By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB) approved the continued operation of the Flex-It gymnastics facility in Logandale, at a meeting held on Wednesday, June 30. The facility operates from a metal building behind the home of Robert and Jennifer Evans on Liston Ave. in Logandale. Under normal conditions, a commercial training facility of this kind would not be allowed to operate in a residential area. But the Evans have been operating the facility legally for the past two years under a Special Use Permit. The Use Permit was due to be reviewed and thus fequest for an extension of the permit was before the MVTAB.
Robert Evans told board members that he had worked hard to comply with the requirements which had been placed on his conditional permit. He explained that he had willingly participated in the cost of paving Liston Ave. in front of his home. He is currently undergoing an architectural analysis of the metal building to see what other improvements would be required to operate the facility.
“We have done, and are doing, everything that the county has asked us to do,” Evans said. “Our neighbors are also very much in support of the facility. We would just ask that you give us another extension.”
Most of the public comment was in support of the facility. “The service provided by the Evans to the children of the community is huge,” said one resident who has a daughter in the program. “There is little else here offered to our kids and not much for them to do. And this is a positive force, which teaches discipline and a strong work ethic. I would urge you to allow it to remain open.”
Logandale resident Ralph Starita spoke in opposition to the gym. “I know of some of the people who own property on that street now who are not happy,” he said. “Many of the neighbors are not happy. This is a commercial building in an R-U (residential) zone. It is a non-conforming act. I live up the street from here and I don’t want commercial in my area.”
MVTAB member Judy Metz recognized that the Evans had diligently complied with the conditions originally attached to the permit. “When the county has told them to do something, they have followed through on those things and done what they committed to do,” Metz said. “I see no reason not to approve this.”
But MVTAB member Billy Mildice said that the Use Permit should have never been granted in the first place. “This is an RU zone and we should not continue to let it go to have commercial endeavor here,” Mildice said. “There is a gymnastics facility in Mesquite that is run by the County. It is there and it should be utilized.”
“Personally I’d rather have 100 girls staying home to receive their training than sending them on the freeway four days a week to Mesquite,” Metz said.
MVTAB member Guy Doty agreed with Metz that the extension should be granted. “This has been very closely monitored and reviewed,” Doty said. “Frankly, I think that it is being watched much too closely. Within the county code there are allowances for things like this. There is a process for these kinds of exceptions. That is what they are doing here. We have recommended to allow it. They have fulfilled all of the conditions in the past two years. Now the county should back off and allow it. I wholeheartedly approve it.”
But Mildice still felt that the Use Permit should not be granted. “Somewhere along the line this kind of thing has to stop,” he said. “What happens next time when someone wants to come in and put in an adult book store in a residential area? What then?”
“Then we will hear it and make our decision based on the merits of that circumstance,” Doty said. “But it doesn’t really have any bearing on this.”
“This is a conditional use permit they are asking for,” Mildice continued. “How long are they going to be allowed to operate under that? The next thing you know, you’ll be coming to us wanting to make it permanent!”
“Look, I’m just asking for an extension of time,” said an increasingly frustrated Evans. “I’ve fulfilled all of our obligations and will continue to do whatever the county asks of us. We just are looking to extend our Use Permit.”
“I think that this has been discussed enough,” Doty said bringing the debate to a close. “We are ready for a motion. Doty made the motion to approve the Special Use Permit. The motion was approved in a 3-1 vote with only Mildice opposed.
