. She says she doesn't need to use the new facilities herself. "Part of what I like about this is that I can get away from people and things, so that's not something I would need, but that doesn't mean it's not something many other people would need and really benefit from." Krocker hopes that the city takes users' needs into consideration when planning the project's construction and design. If the project goes ahead, construction is expected to start in 2026 and be completed by 2028. The public will not be able to access the construction area during that time, but other access points to the lake will remain open. The public can provide feedback on the proposal on YESAB's website until July 8.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Khosla Ventures among VCs experimenting with AI-infused roll-ups of mature companies
Venture capitalists have always focused on investing in companies that leverage technology to either disrupt established industries or create entirely new business categories. But some VCs are starting to flip the script on their investing styles. Rather than funding startups, they are acquiring mature businesses –such as call centers, accounting firms, and other professional service firms—and optimizing them with artificial intelligence to serve more customers through automation. This strategy, often likened to private equity roll-ups, is being employed by firms such as General Catalyst, Thrive Capital, and solo VC Elad Gil. General Catalyst, touting this as a new asset class, has already backed seven such companies, including Long Lake, a startup that scoops up homeowners' associations in an effort to make the management of communities more streamlined. Since its founding less than two years ago, Long Lake has secured $670 million in funding, according to PitchBook data. While the strategy is still new, a few other venture outfits have told TechCrunch that they are also considering trying out the investment model. Among them is Khosla Ventures, a firm known for making early bets on risky, unproven technologies with long development timelines. "I think we'll look at a few of these types of opportunities," Samir Kaul, general partner at Khosla Ventures, told TechCrunch. Interestingly, this PE-flavored approach could be a surprising benefit to the multitudes of AI startups VCs are backing. If a VC marries old businesses with new technology, AI startups wanting to serve these industries would essentially gain instant access to large, established clients. According to Kaul, such access would be helpful when new startups have difficulties securing customers on their own. With the rapid rate of change in AI, the number of startups pouring into the market, and the historically long sales cycles involved in selling to enterprises, such difficulties apply to many AI startups. But Khosla Ventures wants to proceed with caution. "The companies we're looking at are very unlikely to lose money," Kaul said, but he doesn't want the strategy to ruin the firm's strong return track record. "My biggest stress in life is I'm managing other people's money, and I want to make sure that I continue to be a good steward of it." While Khosla Ventures is starting to "dabble" in AI roll-up investments, Kaul explained that the firm wants to do a few deals to assess if such investments deliver strong returns for the firm before possibly raising money for some kind of vehicle specifically aimed at this investment strategy. If early bets pan out, Khosla would likely partner with a PE-style firm to help it with acquisitions rather than hire a team. "We wouldn't do it alone, we don't have that expertise," he said. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
