Beatty Town Advisory Board appoints new officers
The Beatty Town Advisory Board met July 14 to reorganize leadership, weigh in on pending solar projects, praise off-road race restoration efforts and discuss community holiday decorations and veteran memorial plans.
Board leadership reorganized
The board began by appointing new officers. Kelly Carroll was named chair, Randy Reed was appointed vice chair and Kyle Lewis was selected as treasurer. Liz Hensel was also welcomed as the board’s newest member.
Emergency services report
Town Administrative Coordinator Carrie Radomski reported that the Beatty Volunteer Fire Department has responded to 72 calls since January 3, with an average of five responders per call. The ambulance service has answered 313 calls this year. The Firefighter I class has concluded, with testing expected in late August or September. An ongoing EMT class with nine students will wrap up on Sept. 28, followed by testing in October.
Radomski also shared that Nye County Emergency Management received a formal report from the Department of Energy regarding a fire on 9GTR, and that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has assumed co-management. No resource requests for Nye County are anticipated.
Solar project opposition letters approved
The board unanimously approved two letters urging federal representatives to reject pending utility-scale solar project applications that had not received a Record of Decision before the enactment of the 2024 Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
Radomski said the letter “gives them justification for taking action now to get those projects off the BLM books so they do not linger as proposals for many years in the future.”
A parallel letter will be submitted to the Nye County Natural Resources director requesting county support for the board’s position.
Race restoration praised
The board approved a comment letter to be sent to Legacy Racing, commending the restoration work done following their June 25–29 off-road event.
Debbie Baker of the Bighorn Outback Explorers said Legacy’s grading crew had performed excellently, adding, “He had a club member who went out and looked at it, who’s also a grader operator, and he said their grader operator did a wonderful job.”
Board member Perry Forsyth praised the race organization: “In the last three or four years, they’ve done a beautiful job. They’re always considered completely aboveboard in how they operate. They thank you personally.”
Staff agreed to send a letter encouraging continued use of the same operator for future events.
Holiday decorations and community involvement
Resident Teresa Sullivan raised questions about a citizen-led effort to decorate the town tree in the park, suggesting it might be better managed by the board.
Radomski clarified the town does not decorate the tree due to lack of equipment and concerns about damaging the concrete. Instead, staff focuses on garlands, bows and lights around the park and on streetlights — decorations they can safely manage and remove on time.
She said the resident in question had received permission from the board and is coordinating with local agencies. The board expressed support for her initiative.
Veteran memorial and inflatables
The board discussed new additions to the town square’s veteran memorial, including medallions and flagpoles, which will now be lit. Installation is expected to move forward now that power is available at the site.
Radomski also noted the success of holiday inflatables used on the Fourth of July and said more might be considered for future holidays, citing strong community feedback.
Other business
The board also:
■ Approved the meeting minutes for May 15 and June 9;
■ Approved a town voucher for $2,949.37;
■ Waived all fees for the Beatty Chamber of Commerce’s use of the Community Center and equipment for Beatty Days, October 30;
■ Reminded residents of a back-to-school immunization clinic to be held July 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Center.
Thomas Hite is a freelance reporter living in Beatty.
