Several proposals floated for development block grant program in Nye

The end of 2020 may still be four months off but Nye County already has its eye on potential projects to pursue in 2021, with the county in middle of the process that will determine exactly how its next round of Community Development Block Grant funding will be put to use.

As part of that process, the Nye County Commission’s latest meeting, held Aug. 18, included an agenda item regarding presentation of potential projects that would utilize the funds provided by the Community Development Block Grant program, more simply known as CDBG.

Nye County is able to apply for two projects on its own behalf and can sponsor two projects for other entities as well, for a total of four grant applications for the 2021 cycle. Nye County Grants Administrator Samantha Kramer started off the presentation by explaining that she had received a few reapplications for the commission’s consideration for sponsorship, including one from the town of Tonopah and another from the Northern Nye County Hospital District.

Town of Tonopah Administrative Manager Chris Mulkerns presented the Union Plaza and Convention Center parking lots project, remarking that both are in need of repair and refurbishment.

“The Union Plaza parking lot is located in our downtown area on Main Street and within our Tonopah Main Street district, which serves multiple purposes, parking for our downtown businesses and we also use it as an events area,” Mulkerns explained, continuing, “Due to the current economic downfall associated with COVID-19, there has been an urgent need to improve our downtown Tonopah Main Street district to ensure it is walkable, safe and inviting to residents and tourists, so they spend more time downtown and support local businesses.”

As for the Tonopah Convention Center parking lots, Mulkerns said these serve as public parking for all public and private events held at the convention center, which also serves as the local community center. The facility itself has been renovated and now the town of Tonopah would like to upgrade the parking lot as well. Mulkerns said the total cost that the town was requesting came in at $350,000.

Next to present a project was Dr. Russell Pillers, who detailed the request from the Northern Nye County Hospital District regarding demolition of the Nye Regional Medical Center.

Pillers, a consultant for the hospital district, told commissioners the district had received a preliminary architectural review from a nationally recognized medical facility evaluation and construction company, which determined that the most economical path forward in implementing a new health care facility in the area would be to demolish the existing facility, rather than attempting to bring the current buildings up to code.

The overall cost was estimated to be in the range of $700,000 which, Pillers stated, is due in large part to the presence of hazardous materials in the buildings, hazards that will need to be addressed appropriately. That cost will be fine-tuned once demolition bids are received, he noted.

As for the construction of a new hospital facility, Pillers said that is something that would, of course, be much more costly, coming in at around $20 million. The actual construction of the new hospital would not be funded by CDBG funds, with Pillers stating that it was the hospital district’s intention to pursue funding opportunities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cover the expense of building a new health care facility.

Kramer then turned to the projects that Nye County would like to apply for, the first of which was the construction of the sewer and wastewater system at the Pahrump Fairgrounds. An engineer’s estimate on that cost came in at $500,000.

The second project from Nye County focused on the development of the fairgrounds as well, with field lighting estimated at $3.4 million for all eight of the sports fields located on the 427-acre property. Kramers said that this would obviously have to be phased out, noting that if the county were to apply for lighting for two fields in the 2021 round of CDBG funding, that cost would be roughly $865,000.

There was another project proposed during the Aug. 18 meeting as well, coming at the request of the town of Amargosa but it is likely that this particular project will be moved forward without the use of CDBG funds.

Pat Minshall, of the Amargosa Town Board, spoke on behalf of a project request, which calls for the purchase and installation of an emergency generator for the town’s community complex.

“It will support the community center, the library, the fire and ambulance hall and the medical center, as well as 911,” Minshall detailed. “Cost of the project is $50,000.”

Nye County Commissioner Debra Strickland said she would like to look into using another source of funding for that particular project, as she did not want such an important item to wait for the CDBG funds to be released.

The Nye County Commission’s next meeting, set for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, will include a second presentation on possible projects for the 2021 CDBG program cycle and the public will be given the opportunity to put forward projects for consideration. Anyone interested in submitting a proposal is asked to contact Kramer at 775-751-7091 or sakramer@co.nye.nv.us to discuss eligibility and to obtain a preliminary application.

To be eligible for CDBG funding, projects must meet the program’s national objectives, which include providing a benefit to low- and moderate-income persons, aiding in the prevention of slums or blight and meeting urgent community development needs. Affordable housing, community stabilization, public facilities and infrastructure, public services, community planning and capacity building and economic development are all listed as eligible activities.

In order to ensure that proposed projects are indeed acceptable for the CDBG program, any ideas put forth will be reviewed by CDBG officials for eligibility prior to the Nov. 3 meeting at which the Nye County Commission will prioritize the projects and select which ones the county will move forward with.

Nye County has benefited to the tune of more than $4.7 million since its first CDBG award in 1982, with all sorts of projects ushered along using the funds provided through the program. From a variety of water systems and studies to assistance for businesses and nonprofits to senior services, various renovation projects and much more, Nye County has put the CDBG funding to good use with an undoubtedly positive impact coming from each successful endeavor.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com