New City Center Project concerns emerge at meeting

Although they weren't part of the agenda items, water bills and the City Center Project were on the minds of residents who came to speak during the public comment period of the Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday.

Carol Howell, who opposes the City Center Project and previously called for a ballot measure so the citizens could decide whether to go forward with plan, came to talk about a recent letter to Mark Lewis from the governor's office.

Howell asked whether the letter - which said the state did not support specific parts of the plan - was behind a decision to postpone consultant P3's feasibility study report to the citizen's committee.

City Manager Larry Werner said it was not, and that Steve Neighbors had already sent a reply to Gov. Jim Gibbons deputy chief of staff Lynn Hettrick, who wrote the letter.

"I made that decision," Werner said, explaining that he has the authority to do so.

"Coincidentally, (Hettrick's) letter came out the same day, but we'd already made the decision to extend the deadline," he said.

It would have been impossible for P3 to prepare or present an accurate feasibility report without the land value appraisals, which were not yet available.

He also said he couldn't speculate on how the state's position would affect specific parts of the plan.

The objection, however, he said, "is only a piece of the (overall project) decision," Werner said.

Supervisor Pete Livermore asked if any City Center Project information could be made available to the public as it happened, because of the sensitive and controversial nature of the project.

Mayor Bob Crowell said that the delay wasn't as important as a presentation of complete and accurate information.

"To me it's more important to make sure that the process works and that we're given enough time to make a good decision," Crowell said.

Howell also said she believed Crowell should abstain from any votes having to do with the proposed new library because of his "close relationship" with a member of the Friends of the Carson City Library.

Crowell disclosed that his brother is president of that organization and that he would check with the District Attorney's Office to learn whether there was a conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, resident Jim Bagwell said he was frustrated with the way the city's water rates have increased over the past 15 or so years.

As an example, he said his neighbor, who lives on a one-acre lot, had a $93.55 water bill in 1996. Several years later, it had climbed to about $211, and last month, it was $324.

"They're going to take out their lawn," Bagwell said, "and so will I."

He told the board that the city isn't going to have the revenue for which it raised water rates because residents who can't afford to pay the higher amounts will follow suit and take their lawns out as well.

As a parting shot, he said, "If we want to look like Tonopah, we're going to do it."

In other matters Thursday, supervisors:

• Approved a $160,000 grant from the Office of Criminal Justice for funding two positions on the Tri-Net Narcotics Task Force, a $25,000 grant from the Office of Criminal Justice to reduce alcohol use among juveniles, and the 2010 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for $24,587 for the Cops and Kids Community Prevention Program.

• Awarded a bid to Sierra Nevada Construction, Inc. for about $1.2 million from the Prison Hill Storage Tank Fund to replace the present concrete water tank, which could potentially fail during an earthquake.

• Approved a $167,000 contract with Black and Veatch Corp. for design work on phase 1 of the Saw Mill Canyon Pipeline replacement. The line collapsed during the Waterfall Fire.