Supervisors — sans mayor — accept properties from Lyon

Accepting 2.78 acres of properties and more than $1.6 million in grants, the Board of Supervisors worked a shorter day and short-handed Thursday.

With Mayor Robert Crowell having knee-repair surgery and Karen Abowd presiding, the four supervisors in a morning meeting accepted two acres of vacant commercial land and more than three-quarters of an acre that once had been targeted to have mixed family units for low-income residents. All the land is in east Carson City, just south of U.S. Highway 50.

The commercial acreage slots are at 3679 and 3689 Gordon St., but in three parcels. The mixed family parcels, also three in number, are at 1630, 1636 and 1650 Brown St.

“Working with staff,” said Supervisor Brad Bonkowski, “I’m satisfied that we’ve done our due diligence.” When supervisors learned of the opportunity to get the land from Lyon County in a prior meeting, they expressed concern that it might develop issues later, such as environmental problems.

A mid-2011 environmental site assessment had been done, and staffers checked to make sure no problems had developed since.

The vote authorized the mayor to sign a quit-claim deed and accept transfer of the properties from Lyon County, which had been the lead agency in a Western Nevada HOME Consortium-funded purchase of the land that used federal funds. The plan was to construct 45 units of affordable low-income housing, but the recession scotched it.

Carson City, which was part of that consortium, now can keep the land for public use, auction it for private development or donate it to an organization that would build affordable housing.

Without discussion, routine acceptance came for a $252,700 grant from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, along with authorization for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to build a trail bridge linking up the Carson River Trail System. The bridge will be called the Eagle Creek Bridge.

In addition, the board routinely accepted a 2013 Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Grant of $1,387,500 for the first phase of a three-phase project to reconstruct the airport apron ramp area on the southern side of the airport’s runway. Both Carson City’s board and the Airport Authority board had to sign on for acceptance.

Supervisors voted for final passage of food-beverage permit, as well as inspection changes and fees that will boost the cost to some food service establishments, lower them for others.

The board approved a $115,000 contract with Physician Select Management LLC to handle medical needs next fiscal year at the Carson City Jail, as well as a $75,000 contract with Diamond Pharmacy Services to handle pharmaceutical needs at the jail, also in fiscal year 2013-014.

Supervisors also:

• Adopted a fiscal augmentation resolution amending this year’s budget, revising it upward $7.8 million.

• Authorized Carson City’s city manager and Parks and Recreation director to establish a temporary committee to explore prospects for a state fair type of event here.

• Approved city employee health and dental insurance plans for next fiscal year with St. Mary’s, plus a vision plan with VSP.