Letter to the Editor -- Trevor Hammond on the County Master Plan

Dear Churchill County Commissioners, 

I am fully aware of the desperate need for housing in Fallon and I agree with the main goals of the Master Plan which states that the County would like to promote smart economic growth. I strongly believe in protecting our resources, heritage, open spaces, and agriculture. With all sincerity, I hope that our County Commissioners do as well. I hope that my following words carry weight because I deeply care for the well-being and direction of the community where my children, who are 5^th generation residents, will be growing up and hopefully raising children of their own.

Let me begin with the fact that I do not envy the position you are in. As many will call it, we are in a housing crisis which is exacerbated by continually increasing building costs, an increasing population due to the Naval Air Station expansion, massive industry relocation to nearby areas, and trending exit of neighboring states. On the current path, we may see growth like we have never seen. We all know that in the near future you will be asked to make decisions that will be some of the toughest tests placed on individuals in your position. You will be required to weigh the needs and concerns of your current constituents against the needs of your future ones who do not have a voice as of yet, although there will be many who approach you and claim that they represent and speak for these future voices.

I realize that no single voice is more important than another, but I ask that when you weigh these decisions and hear the current voices of this community, keep in mind that we are all here for the same reason. This is a very special little town. I was born and raised here, and in my 20’s I was lucky enough to obtain a job that let me travel the world. I have personally spent time in approximately 18 different countries on 5 different continents and in roughly 20 of the states. Along the way I was always asked of my hometown and of course when excitingly stating Fallon Nevada, no one had any idea of where I was talking about. I can proudly say though that I was able to call this my home and I can see this pride in many other residents as well.

I have seen many enlisted Navy members coming to this town on assignment and choosing to stay after retirement. They become ingrained in the community they came to love, purchasing land and setting up organic farms, opening small business shops on Maine street to give us a taste of where they came from, and opening restaurants we all love to frequent. All of the farmers who put in a tremendous amount of painstaking hours turning over ground, irrigating, cutting, and bailing in this extremely difficult and dry desert climate, just to make an honest living and keep our fields that we all love to drive through green and beautiful.

My wife’s grandfather who immigrated to this county, purchased a ranch with all of his savings and put in decades of work on it, spreading feed by hand for his cattle only days before his passing at 92 years old. And more recently, the increasing number of people who are uprooting their lives from other states or nearby busy cities, choosing this place as a new home because to many it reminds them of what they once had where they came from. We are all proud to call this place home because we love to be living amongst other passionate residents. I ask that you listen to these voices intently when they come to address you about passionate topics of change. Using them as a guide and staying focused on these main goals laid out in the Master Plan. I know we can keep what makes this such a special little town alive during the impending growth, in turn ensuring that future voices will be filled with the same pride.

To the members of the community that feel the same way I do, please ensure that your voices are heard, participate in open discussions, spread awareness and express concerns, attend meetings such as these Commissioners’ meetings and Planning Commissions meetings. Prepare comments in a unified and organized way to increase effectiveness. We all live busy lives and sometimes trust that others will be there to help steer the course, but please do not sit by during this time or we will be looking back on this someday and think about how a special little town grew into something that no longer resembled itself at the profit of those who had no connection to the community.