The Lincoln County Regional Development Authority (LCRDA) held a meeting May 20.
After the last meeting’s minutes were approved, amendments to LCRDA’s fiscal year 2020 budget, to include additional revenues, were discussed. Executive Director Jeff Fontaine said that the board’s approval of the fiscal year 2020 budget did not include any contributions from Lincoln County. A motion was passAed to amend LCRDA’s 2020 budget to include Lincoln County’s contribution of $10,000 with the funding added to the Capital/Match category.
Next, a revision to LCRDA’s logo was discussed.
Though a flyer was distributed to high schools in Lincoln County asking students to submit designs for LCRDA’s new logo, no submissions were received. Chairman Dave Hurd said the board had already asked Ben Rowley to review other development authority logos and come up with some ideas for LCRDA. Fontaine said he would contact Rowley to ask him if he could have some designs available for the next meeting in Caliente.
Next on the agenda was a discussion about possible action to solicit quotes and requests for proposals for a contract to design maps, brochures and other information to be funded by the Lincoln County Regional Authority’s Recreational Trails Program Grant of $39,525 for the Lincoln County Recreational Trails Mapping and Information Program.
Fontaine said under the grant requirements certain procedures must be followed to select the contractor to perform the design work. He said that based on written guidance and conversations with the Recreational Trails Program staff at the Division of State Parks, a minimum of three bids will be required. Since this is a professional services agreement, qualifications may be considered in the selection process as long as these are documented.
Fontaine suggested a hybrid selection process which includes an evaluation of qualifications and experience as well as a bid. He said he would contact three media companies and bring their responses to a future meeting.
A motion was unanimously passed to move forward with the request for proposals process.
Providing an update on the 2019 session of the Nevada Legislature, Fontaine said there are only two weeks left in the legislative session and all remaining bills must be passed out of the second House by this Friday, May 24. Only those bills requiring an appropriation will remain alive after Friday. Fontaine promised a full report of the entire Session at the next meeting.
Hurd asked about the contract with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Fontaine said the final amount won’t be known until after the legislature adopts the final budget.
Next, Fontaine discussed the meeting he and Steve Clarke had at the Cooperative Extension in Carson City May 2 with Holly Gatzke regarding renewable energy and materials from Pinyon Juniper Biomass. He, Clarke, and Gatzke, plus the director and deputy director of the Nevada Office of Energy, met with the rural economic and community development director and other staff of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Fontaine said Clarke was well received and the Economic Development staff were very familiar with Clarke’s previous Aqua Metals Project and offered to assist him in the pinyon juniper project in Lincoln County. Fontaine said that he and Clarke are trying to set up a meeting with staff in the BLM field office in Ely to discuss the proposed project. Clarke is very interested in meeting with members of the community and other groups to discuss his proposal.
Commissioner Varlin Higbee said there might be some county land and private property available for his pilot study.
Next, Hurd read a report prepared by Lincoln County Authority of Tourism Chairwoman Marcia Hurd.
This was followed by an update on the installation of service club and religious organization signs in Lincoln County by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT).
Fontaine said he contacted NDOT after the last meeting to let them know that the modifications to the sign locations in Panaca and Alamo were okay. He received an email that the work order was signed and sent out to the sign shop. NDOT also informed him that they planned to get the sign blanks ordered and sent to the Las Vegas District Office as soon as possible at which time they could be picked up. Fontaine said the next step is for Rowley to start the design and printing process.
After last meeting, Fontaine also emailed Ken Dixon and spoke with Jan Cole to about NDOT’s public workshop for the Caliente to Kershaw-Ryan State Park multi-use path which is being planned for July in Caliente.
Higbee said he recently met with officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior and was told that Southern Nevada Policy and Land Management Act funding might be available for projects in Lincoln County. Fontaine and Higbee will follow up on possible projects.
The next LCRDA meeting will be held June 10 at the Caliente City Hall. Fontaine said that he might be meeting with the BLM in Ely in the afternoon and requested that the meeting begin at 5 p.m.
