City can’t say how far transit line will go

Company eyes Charleston for public transport

(Editor’s note: A month ago, the Sentinel considered writing about the Axios transit line. We did not pursue it further because publicly-posted agendas for City Council meetings March 17 and April 7 stated the proposal did not affect City Council Ward 2 in Summerlin. The documents apparently were mistaken, and the oversight was corrected verbally at the start of last week’s City Council meeting. In looking at the minutes of that meeting, the Axios item still includes the original information. The Sentinel regrets the delay.)

For the Sentinel's Opinion Click HERE

By Frank Geary

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman this week declined to say how far west into Summerlin a proposed private transit line should run on Charleston Boulevard.

She would not say whether it was OK for the Axios company’s proposed transit line to run west of Buffalo Drive, or west of Rampart Boulevard or beyond Town Center Drive or past Pavilion Center Drive.

Instead, she said it could be years before the city learns more about the private company’s plans for West Charleston Boulevard in Summerlin.

“The city of Las Vegas is always interested in improving transportation for our residents,” reads a statement from Seaman issued by City Hall on Wednesday. “The exclusive negotiating agreement gives a company a chance to research the Charleston corridor and present their findings to the City Council. We will not know if the project is right for the community until we have the chance to review their findings in the coming years.”

The City Council last week initiated an “exclusive negotiating agreement” with a transportation company known as Axios, which is considering construction of a privately operated public transit service - similar, perhaps, to a train or bus - along an undisclosed section of Charleston Boulevard.

In response to the vote, Axios will develop privately the preliminary plans for such aspects as the route, the design, the schedule, the acquisition of right of way, coordination with existing buses on Charleston Boulevard and impacts on surrounding areas, according to documents filed with the city.

However, the proposal does not specify whether Charleston Boulevard through Summerlin will be affected, or whether it will involve other portions of the major roadway through the city.

The proposal doesn’t mention whether it includes adding more buses to Charleston, or whether it involves a light rail line alongside the road, or whether it involves something new, such as air taxis or some sort of high-speed underground transportation.

In addition, City Council agendas in the past month have created further confusion on the prospective whereabouts of the proposed transit line.

Publicly posted agendas for council meetings in the past month have listed the council wards affected by the Axios proposal. Each time, the agendas listed wards that did not include Summerlin’s Ward 2.

As a result, local residents had no reason to think the proposed transit service would come to Summerlin. In fact, they were given reason to believe that it was never intended to impact Summerlin.

It wasn’t until the start of the April 7 council meeting, that the confusion was cleared up verbally. Mayor Carolyn Goodman stated for the first time that the agenda was mistaken, and that the Axios proposal would affect constituents in Ward 2.

This week, City Hall spokesman Jace Radke declined to answer questions from the Sentinel regarding the apparently mistaken agendas. He declined to say whether the apparent oversight was the result of human error, computer error, a typo or some other miscue. He also declined to explain why the City Clerk's office did not catch the mistake after it appeared on the March 17 council agenda and correct it before it appeared again on the agenda for last week' s meeting.

Published April 16, 2021

City won’t say if fatal DUI disclosed

What was known before the vote?

By Frank Geary

Las Vegas city administrators this week refused to say if the City Council issued a temporary liquor license to a Summerlin restaurateur knowing he appears to be the driver involved in a fatal DUI.

The council last week authorized a temporary liquor license for the new Boston’s Fish House and Bar in the Tivoli Village complex even though a quick internet search found the restaurant’s key representative has the same name as the driver in a DUI that killed a 20-year-old college student.

City Hall spokesman Jace Radke, in an email response to Sentinel questions, on Wednesday refused to say whether the city’s liquor-license investigators knew of the arrest and conviction of Nicholas Sord before the license was issued.

He declined to say: if investigators failed to disclose the information to the council before the vote; whether the council knew of the legal problems or whether investigators and the council members, themselves, failed to conduct a brief Google search on the liquor-license applicant.

He did not provide a shred of specifics about the circumstances surrounding the Tivoli Village liquor license.

Radke did verify that Nicholas Sord, who also owns and operates the Sunny Side Up restaurant in Summerlin’s Boca Park, does not hold any other liquor licenses issued by the city.

And, the spokesman explained the process undertaken, in general, when regulating a liquor license.

Summerlin West and Summerlin North, south of the Summerlin Parkway, are represented by City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, a former state lawmaker and one-time GOP congressional candidate. North of the parkway is represented by City Councilman Stavros Anthony, a former Las Vegas police administrator and member of the Nevada Board of Regents.

“This was a temporary license which is standard procedure while a complete background check is taking place,” states the email from the city spokesman. “This will come back to the City Council along with a full background investigation when completed so that the council can vote on whether or not to issue a permanent license. So the city is completing the full background investigation and when it is done it will be before the City Council for appropriate action.”

The City Council on Wednesday issued a temporary liquor license to Boston’s Fish House and Bar in Summerlin’s swank Tivoli Village complex, across from the Suncoast Hotel and Casino on Rampart Boulevard at Alta Drive.

The revision issued the license to LVLOCA 2021, which is owned by Bryan Sord, a restaurateur from Orland Park, Illinois, and West Summerlin resident Nicholas Sord, who serves as the local face and legal representative for the family-owned company, according to state records.

According to press accounts, a one-time Orland Park, Illinois, man named Nicholas Sord, the son of a prominent Illinois restaurateur and developer named Bryan Sord, was convicted in 2014 of a fatal drunk-driving accident.

Sord apparently lost control of his vehicle on New Year’s Eve 2009 and crashed into a pole. His passenger, Jessica Mejia, 20, and a former girlfriend of Sord’s at the time, was killed in the wreck, according to the press.

Nicholas Sord’s blood-alcohol was tested at 0.236, which is nearly three times the legal limit, according to press reports at the time.

Police tests also showed that Nicholas Sord had opiates in his bloodstream, but his attorneys had drug-related charges against him dismissed after showing Nicholas Sord had a prescription for the painkillersm according to press accounts.

Sord was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison for the crash, but was expected to serve less than two and a half years, according to press reports.

This week’s approval of the liquor license in Las Vegas was temporary to allow the city’s liquor-license regulators to investigate the license-change before making it permanent.

The temporary license was transferred from a company, known as TCB Las Vegas, to a company formed in December and called LVLOCA 2021, which opened Boston’s Fish House in January, according to records from Wednesday's council meeting and from the state.

A phone call to Boston's this week confirmed that it has been serving alcohol for about a month.

Nicholas and Bryan Sord in April 2020 opened Sunny Side Up, a breakfast place, in the Boca Park shopping center, just south of Tivoli Village at 750 S. Rampart Boulevard, according to Las Vegas press accounts.

The family was featured a month later in the local press when they donated about 100 breakfasts to workers at a COVID-19 testing site at the UNLV School of Medicine.

Nicholas Sord pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge in 2014. He had also been charged with reckless homicide, according to press reports.

Sord and Mejia had broken up in August of 2009 before she entered college at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sord told Cook County sheriff's investigators that he was out drinking with friends before he went to Mejia's home that night and picked her up. He said they were headed to his house.

Mejia's family filed a civil lawsuit against Sord and his family.

The Mejias also filed a lawsuit against the Cook County Sheriff's Department, accusing deputies of taking nude photos of Mejia by the side of the road.

The family also filed suit against several bars where Sord was drinking.

Sord was 22 at the time of the crash, according to press accounts at the time.

The Chicago Tribune reported at the time that Sord was partnering with Blackhawks legend Denis Savard to open a restaurant in Indiana. Shortly after the crash, Savard pulled out of the partnership.

Published April 16, 2021

Neighborhood Watch

Calls to Las Vegas Police Thursday, April 8, to Wednesday, April 15

City Hall and Indian tribe pursue land swap

City to get 1,000 acres closer to Mt. Charleston

By Frank Geary

Almost 40 years ago, the Paiute Indian tribe acquired 4,000 acres for its reservation about 18 miles north of the tribe’s ancestral home near downtown Las Vegas.

Well, Southern Nevada’s idigenous people may be on the move again.

A proposal, which has been negotiated for weeks between city and tribal officials, would transfer to the Paiutes' federal land north of the reservation, and the city would lease from the tribe 1,000 acres of reservation land to continue development north alongside the U.S. Highway 95 corridor near Mount Charleston.

The Las Vegas City Council last week officially authorized city administrators to pursue ongoing negotiations with the tribe, and to reach out to Nevada’s congressional delegation for its support in transferring to the tribe the federal acreage north of the reservation.

“The Tribe and the City acknowledge the expansion of the Snow Mountain Reservation to mitigate development of the lands referenced in this agreement is required for the Tribe’s support for its implementation,” states Article One of the authorization.

The city would lease the 1,000 acres for economic development and a so-called “Job Creation Zone” aimed at increasing the number of jobs available in an area swallowed up in recent years by construction of new homes.

The proposal also calls on the city and the tribe to work with NV Energy to develop a 130-foot wide corridor for energy transmission in the area south of the reservation.

The agreement, according to city administrators, comes at a time when much of the land north of the reservation has been designated for sale.

City officials have asked the federal Bureau of Land Management, which oversees vast tracts of federal land, to conduct a “direct, noncompetitive sale” of 633 acres north of the Snow Mountain Reservation north of Las Vegas.

In addition, according to the proposal, the federal government holds “in trust for the public” another 3,200 acres north of the reservation. Southeast of the reservation, in the Upper Las Vegas Wash, are 933 acres of federal land that the city has asked the BLM to put up for sale to developers.

The city has already started working with a development company, Olympia Companies, to start planning for the development of the Upper Las Vegas Wash, according to the proposal with the Paiute tribe.

The measure also states the city’s support for NV Energy’s Green Link West, which requires a right-of-way to be designated in the area.

“The city desires to support NV Energy’s Green Link West, a transmission and renewable energy initiative that will transform Nevada’s clean energy landscape, create thousands of jobs, promote economic development and position the City to achieve its environmental and carbon reduction goals,” the agreement states.

Published April 16, 2021

Summerlin Shorts

Expired meds to be destroyed

Seniors and others with unnecessary prescription medications around the house can drop them off to be destroyed 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24.

Expired or unwanted pills can be dropped off at the Las Vegas police Northwest Area Command, 9850 W. Cheyenne Ave. in Las Vegas.

The event is part of a nationwide effort by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency known as National Pill Take Back Day, according to Las Vegas police.

Bring pills only. They should be kept in their original containers with the name of the patient blacked out. Liquids, aerosols, needles or other medicine or equipment that is not in pill form will not be accepted.

For other disposal options, contact CARE Coalition at 702-463-1415.

Register for Summer Camps at Veterans Memorial

The city of Las Vegas invites you to “Discover the Fun in 2021” at this year’s summer camp at Veterans Memorial Center at 101 S. Pavilion Center Drive in Summerlin.

Online registration opened Thursday, April 15, for all city of Las Vegas summers, with walk-in registration available.

There are several options for youth ages 3-16. For details, visit www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Camps.

Last Week's Sentinel

City gives liquor license to driver in fatal DUI

Permission temporary, subject to probe

By Frank Geary

Las Vegas city officials this week issued a temporary liquor license to a Tivoli Village restaurateur, who appears to be the same man sent to prison after being convicted in a fatal drunken driving accident seven years ago.

The City Council on Wednesday issued a temporary liquor license to Boston’s Fish House and Bar in Summerlin’s swank Tivoli Village complex, across from the Suncoast Hotel and Casino on Rampart Boulevard at Alta Drive.

The revision issued the license to LVLOCA 2021, which is owned by Bryan Sord, a restaurateur from Orland Park, Illinois, and West Summerlin resident Nicholas Sord, who serves as the local face and legal representative for the family-owned company, according to state records.

According to press accounts, a one-time Orland Park, Illinois, man named Nicholas Sord, the son of a prominent Illinois restaurateur and developer named Bryan Sord, was convicted in 2014 of a fatal drunk-driving accident.

Sord apparently lost control of his vehicle on New Year’s Eve 2009 and crashed into a pole. His passenger, Jessica Mejia, 20, and a former girlfriend of Sord’s at the time, was killed in the wreck, according to the press.

Nicholas Sord’s blood-alcohol was tested at 0.236, which is nearly three times the legal limit, according to press reports at the time.

Police tests also showed that Nicholas Sord had opiates in his bloodstream, but his attorneys had drug-related charges against him dismissed after showing Nicholas Sord had a prescription for the painkillersm according to press accounts.

Sord was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison for the crash, but was expected to serve less than two and a half years, according to press reports.

This week’s approval of the liquor license in Las Vegas was temporary to allow the city’s liquor-license regulators to investigate the license-change before making it permanent.

The temporary license was transferred from a company, known as TCB Las Vegas, to a company formed in December and called LVLOCA 2021, which opened Boston’s Fish House in January, according to records from Wednesday's council meeting and from the state.

A phone call to Boston's this week confirmed that it has been serving alcohol for about a month.

Nicholas and Bryan Sord in April 2020 opened Sunny Side Up, a breakfast place, in the Boca Park shopping center, just south of Tivoli Village at 750 S. Rampart Boulevard, according to Las Vegas press accounts.

The family was featured a month later in the local press when they donated about 100 breakfasts to workers at a COVID-19 testing site at the UNLV School of Medicine.

Nicholas Sord pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge in 2014. He had also been charged with reckless homicide.

Sord and Mejia had broken up in August of 2009 before she entered college at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sord told Cook County sheriff's investigators that he was out drinking with friends before he went to Mejia's home that night and picked her up. He said they were headed to his house.

Mejia's family filed a civil lawsuit against Sord and his family.

The Mejias also filed a lawsuit against the Cook County Sheriff's Department, accusing deputies of taking nude photos of Mejia by the side of the road.

The family also filed suit against several bars where Sord was drinking.

Sord was 22 at the time of the crash, according to press accounts at the time.

The Chicago Tribune reported at the time that Sord was partnering with Blackhawks legend Denis Savard to open a restaurant in Indiana. Shortly after the crash, Savard pulled out of the partnership.

Proposal would include bars next to highway

Taverns crowded around on and off ramps?

Restaurateurs with property next to U.S. Highway 95 would have easier access to liquor licenses under a proposal presented this week to the Las Vegas City Council.

Councilwoman Michelle Fiore, a former state lawmaker who represents northwest Las Vegas, proposed the City Council be given discretion to exempt taverns from the city’s distance requirements for liquor licenses if the establishment is within 1,500 feet of U.S. Highway 95.

The highway runs through Fiore’s council ward, and is surrounded on both sides by massive residential and commercial development of Skye Canyon and surrounding areas north of the highway's 215 Beltway interchange, which is still under construction more than a decade after it started.

In addition, the proposed amendment to existing liquor-license rules could reach beyond the highway corridor.

The proposal also calls for the council to have discretion to allow taverns to take root “adjacent to a right of way of at least 200 feet in width that is not a freeway or an expressway.”

A freeway and an expressway, according to state regulations, are defined as divided roadways of at least 150 feet in width that accommodate “high speed traffic.” A freeway, however, has off and on ramps not at grade with the roadway, while expressways have at-grade crossings with intersecting city streets.

The 215 Beltway and the Summerlin Parkway would seem to fit those descriptions.

Rights-of-way typically refer to roadways, but also include stretches of property dedicated by the government for railroad tracks, electric transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, bike paths or a canal.

The proposal would establish another exemption the council can use to approve liquor licenses for taverns that don’t fit the existing requirements. Those rules prohibit taverns from being located in close proximity to schools, parks and other bars.

Presently, the council has discretion to grant exemptions to those rules for about six different reasons.

They include a tavern inside a regional mall, or inside a residential building with a store or restaurant site, or inside an historic building, or inside a commercial area with little or no homes nearby, such as Fremont Street and the Symphony Park area not far from downtown Las Vegas.

Published April 9, 2021

Neighborhood Watch

Calls to Las Vegas Police Thursday, April 1, to Wednesday, April 7

Summerlin Shorts

Volunteers Join Councilwoman Victoria Seaman To Rebuild Park Playground

New playground equipment is expected to be installed this weekend at Summerlin's Bruce Trent Park, 8851 Vegas Drive, according to the city of Las Vegas.

“I am committed to improving and beautifying all the Ward 2 parks, and this new playground is a great start,” said Ward 2 Councilwoman Victoria Seaman.

Finishing touches will be done next week. A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, at 9 a.m., to be followed by the park’s first free “Art in the Park” community event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Swimmers celebrate Pavilion Pool renovations

Summerlin Association opens up pools at Vistas, Trails and Willows

Sentinel Staff

Las Vegas Pavilion Center Pool on Thursday reverberated to the music of synchronized swimmers rehearsing in the deep end, while junior lifeguards practiced rescue techniques in the shallow end, and others splashed around for fun or took to the lap lanes.

It was the first day many of the swimmers had visited the pool, 101 S. Pavilion Center Drive, since the pandemic took hold, and since the city had closed it for months of renovations and maintenance.

“We haven’t been here in more than a year,” said Jennifer Applegarth, who was there with her two children, Kyle, 16, and Kirsten, 13. “A couple years ago, we came every day for swim team or for open swim.”

Applegarth said she hadn’t noticed the renovations but that her son noticed right away.

“Everything looks good,” she said. “But the high-dive is gone. That's the first thing my son noticed.”

Meanwhile, the Summerlin Community Association announced this week that association pools across the region opened Thursday, April 1, without the need for reservations.

City officials said the Pavilion Pool renovations included new tile, decking, deck drains and starting blocks. The work, which cost $725,000 from the city’s general fund, included re-plastering the pool and repainting the building exterior.

The city also replaced the 3-meter diving board with a 1-meter board at the large pool.

Benoit Beaufils said he was pleased to see the high-dive removed. As coach for the junior Southern Nevada Desert Mermaids synchronized swim team, he said the high-dive took up deck space his team needed to kick off its routine.

“For us, the high-dive was in our way,” Beaufils said. “Now, we have more room to position the start of our routines from the deck. The pool now is a real pleasure to swim into.”

City spokesman Jace Radke said that prior to renovations, the 1-meter board was used far more often than the 3-meter board. In addition, the ladder system for the 3-meter board needed to be replaced. By going to a 1–meter board the city saved the additional cost of the ladder system, he said.

James Barney, 73, said he had not noticed much was different, but was thrilled to be back at Pavilion Center Pool.

“Mostly, I love that it’s open,” he said. “It’s inexpensive, they have an assortment of hours, the service is great. I have no complaints.”

Harley Arimado, 56, echoed the sentiment, adding, “I just hope it’s open for good and we don’t have any more lock-downs because of COVID.”

City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, Ward 2, will hold a ribbon-cutting and free community celebration Friday, April 2, from noon to 2 p.m., to celebrate the pool reopening. The event features free swimming and light refreshments, DJ music and raffle prizes.

Due to COVID-19 precautions, social distancing and other safety guidelines will be observed. Maximum capacity at Pavilion Center Pool is 250 persons during the pandemic emergency. Showers, locker rooms and water fountains will remain closed; restrooms will be open. All guests should arrive in appropriate swimming attire. Prior to being admitted into the facilities, temperatures of guests will be checked. Face coverings are required to be worn at all times when not in the water by guests over 2 years of age.

Daily fees for pool use are $3 for ages 18-49, $2 for ages 4-17 and 50+, and free for ages 3 and younger. Monthly, three-month and six-month passes are available for purchase. For information, call (702) 229-1488.

Outdoor swimming pools operated by the Summerlin Community Association and open to residents include the Vistas Pool, 11322 Parkside Way Las Vegas, NV 89138, the Trails Pool, 1920 Spring Gate Lane Las Vegas, NV 89134, and the Willows Pool, 2775 Desert Marigold Ln Las Vegas, NV 89135.

The pools are scheduled to be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the association.

Reservations are not required and residents are not under time restrictions, however guests are not allowed. Masks and social distancing are still required at the pools.

If crowding becomes a problem, the association will reevaluate its plans. Hot tubs will remain closed per the state order.

Published April 2, 2021

City compromises on Howard Hughes exemption

Measure updates design in dense areas

By Frank Geary

The Las Vegas City Council last month permitted the Howard Hughes Corporation, master developer of Summerlin, to deviate from citywide standards in the construction of new homes in Summerlin West.

City planners who oversee long-established construction standards for Summerlin recommended against Howard Hughes’ proposal, but the council unanimously approved a compromise proposal crafted by city planners.

According to city records, it was the first time city staff opposed Howard Hughes’ request to revise development standards in the area. Since Summerlin West was first proposed in 1997, city staff has concurred eight times with the developer’s requests.

“Staff finds that the proposed Major Modification is not consistent with single family residence design principles and corner side yard setback development standards found throughout the rest of the City,” states the recommendation from city planners, “Therefore, staff recommends denial of this Major Modification request.”

City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who represents much of Summerlin within city limits, made the motion to approve Howard Hughes’ proposal with compromises recommended by city staff.

Summerlin West, between the 215 Beltway and Red Rock Canyon and Charleston Boulevard north to Cheyenne Avenue, is represented by Seaman south of the Summerlin Parkway and by Councilman Stavros Anthony north of the Parkway.

The measure revised setback lines for corner lots and revised standards for side entrances on homes yet to be built in areas zoned for greater density than in existing, nearby neighborhoods.

The accommodation comes a month after the Las Vegas real estate market saw the most sales activity it has had in 14 years, according to recent press reports.

In 2007, home prices topped out at their highest level before, a year later, values plummeted overnight to a fraction of their previous worth.

The banner month comes amid ongoing high unemployment, business closures, layoffs, furloughs and other signs of long-term economic turmoil.

A search of state campaign-finance records for “Howard Hughes” yields 277 campaign contributions dating back many years worth $628,500.

According to just the records found in a search: third-term Councilman Anthony received nearly $20,000 among eight contributions between $1,000 and $5,000; Mayor Carolyn Goodman received $15,000, with $10,000 donated during her 2015 reelection campaign against Anthony; Councilwoman Michelle Fiore received $6,000, most when she was in the Legislature; and Seaman received $1,000 while running for the Legislature.

The Hughes proposal affects some of West Summerlin’s areas zoned for greater housing density than many of the gated and non-gated communities already built at the gateway to Red Rock Canyon.

The setback reductions would only affect homes yet to be built in areas zoned as Single-Family 3.

According to the Summerlin Development Standards, adopted by the City Council in 2004, Single Family 3 zoning calls for up to 10 homes per acre. Earlier home projects were Single Family 2, which calls for six homes per acre, and Single Family 1, which calls for 3.5 homes per acre.

Howard Hughes suggests its proposal to reduce setbacks between corner residences and the street will align the city’s development standards for Summerlin West with the setbacks authorized previously by the Summerlin Design Review Committee, which reviews such matters in the community.

“The intent of item #1 is to revise the language in the Development Standards so that it aligns with the way in which the Summerlin Design Review Committee (SDRC) has enforced corner setbacks,” states the proposal from Howard Hughes. “... This modification will align the Development Standards with SDRC’s village design criteria and eliminate the need for future deviations.”

However, city staffers didn’t see it that way.

“This request conflicts with how setbacks are determined throughout the rest of the City, where setbacks are taken from the property line of the residential parcel. This proposal will create a scenario which will allow the residential structure to be much closer to the right-of-way on the corner side of the lot, which will have a negative impact on the aesthetics of the street frontage.”

In its argument for an exemption, Howard Hughes says the newly designed entryways will be well built, and that they will offer an alternative to homes with larger yards in West Summerlin.

“By allowing entry portals only as part of original construction, HHC and the city of Las Vegas may ensure that they are proposed, designed and installed in the best manner possible,” states Howard Hughes’ proposal.

“This information will update the Summerlin Development Standards to meet the needs of current residential development which upholds Summerlin’s commitment to aesthetics and home buyers.”

City planners didn’t agree, according to city records.

In their recommendation to the council, staffers said the “development standard” proposed does not align with the city’s long established design standards.

Staff also expressed concern that drainage from the roof gutter of one home could adversely impact the neighboring home given the proximity of one to the other.

“This development standard can create a scenario,” states the staff’s recommendation, “where the front façade of the single family residences will appear to be connected by the entry portal as the development standard does not require the side of the entry portal to alternate from home to home; which will creating (sic) the illusion of there being one large connected structure from the street frontage.”

Published April 2, 2021

Neighborhood Watch

Calls to Las Vegas Police Thursday, March 26, to Wednesday, March 31

Rabbits more than Easter treat in Summerlin

Indigenous and prolific, pests are common problem

(The following is one in a series on wildlife, plants, insects and other creatures that live in Summerlin, Red Rock Canyon and nearby areas.)

For the Sentinels Opinion Click HERE

By Luke Geary and James Geary

At this time every year, hundreds of rabbits are purchased as props for Easter.

For many in Summerlin, however, the four-legged furballs are hardly a holiday happenstance.

In Summerlin, with Red Rock Canyon next door and homes built where burrows were dug uninterrupted 30 years ago, there are plenty of rabbits west of Anasazi Drive and elsewhere.

They are prolific at dawn, whether on the manicured trail from Arbors Tennis and Play Park to Staton Elementary School, or yards and golf courses in Sun City or on the ballfields at Vistas Park in Summerlin West.

There are two members of the rabbit class among the family of small herbivores indigenous to Red Rock, according to Friends of Red Rock, a local nonprofit organization.

Unlike neighbors, such as the antelope ground squirrel or kangaroo rat, rabbits and hares are not classified as rodents because they have four upper incisors. As a result, they are classified as “Lagamorpha”, which is translated as “animals of rabbit-like form.”

Rabbits live about nine years, and survive on a diet of weeds, grasses, clover, wildflowers, and flower and vegetable plants.

In Red Rock, the desert cottontail - with its distinctive hindquarters - is a rabbit. And, despite its name, the black-tailed jackrabbit is a hare known for its large ears.

Both cottontails and jackrabbits are prolific. According to the Las Vegas rabbit advocacy group, Bunnies Matter, breeding season for most rabbits lasts nine months and ends in about October each year.

According to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center, one female can produce 800 babies, grandbabies and great-grandbabies in a year.

Rabbits differ from hares in several ways other than appearance. Rabbits are born naked and blind, and hares are born with fur and sight.

To avoid the desert heat, the black-tailed sits in “forms,” which are depressions at the base of plants where soil and air temperatures are cooler. Large ears help to keep it cool by providing a surface for heat loss, according to Friends of Red Rock.

The desert cottontail prefers brushier areas, such as rocky canyons, floors of dry washes and river beds. Unlike jackrabbits, the cottontail retreats into burrows to escape the desert heat and predators.

Rabbits live in groups within a burrow system, which can be nearly nine-feet deep and cover a large area with many entrances, according to www.rabbitmatters.com

The interconnecting tunnels run off in all directions and include living quarters, nesting areas and emergency exits.

Predators include foxes, badgers, stoats, weasels, buzzards, cats and humans.

They survive by burrowing, moving in a zig- zag motion. If captured, they kick with their strong back legs.

If a rabbit spots danger, it will warn its community by thumping with a hindfoot.

Published April 2, 2021

Summerlin Shorts

Clark County captures mountain lion

Clark County Animal Control on Thursday responded to a mountain lion sighting in the Summit Club residential community in Summerlin, west of Town Center Drive and south of Flamingo Road.

On arrival, animal control officers observed a female mountain lion weighing about 60 pounds, about 15 feet up in a tree. Nevada Department of Wildlife officers were notified and arrived shortly thereafter.

Animal control and wildlife officers, sedated the mountain lion using tranquilizer guns, then transported the big cat to the Spring Mountains foothills. There, wildlife officers administered medicine to reverse the effects of the tranquilizer. After about 90 minutes, the mountain lion recovered and returned to the wild. Officials believe the mountain lion is the same one that has been reported in the area in recent weeks. Clark County posted a video of the release.

Delays expected on Fort Apache Road

Detours to Hualapai or Durango

Sidewalk improvements on Fort Apache Road between Desert Inn Road and Charleston Boulevard will interrupt traffic for the next month.

Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, according to the city of Las Vegas.

Traffic will be restricted to two travel lanes in each direction, north- and southbound between 3 p.m. and 9 a.m., and will be reduced to one lane in each direction between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Hualapai Way and Durango Drive are recommended as alternative routes.

The work involves replacement of curb and gutter and sidewalk ramps not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the city.

Mikon Construction is the contractor on the project. The estimated cost of the project is $500,000, funded by the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission’s Fuel Revenue Indexing tax.

Vistas Center offers free COVID-19 testing

Residents can schedule a free COVID-19 test after they return from spring break at the Vistas Community Center, 11312 Parkside Way, in Summerlin West.

The free, scheduled tests will be available April 5 to April 9 and on April 2 and 13 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman’s office. Residents can register for an appointment on Eventbrite here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-covid-19-pcr-testing-tickets-148065448743. Walkup testing is not permitted.

Everyone tested will receive a $5 gift card to either Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. For more information call (702) 229-2420 or email Ward2@LasVegasNevada.Gov.

Neighborhood Watch

Calls to Las Vegas Police Thursday, March 18, to Wednesday, March 25

Summerlin Shorts

Safekey registration open for elementary school

Online registration for Safekey, a before- and after-school program, is open at www.lasvegasnevada.gov/safekey for students kindergarten through fifth grade.

Program availability at each school within the city of Las Vegas is contingent on enrollment. Attendance calendars for booking dates through online Safekey accounts will open after a site has met the minimum enrollment requirement. At the earliest, attendance calendars will open on March 30.

A list of operating sites will be updated every Friday.

The annual registration fee is $20 per participant. The daily cost is $7 for before-school and $10 for after-school. Registration fees will be refunded if a site does not open.

Financial aid for Safekey may be provided by Las Vegas Urban League, Desert Regional Center, Inter-Tribal Council of Southern Nevada, Inc., East Valley Family Services and Employer Child Care Reimbursement for families that qualify. These organizations provide families with a certificate or agreement as well as instructions on how to apply funds to a city Safekey account. For more information on the financial aid process, call 702.229.KIDS (5437) and press 3 for Safekey then 1 for financial assistance.

For Safekey, call 702.229.KIDS(5437) or visit www.lasvegasnevada.gov/safekey.

Published March 26, 2021

Neighborhood Watch

Calls to Las Vegas Police Thursday, Mar. 11, to Wednesday, Mar. 17

Poverty grows alongside population

By Frank Geary

Residents of Las Vegas are more educated, more prosperous and more likely to be white and own a home than residents in areas of unincorporated Clark County, according to a recent study.

Among the report’s findings, poverty in Southern Nevada has increased alongside a 14% jump in population since 2010.

“This increase has been most marked among Clark County’s population without a four-year degree, following national trends that indicate higher education levels can lead to higher levels of income,” states the study.

The population of Clark County from 2010 to 2018 increased by 280,000 to about 2.2 million.

The 14% jump was double the national average, according to Mapping the Future: An Analysis of Clark County’s Communities and Economy. The study was done by SRI International, Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy, on behalf of Clark County.

Southern Nevada transplants, however, largely have been older people and those who do not have a four-year bachelor’s degree.

Clark County in 2019 hired SRI International after it established the Department of Community and Economic Development to initiate and enhance economic development in unincorporated county areas “in a form comparable to its municipal counterparts in Southern Nevada.”

The consultant’s study will help the county develop “strategic action steps that move us closer to realizing long standing community goals such as diversification of our economy.”

Among similar metropolitan areas, Clark County ranked sixth in overall population growth from 2010 to 2018.

However, it ranked third for growth among people over age 65 and ranked 10th for people between 25 and 44 years old, which is considered prime working age.

“The region has struggled to attract those that may be considered ‘prime working age,’ or those that are aged 25–44,” states the SRI report.

Meanwhile, poverty has increased in Clark County as the population has jumped since 2010.

Each education group has seen swelling in poverty, especially the less educated.

Residents without a high school diploma living in poverty increased from 18% to 21%. Those with a diploma living in poverty jumped from 9.4% to 13.8%.

Residents who attended college or acquired an associate’s degree, living in poverty increased from 7.2% to 10.2%. Meanwhile, those with a bachelor’s degree living in poverty have increased only 1.4% to 6%.

The situation is somewhat perplexing, though.

Some data strongly suggests Southern Nevada is better off economically, but overall that is not the case, according to the study.

A separate study by the Economic Innovation Group, shows the number of people living within “distressed” zip codes in Clark County has been cut in half while those living in “prosperous” zip codes has increased 14% from 2010 to 2018.

“One way to interpret these data is the concentration of Clark County’s lower-income populations into smaller areas of the county, whereas other areas of the county are seeing greater income growth,” states the study. “Distress is concentrated in several unincorporated places, while other areas are relatively prosperous.”

Published March 19, 2021