Portion of freeway sound wall coming down

The developer of the North Carson Crossing shopping center, where Walmart and Home Depot are located, will be allowed to have a portion of the freeway sound wall removed to improve visibility to his commercial site.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution Thursday authorizing the mayor to sign the agreement between the city, the Nevada Department of Transportation and Kent Witt of the shopping center.

The hope is that the increased visibility will result in increased retail sales, which will benefit the developer as well as the city through increased sales tax revenue, said Jeff Sharp, city engineer.

According to a report prepared for Witt by Roger Whitaker of RSW Engineeri-ng, NDOT's design of the sound walls for the freeway project pre-dated construction of North Carson Crossing, located southwest of the new U.S. 395/College Parkway interchange.

However, to protect homeowners at the southeast end of the Northridge subdivision from increased freeway traffic noise, North Carson Crossing's 13-foot perimeter sound wall will be extended to the NDOT right-of-way. With the extension in place, noise level reduction will exceed that provided by the portion of the freeway wall to be removed, the report states.

"We will not allow removal (of the freeway sound wall) until that portion of (North Carson Crossing's wall) is complete," said Jim Gallegos, project manager for the Carson City Freeway.

In other action, supervisors:

• Gave final approval to an ordinance cutting sewer and water connection fees builders pay to hook up service on new construction. Residential sewer fees will be reduced from $5,477 to $577. Water fees will drop from $4,543 to $454. The measure passed with Supervisors Pete Livermore and Shelly Aldean opposing.

• Unanimously approved a settlement with developer John Serpa to dispose of waste from the city's old landfill site off Deer Run Road to the current site off of Flint Drive. The old landfill was closed in the 1960s and in order to develop the property for new commercial and residential uses, the waste will be transferred at Serpa's cost. According to federal regulations enacted after Serpa purchased the property, landfill waste is the responsibility of the original owner. To compensate Serpa for his costs of between $3 million and $4 million, the city agreed to provide him with 100 water and sewer connections or the equivalent.

• Adopted an ordinance changing the makeup of the city's audit committee.

• Appointed Roger Stockton, a business owner and fire inspector, to fill a term on the city's planning commission, to expire in June 2010.

• Appointed two members to the city's Airport Authority. Teresa DiLoreto-Long will fill the fixed-base operator position and Harlow Norvell will fill the citizen-at-large position. These appointments are for four-year terms ending in October 2013. The industrial position remains open.

• Presented a proclamation to Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell for her years of service as a representative for District 40 and Carson City.