From high desert to high culture

By Jeremy Twitchell (contact)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 | 12:45 p.m.

LAS VEGAS SUN

Whipping by at 55 mph, the ragged patch of desert wedged between homes, a mega church and an industrial park east of U.S. 95, between Sunset and Russell Roads, isn’t much to look at.

Through the eyes of Henderson officials, however, the 150 acres are ground zero for what they hope will be a cultural revolution, beginning with a $61 million space and science center that the city hopes to build through a public-private partnership.

Last week, the City Council appointed 10 people to a new advisory board that will be tasked with, among other things, raising funds for the center’s construction and recruiting a non-profit entity to operate it.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am that we’re here, that we’re at this place,” said City Councilman Jack Clark, a longtime proponent of the project.

Clark is one of four Henderson employees appointed to the 10-member board, along with Mayor James B. Gibson, Finance Director Steve Hanson and City Attorney Shauna Hughes.

Three of them will be leaving the city in the coming weeks — Clark and Gibson because of term limits and Hanson because he accepted a buyout offer the city made to longtime employees as a cost-saving measure.

Clark said every member of the committee was chosen for their skills and experience with the community. Other board members are Dr. Denis Beller, a mechanical engineering professor at UNLV; Dr. Jim Frey, an emeritus sociology professor at UNLV and former president of the Green Valley Rotary Club; Rich MacDonald, a developer and owner of two museums; Stephanie Morris, an accountant; Elizabeth Trosper, a partner at public relations firm Mass Media; and Beth Williams, the widow of former astronaut Cliff Williams.

City Clerk Monica Simmons said board members will likely hold their first meeting in April, at which time they will all be sworn in. Clark said the board would begin establishing an agenda at that meeting, beginning with a fundraising strategy.

Trosper acknowledged that fundraising will be difficult in the current economy, but she said the group could still be successful if it creates a strong brand for the center and aggressively pursues grants and other sources of funding.

“I think it’s going to be challenging, but we need to be smart about it,” she said. “We need to think strategically … We’re competing against a lot of other folks for monies.”

Henderson officials have said the city will likely contribute funds to the center’s construction at some point, but when and how much has not been determined.

Clark said the money the city would use would come from the land fund, which is funded by the sales of city land to private developers. That money, he said, is strictly regulated by law and cannot be used to cover consumable expenses, such as payroll.

He said anything the city spends on the center should be viewed as an investment — one that residents should expect to bear fruit educationally and financially. The cultural mixed-use center the city envisions for the 150 acres will drive up land values, he said, and about half of the land will be sold to private developers.

The site is also located within the Eastside Redevelopment Area, which means taxes collected from businesses that move into the area will help develop the site and the surrounding area.

“This is an investment in the future,” Clark said. “Whereas if we spend this money on consumables, we’ll never see it back.”

One of the strongest arguments for the museum, Clark said, is its educational role.

“I’ve heard governors and lieutenant governors since I was 12 years old talk about diversifying our economy, but to them, that just means building a new casino with a different theme,” Clark said. “If you want to truly diversify your economy, you have to provide educational opportunities for different industries. We’ve got to create the education that will prepare those workers.”

MacDonald, who approaches the project from the dual perspectives of a land developer and museum owner, said he has a history of working on difficult projects, and the space and science center is doable.

“I think it’s great for the city. It’s cultural and it’s a good thing to have, not just for Henderson but for all of Southern Nevada,” he said.