By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
Residents of Moapa Valley will finally be able to see their county government in action, as well as enjoy learning more about the great area they live in, from the comfort of their own homes. Through the efforts of County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick Clark County TV will be broadcast for the first time ever to Moapa Valley through the Moapa Valley TV Maintenance District on digital channel 50.3.
A kickoff viewing party and open house celebrating the event is organized for Wednesday, July 26, at 11:00 am at the Old Overton Gym, located near Mack Lyon Middle School. Refreshments will be provided and Commissioner Kirkpatrick will be attending. All Moapa Valley residents are invited.
In honor of the celebration, CCTV will be airing “The Stories of Highway 169” which is a program that includes a half-hour tour of many of the local historical sites around the Moapa Valley area. The program highlights the recently uncovered city of St. Thomas, Valley of Fire, the Logandale trail system, the Old Overton Gym and the Old Logandale School. The program even includes local lore such as the fact that the Old Logandale School is said to be haunted by the ghost of a girl who drowned nearby.
This program was first aired on CCTV in September, but due to the fact that the station was not being broadcast to the Moapa Valley, most local residents were not able to see it, a fact which the commissioner does not think is fair to local residents.
“Only a handful of maintenance districts are required to come before the commissioner each year for ratification, and the MVTV Maintenance district is one of them,” said Janice Ridondo, Constituent Liaison for Commissioner Kirkpatrick. “The fact that Moapa Valley did not have access to CCTV came to light when they met with the commissioner this year.”
Kirkpatrick had met with MVTV District chairman Daniel Pray to discuss the structure and funding of the district. MVTV is one of 13 television districts in the state of Nevada that re-broadcasts area television station signals. But it is the only such district in Clark County.
Kirkpatrick asked Pray if CCTV is being broadcast in Moapa Valley and Pray replied that it was not. In fact, Moapa Valley was the only area in the county where the channel was unavailable.
CCTV is a government-access television station that airs meetings of the Clark County Commission, Clark County Planning Commission, Las Vegas Stadium Authority, Regional Transportation Commission, Clark County Board of Equalization, and the boards of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, Clark County Water Reclamation District, Regional Flood Control District and more, including all Police Fatality Public Fact-finding Review proceedings.
Kirkpatrick decided that Moapa Valley residents should have the same chance as other county residents to see the governmental meetings that affect their lives. Working with Pray, she was able to find funding to make that happen.
“This move increases transparency and allows the residents of Moapa Valley to see their government in action for themselves,” Kirkpatrick said. “For many residents, this will be the first time that they have been able to watch our meetings and the decision-making process as it occurs, as well as the many shows that the County airs. It’s exciting.”
In addition to county meetings, CCTV airs many programs that are of interest to local residents. They also have, among other things, a news magazine show, a show about available activities involving Parks and Recreation, a commissioner interview show.
The channel also airs special features. One example of these features is a recent program entitled, “Mosquito Menace: What You Need to Know.” This program is a panel discussion to help educate residents about mosquito dangers and steps they can take to better protect themselves.
Additionally, a bulletin board shows periodically throughout the day, providing information on government events and services. It is estimated that CCTV reaches about half the local television market in unincorporated Clark County, Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City. Now it also reaches Moapa Valley.
Ridondo explained that the station can be a benefit to the local community. “There is a segment called “People in Your Neighborhood” for which the presenter goes to each commissioner and has them identify an area of their district they would like to highlight,” Ridondo said. “Tom Collins chose Bunkerville once, and Highway 169 was chosen as well. Kirkpatrick’s turn to choose has not yet come up so she is eagerly looking forward to that opportunity.”
There is also another program with local ties that Ridondo is excited about. TV presenter Randy Swallow has a program called County Critters and has been asking Ridondo about doing a program on her pot-bellied pig rescue operation “Windy’s Ranch and Rescue.” This operation, located in Moapa Valley, is a labor of love. Now that locals can actually view the program, Ridondo has decided to let him highlight her farm.
“People in Moapa Valley should be able to see clips and programs that highlight their own area,” Ridondo said. “Having CCTV available in the valley is a great opportunity to everyone that chooses to watch and I hope the community finds some value in it.”
CCTV began airing in Moapa Valley on July 7. For a complete CCTV schedule, please visit www.clarkcountynv.gov/CCTV.
