More NLV residents get help moving from sinking homes

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, June 2, 1998 | 9:55 a.m.

City-issued checks worth $50,000 are helping some North Las Vegas homeowners emerge from a lengthy nightmare that started five years ago when the earth slowly began to swallow their houses.

Four more former residents of Windsor Park are expected to be assisted with moving costs after soil below their homes sank, rupturing pipes, uprooting floorboards and cracking walls.

The money, which is expected to be allocated during Wednesday's North Las Vegas City Council meeting, comes from a Housing and Urban Development grant and is being disseminated by city administrator as the money becomes available.

Don Schmeiser, director of the Development Services Department, said the city assessed the homes years ago and prioritized those eligible for grant funding.

"Those homes that are rented receive the lowest priority for funding," Schmeiser said. "Our concern is to relocate homeowners first. Beyond that, we don't have a plan at this point."

Many of the 240 homeowners have left the 30-year-old subdivision, opting to accept the $50,000 and buy elsewhere or move into new homes built by the city in Walker Park near June and West streets.

Residents who took the grant money had to relocate in North Las Vegas and cannot sell their new homes for 10 years. Schmeiser said the restriction is to prevent people from selling their houses and making a profit using the grant.

A few people still live in the neighborhood at Carey Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Some residents' homes are not terribly damaged, and others simply can't afford to move.

"Some don't really have an option," Schmeiser said. "Many people don't have the financial wherewithall to pack up and move. Their life savings are in those homes, and they have no choice."

Not all residents in Windsor Park are pleased with the city's actions. Constance Avenue resident Ed Smith said because the city inspected the homes initially and didn't identify the problem, it should be held accountable.

"I'm interested in seeing the city do what's fair by the citizens," said Smith, whose home hasn't been damaged. "People bought the property with their hard-earned money. The city should give them a comparable place that both parties agree to."

Schmeiser did not know how many grants had been issued or the number of homeowners who remain in Windsor Park. Wednesday's meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 2200 Civic Center Drive.