Federal money will help finish church project

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003 | 9:55 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved $1.8 million in federal grant money to complete the rehabilitation of the historic First Baptist Church into the Downtown Senior Services Center.

The city had previously allocated $3.4 million in the federal Community Development Block Grant funds to preserve the building at Ninth Street and Bridger Avenue and convert it into a municipal center.

The council voted without comment to raise the total to $5.2 million as part of its consent agenda -- a group of items considered to be routine that are approved with a single vote.

Councilman Larry Brown, who two years ago was critical of the city moving too quickly on the project without defining its purpose, said Wednesday the city acted properly in holding back until a solid plan was devised, and that he now supports it.

"There was talk of making it an Asian community center, a senior center or another use," Brown said outside of the meeting. "I felt we needed to make sure there was a need for what we were going to do with the building.

"The city was right to spend $2.2 million to buy this historic building and preserve it, and the city was right to hold back (on the conversion) until we had a great plan, which is what we have now."

As for sinking so much money into renovation of a 57-year-old building, Brown said, "it would have cost a lot more to build from the ground up."

Brown's opposition to making the center a priority project while other projects waited in the wings led to nearly a year of wrangling that ended in November with the City Council approving the spending of $1.2 million in CDBG money to complete the basic renovations.

Those repairs included bringing the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, removing asbestos and rewiring the electrical system to bring it up to code.

In December the council approved the establishment of the Downtown Senior Services Center at the site. In June a consultant said an additional $1.8 million was needed to create offices for the half-dozen agencies that will occupy the structure.

Sharon Segerblom, director of the city's Neighborhood Services Department, said the money could not be allocated until the prospective tenants were lined up and had submitted their needs for their share of the 22,000 square feet of available space.

Lease agreements still have to be worked out, but the center figures to have 57 employees from six county and state agencies, Segerblom said.

The largest is the Nevada State Senior Welfare Office, which projects that 27 employees would work out of that building.

The other prospective tenants (and projected number of employees) are: Senior Citizens Law Project (9), Nevada Health Center Office (8), Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County's Foster Grandparent program (6), Nevada Division of Aging (4) and a senior food service program (3).

In April 2000, the City Council approved the purchase of the church that was built in 1946 adjacent to Las Vegas High School and later that year rezoned the property from residential to commercial. The church and its congregation relocated to 4400 W. Oakey Blvd.

The projected opening date of the Downtown Senior Services Center is early 2005, perhaps in time for the city's March 15, 2005, centennial celebration, Segerblom said.