Henderson City Council briefs

By Jeremy Twitchell

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 | 7:01 p.m.

Detention center to be expanded

The Henderson City Council unanimously approved a $35 million contract with Sletten Construction last night  to expand the city’s jail.

The expansion is expected to roughly double the size of the 262-bed facility, located at 243 S. Water St.

While the economic climate has caused the city to shelve several construction projects, including the renovation of the Convention Center across the street, the detention facility project has moved forward because it was authorized and funded before the city had to begin trimming expenses.

Henderson has agreements in place with Clark County and Boulder City to house their inmates for a daily fee, and those agreements, combined with Henderson’s inmate population, generally have the facility operating near capacity.

Heritage Park facilities delayed

A senior center and aquatic facility that Henderson is building at the future Heritage Park site have been delayed until July and September, respectively.

The City Council unanimously authorized several changes to the construction contracts, including the delays. The senior center was delayed 44 days because of a design change that called for different construction materials, and the aquatic facility was delayed 41 days because of a delay in getting the pool design approved by the Southern Nevada Health District.

Senior meal program receives state grant

Henderson Parks and Recreation’s Senior Nutrition Program has received a $22,000 grant from the Nevada Division of Aging Services.

The City Council unanimously ratified acceptance and disbursement of the funds, which will help subsidize senior group meals at the Henderson Senior Center, 27 Texas Ave., and pay for delivered meals to qualifying home-bound seniors.

For more information about the program, call 267-4160.

Additional grant funds for Henderson Police

The Henderson Police Department has received an additional $25,000 grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety for the Joining Forces Program, which pays overtime hours for police officers from different jurisdictions to do saturation patrols to crack down on traffic safety violations.

Henderson has received more than $179,000 for the program for the current year.

In March, Southern Nevada law enforcement agencies issued more than 2,000 tickets during a two-week Joining Forces campaign that focused on speeding. Another event is scheduled in May that will focus on seat belt usage.