LOOKING IN ON: THE SUBURBS

By Mike Trask (contact)

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007 | 7:33 a.m.

Boulder City has a bevy of concerns. There's the Hoover Dam bypass, which will pour more than 2,000 trucks through town daily when it opens in 2011.

There's the never-ending debate over the future of two city-run golf courses. And the possibility of leasing public land for the construction of a hotel has been the talk of the town for months.

But this week the hottest topic for local chat has been parking.

"It hits home," Councilwoman Linda Strickland said. "Parking affects everybody."

Strickland has recently spoken out about the parking of large vehicles on city streets. Currently there are no laws about leaving a trailer, boat or recreational vehicle on the street.

Strickland said some people want one. She's leaning toward trying to establish a week long limit for street parking.

"It's an idea I'm requesting input on," she said, noting she has received more than a dozen e-mails to date.

So far the keyboarding residents on the Boulder City Political Forum, a Web group, support the idea.

A hot piece of property in Boulder City is up for sale.

Recently a for-sale sign was placed on the old Arco station at Buchanan Boulevard and U.S. 93, the city's busiest corner.

It's good news for the city in more ways than one. First, the site looks terrible as it greets visitors arriving from Las Vegas. Second, pigeons have made a home of the empty building, creating a mess.

Business owners have complained that the birds and the building make the city look bad.

A buyer could solve those problems.

Bristol Ellington has been named an assistant city manager in Henderson.

Ellington was the city's director of community development and has worked for the city since 1996.

He fills a spot vacated by Mary Kay Peck, who was named city manager last month. He starts Monday and will receive an annual salary of $177,754.

Former Boulder City Councilwoman Carla Burton's driving-under-the-influence trial has been postponed to March 19, more than a year after her arrest.

A Las Vegas justice of the peace was absent on the original trial date this month. The case was transferred out of Boulder City to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

Burton was charged with DUI at 10:30 p.m. Feb. 6 after allegedly being found passed out in the driver's seat while parked at a gas station on U.S. 93. Her blood-alcohol level was allegedly .274, more than triple Nevada's .08 legal limit.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In her re election bid, Burton was soundly defeated by Travis Chandler, who did not use his opponent's arrest as ammunition during the campaign.