City's federal lands bill before community panels this week

Carson City's proposed federal lands bill is going before two community panels this week.

The Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the bill at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday; the Carson River Advisory Committee at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Both meetings will be in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, 851 E. William St.

More than 40 sites are being considered for inclusion in the bill. Swaps for control of various parcels around the city could result in the sites being managed by different government entities than is the case now.

The city doesn't have money to buy land it might acquire as a result of this legislation, which will require federal legislative approval before any changes actually occur. This makes it a harder sell to federal officials who oversee these local sites, according to the city.

One of the citizens committees suggested trying to obtain grants to pay for some of these parcels, but this might not be necessary because both sides - and Carson residents - will benefit from these land deals.

Making these benefits apparent will be the city's challenge, said Juan Guzman, the city's open space manager.

"It will relieve the feds from the burden of maintaining these lands," Guzman said. "And we, as a local agency, will be more nimble in satisfying management requirements."

The other thing to consider is whether the city can afford to manage land it might obtain. It would be a long-term commitment.

Care of sites characterized as open space, for example, would be more easily funded because his department has its own financial structure separate from such city operations as parks and recreation, he said.

Money from the open space fund might be available for maintaining some pieces until their ultimate uses are determined. Management of the sites - especially to ensure proper fire and flood control - will be crucial, Guzman stressed.

While many of the pieces included in the bill proposal are federally controlled, large land chunks on the west side could be released from local control and given to the U.S. Forest Service. Rising costs to make them less vulnerable to wildfires has been the reason cited by some city officials for getting rid of these pieces.

Proposals for local control of Silver Saddle Ranch and Prison Hill - more than 4,100 acres total - for park, recreation, preserve and open space, and a site near Sedge and Deer Run roads to create a multiuse target range, also have been discussed at length. These are controlled now by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Whether to seek ownership of the sites now occupied by the Edmond's Sports Complex and Centennial Park, and whether to obtain a 39-acre site west of Goni Road and Arrowhead Drive for a future community park, also are being considered.

The Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting evening meeting that focuses on the lands bill at 6 p.m. Jan. 4, and are expected to vote on contents of the bill Jan. 18.

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber@ nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.

If you go

Public comment is welcome during both of these gatherings. Each start at 5:30 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, 851 E. William St.

• Tuesday: Parks and Recreation Commission

• Wednesday: Carson River Advisory Committee