Power lines not in yet as school nears opening date

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, July 15, 2003 | 11:10 a.m.

When the Clark County School District builds a high school, the permanent power lines are usually up and running six to eight months before the first day of classes.

But Liberty High School in Henderson, which opens its doors in just six weeks, is still relying on portable generators, district officials say.

Delays in getting design approval, permits and easements all contributed to throwing the high school's construction off schedule, Tim Kusz, project manager for the school district, said.

"Just about any difficulty that could present itself, did," Kusz said Monday. "We did everything possible, but a lot of this was just beyond our control."

The target date to complete the work on the power lines is now Aug. 20 -- just five days before classes begin.

Liberty is one of 12 new campuses the Clark County School District plans to open Aug. 25. Construction for the other 11 sites is on schedule, said Fred Smith, construction manager for the school district.

In the event the power lines aren't finished by the time school starts, the portable generators could be used for a while, Smith said. But that would make it difficult for school staff to test computers, phone systems and other technology, Smith said.

"We do not intend to open this school on anything else but permanent power," Smith said.

Part of the difficulty stemmed from the relatively remote location of the high school, on Bermuda Road next to St. Rose Parkway, Kusz said. "There are some homes being built down the street and a church going in next door, but when it came to power lines we were the pioneers," Kusz said. "That's a difficulty you have to expect when you're building in an outlying area."

The school site is surrounded by parcels owned by the Bureau of Land Management and private parties, all of which required negotiating easements to put in power lines, switches or poles, Smith said.

The district also had to get a permit from the Nevada Department of Transportation to go under St. Rose Parkway, a permit that couldn't even be submitted until all of the other easements had been secured, Smith said.

After months of negotiating the school district was unable to strike a deal with several third-party land owners and had to turn to Nevada Power for help, Smith said.

"The law says we have to go out and acquire the easements in the name of Nevada Power," Smith said. "If we come across any resistant property owners, we have to turn it back over to the power company to handle."

Paul Watson, supervisor of design and construction for Nevada Power, confirmed Monday that his office helped the school district secure the final easements. Watson said he's been granted the authority to assign extra crews to the Liberty High School project to ensure the job is completed by the start of classes.