Kellogg Park project moving forward

More than three months after county commissioners approved the first phase of Kellogg Park, the project appears to be moving forward.

The Pahrump Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee met last week to discuss the development process of the venture.

County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen, the committee's liaison, said part of the first phase involves installing utilities at the site before any development can begin.

In October, commissioners approved the use of $1,000,000 from the town's Impact Fees and Room Tax Funds to bankroll the first phase of the park.

"That money will be used to get the water system up and the grading done," he said.

Pahrump Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Matt Luis is overseeing the first phase of the project, which includes setting up a bidding process for the initial phase.

Schinhofen said the action may take a couple of months to complete.

"When the bid process goes out, there's usually a 30-day window and then it will get back on our agenda," he said. "There has to be a bidding process because certain amounts of this will be over the state limit, so I'm not sure what those dollars amounts are. There's a certain amount that you have to go out to bid. I'm sure we will get local contractors bidding on it and I hope every local contractor wins so we can keep that money here in town."

In the meantime, Schinhofen said talks are taking place for the installation of signage at the site, located at Squaw Valley and Bridger on the valley's south end.

"If that's in their budget, they can do it, that's fine," he said. "We approved that money for the whole operation. There should be some signs up so people who are not familiar with that part of town, will know where it is located."

Additionally, Schinhofen said it's about time residents on the south end get the opportunity to enjoy a public park in their area.

"I think it's a real good thing for the south side of the town because we do not have any public parks on the south side," he said. "This has been deed-granted since the 1950s for this area, so I'm glad we are moving forward."

Schinhofen also spoke about another project making progress in the south end of town.

"As far as the fairgrounds are concerned, we are waiting for Valley Electric to give us what it is going to cost to put power out there," he said. "We've approved a certain amount to get power out there and once we get power, we can get the well operating and then we can go on with toilets and water."

Last July, the fairgrounds opened to the public for those wanting to shoot fireworks off.

Schinhofen said he's since learned that event was a success for residents and the county.

Residents also shot off fireworks in observance of Veterans Day and New Year's Eve.

"All the indications that I have, is everything went really well," he said. "We will be meeting with that group and staff to review everything, like how much we took in, versus how much we spent. In going forward, we will determine which day should be excluded or added. The Fourth of July and New Years are big days and they did draw in some people who stayed in our hotels so that's a good thing. It creates more tax money for the fairgrounds and the parks."

Once power is installed at the site, Schinhofen said work can begin on additional infrastructure.

"When we get the power there, we can get lighting when we are doing the fireworks so we won't have to rent the portable lights. Getting that in place is the next step. The previous town board put all the fencing in and bladed that area. So now, the next step is to get power there so we can run the wells and have lighting in the parking lot. Once we get water we can start to plant some grass and trees and make it a real fairgrounds."

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com.