LV closes three community offices

Friday, Sept. 5, 2003 | 11:03 a.m.

Three neighborhood offices meant to bring services to the community have closed, city officials confirmed this morning.

The reasons cited for the move included lack of foot traffic at the centers, the fact that council members have liaisons to serve the same purpose and the savings in rental fees for the offices.

The offices were in West Las Vegas at the Nucleus Business Park in Ward 5, Bel-Air office off Pennwood Avenue in Ward 1 in southwest Las Vegas, and in eastern Las Vegas at the Rafael Rivera Center in Ward 3.

The concept was established following the Rodney King riots, and since then council members have created the liaison positions, which essentially serve the same purposes, city officials said.

The offices were run by the Neighborhood Services Department, which has about 90 employees. Of those about 35 percent are in the field, said department director Sharon Segerblom.

The Nucleus and Bel-Air offices closed within the last week, Segerblom said. The Rafael Rivera office closed about six months ago, she said.

Segerblom estimated the cost savings for the most recent closings at about $75,000 a year, but that wasn't the thrust of the move, she said.

"It's not just the money. It's a philosophy and way of doing things. We want the staff to be out in the community, not in an office sitting around," Segerblom said.

She said while the offices were in neighborhoods, they had hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and most people aren't around during the day.

Her department also operates in community centers and spends time in neighborhoods attending evening meetings and other functions, she said. They've also organized about 300 neighborhood associations, she said.