By Selwyn Harris
The proposed development of a tourist attraction in Pahrump is drawing a few high profile players into the mix as of late.
On Tuesday, Pahrump Town Manager Bill Kohbarger, along with board members Harley Kulkin and Dr. Tom Waters, met with former Gov. Bob List and two executives from Front Sight during a working lunch.
Front Sight is a popular firearms training institute in the southwest part of the valley.
Kohbarger said on Thursday that the meeting allowed all parties to discuss the current and next phase of the tourism project often referred to as the theme park proposal.
“It was just a get-together to talk about possible Bill Draft Requests BDR and moving forward with several projects in town. We are in phase II and Chris Brown with Contour Entertainment and his staff are working diligently in putting together what should be a very good plan and I will be sitting down with my people and going over it and getting with Chris and his people and find the best plan of action. We will review it, tear it apart and put it back together again,” he said.
At present, it is unknown how much, or if at all, the town will receive financial support from the additional players who have shown interest in the project.
So far, the town officials have invested more than $200,000 in taxpayer funds for the first two phases.
Kohbarger noted that there will be several more phases as the project moves along.
He also said that once all of the dust has settled, the project could easily boost the town’s economy and prominence in Nevada.
“If it’s successful, it will bring jobs and positive growth to the town of Pahrump,” he said.
Kulkin, on the other hand, said that he’s pleased Front Sight officials have shown some interest in getting involved in the project.
“We are looking at a possible partnership with Front Sight and the Town of Pahrump. Naturally, the more people you have involved, the more you share your financial liabilities to get something done and it benefits everybody. If you do it on your own, it costs a lot more money. We came up with a tentative agreement so to speak and we are waiting for some information. The next step will be the town staff and attorney will review the information to see if it is good for the town’s side,” he said.
The project has its share of detractors.
Some vocal residents expressed displeasure during town board meetings at the cost and scope of the project citing the price tag as one of their main grievances.
Brown estimated that more than $600,000 will be spent on the project before ground is anywhere near broken.
He said there are many other things that need to be addressed before any actual work begins.
“To get all the way through conceptual development, and financial planning, the work that has to occur with the state legislature to get incentives in place. There were some additional costs that were not included, including lobbyists at the Carson City level to help get the legislation to pass. The direct response is that amount of some $600,000, plus, depending on what other costs are adding in there was intended to get you substantially through that process so you would have a vision, you would have a pro-forma, you would have a business plan that is associated with that. You would also have the state legislation in process with the intention of getting that approved, which is something that cannot happen until the legislature sits in 2013, next year,” he said.
Kulkin said the former governor and Front Sight officials will be joined by a former Nevada senator to provide added credibility to the project.
“Richard Bryan is also part of this project. Unfortunately, Bryan was not able to attend the Tuesday meeting because he was out of town but he is a big part of this project as well. It’s about putting together a BDR and he will be one of our lobbyists up in Carson City. He is very well known and very well respected and they all believe in our project and the expansions at Front Sight and our fairgrounds development. We the town will take the lead when this happens and it will support things throughout the state. Of course, we are the entertainment state and anything we can do to help build tourism means jobs and dollars for Nevada,” he said.
Kulkin noted that Nye County must do something more to bolster its standing in Nevada.
“I hate saying this but the fact of the matter is Pahrump and Nye County are not exactly held in high esteem and we are going to have to have our guns loaded pretty well to get anything passed. This is something that benefits the whole state as well and we are trying to change Nye County and Pahrump’s image. We have to get some positive things happening and this could be really good,” he said.
Waters said even though he sees a lot of promise, he can’t help but have just a few reservations in the project as it moves along.
“I’m still a little leery about it. I’m hoping that something will come up in the next review that we are going to get from Contour. I’ve said over and over that I want something that when I see it, I’m going to say, ‘Wow. That’s what we need here in Pahrump.’ As I told Chris Brown and several others who have listened to me on it, if I don’t get that, there is no way I could go forward with this,” he said.
Waters did note that Tuesday’s meeting seemed to have given him a bit more confidence in the overall project.
“In listening to the people around the table, they are very interested in all of this moving forward. As long as it is maintained here in the town, I want to be positive about it and I want to keep an open mind. When I see the heavy hitters involved, it looks a whole lot more like this could move forward real fast,” he said
Another thing that impressed Waters was the fact that List happened to mention a few other high profile individuals who may also come on board with the project.
“I don’t know Gov. List. Is he a name dropper? I don’t know, but he didn’t sound like somebody who was just going to drop names. He is a former governor and he has some heavy hitters on his side with this,” he said.
Waters also said that with the addition of Front Sight’s apparent interest the project seems even more conceivable.
“With that in mind, I see things going forward in that direction,” he noted.
Economic developer Don HolBrook, who was initially a key player in the Pahrump project, also attended the meeting. Holbrook, who is mired in litigation in Ohio, is now associated with Front Sight, according to Kohbarger.
Brown, during testimony before both the county commissioners and town board several weeks ago, distanced him and the Pahrump project from Holbrook, raising questions about Holbrook’s sudden reappearance.
Contour Entertainment officials are expected to meet with town officials within the next few weeks.
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- Selwyn Harris / Pahrump Valley Times – From right to left is Bill Kohbarger seated next to Town Board member Dr. Tom Waters, former Nevada Gov. Bob List, Front Sight CEO Michael Meacher, Economic Developer Don Holbrook, Town Board member Harley Kulkin, and Front Sight Resort Development Director Dennis M. Bradley.
Insane…and they can’t spend $6500 to do the engineering study for an indoor pool. This is absolutely stupid!
Follow the money. The theme park debacle is surely padding some pockets along the way.
You meant you want money for an indoor pool engineering study for who? Yourself or the community? Either way you look at it, you are asking for a handout and they are a business playing politico-business. Furthermore, as the article explained, how Frontsight wants to make itself known so they can fit into the tourism report in some form. The report and people involved aren’t messing around with thousands of dollars, they are talking hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars.
With guns being such a hot topic right now around the country, Frontsight is doing and saying anything they can before they lose more interest. I think Frontsight is worried the Countour report will show Frontsight as a potential tourist travel destination and extremely careful consideration should be exercised with doing business with a potential legal “mess” Frontsight could bring to the community. The Colorado shooting of innocent persons and other high profile incidents such as that is why I think they are trying to make themselves heard.
And if I understood this article correctly, it sounded like they wanted Nye County to become involved in some form to lessen the burden of their financial investors. Yikes.
Guns are fun, sex is fun, but both can have “dirty” stigmas associated with them. Laws asked for by the people have required State and Local Governments to do things like: Requiring the owner of a brothel to pay for unbelievable taxation because of their trade to prevent money laundering and other criminal activity. On the other end there is guns – imagine having to require all residents of this gun community to submit to monthly psychological testing, legal and illagal drug use testing, submission and registration of all firearms, the same for all visitors and guests they have over, and that’s just the legal requirements to limit the liability of the gun loving community in case of a lawsuit. Now combine that with the Local, State, and National legal requirements. So assuming all of the above is agreed to by the families who live at Front Sight, Front Sight could still be held liable if a person goes nuts in their community and get sued and lose it all. The issue isn’t a matter of if, it would be a matter of when for the crazy person and the legal issues. So, of course it’s no wonder why the Front Sight Master Planned community hasn’t skyrocketed as the investors had originally planned. Most of the money has been spent in Washington instead of their own community. Changing the project from a civilian to military/police use has been suggested, but it’s not what the investors had originally planned with their money and it’s very far away to make it accessible to military and police.
In summary, I have seen Frontsight as a business since the 90′s with amazing plans. Planned community with homes for parents with kids, schools, shopping, blah blah blah. All this was to be near the long and short outdoor shooting ranges. Since then maps and plans have been updated to show how safe of a community this could be with revised plans. This company will need those heavy hitting figures and continue to keep paying for those expensive Washington contacts if they have any hope of salvaging their goal.
I wanr to tell you a short story. A lady went ti visit a family and the man was armed. She ask him two questions. 1. Was he expecting trouble and he answered no. 2. Was the gun loaded and he answered yes, it would not work without bullets in it
He the informed her he had numerious fire extinguishers in his house, that he was not expecting a fire and that uthey were also all loaded.
Guns and bullets do not kill anyone. It’s the idiot that pulls the trigger. If we register our guns, which we do not have to in Nye County then that will empower the government if they should chose, to come into my house and take my guns even from my cold hand. That will be the only way that they will take it from me in a government takeover.
The movie house in Aurora, CO should take some blame. If the exit doors had been watched for people trying to get into a free movie the shooter would not have been able to go out, get dressed and his guns and sneek back in.
So the esteemed Mr. Holbrook is working for Front Sight. Perhaps some mention should be made of Front Sight attempting to buy land at the site of the EarthQuest park in Montgomery county Tx. I believe that Contour has been named as the developer of that theme park after the bankruptcy of the land owner. I urge caution, the relationship between all the involved parties seems to be too tight. For some interesting reading google Houston Press Earthquest for a history of how the residents got screwed by thier elected officials.
Go back and read my post from when this “crew” first started their plan. Someone was worried about all of the traffic in Pahrump. I said then, don’t worry, cause the attraction is likely to be near Front Sight, not near Pahrump. All of the “visitors” (and $$$) will not get within 25 miles of Pahrump. The benefit of the attraction will go to Clark County. Day visitors will say, “Pahrump? Ya, I saw a sign for that.” And, employees will find it easy to commute the few miles from L.V. to work, not live here. Overnighters will support the BIG plans for accommodations to be build AT Front Sight. Sorry Pahrumpians…. snookered again.
The fact that Holbrook is involved is a red flag. A huge red flag. And Holbrook working for front Sight. Smarten up people. Something smells very bad.
It’s hard to believe that the town board members are still dealing with Holbrook with so much negative public sentiment. No doubt there is a huge payoff somewhere in this fiasco, But for whom?
And Front Sight carries a lot of questionable baggage even over-riding their great training.
rise up
and rise up again
until lambs become lions
Keep in mind that Front sight is pretty expensive and the UN wants to take away our guns and Obama will let them do it.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/18/un-gun-control-treaty-will-reveal-gun-laws-obama-really-supports/
This is a waste of $200,000 or our money.
Laslo…When you cite any report from Fox, you lose all credibility. News flash… Fox is lying to you. That’s what they do. That’s all they do. President Obama is NOT trying to take away anyone’s guns. He has expanded your gun rights. Ask yourself this. How is it possible that Obama can get an “F” rating from the NRA and an “F’ Rating from the Brady campaign for anti-gun violence at the same time? One of those two organizations is also lying. Care to guess which one?
Turn off Fox. Think for yourself.
@Robert Shirley you jest.
I trust Fox News over any of the other news losers.
I guess it is true! there really are people who watch fox news & believe their fantasies. fox is the truth, believe that? Well I have a lottery check with your name on it in the amount of $10,000,000.00, so if you will send me $50,000.00 to cover taxes & handling fees I will forward the check to you.
You and TurboKitty need a rest at the local nut house. You are both left wing liberal nuts with nothing to say and nobody wants too hear.
Robert….. Turn off MSNBC and CNN. They are lying to you. Think for yourself! Don’t be so naive.
Let’s hope we can make the Town Board an advisory board before they squander any more of our tax dollars.
Vote Harley ( I once lived in a trailer) Kulkin to State Senator. That way he cannot spend money like water???
Don’t vote for him next time.
I didn’t vote for him and I didn’t like him after he tore up the Democrat office a few years back.
He should have gone to jail.
He’s crazy as a loon.
Be careful next time you vote.
Why do you care if he tore up the Democrat headquarters? You’re a Republican, otherwise you wouldn’t be watching Fox noise.
And no, I am not jesting and don’t call me Shirley. I believe the word you were looking for was “surely”.
Let’s add the county commissioners to that list.
I think the Front Site people are brilliant to partner with the town on this. First, they get to help suck what’s left out of the tourism fund to pay for more studies on their behalf. Second, by joining forces with the town board and getting a bill draft request in front of the legislature, they have all the political cover they need when the bill turns out to be a request for a special taxing district. What a brilliant move. The addition of the cunning Mr. Holbrook only makes this more interesting. The cherry on top is a lackluster, one-term Nevada governor enough name recognition to dazzle the locals. Brilliant, and I mean that.
I’m so sick and tired of wasting time and money towards something that is so ill conceived and back by disreputable “names” … here’s a proposal for the county … if we had a functioning County Commissioner unit, maybe by now they might have thought of working in conjunction with the Commissioners in California and filling up the dry lake bed with water, stocking it with fish and building a resort community around it, for fishing and maybe a little bit of game hunting. I’m sure that would bring lots of jobs to both Counties and revenue, not to mention, present a family friendly tourist spot. How about instead of our community focusing on what’s wrong with what’s going on, we start making proposals of our own that would benefit us all …
Is this the same Frontsight that started out over in either Baker or Barstow, Calif? As I recall it was just to attract Hollywood celebrities to learn how to shoot guns and weren’t the membership fees something like $500,000? Hmmm, was just wondering if these are the same people. Didnt they get run out of California??? Just sayin….
Look at the reply I gave Bryan and see if anyone would agree. Thanks and vote out President Obama a non
citizen of our great and still free nation.
Hey, According to Kohbarger, He would not hire Holbrook to do anything in this town. But now, Holbrook is working for Front Site. One Scammer in bed with another scammer. Check out Front Sites checked past. Lawsuits, Not in compliance with the Nevada State Fire Marshalls Office, etc., etc., & etc.