Carvers Arena in Smoky Valley could get overhaul

The Nye County Parks and Recreations Advisory Board is proposing an ambitious project in northern Nye County that would turn a run-down community amenity into a destination for outdoor recreation.

The focus is the 42-acre Carvers Arena and Recreation Area, which Nye County Parks and Rec Advisory Board Chair Holly Merritt said many are likely not familiar with.

“I want to introduce you to a part of Nye County you may not know exists, and that’s the fairgrounds in Smoky Valley. This is located in Carvers, north of the Hadley Subdivision, more commonly known as Round Mountain,” Merritt told the Nye County Commission and public during the commission’s May 2 meeting.

She reported that the population in the area of Smoky Valley is around 2,500 with the primary industries being mining, ranching and agriculture.

“So it’s no surprise that the recreational hobbies of these area residents are centered around outdoor activities involving horses and livestock, firearms and ATVs. It’s one of the reasons we all choose to live here,” Merritt said. “Many of the recreational hobbies in rural America are done at local county fairgrounds… But sadly, we have a county fairgrounds that is in desperate need of repair and reconstruction to provide a safe and secure facility for its users.

“Somehow the Carvers Arena and Recreation Area fell off the county’s radar,” Merritt continued. “For the past decade or more, members of the community have taken responsibility for the property, its maintenance and facilities and have done what they could with their own money and fundraising efforts. This even includes valley residents paying the monthly power bill, to date. It’s time for Nye County to bring this property back to life so it can provide services and revenue to the many groups and stakeholders in this area.”

The equine and rodeo arena itself needs plenty of work to bring it back up to standard, with current conditions unsafe for livestock and horses. The bucking chutes, livestock holdings and alleyways are salvageable, Merritt added, but upgrades will still need to be made. The covered pen space is comprised of a relatively new wrought-iron structure, again with much of the panels in salvageable shape.

The property includes a tractor barn but this building does not have water, something the advisory board would like to see addressed. There is a motocross track of sorts but as Merritt noted, it’s not in safe condition and isn’t used regularly. The mud bog has not been used in many years either but Merritt said she believed that with so many four-wheel-drive enthusiasts living in and around Carvers, reviving both motocross and mud-bogging activities would likely create a main-attraction for the recreation area.

As to the trap range, Merritt said a small local trap club does use this amenity, which is fortunately in excellent working condition, but as it only includes a single trap house, expansion would be a definite benefit.

Finally, the restrooms have been destroyed by both time and vandals and will need to be redone in order to be useable.

Merritt then turned the presentation over to advisory board secretary Tim Bohannon, who immediately jumped into the proposed budget figures.

First, a site-needs assessment is planned, which will give the advisory board and county a better idea of precisely which parts of the overall project can be accomplished in-house and which will need to be contracted out. The advisory board has outlined an estimated cost of $10,000 for the site-needs assessment. A further $40,000 was listed for general maintenance, which Bohannon stressed is only an estimate, while $25,000 was listed for actual site improvements, such as the necessary dirt work, signage, arena services, etc. This brings the advisory board’s proposed budget for the project to $75,000 in fiscal year 2023-2024, which begins July 1.

Several other items were listed as well, for expenditures in future fiscal years. Equipment purchases and capital improvements for the restrooms, tractor shed, bleachers, crow’s nest, main rodeo, warm-up area, trap range, motocross track and mud bogs, along with the installation of fencing, are projected to cost around $510,000 in total.

“Bottom line is, there are some needs we have here and we’ve presented a budget to you for consideration,” Bohannon concluded. “We hope that the maintenance items can be handled in this year’s budget (cycle) coming up on May 16. If not, we understand. But it’s a property that does need attention, it is part of the county, and those citizens like to use that facility.”

The county commission will be addressing the fiscal year 2023-2024 budgets for Nye County, Pahrump, the Pahrump Pool District, Beatty, Gabbs, Manhattan and Railroad Valley during its Tuesday, May 16 meeting.

Residents interested in attending can do so in person at 2100 E. Walt Williams Drive in Pahrump or 101 Radar Road in Tonopah. The meeting is also available via teleconference by calling 888-585-9008 and entering conference room number 255-432-824.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com