Fast-talking Jeff Page on the job with hazard-mitigation plan

Here are some more goings-on at last week's Lyon County Commission meeting:

• Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jeff Page presented the Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment and Threat Analysis, which the county commission approved unanimously.

Page is extremely competent and a nice guy, but he talks so fast that it's hard to write down what he says and get it right, so I'll try to paraphrase.

He said the highest threat was volcanic activity, not because it was likely to happen - it isn't - but because there's not much authorities can do about it.

He said the analysis, which is required by the federal Disaster Mitigation Act, will help obtain grant funds so the county can mitigate hazards such as floods, earthquakes, fires and even volcanos.

The information will be put in the Lyon County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which includes four entities, the county, City of Fernley, City of Yerington, and the Yerington Paiute Tribe.

He said the plan will provide Lyon County with $600,000 in project funds that can be applied for every year.

He said one thing that was necessary was to develop alternative power in the event of a long-term power outage. Page said the longest the county went without power was 12 hours.

On earthquakes, he said some older buildings, like the Yerington Courthouse, were not likely to survive.

Page also said the project can include a county-wide drainage master plan, so that we can figure out how to get water out of the streets in the event of long-lasting downpours.

Other needed flood control projects involve the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District and levy system and the Walker River banks between Bridge Street and Goldfield.

He said the property between those two streets will be in a higher flood zone, hiking flood insurance costs and lowering property value.

He said a wildfire community development ordinance would require defensible space to limit wildfire damage.

Page said they were installing and running a telephone emergency alert system, an emergency operation plan and recovery plan.

He also said Stagecoach needs a flood plan, since it is at risk for storm damage.

Another problem is, he said, the county had inadequate snow removal equipment and with the grant funding they can purchase new, such as upgrading a dozer for snow removal so that it can get up the hill to the firehouse in Silver City.

• The commissioners, on the advice of Building Director Nick Malarchik, denied a waiver to Leon Mayfield to put a 1977 home on a lot in Silver Springs that was already full of mobile home parts, cars in various states of disrepair and a shed full of garbage.

• Lyon County Engineer Dick Faber gave a rundown on some of the many projects he has been juggling.

He said the electrical work at the Yerington courthouse and annex is nearly complete, and modular buildings used by the Sheriff's Office are occupied and working, and drawings are being done for a remodel of the McAtee Building in Silver Springs.

On a Public Safety facility, he said he was still working on preparing an RFQ - request for qualification - and wanted to look at other sites.

He said it would be $15.7 million to expand the jail in Yerington, $3.1 million to remodel it for a $19.39 million total. The place would have 160 new beds.

Faber said the McAtee would cost $60,000, already budgeted, and he's doing the designs.

He also said the Dayton Valley Events Center restroom and concession stand received notice to proceed with the building, which is 100 percent grant funded.

He is also working on the Mason Town Park's skate park and playground and the next park to get playground equipment will be Paradise Park in Stagecoach.

He also plans to work on the Cardelli and Gold Canyon drainage ditches.

•Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 881-751.