The recession is helping the Henderson library system "in a weird, sick, twisted way, as its executive director put it.
A much lower than expected bid is enabling construction of a new building for the James I. Gibson Branch in the Water Street district to move forward.
The library district's board of directors this week approved a $2.6 million contract for the 19,000-square foot building to be built in the Lake Mead Crossing shopping center at Lake Mead Parkway and Water Street. Construction is expected to begin in mid-August and be completed by April.
The district had pushed off plans for the new building because its initial estimated cost was almost $4.4 million. But as the declining economy pushed construction costs down, the board decided to test the waters by seeking bids.
Thomas Fay, Henderson libraries executive director, said he "was just floored when the 22 bids were opened and so many of the companies said they could construct new library for less than $3 million.
The nonprofit Boulder City Museum and Historical Association needs to raise about $100,000 a year to keep the Boulder Dam Hotel, restaurant and museum open, its board of directors was told this week.
After closing July 11 because it was three months behind on its mortgage and owed vendors and insurance payments, the hotel reopened this week when an anonymous donor gave $260,000.
The nonbusiness portion of the operation × the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum × is what needs the most financial help, according to hotel manager Roger Shoaff. The museum costs about $50,000 a year to operate.
In addition, the fixed costs for the hotel, restaurant and museum × the mortgage, insurance and his salary × are about $150,000 a year, he said. If that cost were split evenly among the hotel, restaurant and museum, the hotel and restaurant would cover their share, but the museum would not, Shoaff said.
The good news is that the museum is what the public wants to support, board members said.
"We get some resistance when people say they don't want to support the businesses, board member Bret Runion said.
The Boulder City Police Department is a lot smaller than its peers in the Las Vegas Valley, but it is trying to make up some of the difference with technology.
The department is buying two automated license plate readers that will be mounted on patrol cars and will record the plate numbers every vehicle they come in contact with, moving or parked.
Come August, whether the officers using those cars are responding to a call or having coffee, the automated readers will be comparing license plate numbers with databases of stolen cars, wanted persons and court warrants.
The department is spending almost $50,000 for the readers, Chief Thomas Finn said. That total includes $41,000 from the drug interdiction fund × money confiscated in drug cases that is turned over to the department after a case is completed × and $8,700 from a state grant, he said.
Finn expects the system to generate revenue for the city by spotting drivers who failed to pay traffic tickets or who have outstanding municipal court warrants.
The patrol cars with the system will be obvious, because they will have the cameras mounted on their trunks, Finn said. But he figures that by the time a driver notices camera, it will be too late to avoid it.
North Las Vegas Police have one license plate reader, and Metro Police have used several license plate readers since 2006. Metro says readers have helped identify hundreds of stolen cars and have led to many arrests.
Henderson police do not have license plate readers but will soon because the department recently got a grant to purchase as many as eight, Officer Todd Rasmussen said.
Jean Reid Norman can be reached at 948-2073 or at jean.norman@lasvegassun.com. Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 259-4094 or at
jeremy.twitchell@lasvegassun.com.
Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Sun
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