Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Open Letter #1 to Community

The information below is provided because there are many in the community who has no information, some information, or erroneous information about several issues.  I will select two or three topics once or twice each month merely to enlighten or inform.  I will also accept topics from you for future “Open Letters.”  Feel free to contact me at twaters@pahrumpnv.org or 775-764-0949

Please understand that I speak ONLY for myself as a Town Board member and will provide accurate information as I see it through my research.  Please check my facts (if you doubt them) and feel free to provide corrected data if you believe I am in error.  You are also free to ask other Town Board members or members of the community if they agree with me or have a different view point. 

1. Water Rights -
Please look at the chart below.  It shows that the Town did indeed utilize the funds provided by the County to purchase water rights.  It is also shows that the water rights purchased were transferred to Kellogg Park (Point of Diversion) in order for the Town to show “beneficial use” of the water rights purchased.  As everyone should know there is no well on the Fairgrounds property, therefore we cannot place the water rights on that piece of property.  That is where the “use them or lose them” rule comes into play also known as “beneficial use” and that is why the Town’s “water guy” had the purchased water rights transferred to Kellogg Park property.  The Town owns two wells at the Kellogg property and the Town can show “beneficial use”.  Therefore, the Town and/or Town Manager did not lose the $1.1 million given to the Town by the County.  The funds were correctly spent, the chart was provided to the BOCC, and all is well in the Town of Pahrump.  Refer questions to anyone on the Town Board or the Town Manager. 
Application
Owner per DWR Records
Place of Use
Date
Shares Acquired
Payment
Legal & Engineer Costs
Total Cost









1
75281
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
02/05/07
5.00
 $ 65,777
 $16,886
 $ 82,663
2
76355
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
04/07/08
8.00
 $104,000
 $ 4,305
 $108,305
3
76588
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
11/19/07
33.50
 $446,555
 $11,514
 $458,069
4
76649
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
12/24/07
41.50
 $518,750
 $13,492
 $532,242
5
77078
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
11/24/08
2.00
 $ 30,000
 $ 3,075
 $ 33,075
6
78096
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
12/09/09
3.00
 $ 26,100
 $ 3,574
 $ 29,674
7
78097
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
12/09/09
7.88
 $ 68,556
 $ 3,574
 $ 72,130
8
77659
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
05/18/09
2.00
 $ 24,000
 $ 4,669
 $ 28,669
9
80153
PAHRUMP
KELLOGG PARK
09/24/07
2.00
 $ 24,000
 $ 1,554
 $ 25,554







104.88
$1,307,738
 $62,642
 $1,370,380

2.  Fire Department Volunteers -
It is not a myth that the Town’s Fire Department utilizes volunteers.  Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Service (PVFRS) is a combination department consisting of career and volunteer members.  There are approximately 25 volunteers who provide an array of services to our community with absolutely no financial reimbursement.  The volunteers program consists of Firefighters, Paramedics, Nurses, EMTs, and administrative support staff.  Almost daily, qualified volunteers are on duty in our main fire station to respond to emergency incidents aside their career counterparts.  This approach helps us deliver high level quality service in a timely manner.  Volunteers can also be summoned to large emergency incidents through an established recall process.  This helps ensure appropriate personnel on scene and the flexibility to respond to additional calls for service.  Clearly, the volunteer spirit is alive and well at Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue.  Anyone interested in volunteering should visit the PVFRS Monday-Friday at 300 N. Hwy 160 or by telephone at 751-5658. 

3. Town Parks -
Lately, there have been comments made about the Town wasting money/funds on park signage and the development of parks.  
One of the comments indicated the Town spent money on signs that could have been done with paint and wood.  Another comment indicated the Town spent yet more money on building a park that didn’t need to be built.  Further comments were, “Put the funds in the bank for a rainy day”; “give the funds to the food pantries”; “give the funds to the Boys & Girls Club”; or “build a Homeless Shelter with the funds.” 
Well let’s talk and please allow me to explain the facts and laws pertaining to the Park Impact Fees.  
Fact #1 – The Town has Park Impact Fees which were obtained through development agreements with developers who build businesses and/or homes inside the Town of Pahrump. 
Fact #2 – The Town has only two (2) options when it comes to Park Impact Fees. 
Option 1: Spend the funds on Parks (designing, building, purchasing equipment for the Parks i.e., playground equipment, signs, gazebos, grass, backstops, water system, etc…), or
Option 2: Let the funds sit, do not spend/utilize the funds and then by Law NRS 278B.260 the Town must refund the Impact Fees back to the developers. 
As a member of the Town Board, I do not support the Town Manager returning funds to developers that have already made their profits and had an obligation to either build parks themselves or give the Town the funds to build the Parks.  An agreement was made regarding these funds that was mutually beneficial to the County/Town and the developer.   That arrangement between the County/Town and the developers granted permission to the developers to build thousands of homes in our community.  These Parks are a contribution from developers to assist the community in taking care of those prospective citizens who will be purchasing those homes and/or visiting those businesses.  This is the process known as building a community and/or community development. 
The two options outlined above are the only options allowable by law when dealing with park impact fees.  Nothing more/nothing less!  Spend the funds on PARKS or give the funds back to the developers. 
The Town currently built a new Park (Simkins), renovating two Parks (Petrack and Blosser Road) and spruced up yet another (Ian Deutch Memorial) with these Impact Fees.  Why you ask?  Because Parks make the Town look better plus it gives citizens a place to go to picnic, practice or play sports, exercise, or just enjoy the family.  And in these trying times, I can’t think of a better way to spend the Town’s money than to build, renovate or spruce up our Parks.  We need places like Parks to go to and enjoy our families and interact with others to forget about the troubles we are going through even if it is only for an hour or two or three.  I am confident that if you, as a citizen of Pahrump, go to the Park to watch our children play baseball or soccer or just have fun, it would bring a gigantic smile to your face.  As Butch Harper projects throughout our community, we do this to create “Smiles Across Pahrump” for our children and our adult citizens as well.  

Dr. Tom Waters
Pahrump Town Board
twaters@pahrumpnv.org
775-764-0949