By Richard Stephens – Special to the Pahrump Valley Times

It was a rare blink-and-you-missed-it night for the Beatty Town Advisory Board on Feb. 25.

With one member absent, the board dealt with a light agenda and adjourned in a scant thirty minutes.

Surveying the audience for the board’s first Monday meeting, chairman Dick Gardner commented on what he saw as apathy. “Only seven people here to question what the four or five of us up here do,” he lamented.

During public comment, Charlie Cook said he did not think the town would ever see a return of the overhead stop light at the main intersection because it would not allow enough overhead clearance. He suggested that signs be painted on the road — “stop ahead” on the approach and “stop” at the intersection.

Emergency medical technician Mike Wehmeyer, saying he spoke as a private citizen, not as a member of the volunteer ambulance service, urged the board to ask the county why they cannot use money left over from the Pahrump jail to finish Beatty’s ambulance barn.

Multiple tries at going out to bid have not resulted in a bid that comes even close to the money available to finish what is now an empty shell, and the grant that was to supply much of the money is set to expire soon.

“I won’t comment on the stupidity of starting a project without the money to finish it,” he said.

The board approved the text of a letter they are sending to the Board of County Commissioners detailing their displeasure with Bill 2013-2, proposing to amend the county’s ordinance governing public events.

“They took something that was five pages long and made it 34,” said Gardner. The board feels that the detailed, restrictive ordinance could have a chilling effect on the prospect of holding large events in small communities like Beatty.

Speaking of large events, Town Secretary Carrie Radomski announced that Tough Mudder will be returning to Beatty April 13 and 14, again at Spicer Ranch. She said the organization has a limited number of banners available for businesses that want them.

The board voted to send a letter to the county supporting Tough Mudder’s outdoor festival license application.

They also voted to have Radomski attend videoconference meetings of the Board of County Commissioners when necessary. This would be when a board member was not available to attend and there were matters on the agenda involving Beatty.