Nevada Briefs - April 2008

Nevada Briefs

Southern Nevada Surpasses Conversion Milestone

Community residents and businesses recently surpassed 100 million square feet of grass converted to water-efficient landscaping under the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA) Water Smart Landscapes (WSL) Rebate program. The 100 million square feet comprises more than 28,000 individual landscape conversion projects. Nearly 1,000 Southern Nevada property owners continue to apply to the WSL program each month. Since the rebate program’s inception in 1999, Southern Nevadans have converted the equivalent to an 18-inch roll of sod stretching halfway around the world at the Equator, saving the community more than 18 billion gallons of water.

Nevada Tops Economic Ranking

In the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) ranking of all 50 states, Nevada ranked as the 11th best state to do business, due to the fact that, Nevada has no personal, business, or inheritance taxes, low property taxes, small number of public employees and its right-to-work status. According to the ALEC, Nevada does not have high sales and other taxes. However, the organization indicated the state could stand to reduce its workers’ compensation costs, lower its minimum wage, and do more to protect businesses and individuals from frivolous lawsuits. Still, the state’s pro-economic growth policies have attracted almost half a million residents since 1997.

Reno-Sparks Convention Center West Plaza Expansion Competed

The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) recently celebrated the completion of the $2.37 million Reno-Sparks Convention Center West Plaza expansion. The six-month construction project, built by Building Solutions, LLC., lowered and leveled two-thirds of an acre in front of the concourse C facing Virginia Street. The expansion is part of the master-plan to join the 35-acre site surrounding the convention center into one contiguous super block.

GSG Development Forms Construction Management Company

GSG Development recently expanded its construction management department, establishing it as a separate company, GSG Construction Management Company. The new company will handle all administrative responsibilities of construction including budget and estimate preparation, design coordination, utility consulting, value engineering and constructability reviews. It will provide onsite project management and ensure quality control of general contractors and subcontractors. The company will be led by Chief Executive Officer Ragu Sada and Chief Operating Officer David Hand.