More time needed to compile details for City Center study

A feasibility study for the Carson City Center Project has been pushed out until Sept. 27 to give consultants more time to assemble complete and accurate information, City Manager Larry Werner said Tuesday.

"There is no urgency, so we're not going to rush it," Werner said.

The 10-member workgroup which meets every Monday was concerned about getting the numbers compiled for all the buildings being considered for the project, and about how to package the financial elements of the intricate project, he said.

"We're also a little concerned that if the state (piece) comes out of the project, what kind of project do we have? If the initial proposal doesn't go as planned, is there an (alternative plan)?" he said.

A July 21 letter from Deputy Chief of Staff Lynn Hettrick of the governor's office was sent to project consultant Mark Lewis. It was copied to the board of supervisors as well as the chamber of commerce.

In the letter, Hettrick said they were "disappointed that the state's support for and participation in this project appears to have been overstated." He said concerns remain regarding adequate parking and measurable cost savings of consolidating the Public Utilities Commission, the Gaming Control Board and the Department of Health and Human Services in office space within the project.

A reply from Nugget President Steve Neighbors, who is trustee for the Mae B. Adams Trust and the Hop & Mae Adams Foundation, explained that it had been repeatedly stated that "there would be appropriate parking for the development."

Neighbors also pointed out that the three state agencies in question had worked with the independent consulting firm hired by Neighbors on a study which showed that "the state's participation in the downtown project would result in substantial financial savings" to the state.

Mike Courtney, project manager and president of P3 Development, had planned initially to present a feasibility study to the citizen's committee at the end of July, but because some of the property appraisals weren't available, the presentation was moved to Aug. 30, then most recently changed to Sept. 27.

Werner said that the city has stayed neutral in the exchange between Hettrick and Neighbors, and insisted that the letters had no bearing on the decision to delay the feasibility study presentation, "despite conspiracy theories."

Members of the Monday workgroup include Werner, Lewis, Neighbors, Courtney, P3 Chief Executive Officer Rick Oshinski, and city department heads Planning Director Lee Plemel, Public Works Director Andy Burnham, Redevelopment Director Joe McCarthy, Library Director Sara Jones and Finance Director Nick Providenti.