Las Vegas city briefs

Wednesday, May 28, 1997 | 10:48 a.m.

* MINAMI CLEANUP -- The City Council has awarded the Minami site excavation cleanup to Larkin Properties and Construction for its low bid of $298,200. The company will dig 9 feet deep to remove dirt fill contamination from the backfill used to cover the original excavation hole in 1994. The company also will remove low concentrations of tetrachloroethane, which caused some groundwater contamination. The work is necessary so the city can give the land across from the Foley Federal Building to the federal government, which plans to build a $97 million seven-story courthouse on the site that in 1989 was touted as the future home of the state's tallest building, the Minami Tower.

* MATTER RESOLVED -- City Attorney Brad Jerbic said Tuesday the state has resolved the matter of the contamination caused by leaking tanks from a Rebel gasoline station that used to be on the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Lewis Avenue. As a result, the city will not have to spend $100,000 on a $1 million to $2 million insurance policy, which would cover the cost of a major cleanup. Instead, the city and federal government each will contribute $50,000 to restore the area.

* WATER BILL -- The council has passed a bill that will allow manmade decorative water features for residential projects. The measure, similar to one passed by Clark County, was approved Tuesday and does not lift the city's ban on new manmade lakes that was passed amid concerns over wasting precious water resources in the desert valley. The ordinance limits "the maximum aggregate ground-surface area for one or more outdoor manmade decorative water features in a single development (to) 0.2 percent of the total development area."

* DESERT DUMPING -- The council has passed an anti-desert dumping bill that will allow the city to construct a berm or fence on vacant land that has been abated of debris. The measure allows for the city to build the structure and then put a lien on the property. The city would recoup its expenses when the land is sold. Councilman Arnie Adamsen noted that the measure is necessary because once the city abates a messy property such as an unkept vacant lot, it will just become filled with trash again unless some effort is made to secure it.

* BANK BUILDING -- The council has approved a proposal to buy the old downtown Nevada State Bank Building for $3.4 million after it has been on the market for two years. If nobody else makes a better offer during that period, the city, in its role as the Downtown Redevelopment Agency, will buy it for redevelopment purposes. The Nevada State Bank is moving its headquarters to Lewis Avenue and 4th Street, another redevelopment project. In another redevelopment matter, the council on Tuesday approved the second amendment to that project's development agreement. Before the deal can go through, the bank has to determine if there are any hazardous materials on the site and if so to clean them up. The city, however, has agreed to pay the first $200,000 to clean up any contaminants that may be found.

* NO JAIL TIME -- The council has passed two ordinances adding nearly 40 acres to the city limits. At Tuesday's meeting, the council approved the annexation of 36.92 acres of Clark County land on the southeast corner of Deer Springs Way and Rancho Drive. Also, the council approved the annexation of 2.7 acres on the south side of Alexander Road west of El Capitan Way.