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 2011. It was difficult but we chose just one top local story for each month of the year for an at-a-glance year of news in review.
January:
MVTAB Approves Dollar Store
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board approved preliminary plans for a new Family Dollar Store proposed to be built in the downtown Overton business district just south of Lin’s Marketplace.
Eager to see a new commercial development in the community, TAB members voted to approve a long list of requested waivers, most of which dealt with unique needs of developing on that specific property.
“This company is eager to become a good neighbor in the business community,” a spokeman for the developer told the Board. “We think that this building will make an excellent addition to your commercial district.”
The board approved the plans unanimously. But no shovel has yet gone into the ground on the project.
February:
Bowler Elementary Under Construction
The local school underwent an extensive renovation. The project brought a full update to the inside of the school as well as a new roof and HVAC system. Perhaps, most importantly, the floors finally received long needed and requested new carpeting.
The work was done in phases, while cycling classes one by one to portable classroom units on the schoolgrounds as construction was completed inside. This caused minimal disruption to the 640 students attending school, officials said.
The project began early in the year and continued through the summer. It was completed in early September.
March:
Two State Championships
Moapa Valley High School saw two of its teams win in State competition.
The Varsity Boys Basketball team beat Lowry in a surprise season finish that broke a 16 game Lowry win streak. The final score was MVHS 68, Lowry 56.
A couple of weeks later, the MVHS debate team dominated the State tournament and brought home its sixth straight championship in the small school division.
“It feels good to go against such high quality competition and be this dominant,” said Debate Coach Jared Bushman.
April:
Wintry Weather Puts Freeze On Fair Attendance
Fierce winds, frigid temperatures, falling rain and even snow kept attendance low at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo causing an estimated 20-25 percent drop in attendance.
“We sand-blasted them on Thursday, froze them on Friday and then rained and snowed on them Saturday and it was just too much,” said Fair Executive Director Todd Robison. “We often expect one or even possibly two days of bad weather. But we’ve never had a fair with three days of such bad weather in a row.”
May:
Lake Mead Levels On The Rise
Near record snowpack in the far reaches of the upper Colorado brought swiftly rising water levels at Lake Mead beginning in the spring and continuing on through 2011. In May, water levels were rising nearly a foot every week.
This caused significant changes at lakeside facilities throughout the year. At Echo Bay, a newly constructed low-water launch ramp was submerged and the old launch ramp was put back into operation. In addition, the Echo Bay Marina, which had been moved out into deeper water in June of 2010, was reeled back in nearly a quarter mile closer to the old boat launch.
Though water was deep enough to launch boats at Overton Beach, the Park Service determined that it would not open the Overton Beach road for boat launch this season; much to the disappointment of local anglers and boaters.
June:
M.V. Sewer Project Completed
After more than 18 months of perilous driving conditions on Moapa Valley Blvd., the Moapa Valley sewer line project came to an end in June.
The project, which began in December 2009, was supposed to be completed by the end of 2010. But a wet winter last year brought delays and the pipe installation work wasn’t complete until the end of March 2011. A cool spring then delayed the final open grade paving until June.
July:
M.V. Credit Union Closes Logandale Branch
The Moapa Valley Credit Union closed its Logandale Branch office in the Wally’s Plaza on July 29. The branch, which had been open since 1999, reportedly employed five staff members and processed 180-300 transactions a day.
The closure was part of an ongoing plan to reduce expenses and bring the Credit Union back to profitability, MVCU officials said.
August:
Tamarisk Beetles In M.V.
In the late summer, residents in Warm Springs and in Logandale reported that thick stands of tamarisk, usually thriving and green at this time of year, were turning brown and seemed to be dying.
Many residents were pleased to learn that this was the work of the Tamarisk Beetle. This insect which was introduced in 2006 to the Virgin River system near St. George had finally arrived to the Muddy River area. The beetle was introduced originally to arrest the growth of the invasive tamarisk that has, in recent years, choked waterways and sapped resources across the west. Experts expect that it will take 2-3 years for the insects to kill off the plants entirely down to the root.
September:
Commissioners Introduce Ag-Friendly Ordinance
A new county ordinance was introduced to allow agriculture as a primary use on residential properties. Previously, agricultural uses like alfalfa fields and open livestock pastures were out of compliance with county code if the property did not also have a primary residence. The ordinance brought these uses into full compliance.
It also allowed crops, produce or livestock to be sold at the point of production. Before the ordinance, small roadside produce stands were not allowed unless the property was zoned commercial.
The ordinance was introduced in September and approved by the Board of Commissioners in November.
October:
Health District Crashes Quail Hollow Farm Party
What started as an al fresco Farm To Fork Dinner, ended in an evening of conflict at Quail Hollow Farm in Overton.
As more than 100 guests were arriving at Quail Hollow to enjoy an upscale evening of farm fresh cuisine, a Southern Nevada Health District inspector also arrived and found issue with the food. That issue was that the source of the meat products could not be verified as a USDA-authorized source. Of course, that was because much of the meat had been produced locally on the farm and not purchased from a store.
Deaf to this explanation, the inspector told farm owners Monte and Laura Bledsoe that, not only was the prime, organically raised meat unfit for paying guests, but it also had to be destroyed by pouring bleach over it, which was done under protest.
Mainly through social network media, this story spread far and wide beyond the Moapa Valley and outraged a global audience primarily made up of a growing segment of people who seek a closer and healthier tie to their food sources.
November:
MVHS Football Ends High Octane Season
The Pirate Football team began its season on a high note back in August when it got national attention as the surprise winner of the Sollenberger Classic in Phoenix, Arizona against favored ShowLow High School.
Coming from that high point, the Pirates continued a successful season with a relentless march through the southern 3A. Then, in November, the team handily defeated Lowry at the state semi-finals and won yet another shot at the State Championship against Truckee.
But in the final state matchup, the Pirates struggled to get traction against the tough Truckee defense and lost the championship game 21-6.
December:
Holiday Generosity Abounds
Local businesses, organizations, groups and individuals opened their hearts and banded together during the holidays in numerous efforts to help the less fortunate in the community.
Lyon Middle School students participated in a successful toy drive to benefit local kids through Cappalappa Family Resource Center.
Students at Bowler and Perkins Elementary Schools worked with Overton Power District on a food drive that helped to restock the shelves of the Cappalappa Food Bank.
Individuals and businesses donated generously to the local Marine Corps Toys for Tots effort which benefitted only local children.
And many other unsung efforts by families and individuals offered a helping hand to neighbors and friends in the community struggling from difficult economic conditions in the region.
