Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
* MESQUITE AIRPORT -- The scream of 727s whining down a runway could become a reality for Mesquite residents in the not-too-distant future. The County Commission on Tuesday gave the Department of Aviation permission to begin working with city officials on plans for a future commercial carrier airport in Mesquite. The town 90 miles northeast of Las Vegas is rapidly turning into a major tourist destination with the mini-boom of hotel-casinos there, Aviation Director Bob Broadbent told the commission. Broadbent will apply with the Federal Aviation Administration for approval of master plan site selection and environmental assessment studies, a step that will help the project qualify for federal funds. The study is expected to take about a year, Broadbent said.
* FLAMINGO CROSSING -- Plans for pedestrian bridges at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road are slowly turning into a mirage. The County Commission pushed a report back two weeks as several hotel-casino properties on the busy and dangerous street corner try to reach consensus on whether to build bridges or a network of tunnels. Mirage Resorts has been pushing for tunnels, while county officials have resisted the idea because of engineering and operational problems. All the property owners want something to get pedestrians off the streets to help relieve congestion and improve safety. County Public Works Department planner Ken Lambert said there have been more than 300 accidents in the last three years, 80 percent of which were traced to congestion. Getting pedestrians off the intersection would reduce accidents by 20 percent, Lambert said.
* TORTOISE REDUX -- The County Commission has held off approving an ordinance to create a multi-species habitat protection plan because of concerns raised by the home-building industry. The commission is considering expanding its desert tortoise conservation plan to include other species that are imperiled by development, but developers wanted to make sure the changes conform with state law. Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates said a lot of work still needs to be done on the ordinance. Officials said it will be at least two months before the ordinance comes before the board again.
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