P3: City Center is feasible

A feasibility study by P3, a firm hired to determine whether the City Center project is viable for downtown Carson City, was released Tuesday, City Manager Larry Werner told the board of supervisors.

"They are saying the project is feasible," he said.

The 15-page report, which will be distributed to the members of the citizens advisory committee, is expected to also be made available to the public today, Werner said.

The study, which took several months longer than P3 had initially expected, will go before the advisory committee Nov. 22, after which the committee is expected to make a recommendation to the board of supervisors whether to proceed with the project.

The $87 million project proposal includes a library, office space and a parking structure behind the Carson Nugget, as well as a hotel, public plaza, retail and residential space. The city could be asked to finance about $31 million of the project while about $56 million would come from private funds.

In a related matter, supervisors gave Werner the go-ahead to apply for a $2.1 million Economic Develop-ment Administration grant to be used for infrastructure improvements at the proposed City Center Project site.

If the grant is received, Werner said, it will offset some of the costs to ratepayers from the city's water, sewer and stormwater drain funds.

"The project allows us to apply," he said, because it is intended to help the city out of its economic recession. "We're going to have to do utility upgrades anyway, so this would save the ratepayers from having to pay for 100 percent of the upgrades."

The upgrades do not create additional capacity, and City Center Project developers will be responsible for installing their own laterals. That cost would be $200,000 to $300,000. The city's cost for the upgrades could be as much as $6 million.

Former city planner Rob Joiner asked how specific the upgrades were to the City Center Project.

Werner said the upgrades are necessary to tie into the waterline project, and since the streets would already be torn up, it would be a perfect opportunity to replace aging sewer and stormwater drain lines.

In other action Tuesday, supervisors:

• Appointed supervisor-elect John McKenna to fill the Ward 3 seat to which he was elected earlier this month. Pete Livermore resigned his post after his election to the state Assembly. McKenna was sworn in by Clerk-Recorder Alan Glover.

• Presented a proclamation for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

• Approve a subgrant award from the Nevada State Health Division for $310,066 for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Hospital Preparedness Program for exercising and improving preparedness plans for all hazards including pandemic influenza.

• Adopted on a second reading an ordinance authorizing the issuance by the city of its negotiable general obligation refunding bonds. The total cashflow savings is expected to be more than $398,000.

• Adopted on second reading an ordinance authorizing the issuance by the city of its negotiable park refunding bonds. The total savings is expected to be about $211,775.

• Approved the expenditure of $2,500 from the Revolving Fund of the Redevelopment Agency to support the annual production of the Pinkerton Ballet Theatre's annual Nutcracker Ballet.

• Approved the expenditure of $7,550 from the Revolving Fund of the Redevelopment Agency to support the annual Silver & Snowflakes Holiday Tree Lighting and Ornament Program.

• Adopted on a second reading, an amendment to a business license fee ordinance. The change will allow the board to increase fees on a discretionary basis rather than mandatory.

• As the Liquor and Entertainment Board, approved Mark Schloss as the liquor manager for Red's Old 395 Grill, and approved James Phalan II as the liquor manager for High Sierra Brewing Company.