Kingdom Club deal back before board

Pahrump Town Board members were expected to revisit an agenda item relating to the de-annexation of land along south Homestead Road last night.

Pahrump Town Manager Susan Holecheck said on Monday that town attorney Bret Meich will attempt to put the issue to rest once and for all.

“Our attorney, Bret Meich’s considered opinion is that he doesn’t believe the town or the county has the authority to de-annex or annex property. I don’t know what that means historically because the property was de-annexed before. We still have to follow what our attorney says and I believe his presentation will state that either party does not have the authority to do it,” she said.

Holecheck’s remarks follow an attorney’s for the Chicken Ranch brothel, who noted during January’s meeting that the town does not have the authority to annex or de-annex land at present.

One attorney, Mark Connot, suggested that under the NRS chapter 269, the board could possibly invite legal action if they attempted to approve de-annexation of the property.

Much to the surprise of many at the meeting, Meich actually expanded on Connot’s suggestion.

“Presently, Nevada law limits town boards and unincorporated towns from annexing unless they meet certain criteria and the town presently does not meet those criteria. For that reason, I don’t think we can annex or de-annex, although we are open to arguments to the contrary.” Meich said.

The item, authored by Town Board member Amy Riches, sought to allow Joe Richards, owner of the Kingdom Gentleman’s Club, to move his adult-themed business away from Highway 160 and Homestead Road, if town and county officials allow the de-annexation of property located adjacent to two brothels on Homestead Road.

If town and county officials agreed, Richards said he would shutter the gentleman’s club permanently.

To assist in the effort, Richards enlisted the help of both Riches and former Nye County Commissioner Gary Hollis.

The Kingdom has been the source of much snickering among local residents since it opened its doors several years back complete with images of scantily-clad females posted on the exterior of the castle-like structure.

Since elected in 2012, Riches said she regularly received phone calls from local residents expressing distaste for the club and especially its high-profile location.

“They are saying it’s an eyesore and they want it out of our town. They say it’s not proper to have something like this on the main drag in Pahrump especially when you are first coming into town. I feel that this is something that the people really, really want,” she said.

Hollis, meanwhile, told the board that the proposed agreement did not come about overnight and much time and effort has been spent on bringing it to the town board for approval.

In other town business, board members considered approving the replacement of equipment used during emergency responses by Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue crews.

According to backup materials, the board previously approved a Request For Proposal (RFP) of four monitor defibrillators and two semi-automatic AED (Automated External Defibrillators) at a cost not to exceed $110,000.

The devices are used in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.

Holecheck said after the bidding process, the fire department learned that the cost of the equipment will be higher than originally anticipated.

“It was already approved but it came back higher than we initially told the board. I am just trying to be careful by saying it came back higher than we thought and I want the board to understand that. The current figure is approximately $120,991, and I don’t want to do that without board approval,” she said,”

The board is also expected to consider approving vendors to park and occupy RV spaces at Petrack Park during the High Desert Cup Music Festival and Cannabis Expo tentatively scheduled for April this year.

Due to time constraints, results of the board’s vote on action items will appear in Friday’s edition of the Pahrump Valley Times.