Henderson briefs for October 3, 2001

Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

Swap OK'd for plant expansion

The city will swap land with Basic Environmental Co. in order to begin an expansion of the city's sewage treatment plant by next spring.

The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved the trade of 73 city-owned acres for 102 acres owned by Basic Environmental Co.

The council gave the deal preliminary approval last month. The city proposed a similar exchange in June 2000, but Basic Environmental could not get the land it would trade cleaned up to state standards quickly enough.

The city proposed the current deal in order to speed the cleanup of the land, which is south of the Las Vegas Wash off Pabco Road. A portion of the 102 acres served for 35 years as evaporation ponds for wastewater from nearby chemical manufacturing plants.

Basic Environmental will pay for the cleanup costs, expected to be more than $500,000.

City facility lands builder

Capriati Construction of Las Vegas will build a long-awaited municipal horse park in southeast Henderson at Magic Way and Equestrian Drive.

The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved the company's low bid of $741,341 to build the 129-acre horse park as part of an existing flood detention basin. The facility will be the only such park that is free and open to the public in the Las Vegas Valley.

It will have four practice rings, a horse trail and about three miles of paved trails for biking and walking.

The majority of the funding -- $450,000 -- comes from a park bond issue approved in 1997. A $150,000 federal grant will go toward building trails. Another $141,000 will be used from general funds.

The park is scheduled to open early next summer.

Department to get new equipment

The Henderson Police Department plans to purchase firing range equipment and evidence processing and storage equipment with a $93,243 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved $10,360 in matching funds. The grant is based on population and crime statistics. It is part of $500 million in federal money distributed nationally this year.

To date police have honed their firing skills by working out of a pickup at a range near the sewage treatment plants, Sgt. James Green said. They have compiled figures at a picnic table.

The grant money will enable the department to purchase two trailers and other portable range equipment, Green said.