Library in Henderson soon to be in its system, too

By Mike Trask

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The Green Valley Library will temporarily close beginning Dec. 23 in preparation for its transfer from the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District to the Henderson Library District.

The move is the result of a 2005 deal to align Henderson’s district boundaries with the city’s taxing boundaries.

The next week will be filled with special events at the Green Valley Library, including storytelling programs for children on Thursday.

Henderson plans to spend about $500,000 updating the library, at Green Valley Parkway and Sunset Road. It will reopen the facility early next year.

However, it will — like all Henderson libraries — be closed on Sundays.

The library district this year closed its four libraries on Sundays to trim $400,000 from its $9.2 million annual budget.

The county library resources will be transferred to the new Centennial Hills Library at Buffalo Drive and Deer Springs Way in Las Vegas.

That $18 million library will open Jan. 10. It will be open seven days a week.

In other Henderson library news, the plan to relocate the James I. Gibson Library from near City Hall to the Lake Mead Crossing shopping center at Lake Mead Boulevard and Water Street has been delayed.

It was scheduled to move next year. Construction delays and economic concerns have pushed the project back to 2010.

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There’s an item on tonight’s Henderson City Council meeting agenda that sounds ominous, because it is meant to get the attention — once and for all — of property owners who owe the city money.

City Council will likely authorize notices of sale for 90 properties for being delinquent in paying their improvement district assessments.

Steven Hanson, the city’s finance director, speculates that the owners forgot to pay their assessments because they are separate from property taxes.

Improvement district assessments are paid by property owners to cover the costs of bonds issued by the city to finance neighborhood improvements. Typically, residential property owners will pay between $3,000 and $5,000 total for work done by the city as part of development agreements. They are more commonly found in newer neighborhoods.

The city scheduled the sale for May.

But, Hanson said, it sounds more threatening than it is. In the past 23 years, only one property has changed hands because of delinquent improvement district assessments.

The others were paid either by property owners or mortgage companies.

Many of the owners owe as little as $753 on the assessments. The majority of the delinquent properties are in the financially struggling Lake Las Vegas.

Prima Condominiums LLC owes $6,338 each on 26 condo units at Prima at Lake Las Vegas.

• • •

The Henderson City Council tonight will finally discuss the creation of a massive mixed-use project at Stephanie Street and Wigwam Parkway. The 40-acre project would be anchored by a 250-foot-high residential tower, which would be the tallest building in Henderson.

The project is being developed by GSG Development and would also include a 13-story condominium tower and a 12-story hotel.

The Planning Commission recommended approving the project. The City Council will make a final decision, possibly tonight.

The project has been devoid of controversy.

Also tonight, the City Council will revisit the topic of teen nightclubs.

The council voted this year to ban the clubs, citing concerns about bad behavior and underage drinking. There is only one teen club in Henderson, Frozen 75 on Sunset Road next to one of the biggest liquor stores in the region. It opened before the ban.

The city is reconsidering the ban after a city attorney noted it could open the city to legal challenges.

The new ordinance being discussed by the council would require new clubs to be 2,000 feet from any other teen club and 1,000 feet from any residence, park, liquor store, tavern or smoke shop.