Henderson City Council briefs

By Jeremy Twitchell

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | 1:20 p.m.

Flash Flood Awareness Month proclaimed

The Henderson City Council opened its June 16 meeting with a proclamation designating July as Flash Flood Awareness Month.

The proclamation was drawn up in partnership with the Regional Flood Control District. It reminds residents that July through September are traditionally the months with the greatest risk of flash flooding.

Flood District General Manager Gale Fraser said although the valley typically only sees 4.5 inches of rain per year, it has been known to get as much as three inches in 90 minutes. Each year, the district launches a public awareness campaign to educate residents about the risks of flash floods and to remind motorists not to drive through flooded streets.

“We do two things,” Fraser said after accepting the proclamation. “We keep floods away from people by building projects … and the second, and most important thing we try to do through efforts like this, is to keep people away from floods.”

Trail construction bids rejected

Henderson’s plan to rebuild a quarter-mile of flood-damaged trail in east Henderson and build a BMX-skate park at a nearby park drew interest from 15 bidders, but the City Council unanimously rejected them all on June 16.

City staff said none of the 15 bids received for the Downs 5/Morrell Park Improvements project included the necessary insurance information for the skate park. The project is being reopened for bidding.

Downs 5 is a half-mile trail that runs from Morrow Elementary School at Magic Way and Featherwood Avenue to the future Heritage Park site at Newport Drive and Racetrack Road. Half of the trail was washed away by floods in 2005, and it has remained closed ever since.

The BMX-skate park is planned to be constructed a few blocks west at Morrell Park, located at Major Avenue and Harris Street.

Project Green extended

Volunteers with Project Green, an initiative to restore native habitat and build a nature trail system in the Pittman Wash that runs through the heart of Green Valley, have been given more time to do their work.

The initiative has been funded by a state grant of more than $292,000, which comes from the $65 million tax initiative for conservation and resource protection projects that Nevada voters approved in 2002.

Thus far, volunteers have restored 2.5 miles of the wash, removing invasive plant species and building nature trails. The project was expected to expend its funding by December 31, 2008, but that date has now been extended to December 31, 2009. The funding amount did not change.

The Henderson City Council unanimously approved the extension, which will allow volunteers time to finish the final phase of their work — a pedestrian footbridge over the wash at Pecos Legacy Park.

Street light poles to be replaced

The council unanimously approved a $70,000 contract with Byrd Underground to replace aging street light poles in the Pittman area.

The money comes from community development block grants, which are federal funds given to the city for affordable housing construction, infrastructure development in low-income areas and nonprofit program assistance.

Crews will replace poles along Margarita Avenue and Moser Drive, between Sunset Road and Jefferson Boulevard.