LVCVA postpones vote on $8 million grant for plaza

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004 | 8:56 a.m.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on Tuesday postponed voting on an $8 million grant for Henderson to build a new plaza outside City Hall.

Henderson City Manager Phil Speight said the city requested the decision be delayed for a month so city officials could have more time to meet with the LVCVA board members to discuss the plaza project before they vote on the grant.

The LVCVA board, which is chaired by Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, will probably vote on the grant during its next meeting, Speight said. The next board meeting is March 9.

The $8 million grant would cover half of the projected $16 million total cost of a new plaza between City Hall and the Henderson Convention Center, Speight said.

Exactly what the plaza would look like isn't known yet, but preliminary drawings show a large open area with water fountains, a section with umbrellas and two rows of large metal "shade structures," with metal grates on top, stretching across Water Street, and a new amphitheater.

Gibson said the plaza would give the city its first downtown park and provide space for events that overflow from the convention center.

Speight said the plaza would also serve as an ideal location for events such as ArtFest and concerts that would draw city residents and tourists downtown.

The LVCVA, which collects money from the hotel tax, has provided millions of dollars for large local projects in the past, including $8 million for the Fremont Street Experience in 1994, another $7 million for Fremont Street upgrades last year and $2.5 million in 1998 for a recreational center in Mesquite. The grants were on top of the $1 million a year the authority doles out to local governments, LVCVA spokesman Rob Powers said.

The LVCVA board is made up of local elected officials and business leaders.