Historic Boulder City hotel’s rebirth continues with funding for alarms

Greg Harman

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2000 | 9:49 a.m.

The rich echoes of history stir in Boulder City's 70-year-old Boulder Dam Hotel.

The fact is not lost on the Boulder City Council, which Tuesday night approved $60,300 in redevelopment money to install fire alarms and sprinklers in the historic building.

It is the second expenditure of the year-old Redevelopment Agency, which earlier this year approved funds for the restoration of the Boulder City Theater.

"We feel that that's our downtown anchor," Mayor Bob Ferraro said. "That's why we're maintaining it and making it financially viable."

The building, which has suffered the ravages of time ungracefully, received some much-needed attention when the all-volunteer Boulder Dam Hotel Association formed in 1993.

Since then private and public funds have been used to slowly bring the hotel back to health.

In other action Tuesday:

City Manager John Sullard said that conversations with law enforcement officials in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson has revealed the need for more shooting ranges and a good driving track.

"They're really sort of scrambling for places to drive," he said.

An ordinance to substitute Park Place Entertainment for MGM in lease, water and site access and maintenance agreements was read into the public record. It will be voted on in two weeks.

Ferraro said it is "more than likely" Park Place will take over MGM's course later this month.

Park Place purchased the Boulder City course and 5.5 acres in Atlantic City from MGM for $60 million last month.

The course was originally planned as a competitive response to Mirage Resorts, which operated a high-end golf course in North Las Vegas, but MGM's $6.4 billion acquisition of Mirage in May made that unnecessary.