Application for gravel operation withdrawn

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, May 5, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.

An application for a proposed gravel operation at an abandoned mine was abruptly withdrawn Wednesday after neighbors pulled together and begged their representatives for relief.

Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera convinced Three Kids Enterprises to drop its application, saying he and at least five of his colleagues were opposed to the gravel business to be operated by Hollywood Gravel Co. of Las Vegas.

"The owners now understand they have to include homeowners in future land-use applications," said Herrera, who represents the region east of Henderson.

Homeowners in Calico Ridge and Lake Las Vegas who learned about the project late in the process feared a gravel operation on the 258-acre site would increase the amount of tainted debris and dust that already drifts into their neighborhoods.

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the Southern Nevada Water Authority expressed concern about contaminants in the old mine being flushed into Las Vegas Wash. The wash flows into Lake Mead, Southern Nevada's primary source of drinking water.

There are conflicting reports about what materials are in the soil, and the answers won't be known until more extensive tests have been conducted. So far, the only confirmed contaminant is diesel fuel, which can cause lung irritation and nervous-system problems.

Herrera toured the site a month ago and spoke with neighbors, who frequently discover fine, black dust blanketing their property after wind storms. He also attended neighborhood meetings where hundreds of residents protested.

The commissioner said that after he relayed his concerns to his collegues, they also leaned toward denying the application.

"We would like to see the actual problem of the mine be addressed," Herrera said. "This should provide an opportunity for the land owners and developers to address the health concerns."

Three Kids Enterprises actually benefits from pulling its application because it is free to re-submit it when more thorough soil tests are completed. Had the commission denied the application, the firm would have had to wait one year before re-submitting its request.

Three Kids Mine produced manganese that was used to build bombs and bombers during World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

Paul Dino Bertuccini and David Gubler, who own Three Kids Enterprises, bought the mine site in 1989 under a federal law that allows dormant mines to be sold at inexpensive rates.

The two men had hoped to restore the site using the gravel operation. After selling gravel for two decades, Three Kids Enterprises intended to fill pits with construction debris and build a master-planned golf course community.