Nevada Briefs - January 2003

Nevada Briefs

Bar Association Finds Permanent Home

After years of operating out of rented offices, the Clark County Bar Association (CCBA) has purchased a building in downtown Las Vegas that will serve as its permanent headquarters. James E. Rogers, an attorney who is now the principal owner of Sunbelt Communications Company, donated $285,000 to enable the association to buy the office building at 725 So. Eighth St. The Kaercher family, which owned the building, donated the adjoining parking lot to the organization. The CCBA has grown from approximately 350 members at the beginning of 1980 to 2,200 members today. The move, which will take place this month, "provides opportunities for continued improvement in our operations," said CCBA President Cam Ferenbach.

Pahrump Air Ambulance Base Reopens

Mercy Air Service reopened its Pahrump base in December, returning 24-hour dedicated air ambulance service to southwestern Nevada. The base, located at the Pahrump Medical Center, closed Sept. 7 after a fatal accident took the lives of the Mercy Air crew and destroyed the helicopter. Aircraft and crews from Mercy’s other Southern Nevada bases have been providing service in the interim. The base is staffed with four pilots, four nurses, four paramedics and a full-time mechanic to service the Bell 222 helicopter. Marcy Air, which has served Nevada since 1998, provides air ambulance service from bases in Boulder City, Henderson and North Las Vegas.

Power Transmission Line Planned for Nevada

The largest transmission infrastructure project currently underway in the United States is scheduled to link Southern Nevada with New Mexico. The Navajo Transmission Project will develop a 470-mile, high voltage transmission line originating in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, crossing the Navajo Nation and terminating near Las Vegas. An interconnect near Flagstaff, Ariz. will provide access to the Phoenix market. The project is being developed by Reston, Va.-based Trans-Elect in conjunction with the Diné Power Authority, a Navajo Nation enterprise. The $600 million venture will provide Southern Nevada with access to coal-fired power plants located in the Four Corners area. The Navajos began work on the project in 1992 and have completed preliminary engineering and permitting. After the permitting process is finalized and customers have made commitments to purchase power, the developers estimate it will take about two years to finish construction.

Factory Slated for Las Vegas

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, a leading manufacturer of packaging products, and Sound Packaging, a corrugated container manufacturer, recently announced they have entered into a 50/50 joint venture agreement to operate a corrugated sheet plant in Las Vegas. The facility, which will operate under the name Las Vegas Container, will be the first corrugated manufacturer to serve Southern Nevada. Smurfit-Stone is a leading producer of containerboard, including: white top linerboard and recycled medium; corrugated containers; point-of-purchase displays; multiwall and specialty bags; and clay-coated recycled boxboard. It is also the world’s largest paper recycler. The company operates approximately 300 facilities worldwide and employs approximately 38,500 people. Company officials estimate the Las Vegas plant will eventually employ --- people. Construction is slated to begin in the --- quarter of 2003.

New Gaming Property Opens in North Las Vegas

The Cannery Casino & Hotel, a $100 million project, opened on January 2 in North Las Vegas. The industrial-themed building, resembling a 1940s factory with a 120-foot smoke stack and aged brick exterior, is situated on 28 acres at the intersection of Craig and Losee Roads. It features a 50,000-square-foot gaming area, a three-story 201-room hotel, an indoor/outdoor entertainment and exhibit area called The Club, and four restaurants. It employs approximately 1,000 people. The property was developed by Cannery Casino Resorts, LLC, a Las Vegas-based gaming and entertainment corporation headed by Las Vegas Paving Co. owner Robert Mendenhall and Millennium Gaming Inc. Millennium Management Group II LLC, which will oversee gaming operations, also manages the casino at the J.W. Marriott Las Vegas Resort in Summerlin.

GES Facility Holds Ribbon-Cutting

Helping to cut the ribbon at the new GES facility are: Manny Cortez, president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; Paul Dykstra, president, GES; Al Dyess, executive vice president of GES and general manager of GES Las Vegas; and Rod Martin, Majestic Realty. Looking on is Tim Snow of Thomas & Mack Development.

GES Exposition Services, which produces 85 percent of the 50 largest tradeshows in Las Vegas, recently completed consolidating its Las Vegas operations into a new flagship facility. At 860,540 square feet, the building is the largest build-to-suit facility constructed in 2002 in the Western United States. Located on 54 acres of land in southwest Las Vegas, it provides space for offices as well as industrial and production operations for GES. Over 400 employees work out of the new facility.