County submits list for Community Development Block Grants

Several projects that had been submitted for the Community Development Block Grant are set to move forward after Nye County commissioners ranked the proposed applications during their last meeting.

Commissioners selected the Nye County well complex and Nye County Emergency Management ambulance replacement as the top projects.

The Ian Deutch Memorial Park lighting project for skate park area and Nye County Senior Nutrition Program were given secondary ranking for the submission.

The decision generated a quick discussion among county officials, during which some questioned whether the selected projects had a high potential for win.

"It is a very competitive arena for a limited number of dollars and Nye County's had very good experience in the past with CDBG awards, and I just would like to make sure we are putting forward the most winnable, competitive projects," Nye County Manager Pam Webster said.

"We want to put projects forward that you think will have a chance to win and there are projects that may not meet that criteria," she added. "So, in your consideration for choosing projects, I would like to suggest that you choose some that have higher potential for win even though they may not be what you like to see proposed."

Also at the meeting, Pahrump resident Susan Gresham presented a skateboard park lighting project for the Ian Deutch skateboard park located at 1600 Honeysuckle Street in Pahrump.

"We are just interceding for our kids," Gresham told commissioners. "Basically, they have been trying to get lights over there for over 10 years. The reason for that is so that they can see at nighttime, have longer extra time, maybe an hour extra to do what they to do out here in Pahrump. With Pahrump being limited to things for the youth to do out here that would be something amazing for them."

The total cost of the project listed in documents is $30,000 and additional funding might be received from Valley Electric Association.

Seventy percent of the projects funded by the $2 million grant must benefit communities and neighborhoods where at least 51 percent of the residents have annual household incomes of 80 percent or less of the median income for their respective counties.

The funds are available on a competitive basis to Nevada's 26 non-entitlement cities and counties with a population less than 200,000 people.

Nye County Grant and Contract Manager Mary Zlotek proposed solar street lighting for the county complex located at the Calvada Eye.

"The project consists of replacing the 39-year-old lighting along Calvada Boulevard from State Route 160 down to the end of the county property within the parking lots with energy-efficient and brighter lighting for use of the public," Zlotek said.

The amount requested from CDBG would be approximately $182,000 to $200,000 for lighting materials. The project however wasn't selected by county commissioners.

CDBG is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development nationally and by the Governor's Office of Economic Development in Nevada.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77