By Mark Waite
Blackjack Fireworks was granted permission by the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Wednesday to sell fireworks out of a tent at the corner of Highway 160 and CAAS Road from June 1 through July 4.
The company also known as Ninja Fireworks, has another location at 1181 S. Highway 160 and thus won’t exceed the county limit of six fireworks licenses, planner Beth Lee said.
Blackjack was required to obtain a conditional use permit for fireworks sales in a general commercial zone. The RPC is the final authority unless there is a protest to the county commission.
The site previously housed a modular sales building and numerous cargo container storage units for Blackjack Fireworks. There is a paved section off the highway.
Fire Chief Scott Lewis told the Pahrump Valley Times he has some concerns about selling fireworks out of a tent, but it meets the requirements of the 2006 International Fire Code. Lewis said he will review the plans before the erection of the tent and make an inspection afterwards.
The conditions allow no more than two storage trailers, no vehicle parking on the highway right-of-way, keeping the premises free of trash and debris and there will be no flagging of vehicles or obstructing traffic flow. The tent must be fire-rated and comply with all fire and safety regulations, including exit requirements, fire extinguishers and no smoking signs.
Attorney Jeffrey Shaner, representing owner Anthony McKoy, said the tent won’t exceed 7,200 square feet. The hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to midnight. They will employ 10 people.
Shaner said the site was previously used for fireworks sales.
Nye County Planning Director Steve Osborne told county commissioner Butch Borasky the tent won’t be required to have sprinklers, but the material meets fire retardant requirements. There has to be a certain number of fire extinguishers and exits.
RPC member Greg Hafen II inquired whether the owners had a commercial well and septic. RPC Chairman Terry Hand said plans show they will use portable toilets.
Deputy District Attorney Charles Watkins said he didn’t see any legal problems approving the conditional use permit, with the conditions.
* In other business, Kathleen Mueller was granted a conditional use permit to open a bed and breakfast called The Bunkhouse at 4640 S. Whirlwind St.
Mueller will be limited to renting two rooms. When she turns 62 this month, Mueller plans to devote more time to photography and writing.
She envisions her bed and breakfast “as a retreat for writers, photographers, artists, healers, anyone needing to get away from the smog of the big city, craving an inspirational quiet place to think, meditate and just be.”
* A conditional use permit was granted for a swap meet behind Sunflower Fashions, to resolve a code compliance complaint at the intersection of Loop Road and Highway 160.
Lee said no additional structures will be erected, only the tents and tables for vendors of the weekend swap meets. She said the property is zoned commercial with ancillary parking, at a location that has been used for a business for years.
Much of the discussion involved watering the property. Property owner Dan Harris said Nye County Air Quality Compliance Officer George Bernath visited the property and said they could water when needed, instead of before and after every swap meet.
Harris said “no parking” signs have been erected on Loop Road. Patti Butler, owner of Sunflower Fashions, said it’s been difficult to get some motorists to pay attention to a woman directing traffic, but she plans to hire someone. Butler and Harris weren’t sure what authority they had to enforce parking.
Butler said she’s been operating the swap meet since December.
“My business was pretty bad with the economy, as everybody knows, and I needed to do something,” Butler said.
The flea market has been a success, with up to 35 to 40 vendors setting up shop on weekends.
Good, its about time fireworks rules were a bit looser here. I love the mentality of this town, “Oh lets make that cash off fireworks sales but GOD FORBID we give anyone a place to set them off”
We can thank the current town administration for that restriction, I really wish they would give people a safe area out of the town to shoot them off at so we don’t have people trying to set them off in residential areas, but I guess they would rather have our deputies running around like chickens with their heads cut off chasing “illegal” fireworks when the town makes money off the sale of them.
I guess it scares all the new residents from California and does not fit the mold of the liberal loony city they are trying to build here.
The downward spiral has begun. Now we are allowing selling product out of a tent while using porta potties. Great. What kind of businesses do we hope to attract with this going on along the main entry to our town?
I know it’s only temporary, but there’s the old saying about allowing the camel to get its nose under the tent, soon the entire camel is inside.
Yea, and if they turned it down you would be complaining about “stifling” business.
This issue has nothing to do with stifling business. I want businesses to flourish in my town. I want good, quality businesses to come here and make money. I want my town to succeed and I want the citizens of my town to be happy and proud of their town. Selling fireworks from tent in a location that had previously been a fireworks sales location is this families’ way of expanding their footprint. Having the first sales stand when people come into town will draw business from the other who are doing business properly.
Allowing anyone to throw up a tent, to use porta potties, no sanitary facilities for the customers opens the door to others who will want to emulate their business plan. What else do we want being sold out of tents? How about a flea market (OH, we have that, too, now) or anything else? What signal is this sending to prospective business people who want to expand into Pahrump? What will their impression of our town be when they see the tents selling all manner of paraphernalia?
I just don’t agree with this decision and see it as a slippery slope.
“will draw business from the other who are doing business properly.” “The company also known as Ninja Fireworks, has another location at 1181 S. Highway 160″ So I guess they are going to hurt themselves also.
Many towns/cities have fireworks sold out of “tents” for a short period of time around the 4′th, this doesn’t mean it will proliferate.
So now there is a problem with the flea market? What the heck is wrong with that place? I tell you, people here just need to find a reason to complain.
That is one of the best things running in this town, and yet another person wants to shut it down so it wont scare off all these imaginary businesses that are moving here in the middle of what is close to a depression now.
Let people sell there, make some money, and be happy. We are not some yuppie town that people are coming in to judge, we are Pahrump.
I bet you if it was some hippy dippy farmers market in a tent everyone would be singing the praises of it.
Besides the “tent” will look better than the dingy building and trailers that used to sit there. Plus it goes away July 5′th.
I have never understood how Nye County would make it illegal for citizens in its own county to buy and set off fireworks but allow the sale to Clark County citizens who were prohibited from buying them in their own county. Look at all the resources that are wasted each year by law enforcement in attempting to stop the importation of these illegal fireworks into Clark County and California. This is one type of business that Pahrump should shut down.
WERE I AM FROM IN WASHINGTON STATE . THEIR IS SEVERAL PARKING LOTS TO SET OF FIREWWORKS AND ALSO GRADED FIELDS. THE TOWN COFFERS COULD BE ADDED TO FROM A PERMIT.
THIS WOULD MORE THAN PAY FOR ANY FIRE DEPARTMENT ASSETS .