Thursday, May 8, 2003 | 8:49 a.m.
Jim Rhodes' pre-construction home tour has an amazing sales pitch: I'm doing you a big favor by taking on this dump.
Where is truth in advertising?
Pitch No. 1: You won't see the homes from the scenic loop. Fact: You will see the homes from every pull-out on the scenic loop and from the Willow Springs picnic area, Bonnie Springs and Spring Mountain Ranch.
Pitch No. 2: I'll restore this wasteland for you. Fact: Jim Rhodes is already legally required to restore all the visible areas even if a single house is not built. We don't need Rhodes to "restore" nature by building homes.
Pitch No. 3: All of the land is already destroyed. Fact: At most, half of the land was mined. The other land remains beautiful and natural. It doesn't need any "makeup" to enhance it.
Pitch No. 4: If you let me put 5,000 homes up here, I'll let you come up and visit. Fact: With county ownership, the current mine road could provide access to all with hiking and biking trails, walking paths and picnic areas that have fabulous views of Red Rock and Las Vegas. Without houses, it would be a better escape!
Pitch No. 5: Why use your tax dollars to fix up this place? Fact: No tax dollars would be spent. Money from land sales by the Bureau of Land Management is designated for the purchase and development of parks, trails and natural areas in Clark County.
KAREN HUNT Editor's note: The writer chairs the Red Rock Committee of the Sierra Club's Southern Nevada Group.
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