North Las Vegas briefs for Nov. 21, 2002

Thursday, Nov. 21, 2002 | 11:29 a.m.

Technology hits City Council

The North Las Vegas City Council Chambers is going digital.

The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved spending $46,000 for new digital monitors, a new system to display officials' votes during a meeting, and other items that will bring the council chambers from analog to digital.

One of the more visible changes will be the replacement of the old wood board in the corner of the room. The board shows council members' votes using red and green lights next to their names. The votes of North Las Vegas officials will instead be displayed on the monitors around room, similar to how the votes of Las Vegas and Clark County officials are displayed in their chambers, Mayor Michael Montandon said.

Also, video presentations that are now projected onto a wall behind the council members, will instead show up on the monitors around the room, Montandon said.

The project is expected to be completed by April.

Police to get new radio tower

The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved spending $226,038 to build a new communications tower, which the police chief said will prevent dead spots in radio coverage in the growing northern part of the city.

"There are weaker zones now but not actual blackout areas," Police Chief Mark Paresi said.

The new tower will be built near the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue, City Manager Kurt Fritsch said.

Mayor Michael Montandon said the city only has one communications tower now, and it is on top of the police headquarters building downtown.

Carey Avenue project approved

A $3.2 million contract to widen and improve a 1.6 mile stretch of Carey Avenue between Rancho Drive and Clayton Street was approved Wednesday.

Carey Avenue there now has four lanes and no median. When the contract is completed, the road will have up to six lanes and a median, Public Works Director Jim Bell said.

Construction could begin around March 2003, and be done in early 2004, he said.

The contract was awarded to Las Vegas Paving Corp.

City Manager Kurt Fritsch said most of the $3.2 million was state money, with the city paying 6 percent of the bill.