Boulder City Council briefs for Sept. 11, 2002

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002 | 9:29 a.m.

Off-road race will take place

After answering calls for weeks about dust storms kicked up by an off-road race earlier this summer, Boulder City officials considered withholding permission this fall for a race that has run more than 30 years.

The liberty to ride off road in the El Dorado Valley had to be weighed against the liberty to breathe freely in downtown Boulder City, officials said.

But on Tuesday the Boulder City Council relented on the advice of the Clark County Health District. The race organized by the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts will go on as planned Nov. 17, the council said.

Health officials will monitor air quality at four stations during the race.

Proceeds from the race will be donated to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, Ken Freeman, president of SNORE, said.

Subdivision with 33 homes OK'd

Thirty-three homes in the first subdivision approved this year can be built on land originally planned as burial ground, the Boulder City Council said Tuesday.

Some residents opposed the zoning change that will allow developer Randy Schams to build homes on 8 acres just west of Palm Mortuary on Adams Boulevard, but many more young couples spoke in favor of the project at previous meetings.

Elsewhere in Southern Nevada, master-planned communities of 200 to 2,000 homes are the norm, but a local growth control ordinance limits the number of homes a developer can build in a year. Schams will spread his 33 homes over two years.

Schams, said due to high interest in the project he will hold a lottery today to sell the first eight lots. About 70 interested home-buyers have lined up for the homes.

Future of two fountains unclear

Plans to repair two "dysfunctional" fountains near the historic Boulder City Hotel remained unclear after the Boulder City Council meeting Tuesday.

No one spoke for alternatives ranging from $16,000 to $65,000 to repair, replace or tear out the Arizona Street fountains, but Mayor Bob Ferraro said he wanted the fountains at least for the annual art sale.

The fountains were built in the 1980s using swimming pool pumps and a lighting system that has at times created a potential electrical shock hazard, said Phillip Henry, director of public works. Trees also clog the drains and root systems break the pipes, he said.

"The facilities have been pretty much a continual problem," Henry said. "Our average effort when the fountains are working has been about four hours a week."