Letters to the Editor

Bank’s closure sad for community

It’s sad to see the branch of Bank of America closing this summer, but that’s business these days. As a former resident of Boulder City it was convenient for me to walk to the bank to take care of my daily business.

My wife and I are relocating back to Boulder City after being absent for four years and look forward to seeing our friends again.

Rusty Wheaton

Residents may regret wish for bypass around city

In my first years living in Boulder City, long and loud were the complaints about U.S. Highway 93 traffic, especially the heavy trucks, which always seemed to have little regard for others using that road. Now that the bypass actually comes with advancing completion dates and the complaints arise again from businesses and residents alike.

A line on a map from Nevada Department of Transportation is one thing, but a drive (way) down Buchanan Boulevard to see just how far Boulder City is to be bypassed is quite another. And Buchanan’s on- and off-ramps? A quick glance at NDOT’s plans for the Railroad Pass interchange shows that their main thrust is U.S. Highway 95 traffic south to Searchlight and beyond.

Does the old saying of “Be careful what you wish for” apply to Boulder City and its politicos?

Jack Corrick

City, residents must be open

to changes for brighter future

I’ve taken the opportunity to see some possibilities for our city. I see something different in Boulder City’s future. I am grateful to have the resolution of traffic congestion, with the advent of Interstate 11. However, that does not give Boulder City a bright future.

What would give us a bright future would be an openness of the city and its residents to resolve the issues that will inevitably show up when the bypass is opened. We often, as a community, have a hard time seeing the possibilities in progress and change. We can open our hearts to each other and our beautiful community to change.

I have never been in business and would still enjoy having a strong business community to serve our residents. Opening the Interstate 11 to a Buchanan Boulevard exit would encourage this. Signage to Hoover Dam/Lake Mead off that exit would help, too, since when one travels up Buchanan, one returns to the current bypass, which takes one to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

On the dark side of the picture, we have many boarded up businesses and the Bank of America leaving town before all the coming changes that will inevitably occur once the bypass is opened. We have the Browder Building unoccupied, Haggen closed and the Scratch House restaurant unoccupied.

We have growth control in a city that loves its lifestyle and character. With growth control, change must be managed and encouraged at times. We don’t have the luxury of responding to change after it occurs. We have to look forward to see the best path for our city to traverse, aware of all of the possibilities available to us.

Our Chamber of Commerce and business community must, in cooperation with the city, take the lead to improve the destination qualities of Boulder City.

With all of the clamor of “paying off the golf course,” we forget the continuing tentative financial position of the city. Due to the great recession beginning in 2008, we have seen the financial picture of many residents as well as the city deteriorate. For the city, much of this is due to the caps on the property tax rates approved by legislatures when property values were rising rapidly prior to 2007. …

I was shocked that we are far behind in the revenues needed to make the city’s utility fund whole. When I was on City Council in the 1990s, we had a large reserve in our utility fund that was always ready in the event of an emergency. That makes strategic sense due to the reality that city officials can never predict when something will fail.

The electric utility infrastructure is significantly beyond its expected life and water rates are not covering the water utility costs. The electric utility has facilities that have a 75 percent chance of failure. The city must bring our rates to a level to replace infrastructure and avoid a catastrophe. Then city officials should provide a rate structure that will support the full costs of the utility as all enterprise funds must accomplish.

Eric L. Lundgaard

Former mayor and councilman, 1985-1997