News briefs for Jan. 22, 2003

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2003 | 8:51 a.m.

Park land may be relinquished

The Las Vegas Real Estate Committee approved staff's recommendation to relinquish a 20-acre Recreation and Public Purpose lease from the Bureau of Land Management at the request of a private developer.

The parcel belongs to the BLM, which leased the property to the city in 1999. The land, located off Ann Road and Jensen Street between Hualapai Way and Grand Canyon Drive, is in an unincorporated part of Clark County. The city obtained the lease in hopes of annexing the parcel one day and turning it into a park. Because the city entered into an interlocal agreement with Clark County that prohibits the city from annexing land in this area, the city saw no need to keep the land.

Tryge Simpson of JT Wasatch Development is requesting the city and county both relinquish the land and nominate it for a November BLM land auction.

David Roark, manager of real estate and assets for the city, said Simpson also asked for two other parcels in the area. One was already up for auction and the other request was denied. Roark said there was never any funding put aside to actually develop the 20 acres into a park.

More HUD money sought for housing

An increase of about $500,000 in federal funds will be sought in fiscal year 2004 for a program creating affordable housing in Nevada.

The money is for a Department of Housing and Urban Development program called HOME Investment Partnerships, which creates partnerships between the state government, Clark County and nonprofits and other organizations to buy land, build affordable housing or improve existing housing.

HUD is asking for $12.7 million for fiscal year 2004, which begins Oct. 1, an increase of about 5 percent over the current budget of $12.2 million. Those compare with $9 million allocated for fiscal year 2002.

Delays expected on MLK Boulevard

Paving, road widening and other construction on about one mile of Martin Luther King Boulevard between Carey and Cheyenne avenues will begin Monday and is scheduled to take about eight months.

Traffic on that part of the road will be allowed on two lanes in each direction during the day and on one lane in each direction at night. Message boards will be in place to alert motorists to possible delays.

Drivers are urged to avoid using Martin Luther King Boulevard and instead use alternate north-south routes, such as Simmons Street to the west or Losee Road or Interstate 15 to the east, especially during peak commute times.

The $4.5 million project includes construction of a storm drainage system, new sidewalks, curbs and gutters, among other facets. That section of the road, which is now four lanes wide, will be made six lanes wide.

County supports Yucca lawsuit

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday formally endorsed the state's lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the planned nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Commissioner Myrna Williams said the challenge is one of the most promising because it argues that Nevada is unfairly singled out as the dumping ground for the entire country's high-level nuclear waste. The city of Las Vegas has also endorsed the lawsuit.

"The heart of this lawsuit is that it demonstrates just how unfairly Nevadans have been treated since 1987 when we were singled out to solve the nation's nuclear waste problem," Williams said. "The state is prepared to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court with this challenge and we should support them on that effort."

Henderson names financial officer

Henderson announced Tuesday the hiring of its first chief financial officer to oversee the city's finance, personnel and information technology departments.

Jim Mullen starts Feb. 3 and will earn $145,000 annually. He will oversee an annual operating budget of $147 million.

Mullen worked most recently as city manager of Colorado Springs, Colo., overseeing 2,300 employees and an annual budget of $230 million.