County plans airport study

Stephen Curran

Tuesday, May 3, 2005 | 9:37 a.m.

The Clark County Commission was expected to move forward this morning with a government-mandated study of the land where a new airport may one day sit.

Hiring a consultant is another step toward completing the necessary environmental impact study on the dry lake bed in Ivanpah Valley, 30 miles south of Las Vegas, slated to be home of the new airport, county Aviation Director Randy Walker said Monday.

The board in March approved a memorandum of understanding between Clark County, the Federal Aviation Administration and Interior Department, which required the county to hire the contractor for a yet-unspecified amount.

An environmental impact study is a thorough federal review required under the National Environmental Policy Act. Researchers are expected to review how many additional travel lanes will be needed along Interstate 15 from Las Vegas to Ivanpah Valley and development of the airport itself, including its main terminal and hangar buildings.

Under the agreement, Clark County will foot the bill for the study, Walker said.

The 5,800-acre airport has been touted as a key step in helping Southern Nevada keep pace with growth that is expected to keep skyrocketing over the next 25 years, when the state's population is expected to more than double to more than 4 million people, the bulk of whom will live in Southern Nevada.

The airport has been a source of controversy after a company that once worked with the county Aviation Department to study developing the site alleged the county department "unjustly" enriched itself through the deal.

The company, Hamilton Nevada LLC, has been involved in ongoing litigation with the county since 2002. Its accusations included breach of contract, intentional misrepresentation and three other complaints, which all stemmed from Hamilton's dealings with the department through 1996.

The plaintiffs alleged that Hamilton and French firm Dumez-GTM approached the county in 1996 to conduct a $700,000 feasibility study only to have their five-year contract broken in 2001 when airport officials said they would go forward with Harrison Association and would break their contract with Hamilton.

William Coulthard, a lawyer for Hamilton representing plaintiff Raymond Young, did not return phone calls from the Sun on Monday.