Why is VEA giving Nye County a line of credit for the Pahrump Fairgrounds?

After several years of contentious relationships with both area residents and county officials due to its lack of fulfillment of a promised multi-million-dollar donation, Valley Electric Association (VEA) is now striving to put the past behind it and begin a new era of community partnership.

This month, the member-owned cooperative entered into an agreement with Nye County to provide a $1 million investment into the Pahrump Fairgrounds, via a line of credit for infrastructure construction.

“Our intention is really to work toward having a much better relationship with the county,” VEA CEO Robby Hamlin told Nye County commissioners during the board’s Tuesday, Oct. 7 meeting. “Valley’s intent is to… one, make a commitment to be a good partner in the community and two, to the extent that we can, follow through with the commitment we had made for some dollars toward a community facility.”

That promise was made in 2016 when VEA was seeking the votes needed from its members to sell a 230-KV transmission line to GridLiance. At the time, then-CEO Tom Husted had told the community that, among other benefits of the sale, VEA would donate $5 million in cash and a parcel of land valued at roughly the same amount to the county/town for the purposes of establishing a new community center. VEA never provided that contribution, although Nye County has now received $5 million from GridLiance via a development agreement regarding its current transmission line expansion.

Now, the utility is prepared to make good on at least a portion of its promise. Hamlin noted that though VEA is not in a financial position to fork over $5 million in cash, it can provide infrastructure in lieu of a monetary investment, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding the commission was considering that afternoon.

There have been certain vocal residents who have consistently spoken out against the development of the fairgrounds — particularly its proposed community/civics center — and the news that VEA was planning to provide $1 million for the project prompted a protest in front of the co-op’s Pahrump office on Monday. Pahrump Valley Republican Women’s Stephani Hashimura and Tami Pitman were joined by three others to hoist signs criticizing the move, each convinced that the county is making a mistake in pursuing the fairgrounds development.

“We have existing fairgrounds that already have electricity, water and bathrooms. You don’t need to build a building. It’s already existing, why not expand on that?” Hashimura told the Pahrump Valley Times at the protest. “Honestly, to me, it’s a vanity project… It’s not something we should have. The county is bordering on bankruptcy.”

And while Hashimura and her fellow protesters are not the only ones against the project, it was evident during the Oct. 7 meeting that there are many others who do, in fact, desire to see the fairgrounds built out. Representatives of various sports leagues and groups talked about the need for more fields, which would require power for lighting and water, while those into off-roading recreation emphasized that the infrastructure is necessary for the developing OHV Park at the fairgrounds. Parents, grandparents, even those with no children at all, voiced their support for the $1 million investment from VEA, providing a strong counterpoint to the opposition that has been seen at previous commission meetings.

“We need this facility,” Lesa Wald, a board member of the Pahrump Disability Outreach Program and a Special Olympics coach, asserted. “I support the VEA line extension at the fairgrounds, with all my heart.”

Ed Goedhart, a longtime valley resident who lives quite close to the fairgrounds, chimed in, “I think it’s long past time that a town of Pahrump’s size, and growing, starts getting involved with making these projects that, even though at my age group I may not personally use, I know there are a lot of generations coming after me… I know you’ll have some challenges but when we have people coming to the table offering donations of money or in-kind, now’s the time to do it. It’s never going to get cheaper in the future.”

Before the item came to a vote, commissioner Bruce Jabbour said his one concern was the use of the term “civics center” in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Just one part of the overall plan for the fairgrounds, the proposed new community/civics center, is a subject of disagreement between the commissioners themselves, as well as one that stirs disquiet among community members due to its potential cost in a time when the county is financially challenged. The subject of providing electrical infrastructure that will allow for lighting and water at new sports fields and the OHV Park, however, is another matter. Commission chair Ron Boskovich said he is 100% in favor of adding the much-needed fields and commissioner John Koenig stressed that these are things the community has been demanding for years.

Commissioner Ian Bayne then suggested that the county remove the phrase “civics center” and replace it with “fairgrounds”, something that appeared to satisfy the board. He then made the motion to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with that change, with a second from commissioner Debra Strickland. The motion passed 5-0.

“Thank you public!” Strickland enthused as the commission moved on to its next item.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com