Improvements recommended for fairgrounds

A group of residents shaping the look of the Carson City Fairgrounds/Fuji Park completed its work. The city will make a "few refinements" to their overall concept, said Roger Moellendorf, director of the Parks and Recreation Department.

A map laying out the plan that brings together desires of fairground users and the city's safety concerns - and what they believe will satisfy a potential benefactor - should be ready next week. Lumos and Associates, is now working with the city to address flood concerns.

During the New Year's weekend flooding, the facility was damaged when a bridge obstructed water flowing through Clear Creek causing flooding. This is one of the more important issues that will need to be addressed with any upcoming improvements, said Vern Krahn, the city's park planner.

Kevin Coleman, of Net Development Co. and K&S Properties, purchased the 3.1-acre site formerly home to Bodine's restaurant to build a 30,000-square-foot gaming business. He would like to send any overflow casino parking to the fairgrounds and has pledged up to $1 million for the additional parking spaces and to improve the fairgrounds.

Coleman expects construction of the casino to begin soon. His project, if it begins by March 31 as earlier projected, would take up to nine months and $10 million to complete.

After Coleman sees the conceptual map, the plan will be considered by the Parks and Recreation Commission, possibly in March. If the commission recommends it, it will move next to the Planning Commission for its recommendation and, finally, be given to the Board of Supervisors for potential approval.

Coleman hopes the arrangement will prove lucrative by beautifying the area around his gaming business. He has referred to the area as an "eyesore." If the facility becomes even more popular than it is now, Coleman also hopes to capitalize by drawing many customers looking for something to do after going to the facility.

This joint arrangement would allow for a tentative improvement budget of up to $1.75 million. The city's portion would come from money leftover from the Costco land sale and the facility's urban fishing pond grant from the Nevada Division of Wildlife: a total of $750,000, Krahn said.

The last major work on the park area focused exclusively on Fuji Park and was completed in 2003.

Coleman's business would share 239 asphalt parking spots surrounding the main arena with the fairgrounds, which would seat the same number of people as it does now: 1,100. It would be realigned, however, to run north-south instead of its current east-west orientation, Krahn said.

And at the west end of the lot would be 72 more parking stalls, 19 of which would accommodate recreational vehicles. There are only 66 paved parking spots now.

Other proposed changes are: an overall improvement in safety by better separating spectators from participants and their animals; double the amount of turf in the park; a new picnic shelter; and lawn area with automatic irrigation.

Coleman said earlier he would like to see the fairgrounds overhauled within the next 18 months.

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