Neighbors tell nonprofit: Make music elsewhere

By Mike Trask

Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Adding a 536-seat theater to a historic section of Boulder City seems like a great idea to the nonprofit Red Mountain Music Company. The City Council also is behind the plan.

But some folks would just as soon have choir concerts elsewhere.

There have already been concerns voiced by preservationists who value the historical significance of the 68-year-old former Los Angeles Water and Power building, which would be remodeled to make room for the theater.

Now neighbors have begun speaking out against the plan.

“I think what they are doing is wonderful,” said Charlene Phillips, who lives adjacent to the building. “It just doesn’t belong in this area.”

Phillips has begun collecting signatures on a petition opposing the project. Her home overlooks an alley behind the building, and she worries about potential construction noise and traffic.

Others have expressed concerns about the apparent lack of parking, when and if a theater opens.

However, Wendy Randall, Red Mountain’s executive director, said a survey commissioned by the group showed ample parking in the city for show nights.

The water building, on Nevada Way, once served as administrative offices for Hoover Dam operators. Today it houses a small stage and offices for the music company and a food pantry. Both use the space for free.

The city also uses a courtyard area for storage and houses the code enforcement department at the site.

The City Council has not voted on any new lease or building permits, but it tentatively supports Red Mountain’s plan. The State Historic Preservation Office would have to sign off on any major changes to the building.

Randall noted it’s not as if the theater will open tomorrow.

“We don’t expect to be doing anything for about two years,” she said. “We’re at step one of 1,000.”

•••

Things got a little combative at the North Las Vegas City Council meeting Wednesday when more than 20 residents showed up to oppose increases in water and wastewater fees.

It was a large crowd by the standards of North Las Vegas, where often no residents use the public forum.

Water rates will increase 4 percent in each of the next three years. The wastewater charges will jump 5 percent this year and 4 percent in 2009 and 2010. In total, the increases will cost residential customers about $30 a year.

“We’re the highest-taxed (municipality) in the valley,” said often outspoken resident Bob Borgersen. “Why not cut some of the fat?”

But council members said there was little they could do to keep costs down, noting that the increases stem from the rising cost of doing business and plans to build a wastewater treatment plant.

Councilmen Robert Eliason and William Robinson voted against the increases. Mayor Mike Montandon and Councilwomen Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith voted in favor.

“You don’t have to pay for it,” Montandon said. “Just turn off the water.”

It sounded curt. But Montandon and others said the increased fees could lead to a greater emphasis on conserving water.

One resident agreed with that opinion.

“I’m in favor of this,” Gary Shoaff said. “Maybe it will encourage people to conserve.”

He was booed by the crowd.

•••

Wedding bells soon will be ringing in Henderson. Or at least wedding license bells.

The city plans to open a marriage license bureau at City Hall within the next month. The opening follows a legislative mandate requiring Clark County to open more bureaus. In addition to the Las Vegas site, there are bureaus in Mesquite and Laughlin.

The Henderson office initially will be open on Thursdays and Fridays.

Officials hope it will draw locals and tourists.

But Henderson City Clerk Monica Simmons said she’s not sure whether the festive atmosphere in Las Vegas will travel to the suburbs.

“It depends on how it’s marketed,” she said, laughing. “Some people like that crazy Las Vegas feeling.”

A nonprofit music group has designs on one of the oldest structures in Boulder City. But some say the theater project would bring congestion and mar the historic building.

The 68-year-old former Los Angeles Water and Power building would be remodeled under a plan promoted by the Red Mountain Music Company that has the city council’s tentative support. The building currently houses a small stage and offices.