City secures funds to beautify parkway

Boulder City has secured funding to beautify and improve Boulder City Parkway, and construction is expected to begin at the end of the year.

At its meeting Tuesday, June 26, City Council approved an agreement with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada for almost $11 million in construction funding for the complete streets project, which will renovate the street and sidewalks on Boulder City Parkway from Buchanan Boulevard to Veterans Memorial Drive to make it safer and more aesthetically pleasing. Plans call for widening sidewalks, creating bike lanes, improving pedestrian and bike crossings, improving the median and creating bus turnouts.

Mayor Rod Woodbury praised the city’s regional relationships in helping move this project forward.

“RTC has been a great partner for us,” he said. “To the extent we can work together, we’ll be successful.”

The agreement approved Tuesday is in addition to the $1.5 million RTC has already given the city to design the project, making its total contribution $12.4 million.

According to city documents, construction for the project is estimated to be $11 million, and the engineering costs $1.4 million.

“The RTC funding will cover most of the project costs,” said Acting Public Works Director Jim Keane. “There is also utility work included with the project that will be funded by the utility fund.”

Keane said the city is expecting to use between $750,000 and $800,000 from the utility fund for the project. It will take 10 months to complete and work should start by November or December.

“Where construction will start will be determined once we have selected a construction manager at risk and (have) the schedule prepared,” he said.

Keane also said the work will be done in phases so that the whole corridor from Veterans Memorial Drive to Buchanan Boulevard will not be under construction at the same time.

“The schedule for the phasing will be worked out with the construction manager at risk selected for the project,” he said.

The agreement was part of the council’s consent agenda and it was approved unanimously without discussion.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, council:

■ Approved a joint-use land agreement with the Nevada Division of State Lands to allow for the railroad museum’s expansion.

Keane said this agreement will allow the city and the museum to work cooperatively on the land as well as allowing the museum, now at 601 Yucca St., to lease the corner of Buchanan Boulevard and Boulder City Parkway for its new visitor center.

■ Introduced an ordinance to amend the city code to create a utilities department. Council will consider the ordinance at its meeting July 10.

■ Heard a presentation about the electric utility 2018-2022 integrated resource plan.

■ Appointed Councilwoman Peggy Leavitt as mayor pro tem.

■ Approved a memorandum of understanding between Boulder City and the Clark County Election Department to provide cross-municipality voting ability during municipal elections.

■ Approved a resolution that supported Marsy’s Law, which will appear as Question 1 on the 2018 November ballot. Marsy’s Law will expand the rights guaranteed to crime victims by adopting a victim’s bill of rights.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.