By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
The wait is finally over and work has begun on two new restrooms at the Logandale Trails area. The current restrooms, which are over 25 years old, are old and in poor repair. Partners in Conservation obtained a grant to cover the cost of replacing the restrooms from the monies collected through the state’s ATV registration program.
“The lion’s share of those registration fees was always intended to go to make improvements on the trails those ATV’s use,” said PIC Administrator Elise McAllister. “This grant is a chance for local ATV owners to see the benefit of that money being used right here in our neighborhood.”
Construction of the new facilities has been in the planning stages for a long time. The original plan called for replacing the upper restrooms and the lower restrooms at different times, but when they learned they could save about $25,000 by doing them together they decided to do it.
To do the job, PIC hired a professional contractor who will use local businesses and supplies as much as possible, but will still get the project done in a timely manner.
“The original estimate was that it would take from 4-6 weeks to finish the project, allowing for bad weather,” McAllister said. “However, with our perpetual sun, the foreman anticipates that the project will be completed in closer to 3-4 weeks.”
Crews showed up bright and early on Monday Sept. 11. By the time the pre-fabricated facilities showed up on Wednesday, the old lower restrooms had already been demolished and holes for the new tanks had been dug.
“These guys really know their stuff and they are working hard and working fast,” McAllister said.
The restroom construction will have a slight impact on this year’s National Public Lands Day, which is a chance for people to volunteer and help clean up public lands.
This year’s Public Lands Day will be held on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8:00 am. The staging for theevent will take place at the upper parking lot, instead of at the main trailhead, due to the ongoing construction.
The scope of this year’s clean up will be slightly smaller than last year’s and will be limited to picking up trash, painting the upper kiosk and stocking it with maps and information. However, people will still be needed and volunteers are sure to have a great time McAllister said.
In addition to clean-up projects, there will be plenty of fun exhibits to see. The BLM will be there with booths on the geology, wildlife, and petroglyphs in the area, along with national parks representatives. Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick will also be there with a special present for youngsters.
“Local artist Joan Day designed a coloring book about Logandale Trails, but we didn’t have the money to print it,” McAllister explained. “Commissioner Kirkpatrick stepped in and funded the coloring book and she has even agreed to come help us by handing them out.”
Metro officers will also be there to provide VIN inspections for the OHV registration program.
Everyone is invited to attend Public Lands Day. McAllister encourages the community to get involved.
“If you haven’t been to Logandale Trails in a while it’s a great chance to come out, check out the progress on the new restrooms and see all the other improvements that have gone in while having a great time and working together to make this local treasure even better,” she said. If, on the other hand, you come often, it’s a great chance for you to give back and show your support for this beautiful recreation area.”
More information on the upcoming National Public Lands Day at Logandale Trails can be obtained by emailing PIC at picorg@mvdsl.com, or by calling 702-219-2033. Information is also available on Facebook at https://facebook.com/logandaletrails/.
