Little chance seen for new school site

Mathis Winkler

Tuesday, March 5, 2002 | 8:45 a.m.

Clark County School District officials are likely this week to lose their battle over a proposed middle school in the redevelopment area of North Las Vegas.

City Council members, who also serve as board members of the city's redevelopment agency, on Wednesday will discuss a use permit application for the proposed middle school.

They oppose the new school, proposed just west of the corner of Carey Avenue and Civic Center Drive, because it would be built on prime commercial land and deprive the city of taxes needed for revitalization projects in older areas of town.

City officials are also upset that school district officials have refused to consider alternative sites for the school.

"It's their way or no way, and that's what's frustrating to me," Councilwoman Shari Buck said. "I'm not opposed to schools. The problem is that I'm opposed to this site."

District officials counter that other sites in the area don't fit their needs. They also argue that they are running out of time to build the new school without losing $500,000 in federal funds to turn nearby Bridger Middle School into a magnet school for math, science and technology.

To open the magnet school, the new school would have to be ready for classes by August 2003, school district officials say.

The city's proposed alternatives include:

The site also lies too close to Nellis Air Force Base and would require noise abatement. District officials said county law prohibits the construction of a school on the land, but county officials said a school could be built if noise issues are addressed.

But that last option won't work, said Matt LaCroix, an assistant director of the School District's Facilities Division. Building a school in the park next to Bridger would not create enough extra seats to compensate for an increasing student population, he said.

"It's tough, it's hard," LaCroix said of the situation. District officials would likely drop plans for the magnet school if their proposal is rejected, he said.