City seeks home for paralyzed vets

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2001 | 10 a.m.

Las Vegas officials, in an effort to edge out the competition, are attempting to find a new home for a nonprofit group that has set its sights on a historic U.S. Post Office.

Nevada Paralyzed Veterans of America expressed interest in acquiring from the federal government the Stewart Avenue post office, which the group wants to use as its headquarters and for transitional housing. The city has long envisioned the property as a potential cultural center.

Since he was elected, Mayor Oscar Goodman has worked to acquire the building, which has been declared surplus and fit for public disposal.

Goodman in August was informed that the city would have to compete for the property with Nevada Paralyzed Veterans of America, MASH Village -- which wanted to transform the building into a transitional housing center for homeless people -- and the Economic Opportunity Board.

MASH Village representatives announced earlier this month that the building would be too costly to renovate and have since abandoned plans to acquire the facility. On Thursday, Goodman said that the Economic Opportunity Board also decided not to apply for ownership.

Goodman said representatives for Nevada Paralyzed Veterans of America indicated they would be willing to allow the city to become the front-runner for the right to occupy the building if, in turn, Las Vegas officials attempt to secure a new home for the group.

The city's Neighborhood Services Department is working with the group toward the goal, Erik Pappa, a spokesman for the city, said. The department is also assisting the group in finding potential grant money.

Goodman last week said the nonprofit groups competing for the site agreed to bow out because they preferred not to disrupt the city's vision for the property.

The city has hired JMA Architects of Las Vegas to analyze the condition of the building. The company found that the post office -- the city's first federal building; it was built in 1933 -- is in good structural condition. The architects envision a civic square with a museum, surrounded by a lush park -- where a parking lot currently sits -- and an outdoor museum along Third Street to the Fremont Street Experience.

Lesa Coder, Las Vegas' Business Development director, said the city expects to learn next month whether it has been chosen by the federal government to acquire the building. If the city receives ownership, the next step would be to hire a consultant to identify and secure funding for restoration, renovation, and maintenance.