MVTAB Proposed Solution To Youth Gymnastics Facility Paving Issue

The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board sought the solution to two community problems with a single action at a meeting held Wednesday, May 13.

The first matter was to rehear a request which came to the board on April 15 regarding a youth gymnastics training facility on Liston Ave. in Logandale.

The facility operates in a residential area through a special use permit which was granted a year ago. The permit requires the owners, Bob and Jennifer Evans, to provide paved legal access to the facility. This would mean paving a 25 foot wide street for 400 feet from Heyer to the driveway of the facility. According to Bob Evans, the expense of this would be far too high for the small business to bear.

At the April 15 MVTAB meeting, Evans requested that the paving requirement be waived. But in a 4-1 vote, the board had denied the waiver.

The item then went before the Board of County Commissioners on April 22. This time, the Evans were better prepared. Armed with letters of support from their neighbors and a petition bearing 500 signatures of support, they plead their case before the Commission.

The Commissioners allowed the decision to be held for 120 days to give time for additional options to be explored.

Since that time, MVTAB member Guy Doty felt that the issue had undergone a significant change of circumstances. He requested that the item be reheard at the MVTAB and that a solution be sought for the dilemma at a community level.

During public comments, Dorene Starita of Logandale objected to bringing the item back before the board. “I think that this brings up some procedural issues and is precedent setting,” Starita said. “This was already voted on and bringing it back to re-open it now makes no sense.”

But most of the public comments expressed support for the facility.

“I can’t believe that, as a community we would tear down something that has become such a benefit,” said Suzanne Garlick of Logandale.

“This is a case of the spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law,” said Kirk Evans also of Logandale. “If it is a matter of having the kids off the street or dust in the air, I’d rather have the kids off the street.”

Gym owner, Bob Evans stated that he had worked with county staff to find a reasonable way to meet the requirement. Evans agreed to pay for paving the portion of the road immediately fronting his own property.

At this point, Gene Houston presented what he felt might be a way to get two things done for the community in a single action. Houston stated that he had learned that the Moapa Valley community had a little over $300,000 in gas tax revenue sitting in an account waiting to be used. These funds are available to the community to make improvements to roads.

Earlier this year, the MVTAB sent recommendations to the county on projects that would put those funds to best use. A prioritized list of road paving projects had been drafted and approved at that time. The top three projects on the list included 1) Ramos Ranch Road west of the Moapa Valley Blvd; 2) Wittwer Ave between Yamashita and Ash just east of the MVHS football stadium; and 3) Liston Ave between St. Joseph and Heyer. This third item is the very road in question on the issue of the Evans’ gym.

“According to my calculations and what I am told, we should easily have enough in that account to pave all of the top three roads on our list,” said Houston. “Mr. Evans is willing to participate in that by paying for the area in front of his property line to be paved. That gives us even more for our money. So let’s pave the roads and solve this problem.”

But MVTAB member Billy Mildice felt that this would only bring a temporary fix to the problem. “This gym is a good program,” he said. “But it is located in a real gray area (in a residential zone). This matter will come up again with the use permit. It is easier to make a permanent change right now and move it to a more appropriate place. Rehearing this now is not addressing what really needs to be done.”

But Houston disagreed. “There is broad support for keeping it open,” he said. “The Commissioners have tasked them with looking for a way to do that. Paving the top three roads on our list solves the issue for them and it’s good for the community.”

Houston made a motion to require Evans to pave the portion of roadway directly in front of their parcel from property line to property line. He then made a second related motion to request County Public Works to pave the top three roads on the MVTAB list.

The motion was then put to a vote and was passed 4-1. Houston, Doty, Metz and Greco were in favor. Mildice was opposed.