46°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

People should have say in fate of old water plant

For the last 37 years, one of the most beautiful brick buildings in Boulder City has remained vacant. The walls have been vandalized with satanic graffiti, the windows covered in plywood and the copper wire stripped from the electrical conduit by thieves.

The water treatment building has been a point of contention for Boulder City residents for decades. Some want the building to be repurposed as a coffeehouse, wedding venue, brewery or any number of uses. Others want the building to remain exactly as it is: boarded up and inactive, only to be admired from a distance but not accessible to the public.

The building itself is currently zoned C1 (neighborhood commercial), which would allow for many of the proposed uses. Despite many attempts from the private sector to reactivate and repurpose the building, the city has never taken the necessary steps to do so.

Recently, the city of Boulder City commissioned an independent consulting firm to analyze the surplus properties owned by the city and advise them on the highest and best uses. This report identified no suitable city uses for the water treatment building or surrounding site and recommended the city should consider repurposing the building to become an asset that could be enjoyed by the public.

Despite the constant debate over the future of the water treatment building, at no point has the city taken action to poll the residents of Boulder City to determine the will of the majority. Instead, Mayor Kiernan McManus has taken it upon himself to put forth a bill to rezone the land it sits on as a government park. Doing so would restrict most proposed uses and create a burden on the taxpayers of Boulder City in perpetuity.

Who will be voting on this decision? The mayor and four City Council members, two of whom were appointed and not elected. Instead of 16,000 Boulder City residents deciding the future of this beautiful building, the decision could be made by the mayor and two unelected officials.

Boulder City residents deserve to have a voice. Prior to any zoning changes, the residents have the right to proper representation on the issue.

Here’s what I propose.

Step 1: Vote. Let the residents vote on the following question: Should the water treatment building be repurposed? If the answer is yes, we move on to step 2. If the answer is no, the building can continue to sit vacant.

Step 2: Determine a use. The city must host a series of town hall meetings and workshops to determine a use that is suitable for the building and appropriate for the area.

Step 3: Lease the building. I agree with the consulting firm; the property should not be sold, but rather remain city-owned. Doing so offers an assurance that the building is protected and can never be torn down or modified in any way that is not approved by the city.

Bringing the building to a leasable state will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million. A scenario where both the city and the tenant contribute a sum of money toward the improvements would be mutually beneficial and financially justifiable as the city would be receiving a substantial return on investment. A lease rate of $10,000-$15,000 per month is plausible, which equates to $120,000-$180,000 per year in additional revenue for the city.

As a park, the water treatment building would cost the city money to maintain in perpetuity.

Repurposing the water treatment building would draw visitors to our town, help local businesses and bring energy, jobs and tremendous revenue to Boulder City.

Thirty-seven years ago the water treatment building was abandoned. As a city we can either bring the building back to life or leave it boarded up as it continues to die a slow death. I encourage you to email your mayor and city council and be present at the Feb. 11 City Council meeting.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
My bighorn buddies

Having grown up in Boulder City, I was always aware of its unofficial mascots …the bighorn sheep.

Can’t we all just disagree?

Once you asked me, “What do you think?”

What if they gave a war and nobody was home?

The subjects in most of the articles and columns I write tend to include positive stories about American veterans and veterans’ organizations. And in fact the pieces are about veterans, not active-duty military.

Gratitude for government

I moved to Boulder City in 1981. Boulder City is blessed to have been a government town. Can we recall the blessings we have received from government?

Trash talk isn’t always a bad thing

Allow me to warn you that this month’s Home Matters is filled with all kinds of trash talk. In fact, I’ve been trash talking with the city and BC Wastefree for a few days now. Why all this garbage gab? It’s time to take out the trash, properly.

Legislative season almost here

Ahhh… it is a wonderful time of year. Spring is just around the corner. The sun shines longer, the birds are singing, and plants are blooming. It is a magical time of year!

MY D_Y WITH P_T _ND V_NN_

Last night I caught a few minutes of “Wheel of Fortune” and whenever I do, I can’t help but think back to my time in Hawaii when the show came over to film a few weeks’ worth of episodes at the Hilton Waikoloa Village about 15 years ago.

A little late and clueless but still…

I know, I know, I know. I’m a week late for Valentine’s Day content. But my timing has always sucked. Just ask my wife.

Veteran caregivers hope for financial boost

Much has been spoken and written about in recent months about military and veteran caregivers, and the responsibilities they are charged with.

A penny for your thoughts, compounded daily

When my oldest son, Joseph, turned 18 in 2011, a good family friend gifted him a self-help book by Darren Hardy called “The Compound Effect.” It’s all about achieving success one baby step at a time. My six other children loathed that gift, because my wife, Leslie, then proceeded to preach its principles seemingly ad nauseam over the next five years every opportunity she could find.