City OKs takeover of state park

Thursday, June 16, 2005 | 8:56 a.m.

Floyd Lamb State Park would continue to only allow so-called passive uses, such as hiking trails and picnic areas, under a proposed agreement narrowly approved by the Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday.

If the governor and the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee also OK the proposal, the city would take ownership of the park in northwest Las Vegas. Under the proposed agreement, the state would continue to maintain the park for two years and then turn over that responsibility to the city.

The measure approved Wednesday was intended to alleviate concerns over what exactly the city would allow at the 680-acre state park.

Under the initial transfer agreement, which was narrowly approved by the council on April 20, playing fields and other outdoor recreation could have been allowed at much of the park.

City Councilmen Michael Mack, Larry Brown and Steve Wolfson and Mayor Oscar Goodman voted in favor of the transfer Wednesday, and Council members Lois Tarkanian, Gary Reese and Lawrence Weekly opposed the transfer.

Those in favor of the transfer said the city will be able to take better care of the park, which they say suffers from a lack of funding from the state.

Those opposed to the transfer said the city should focus its spending on improving existing city parks, and questioned where the money would come from to maintain Floyd Lamb.