Supervisors OK library mural, date for bar hearing

The Carson City Library will be part of the upcoming Murals and Music Festival (Sept. 28-30) after the Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved a mural on the building’s east-facing wall.

The mural by artist Hayley Meadows will feature books lined up as if on a bookshelf. However, supervisors concluded that picking titles would be challenging; most thought it better to leave the art piece up to the imagination of future observers.

The no-cost agreement between Meadows, festival promotor Brewery Arts Center and the city stipulates the city maintain the mural for three years.

“I don’t think there should be anything on the spines,” said Supervisor Curtis Horton. “It should be the book spines themselves, painted brilliantly, so that people can observe the spine and imagine the title that they want…”

Horton said there are so many authors to choose from that selecting titles would be too complicated. Additionally, he said, keeping the book spines blank will mean less maintenance.

“I think we could have this debate all day like Supervisor Giomi said, and that’s what it may turn into,” he said.  “I think the simpler we keep it, the better off we’re going to be. And I think books themselves — this mural in particular will be artful and wonderful to look at, like the paintings in this (board room) that don’t have words or phrases built into them. The person observing the art can imagine what they want to imagine.”

Giomi voted against the measure after saying there was a missed opportunity to showcase authors of local significance.

“I wish we had more time because I think we could really honor some authors. I think it would be cool to put a Mark Twain book there,” he said. “We are historically tied to Mark Twain. I think it’s a missed opportunity to not do that.”

Carson City Library Director Joy Holt said she initially wanted Twain featured but also realized consensus on titles would be hard.

“Our board of trustees, which is a governing board, met about this last week, and they did make recommendations that the titles should not be specific but rather genres as they relate to fiction or subjects as they relate to nonfiction,” she said.

The latest recommendations included subjects like Nevada history and genres like westerns, Holt said.

Most supervisors, however, didn’t want titles.

“I think I particularly like that idea, too,” Mayor Lori Bagwell said following Horton’s comments. “Because I think art speaks differently to every single person that looks at it, and that’s the actual beauty of art … is that it can speak to you.”

In other action:

• Supervisors unanimously appointed Sandra Doughty as the city’s next public guardian for a four-year term beginning Nov. 7. The motion also set Doughty’s staring salary at $90,000.

The public guardian serves vulnerable adults who can’t manage their own finances or other items.

“I just wanted to also thank John Giomi for his four years of service as the public guardian,” City Manager Nancy Paulson said of the outgoing public guardian. “I know he has made a positive impact on many lives in our community and has just truly been an asset to Carson City. One of his significant accomplishments was the hiring of Sandra Doughty, who I am recommending today be appointed as the public guardian on Nov. 7.”

Bagwell also thanked John Giomi.

“You have done a great job on behalf of those in need,” she said. “It’s a really tough group. Someone has to be there for them, so thank you for being that person.”

• Supervisors voted unanimously to set a show-cause hearing 9 a.m. Oct. 5 to consider the business license for Remedy’s Bar off East William Street.

“The Board of Supervisors conducts a ‘show-cause’ hearing to provide the business the opportunity to show cause why the license should not be suspended, canceled or revoked,” reads a staff report.

“As the board knows, in June and July of this year, the city audited the liquor licenses to verify that liquor managers who were appointed to serve as liquor managers were indeed the liquor managers,” Community Development Director Hope Sullivan said Thursday. “We did identify about 13 businesses that did not have current liquor managers and reached out to them and requested that they update their liquor manager. All but one did that. The one who did not do that is Remedy’s.”

Sullivan said the city spoke to the listed manager, who no longer works for the business. Attempts to reach the business owner, Michelle Rodriguez, were not successful, but a letter was sent, Sullivan said. She said in August, someone identifying as the new business owner obtained applications for liquor and business licenses but didn’t follow up.

“On Sept. 18 — I will mention it was after the press announced that you were having this item on your agenda today — Mary Sellars, owner of M&M Frogs LLC, applied for a liquor license at the location where Remedy’s is currently operating. While at the counter, Ms. Sellars verified she was the woman who came to the counter on Aug. 3.

“On Sept. 19, M&M Frogs LLC, doing business as Remedy’s Bar, applied for a business license to operate a bar at the location where Remedy’s has been operating, 306 E. William St.”

Thursday, Sellars apologized to supervisors.

“I have not purchased the bar yet,” Sellars said.

Sellars said she’d been helping Rodriguez manage the business due to personal issues.

“She certainly did not intend to do anything illegal,” Sellars said, “just overlooked a few things. It’s been a very good learning experience for both of us. For me, I had not agreed to take over the business until working with her to kind of see if it was something I thought I could manage.”

Admitting some mistakes were made, Sellars said small businesses need to be supported.

“I can assure you that going forward, I will not make those mistakes,” Sellars said.

Supervisor Lisa Schuette thanked Sellers for being candid.

“This is a bit complicated decision just because at the moment — since you’re not an owner yet — at the moment we have a business that isn’t in compliance,” she said.

• Supervisors unanimously adopted the updated Carson City Community Wildfire Protection Plan that details at-risk areas in the wildland urban interface.

Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon said devasting wildfires in recent years have led to more grant opportunities for fuels reduction. While a recent grant has been used for a reduction program on the west side of the city, CCFD works on all fronts.

“So, the CWPP puts us in front of the line for that (grants) because it’s identified our key hazards and allows us to start searching for grants that will protect the Goni area and the Prison Hill areas and the other critical areas that we, as the fire department, recognize are also areas of concern and cannot be forgotten about.”

Supervisor Giomi, former fire chief, explained the city has taken proactive steps concerning wildfire for over 20 years.

“The thing about it is it’s kind of like health care,” he said. “You’re always going to need health care. Well, you’re always going to need fuel reduction because stuff grows, amazingly enough. And so, the stuff we treated 20 years ago probably five or six years ago started to need treatment again.”

For information about wildland fire, visit https://www.livingwithfire.com.