MGM’s golf proposal stirs dissent in town

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, June 10, 1998 | 2:02 a.m.

Boulder City residents are taking their swings at MGM Grand hotel-casino's proposal to open two upscale golf courses along the northern edge of town.

City officials have met with representatives of the MGM several times since Boulder City Council members agreed last month to entertain the hotel-casino giant's offer.

One resident responded to the council's decision to listen to MGM by creating a website that reaffirms citizens' vehement opposition to the gaming industry stepping foot in Boulder City.

"That the City Council would even consider a deal with the casino industry in Boulder City is difficult to believe," resident Barbara Raulston wrote.

But the MGM proposal is no gimme.

The council had been expected on Tuesday to address a lease agreement for 800 acres, but officials erased the item from the agenda until they gather more information.

"Words have been put together, but nothing is concrete," Boulder City Mayor Robert Ferraro said Tuesday of the lease that could bring the city about $750,000 a year. "There are still some unanswered questions."

Many of those questions were raised by residents, Ferraro said. While some people were concerned about how much water the courses would require, most fear the project would snuff out popular trails.

The MGM is interested in an 800-acre parcel along the foothills at the U.S. 95 and U.S. 93 interchange. The golf courses would take up half the acreage, about 200 acres would be landscaped and the remaining 200 acres would be used as a buffer zone.

Boulder City resident Bob Kessler said the area in question includes 12 miles of the best bicycling and hiking trails in Nevada.

Kessler emphasized he is not opposed to the MGM building a golf course, but he said the city should have a long-term plan for open desert area before it accepts offers for development.

"The area it has been proposed for has tremendous value as an undisturbed, scenic recreation area," Kessler said. "What's important at this point is to sit back and figure out what the plans are for the area rather than plan it because someone has offered us money for it."

The Strip hotel is scouring the valley for a place to build a golf course to keep up with an increasing trend among resorts.

The Mirage and the Rio, for example, provide guests with upscale, invitation-only golf courses. The Las Vegas Hilton is trying to buy the Las Vegas Country Club. And Primadonna Resorts Inc. operates two 18-hole courses on the California-Nevada border.

"There is a lot of precedence for big corporations to have golf courses in other areas," said Linda Faiss of Faiss, Foley and Merica, the public- relations firm handling the project.

Ferraro said MGM representatives were drawn to Boulder City because it's removed from the busy Las Vegas Valley.

"They were looking for an area that is somewhat pristine," Ferraro said. "It doesn't have the background noise like airplanes that the greater Las Vegas area does."

One of the MGM courses would be exclusive to its high-rolling guests, and the other would be semi-private with fairly pricey green fees. Faiss said the MGM agreed not to compete with the Boulder City municipal course.

In addition to the two courses, the hotel-casino would build a clubhouse and driving range. The project wouldn't include homes, hotels or condominiums.

The project would have little affect on the environment and would benefit the city by preserving open land, Faiss said. The MGM is also considering relocating trails, she said.

In addition, she said, the golf courses would spruce up the entrance to the city.

"When you come into town, the first thing you see is automotive places, and that doesn't say 'Clean and Green,' " Faiss said, referring to community's motto. "It would change the interchange to make a beautiful entrance into Boulder City."

Faiss and Ferraro reassured residents that gaming would not follow the MGM into Boulder City. The city ordinance that prohibits gaming would remain until residents decided to get rid of it.

"Some of our citizens don't understand that the Boulder City charter forbids gaming," Ferraro said. "People would have a concern if there was no charter; then MGM may have a foothold."