Improvement district comes under fire

VIRGINIA CITY - Sparks flew at the Storey County commissioners meeting Tuesday morning as resident Richard McNaughton called for dissolution of the Canyon General Improvement District.

The commission-approved entity, created in 1992, manages water, sewer, streets, storm drains, and cable TV for Rainbow Bend, a private residential area in the northern part of Storey County.

Lack of water was at the crux of today's debate.

The wells provided by the original developers are slowly drying up. Under the current management residents will be asked to shoulder a $1.9 million to $5 million ticket to pay for new water rights and to import water.

McNaughton suggests alternatives: Sierra Pacific Power, and the Washoe County Water Resources and Redevelopment have been approached. Another possibility would be shifting responsibility for the area to Storey County.

Canyon General Improvement District Chairman Patrick Shannon said lack of cooperation among residents is a big part of the problem.

"These people that are critics need to come to the meetings," Shannon said, noting numerous public meetings to address the question were not attended by the people present at the commission meeting Tuesday. He called McNaughton's petition a bunch of baloney, full of misrepresentations and half-truths.

John Schroeder of Ryder Homes said he had been to meetings but found the Canyon GID unresponsive. He voiced concern over lack of water reserves, and lack of a plan to develop them.

McNaughton ended his argument by noting he doesn't mind paying higher fees for services, as long as he can be assured that Rainbow Bend is properly managed.

The original infrastructure for the residential area was built in the '70s by a developer under the guidance of a homeowners' association; the houses are modular, with minimum-sized lots and narrow roads.

Storey County Commission Chairman Charles Haynes cited a number of problems with the Rainbow Bend district, noting the infrastructure is not up to county standards.

"If roads were widened to (Storey) County standards, there would be no front yards," Haynes said.

"There are two private developments in Storey County, and both were opposed by the commission when they were built. The (association) dues don't raise enough to maintain the roads, let alone improve them."

The issue will discussed again at a later date.

In other business:

--The commission formed a general improvement district for the Tahoe-Reno Industrial complex in February to distribute the electricity and gas for the area. In an effort to comply with the Public Utilities Commission, a meeting is set for July 18 at 10 a.m. at the Courthouse to consider expanding the powers of that body to provide water and sewer services.

The property, located eight miles east of Sparks, encompasses almost half of Storey County. It extends from Interstate 80 to near Stagecoach, a corner located in Lyon County.

-- Commissioners approved plans by the Nevada Department of Transportation outlining the summer's proposed road projects, and included a report on the V&T's rail bed across the Overman Pit.

The proposed rail bed will be shifted slightly to the east. The state is still $2.5 million short of the estimated $6 million needed to finish the project. That, the acquisition of all rights-of-way and completion of the environmental assessment, are the main obstacles to completion of the tracks across the pit.

A road bed modification project on U.S. 50 East will start in one month, with completion slated for next November.