Letter: slot operation

I noted the Oct. 12 front page coverage you gave the proposed slot operation in what was formerly Gorman's IGA in the Tillman Center, with sadness, if not outright disgust.

Your coverage was nothing short of a commercial for the Park Cattle Co. and the Carson Valley Inn. You gave their views and opinions, and theirs only. Not a scintilla of mention was given to the 80 to 100 people who attended the Gardnerville Ranchos GID meeting of Oct. 6 to register their strong resistance to this proposal. At that meeting, a petition was presented to the GRGID Trustees containing the signatures of over 200 Rancho residents who are opposed to the prospect of a gaming operation of this type. It is interesting to note that this number of signatures were obtained in a very short time period, and, with zero advance publicity. I can assure you that the residents of the Ranchos have only begun to be heard.

Thankfully, we live in a society of laws, and among those myriad laws are zoning laws. This fact alone will give Rancho residents two opportunities to appear in large numbers before the appropriate elected Douglas County government entities considering it. The first meeting at which this proposed zoning change from "neighborhood commercial" to "tourist commercial" will be considered will be the Douglas County Planning Commission meeting, probably on Dec. 14. The second opportunity will be the Douglas County Commissioners regular meeting, probably on Jan. 6, 2000.

One final point. In your article on Tuesday, Oct. 12, you quoted Steve

Chappell, director of finance, Carson Valley Inn as stating "We are looking to fit into the neighborhood. We are not going to bring in bus traffic... We will cater solely to local residents".

This is a ridiculous statement on it's face. If true, there would be no need to request a zoning change from "neighborhood commercial" to "tourist commercial" to allow a slot intensive (150 to 200 machines should certainly be defined as "slot intensive") in the midst of a residential neighborhood.

J. DENNIS LE DREW

Gardnerville Ranchos