Lyon to decide on possible jail land by summer

Lyon County commissioners say they will decide within six months if they will accept a land donation in Dayton Valley for a new public safety building.

The Borda family says it is willing to give about 20 acres in east Dayton Valley north of Highway 50 for a new jail, justice court and police station. The county jail in Yerington is not in compliance with federal code.

Commissioners haven't decided if the land is the best place for the building or if it is worth the cost.

County Manager Dennis Stark said commissioners will hold workshops next month to study the proposal.

The county would have to build roads and utilities and pay other construction-related costs if it put the building on the land, he said.

"There's lots of things we really haven't looked at yet," he said.

The county has also looked at expanding the jail in Yerington or building the public safety complex in the middle of the county in Silver Springs.

The county has estimated that a public safety building will cost about $37.5 million. It has asked for about $20 million from the federal stimulus package for a new jail. Commissioner Larry McPherson said he would rather have the county jail in Dayton than Yerington, but the best place for it is Silver Springs.

McPherson, who represents the Silver Springs area, said Silver Springs is centrally located and, unlike Yerington, would be able to have a jail built to handle the county's long-term future growth.

The land in Dayton Valley might sound like a good idea, he said, but it will be expensive to develop.

"I've made no bones about it that I think it should be in Silver Springs," he said.

Commissioner Joe Mortensen, who represents Fernley, said he's waiting to see what place is the least expensive for the county to build the public safety complex.

The county could also look at building a regional jail shared by two or three counties to save money, he said.

John Gavin, an attorney for the Borda family, said he understands the county needs to make sure it has the money to develop the Dayton Valley land, but the family proposed the land donation almost a year ago.

"If I come back in July, I don't want to come back in another six moths or in another year," he said.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.