County briefs for September 19, 2001

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2001 | 10:22 a.m.

Approval given to issue bonds

McCarran International Airport officials received permission Tuesday to move forward with a $60 million bond issue, despite financial uncertainty at the airport due to last week's terrorist attacks.

Aviation Director Randy Walker assured Clark County commissioners that risks attached to the the variable rate bonds are "non-existent or very slight."

Revenue from bonds have been designated for the expansion of the D Gates, which include a northeast leg.

They will also pay for land acquisitions and construction if the airport moves forward with Terminal 3. The new terminal is expected to be built north of the D Gates by 2007 and will accommodate international flights.

Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates asked if the bond issue was ill-timed, given that the country's seventh busiest airport may be adversely affected by travelers' fear of flying.

Walker said the bonds can be reviewed on a weekly basis, and the bonds can be paid back at any time if the county decides not to move forward with the projects.

$1 million OK'd to fight dump

Clark County commissioners agreed to contribute $1 million to the state's effort to fight the transportation and storage of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

The money, which will come from commissioners' discretionary funds, will supplement the Nevada Protection Fund, created under Senate Bill 494, according to a county report. The fund is allocated by the Governor's Agency for Nuclear Projects in coordination with the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects.

The fund has two primary goals, according to the report -- to establish a legal defense knowledgeable in the field and to coordinate an educational program to teach residents and local governments about the transportation of the waste.

Spring Mountain plan approved

Three new pedestrian bridges will be built at the intersection where Spring Mountain Road and Sands Avenue meet the Las Vegas Strip.

Commissioners approved the plan to build the walkways that connect the Desert Inn property with the Fashion Show mall on the north; the Desert Inn land and the Venetian on the east, and the Fashion Show and Treasure Island on the west.

A pedestrian bridge linking Treasure Island to the Venetian has already been built to the south.

The funding structure of the $12 million cost to build the three bridges has yet to be determined. Each major property owner is expected to pay a portion, and the county will use its room tax revenues to pay its share.