LV City Council briefs for August 4, 2005

Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005 | 9:46 a.m.

Massage parlor license denied

A local massage parlor owner has rubbed the Las Vegas City Council the wrong way -- and on Wednesday it has cost him his license to operate one of his two city businesses.

The council unanimously denied a permanent massage establishment license to Thomas Wilson, owner of Manyi massage parlor, 3900 N. Rancho Drive, because he pleaded guilty in District Court earlier this year to battery, resulting from a female customer complaining to Metro Police after she received a massage from Wilson.

The problem was not so much that Wilson was too rough with the woman, but that he was not even certified to give massages, the council was told. The incident occurred while Wilson was operating the business on a temporary license that is reviewed every six months. He also owns another Las Vegas massage parlor that was not affected by Wednesday's action.

In related action, Wilson's wife, Yuping Wang-Wilson, was unanimously denied a temporary license to take over Manyi, renamed A Rancho Massage.

City business licensing officials said the council's action meant the business had to cease operations by midnight Wednesday.

Post office grant accepted

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday voted to accept a $249,000 grant from the State Historic Preservation Office to make the historic downtown post office more earthquake resistant.

The city sought the grant based on a study prepared for the General Services Administration, the federal agency that oversaw the building before its acquisition by the city in 2002, that warned that the post office that was built in 1933 required seismic strengthening. Renamed POST Modern, the building is being turned it into a museum.

Deficiencies in the building on Stewart Avenue near City Hall included the lack of connections tying the walls to the roof and floors and the lack of bracing in the parapet walls on the interior, which will be repaired. The repairs will be paid for with state grant money.

The city council approved the acceptance of the grant as part of its consent agenda at its public meeting. The consent agenda is a group of items that are considered routine and passed with a single vote after little or no discussion by council members.

Man named to planning panel

The Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved Wednesday the appointment of local civil engineer Sam Dunnam as the Ward 6 representative to the Las Vegas Planning Commission.

He replaces Commissioner Todd Nigro, whose term recently expired. The Planning Commission is an advisory board to the city council that addresses matters related to zoning, including approving tentative and final maps.

Dunnam, a resident of Las Vegas since 1965 and a Western High graduate, has worked in the Las Vegas development industry since 1983. He has operated Dunnam Civil Engineers, a small consulting firm, specializing in commercial and industrial development, since 1991.