At their meeting last week, County Commissioners considered the River Park Planned Unit Development request for a one-year extension to submit the final map for the project. Alignment of the Moody Lane extension from Coleman Road to Rice Road has held up the one-year extension that was granted to developers last year.
Harvey Whittemore spoke on behalf of the applicant, regarding a brief extension to November 3, 2022, that would allow parties to develop an agreement consistent with the county manager and staff direction. The extension to November was granted.
The contract to engineer and design the new 10th Judicial District Courthouse was awarded to Lombard Conrad Architects. Four bids were received and LCA was chosen, the same firm that designed the Juvenile Justice Center located on Broadway Street. The cost for the design and engineering is based on a percentage of the total construction cost estimate of the courthouse facility of $15,000,000 and will be included in that total.
“I appreciate the robust process,” said Chairman Pete Olsen, “Judge Stockard has been very patient, the need is here, and this is a positive step to getting a courthouse built. It has been on the back burner for six years.”
The position of Bus Driver for Parks and Recreation was approved, to meet the needs of the expanding after-school and summer day-camp program at the Cottage School facility. As the program has continued to expand, with enrollment growing from 35 to 90 students, transportation of children has become a challenge.
County Manager Jim Barbee said the CARE program was the only one that remained open during COVID and voiced frustration that the school district and county could not come to an agreement about creating a bus route for the after-school program. “We stayed open and operational for the benefit of our employees and the school district employees during COVID, and I wish we could have gotten to a point with the school district to have a better bus stop or a better solution,” he said. “This is the best solution we could come up with.”
Commissioners voted to provide funding to the Search and Rescue Trunk or Treat Event in the amount of $3,000. Organizer Rick McCusker explained that the event will be held at Venturacci Park on October 29, and the funding will be used to purchase candy. The City of Fallon will donate candy, Fallon Rotary will participate, and also the Fallon Youth Club. The event is estimated to draw nearly 5,000 participants.
Barbee spoke about the proposed resolution to declare the management structure for the Rafter 3C Event Complex, delineating responsibility and separating the complex from the Regional Park and Parks and Recreation Commission. Because the new facility needs to be managed from the stance of economic development there have been challenges in negotiating larger contracts for the facility. “There will be a three-member committee management style,” he said, between the County Manager Barbee, Director of Parks and Recreation, Jorge Guerrero, and the Fairgrounds Operation Deputy, Jesse Segura. The resolution was approved and the Parks and Recreation Commission will continue its responsibilities for the other facilities at the Oasis Regional Park.
Commissioners also approved a resolution to move the management of the Churchill County Junior Livestock Show and Fair from the University of Nevada College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources to the County. CABNR is making this same change with counties across the state. Barbee said that the resolution provides his office the authority to develop a show committee to manage and put on the Livestock show through the 501c3 entity that has been using funds for this event. In addition, it gives the event the opportunity to expand and add more activities.
Because the county has received greater than anticipated revenues from the CTX revenue, commissioners approved apportioning the $1,021,295 amount over the anticipated budget of $7,690,000 to the Library, Parks and Recreation, and the Building Reserve fund. They also apportioned $296,000 of the excess geothermal revenue of $358,342 to the Building Reserve fund. The county received a total of $1,273,342 in geothermal revenues for fiscal year 2022.
During staff and commission reports Olsen reported that he was able to take the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, Tommy Beaudreau on a tour of the community, along with Governor Sisolak’s chief of staff and members of the Fallon Tribe to see firsthand the issues the county has with the Navy expansion. “He will take back to Washington how the approval of what the Navy wants to do if they are allowed to expand the way they want to.” He was also able to meet this month with Senators Cortez-Masto and Jacky Rosen to discuss the issues around the Navy expansion.
Barbee said, “We need to take every opportunity in the community to let people know this Navy thing is not dead. They have the full intent of expanding. The public is going to be pretty surprised if something happens and probably not in a good way.
Commissioners also recognized employees Wendy Bullock (5 years), Catherine Richardson (5 years), Tiffany Timmons (5 years), Autumn Bergreen (10 years), Lisa Rigney (10 years), Carol Lloyd (10 years), and Kenneth Jonte (20 years) for their service to the county and the community.
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