Douglas commissioners seek help to save Dreyfus estate

Friday, July 16, 1999 | 9:32 a.m.

The Forest Service acquired the 46-acre estate in 1996 as part of a $38 million deal that involved swapping land in southern Nevada wanted by developers.

But the structures on the property remained in the hands of the Olympic Group, which sold them to Park Cattle Co. two years ago.

Park Cattle planned to operate a business at the lakeside mansion but has not received a permit from the government to do so.

An audit of the land swap raised questions about the deal, but a criminal probe found no wrongdoing.

Now, Douglas County officials and Park Cattle want to know what the Forest Service intends to do with the buildings, citing reports that the mansion could be torn down.

Bruce Park said his company was told by Forest Service officials "it's their intent to have that building there no more" because it is trespassing on federal land.

Commissioners met Thursday with Juan Palma, chief of the Forest Services' Tahoe unit. They asked Palma, who is leaving next month to take a new job with the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon, to arrange a meeting with his supervisors to determine the future of the mansion.

"I can commit to trying to make that happen. Will it happen? I don't know," Palm said.

Commission chairman Jacques Etchegoyhen expressed the commission's frustration.

"We're feeling a little bit abused and you can only handle that for so long," he said.

Commissioner Bernie Curtis said with the mansion's future in doubt, it was time to seek assistance from Gov. Kenny Guinn, Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, and Rep. Jim Gibbons.

"I would suggest it's time to pull out the big guns," Curtis said.