By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
Editor’s Note: The past year has been another active year for news events in Moapa Valley. What follows is a brief recap of the local news highlights for the year 2010. It was difficult but we chose just one top local story for each month of the year for an at-a-glance year in review.
January
LDS Missionary From Logandale Found Dead
Elder Jace Davis of Logandale died on Friday, January 30. Davis had been serving for 13 months as an LDS missionary in the Church’s Romania Bucharest Mission. He and his missionary companion, McKay Choy Burrows of Highland, Utah were found dead in their apartment having suffered from accidental natural gas asphyxiation.
Davis, who was a 2007 graduate of Moapa Valley High School, was mourned by much of the community in a widely attended funeral service held on February 7 in Logandale.
February
Sewer Construction Begins
The Moapa Valley Sewer line, which had begun construction late in 2009 at Lewis Street, arrived in downtown Overton at the beginning of 2010. The pipeline project stretches along Moapa Valley Blvd from Lyman St. at the north end to Lewis Ave in Overton.
The pipeline is being installed at a depth of 20-25 feet which is well below the water table. So crews have worked in advance of the pipeline to install dewatering pumps to lower the water table.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2011. Final paving of Moapa Valley Blvd. will take place in the spring when temperatures warm up.
March
Flex-It Gym Competes At State; Later Forced To Close
The Flex-It youth gymnastics team attended a Nevada State Meet in March. It was only the second year of competition since the gym had been opened, but each of the girls on the team qualified for the meet through high competitive scores throughout the season. The gymnasts placed well in all events at the tournament.
Later in the year, Flex-It came under fire due to county code requirements. The gym facility was operating under a Special Use Permit out of a steel building behind the Logandale home of gym owners Robert and Jennifer Evans.
As such it didn’t meet many of the strict standards for a commercial structure.
County officials met with the Evans in July and outlined a list of improvements needed to continue operations at the location. Not being able to afford to make the improvements, and with no other suitable commercial facility in Moapa Valley to move into, the Evans decided to close the Logandale gym and move operations to the city of Mesquite.
April
Fair Posts Solid Attendance; Kick-off for Incorporation
The Clark County Fair rebounded from a tough year in 2009 to see the second largest attendance numbers in the fair’s history in 2010. Total attendance was over 79,000, up over 22% from the previous year.
A booth at the Fair also began an ongoing effort to study Moapa Valley Incorporation. A petition was available for lower valley residents to sign and request that a study be done into the feasibility of Moapa Valley forming its own city government. A total of 685 signatures, more than half of the total needed, were gathered during the Fair alone.
Later in the year, the petition with all required signatures, was filed with Clark County. The County Commission sent the request on to the Nevada Committee on Local Government Finance for a study to be done. That study is still ongoing.
May
Lost City Museum Celebrates 75 Years
The Lost City Museum opened a new exhibit celebrating its 75th anniversary. The exhibit included a timeline of the museum’s long history since it opened in 1935.
Also recognized at the exhibit opening was the new Museum Archaeologist Dena Seder.
Because of state budget shortages, the museum has spent the past year under reduced hours; operating only four days a week.
Later in the year, preliminary budgets released from the Governor’s office for the next biennium proposed even more drastic cuts to the state’s museum system. The results of these proposed cuts would be that the Lost City Museum close its doors as early as August 2011. Local residents and business owners are currently working with State Legislators to keep the museum in the community.
June
Echo Bay Marina Moves To Deeper Water
The marina facilities at Echo Bay were moved to deeper water to prepare for dropping water levels at Lake Mead. Water levels at the time were at an elevation of 1,093 feet and expected to drop below the point where the marina could stay in operation at its former location.
Forever Resorts; who in February had taken over the concession at Echo Bay from previous concessioner, Seven Crowns; decided to make the move in June.
Through the summer and fall, the lake levels dropped to about 1,082 feet.
The boat launch also had to be relocated as water levels dropped. But National Park Service officials went to work on an interim boat ramp and boat launch traffic was largely uninterrupted.
The NPS is currently working on a new permanent deep water boat launch which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2011.
July
Warm Springs Wildfire
A wildfire burned over 600 acres at Warm Springs on July 1. The fire was determined to have started under the vehicle of a work crew contracted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to clear vegetation and reduce fire risk.
The fire destroyed the LDS Recreation Area including the pool complex, the “Big House” and the missionary’s quarters there. Also destroyed was the nearby home of Mary Premo.
In addition to local volunteers, firefighters from Clark County Fire Department and crews from the Division of Forestry were called in to aid in the efforts.
August
MVTAB Decides, No Straw Poll
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board voted unanimously to cancel the straw poll vote that has traditionally advised the County Commissioners in the selection of MVTAB candidates. The reasons for the decision was that the straw poll required too much work and volunteer time to be conducted if its results were not to be honored by the Commissioners in making the appointments.
Commissioner Tom Collins asserted the Commission’s right to appoint TAB members independent of the traditional straw poll.
“If you decide to have a straw poll, we will look at it,” he said. “But we are not going to commit to go by it. It will be considered as part of the applications.”
Through the fall, thirteen people from Moapa Valley applied for consideration to serve on the TAB. Appointments will be made by the Commission early next year.
September
Long Awaited Valley History Book Released
After eight years of research, compiling and editing, local historians Beezy Tobiasson and Georgia Hall released the first volume in a two volume set of Moapa Valley history. The book, entitled Muddy Valley Reflections appeared in print with 500 copies and quickly sold out. This initiated a second printing which is currently available for sale.
The sprawling 700 page tome includes over 1100 illustration including photographs, maps and other drawings and pictures.
October
Furor Over Elections
The attention of Moapa Valley voters was sharply focused on the national mid-term elections. Throughout the campaign season, the community received visits from many high profile candidates including Sharon Angle, Joe Heck, Joe Hardy, Cresent Hardy and many others. Local opinions on these candidates were widely varied and were expressed openly and strongly in the community.
This was manifest in a very high percentage of voter turnout at the general election. In the Moapa and Moapa Valley precincts, 2,876 voters participated in the election representing a turnout of about 70 percent of registered voters.
MVHS Football
Throughout the month of November, the MVHS Pirate Varsity Football team pushed its way toward a fifth straight state championship appearance. They beat Virgin Valley twice in a two week stand to win in the division. Then they took down Lowry in the semi-finals. The Pirates hoped to triumph over the tough team from the north, Truckee, in the state championship. But the Pirates fell short against the Wolverines in the state matchup in Las Vegas with a final score of 27-7.
December
MV Named Best Place To Raise Kids
National business magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek unveiled its fifth annual ranking of the Best Places in America to Raise Children and Moapa Valley topped the list for the state of Nevada.
The 2010 survey focused on middle-income communities with populations larger than the median for the state, but no greater than 50,000.
The article highlighted Moapa Valley as home of the Clark County Fair and host of events such as the Bluegrass Festival and Pomegranate Festival. Also mentioned was the community’s unique appeal in being a community where “the farming heritage and rural feel continue today”.
