Problem-plagued Rainbow Park to be finished this month

Denise Cardinal

Friday, Jan. 2, 1998 | 9:43 a.m.

The city of Las Vegas is close to finishing Rainbow Park, a project that started out in 1994 as a godsend but became a nightmare during the construction phase.

"We've put it on the fast track to get it done," said Barbara Darling, manager of the city's Parks and Leisure Activities Department.

By the end of this month, the park with its multiple ballfields should be done, city officials say.

The park, at the corner of Oakey and Rainbow boulevards, was originally scheduled for completion on Dec. 31, 1995. A $1.7 million donation from developer William Peccole was greeted with great fanfare during a Las Vegas Stars baseball game in June 1994.

"It's a donation to the entire community, not just the city of Las Vegas," said then-city spokesperson Lisa Foster. And to show the city's gratitude, Las Vegas City Councilman Arnie Adamsen presented a plaque to Peccole's development company.

Peccole's donation was made to Pastime Parks Inc., a private firm. The donated money was to cover the cost of building five Little League ballfields on property the city was leasing from the Bureau of Land Management. The city also agreed to build parking lots and other amenities.

But until recently, only one of the fields was built and only one scoreboard erected. The builder never finished the project, and the work that was completed was forced to be redone, according to Dave Kuiper, director of the city's parks department.

"The city inspectors failed the project at several different points," Kuiper said. "They red tagged it."

Problems the city had with the construction of the ballfields included faulty electrical work, drainage systems that didn't meet code and poor-quality fencing.

"We gave the project the same kind of inspection we would for any person's work," Kuiper said. "So we had to go back and redo it."

City Councilman Michael McDonald, who represents the ward where the park is in, wanted to get the park finished as soon as possible.

"I went to a neighborhood meeting there when I first got the ward," he said, referring to a ward rezoning that occurred in 1996, "and the first thing everyone wanted to know is when the park was going to be finished."

Completing Rainbow Park is more than just a step forward for the parks department. It's the first year the Peccole Little League will have its own fields.

The Peccole Little League board is under investigation by Metro Police for checks relating to the park construction that bounced in 1996.

The checks totaled more than $50,000, according to documents obtained by the SUN. Also obtained was a copy of a check for $73,000 from Fletcher Jones Chevrolet given to Peccole Little League in 1994 to erect five scoreboards at Rainbow Park -- only one of which is there today.

Metro's fraud unit is investigating how many bank accounts were set up for the league and how many members had access to them. Aside from the criminal investigation, neither the city nor the league's board of directors is pursuing civil action. The city's reason: there wasn't a contractual agreement strong enough to hold up in court. The league's reason: it's time to leave the past alone.

"We're a whole new board," said Steve Nappi, one of Peccole Little League's board members. "Things are different."

Rather than invest in an attorney, the board is trying to pay old bills and save money for the 1998 season. Members have been discussing money-saving tactics that include using only one new ball per game and limiting the number of practice balls given to each team.

But the publicity surrounding the Metro investigation has left some board members worried that sign-ups this month for the 1998 season will be less than the planned 850. One member, who asked not to be identified, said some members think kids won't sign up because "they'll think there isn't enough money for the kids in the league."

To try and combat any negative publicity, the league will be hosting some special events surrounding the opening of the park. One is an opening day ceremony for the first game of the season where local supporters are invited to attend.