Ex-Globetrotter’s dream of helping kids hits a wall

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005 | 7:13 a.m.

The dream of a former Harlem Globetrotter to help get children off the streets in North Las Vegas has turned into a nightmare for now.

In September, Roy Hammonds, a Las Vegas resident working on behalf of Texas-based sponsors, opened a sports activity center in a warehouse on Mendenhall Drive in North Las Vegas. It was intended to serve as a place where children could play basketball and roller hockey, box, weight train and even receive some schooling -- all for free.

But a month after Hammonds opened the doors, North Las Vegas closed them because the building was considered unsafe and did not meet codes. It also lacked the necessary building permits for shower and bathroom improvements and a special use permit from the city to operate, city officials said.

When Hammonds sought the special use permit, he found the process to be about as easy as the Washington Generals find driving the lane against the Globetrotters.

Hammonds tried to obtain the special use permit from the North Las Vegas Planning Commission on Nov. 22, but the commission could not act on the request. Hammonds' application required the owner of the building, JAVSE Realty Corp., to sign his request, city officials said.

Hammonds subleased the building from Metals USA, which had leased the building from JAVSE.

The morass deepened earlier this month when Hammonds was evicted from the warehouse for nonpayment of his rent, officials said.

Hammonds has vowed to fight the matter in court. He said he paid a $60,000 deposit and $20,000 for the first month's rent, in addition to making about $500,000 in improvements to the warehouse.

Tim Ayala, a Henderson planning consultant working with Hammonds, said the landlord never told Hammonds that he needed the multiple permits and approvals to operate the sports center out of the warehouse.

"He has been charged all this money and hasn't been able to use it," Ayala said. "They knew this place needed a use permit and they leased it without one."

JAVSE Realty Corp. attorney Rory Vohwinkel declined to comment. Metals USA officials could not be reached for comment.

Hammonds said the ordeal has been frustrating, given the motivations behind his efforts.

"It is important to give back to the kids and keep them off the streets," said Hammonds, who played with the Globetrotters in 2000 and had a brief stint in the NBA. "I wanted to have something like the YMCA and have after-school programs and things like that."

Hammonds' group also planned to operate federally funded literacy programs out of the center.

Rather than seek to go back to the warehouse, he now is looking for another building to house the youth facility, which he hopes will complement organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club to help keep pace with the region's staggering growth.

Ayala said children started crying when the city shut down the facility on Oct. 3. Ayala added that while he recognizes that the city needs to enforce the codes to protect public safety, he believes city officials have been heavy-handed.

"He was doing this for the community," Ayala said. "He is very concerned about kids doing drugs and being on the street because parents don't have the money for baby-sitting."

North Las Vegas "red tagged" the building on Oct. 3 after receiving a complaint about improvements being made without a permit, said building inspector Terry Kozlowski. The city placed additional red tags on the building Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 after officials entered the premises and examined its condition, she said.

North Las Vegas had no choice but to shut down the indoor sports facility, which did not have working sprinklers and lacked required fire exits, said city spokeswoman Brenda Johnson.

"It was a very unsafe situation," Johnson said. "The goal of the city is to make sure everything is properly constructed and safe to be occupied and used by the public."

Ayala said Hammonds planned on recouping the $20,000-per-month expenses by selling tickets for boxing matches, hockey games and other events.

He said that current and former NBA players who are his friends also have agreed to play exhibition games to raise money for the youth facility. Sports camps also were were planned, he said.

Beyond his Globetrotters experience, the 33-year-old Hammonds had 10-day contracts -- often used by teams to fill in for injured players -- in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. He also played professional basketball in Korea, Japan and Belgium.

A former San Jose State player, Hammonds is the chief executive officer of the former American Basketball Association Las Vegas Rattlers. Hammonds said the Rattlers plan to resume play in the league next year.

Marc 4 Sports, part of the Rattlers' ownership, is a sponsor of the North Las Vegas facility along with Lucent Dynamics, a Texas-based company. Lucent, which Hammonds serves as president, owns nightclubs and insurance firms, he said.

Brian Wargo can be reached at 259-4011 or at wargo@lasvegassun.com.