Editorial: Let’s get coordinated

Friday, April 9, 2004 | 5:29 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

April 10 - 11, 2004

The Sky-Vue Mobile Park in north-central Las Vegas is a stark example of why the method of inspecting buildings and whole developments for code violations needs to be changed. The park, which has more than 100 mobile home spaces on 4.8 acres, has been allowed over the years to deteriorate. It lacks fire hydrants. Its sewers leak. Exits are blocked. Dead trees (fire hazards) abound. Many of the homes leak and have faulty wiring, holes in the flooring, broken windows and other problems.

The city of Las Vegas, the Clark County Health District, the state Division of Manufactured Housing and the Las Vegas Fire Department have all inspected and cited the park for various violations. Because there was no coordinated effort, however, the problems remain.

We have written about these situations for years. And still we are hearing the same things from the individual agencies: Lack of staff, limited resources, not our jurisdiction, private property rights, lack of communication ...

It's time for a multi-jurisdictional approach for inspecting code violations, which are rampant in the Las Vegas Valley. There should be a team of inspectors comprised of representatives from state agencies, Clark County (including the district attorney's office), the city of Las Vegas, and the Clark County and Las Vegas Fire Departments. This way, there would be no lack of communication, no misunderstanding of a development's entire problem and no uncertainty about what powers are available to enforce compliance.