Celebrate Black History Month

In remembrance of the great achievements of African Americans throughout history, Clark County is proud to celebrate Black History Month. 

The month-long celebration, starting in February, was established to honor the birthdays of both Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. History books paid little attention to African American history until recently, so little was known about the impact that leaders such as Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and other had on shaping the Civil Rights Movement.

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of those who came before us. Here are a few celebrations in District E:

Thursday, February 7 and 28

Winchester Cultural Center

3130 S. McLeod

7 p.m. 

Free

Winchester Cultural Center will be screening two biographical films showcasing the remarkable lives and fabulous careers of Ray Charles and Billie Holiday in celebration of Black History Month. Please call 455-7340 for more information.

Wednesday, February 13

Parkdale Community Center

3200 Ferndale

11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Admissions $5

Parkdale Senior Program will be holding a Black History Celebration. A mouth watering menu of southern food will be served while enjoying the music of Dele Adefemi.

Saturday, February 23

Cambridge Recreation Center

3930 Cambridge

6 - 9 p.m.

Cost $6 children under 17, ages 4 and under free, adults $8

Bring the entire family out to celebrate Black History and enjoy a Southern BBQ and a movie. Movie to be revealed the day of showing. Register at any Clark County Community Center or pay at the door.

For more information about some of the other events around town click here.

Environmental Officials Offer Residents More Testing

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) is offering residents living east of the Boulevard Mall to have their homes undergo air quality tests.  These tests will determine whether vapors from tetrachloroethylene (also known as “perchloroethylene” or PCE) contamination affecting groundwater in the area are present in indoor air.

Tests overseen by NDEP have confirmed the presence of PCE in an area of groundwater under the neighborhood east of the Boulevard Mall.

More than 150 residents were warned last year that the solvent used to clean fabrics, has seeped into shallow groundwater beneath the former Maryland Square Shopping Center. The source of the chemical appears to have originated from the now defunct Al Phillips the Cleaners on Maryland Parkway on Twain Avenue, according the NDEP officials.

State environmental officials tested half of the homes in the area. Most homes showed no detection of PCE, however, a small percentage of homes did show concentrations exceeding NDEP's health-protective level. 

Environmental officials stress, however, that PCE is not in the drinking water. Recent samples of indoor air show that PCE does not pose an immediate health concern.

More testing is needed to determine if the contaminated groundwater is contributing PCE vapors to indoor air since long-term exposures (30 years or more) can pose a health concern. In order to make that determination, NDEP officials will be requesting to collect and air sample of the potentially affected homes.  NDEP will be offering testing to residents who have not already had their homes tested and are located in areas adjacent to homes that have had detections of PCE in indoor air from the first round of testing.

 If your home is in the potentially affected area, you will be receiving a letter from the NDEP in early February, 2008.

Samples will be completely voluntary and free of charge. To get more information on this issue click here or call (702) 486-0975

Yucca Mountain News 

Attempts to block the Yucca Mountain have been met with more delays. Here are the latest developments: 

• The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that the license application deadline is likely to slip to later in the calendar year. The latest self-imposed deadline was June 30, 2008. Now, DOE officials are saying they "hope" to file an application this calendar year.  They are directly linking the $108 million in budget cut to this deadline slippage. Also linked to the budget cuts will be 500 plus in Yucca Mountain contract employee layoffs, primarily in Nevada and New Mexico. A two-year delay in transportation plans and progress on a rail line in Nevada was also announced this week.  Further cuts to the transportation program are anticipated as the DOE achieves a bare-bones focus on the license application goal.

• Clark County Nuclear Waste Division staff successfully certified our document collection with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today.  Successfully achieving this milestone was a critical, mandatory step toward active participation in the NRC licensing proceeding.  We were required to certify our collection within 90 days of the DOE certification. The State of Nevada has filed an appeal with the NRC trying to disqualify the DOE's collection. 

• In a related action, the City of Las Vegas also filed for certification with the NRC. The City plans to rely entirely on documents certified by the State of Nevada and Clark County. Most importantly, the Las Vegas City Council approved participation in the Joint Prosecution and Confidentiality Agreement with the State of Nevada. The county also has the option of participating with the State and the City.  The county is working with the DA's office to come up with some clarifying language in the agreement, and working with the State to obtain answers to questions County Commission members asked in briefings several weeks ago.  Time was of the essence for the City, as the only way they can establish standing in the NRC licensing proceeding is to partner with the State or some other entity with automatic standing, like Clark County, to be able to participate as a party.  As an affected unit of local government (AULG) under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the county automatically has standing to participate.  Entering into a Joint Prosecution agreement with the City and State is not as critical for us, and the timeframe for a decision is shifting as the DOE's license application timeframe is delayed. 

If you have questions, please call 455-5129.

Update on Townhall Issues

• Townhall meetings were held at community centers throughout District E in September, October, and November 2007. We heard your concerns and wanted to give you an update on the progress we are making. Here are some of the issues that are being addressed:

  • Streetlights that were out at Marion Drive and Cliffview Circle were repaired.
  • The pedestrian light at Charleston Boulevard and Lamb Boulevard was too short. The city of Las Vegas is addressing this issue. 
  • Flashers were installed on the 4-way stop signs at Vegas Valley Drive and McLeod Drive.
  • Cabana Drive and Desert Inn Road does meet the warrants for a traffic signal. Public Works will be contracting for the design of the signal and should be under construction by summer 2008.
  • A bus shelter on the Southside of Sahara Avenue at Nellis Boulevard will be installed to replace the shelter destroyed by an accident. A shelter has been installed on the northwest side of Sloan Lane at Sahara Avenue.
  • At Lamb Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive the westbound straight through lane has been modified so vehicles can either go straight or turn left. Now there are two left turn lanes.
  • Streetlights on the west side of Hollywood Boulevard, across from the recreation center, have been repaired.
  • The streetlights on Palm Street between St. Louis Avenue and Sahara Avenue were out. These have been repaired.
  • A traffic study at Mabel Road and Christy Lane was conducted and warrants were not met to install a multi-way stop sign at that location.
  • A traffic study for Winterwood Boulevard and Sahara Avenue has been completed and the results will be available in February.
  • Neighbors near the Sloan flood channel opening on Flowering Plum Avenue were concerned that children cutting through this area would be injured and requested the opening be covered.  Public Works completed this request.

Sewer Rehabilitation Project Progresses on Twain

Sewer pipeline rehabilitation work is progressing on Twain Avenue and nearby streets on the east side of Las Vegas as the Clark County Water Reclamation District (District) announces new traffic impacts in the area. 

“Work in this area began in November and crews are working as efficiently as possible to complete this project by the end of summer,” said Sam Scire, assistant general manager for the District. “We continue to advise drivers and pedestrians to take extra precautions and allow extra time when traveling through this area while we work underground.” 

Expect the following 24-hour traffic impacts on Twain Avenue:

For more information and traffic updates, drivers can call the project hotline at 853-1333, or visit www.cleanwaterteam.com. 

About the CCWRD
The Clark County Water Reclamation District was created in 1954. It services the unincorporated portions of Clark County within the Las Vegas Valley, as well as the communities of Blue Diamond, Indian Springs, Laughlin, Overton and Searchlight. The District collects and treats more than 100 million gallons of wastewater each day utilizing more than 2,300 miles of pipeline.

County Assessor's Office Gives Tax Assistance to Seniors

Each year, from February 1st through April 30th, the Clark County Assessor’s Office administers the Senior Citizen Tax Assistance/Rent Rebate Program. This statewide program refunds a portion of property taxes or rent paid to eligible senior citizens. This applies to any person meeting the requirements below regardless of whether they own a home, rent an apartment or house, or live in a manufactured home. Please review the requirements below to see if you may qualify, or if you may know of someone that may qualify.

To be eligible for the program:

• An applicant must be 62 years of age or older by June 30th of the year he/she applies.

• Applicants must have been a resident of Clark County for at least six months of the previous year.

• Total household income must be $27,863 or less (plus or minus an adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index) for the calendar year of 2007. This includes Social Security income.

• Applicants cannot have "liquid assets" that exceed $150,000. "Liquid assets" can be savings accounts, IRA's, C-D's, stocks & bonds, annuities, etc.

• Homeowners assessed value may not exceed $200,000 ($571,000 taxable value).

• An applicant cannot own property (other than their residence) with an assessed value in excess of $30,000 ($85,700 taxable value in Nevada).

The State Division of Aging Services requires that first time applicants provide proof of age (birth certificate, Nevada I.D. or some other legal document).

If you think you may qualify, or if you know of someone that may qualify for this program, we encourage you to contact the Assessor's Office at 455-3882 for assistance.

Completed applications are sent to the Assessor’s Office to start the process, and from their office the application gets forwarded to Carson City. The Division of Aging Services calculates an applicant’s rebate amount based on their taxes or rent paid and their annual household income. Renters receive a refund based on the rent they pay that is attributable to property taxes and their annual income. A homeowner’s refund is calculated based on the taxes they pay on the residence that the claimant occupies. The Division of Aging Services mails the rebate checks to qualified applicants in August and September of each year.

After filing the first application, the process gets easier. The Division of Aging Services will automatically mail out new applications each year to everyone who applied the previous year.

The Assessor’s Office visits many of the senior living complexes during the months of February, March and April to talk about the program and assist those applying with their applications.

If you are interested in having our Office come visit your group and discuss the program, please contact our Office at 455-4982 to schedule an appointment.

The Assessor’s Office processed over 10,000 applications last year. We believe that there are substantially more seniors that could qualify for this program and take advantage of the rebate.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has some helpful tips for staying safe when a stranger comes knocking:

Always have a verbal response to the knock. Avoid giving the impression that the home is unoccupied. This may be a ploy of the burglar to decide if you are home or not. Teach your children what to say so they do not give the impression they are home alone. Know in advance what your response should be and practice it with other family members.

Keep an eye on who you turn away and what they do next. Report anyone who lingers, tries to get a neighbor to open their door, or otherwise acts suspiciously. They may have left your front door but they are still a concern to others. Call the police if necessary and ask that this individual be check out. Non-emergency number is 3-1-1 and emergency number is 9-1-1.

In a gated community, take as many precautions as you would if the gate were not there. If someone calls your home from the gate and creates a reason to be let into the neighborhood, do not let them in if you cannot verify who and why.

Be suspicious of the unexpected knocks. If you are not expecting anyone, service call or otherwise, do not open the door without asking questions and verifying.

Be aware of the ploys such as fake emergencies, fake deliveries, etc. Know that the person knocking may have a practiced or rehearsed message and it may sound legitimate. Be just as cautious if the knocker is a woman or young adult.

Use you viewing methods to help verify.  Peepholes, nearby windows, vantage points from other rooms may be used to see who is knocking. Enhanced peepholes are recommended.

Do not feel pressured or forced to open your door. You have the ability to allow those into your home that you know and trust. All others are not welcome – or worth the risk!

Consider a high quality security screen door or enclosed porch/entry way to maintain  a barrier between you and the knocker. Especially helpful if the door is opened without verifying as there will still be a protection between you and the other person.

Have adequate exterior lighting so you can clearly see your front door area.

Stop and verify before opening!!! Make it a habit and practice good home security.

Planning and Development Schedules Customer Training

The city of Las Vegas Planning & Development Department has scheduled customer training sessions about updates and revisions to the city's zoning codes and master and special area plans. 

These quarterly sessions will enable customers to stay current as well as ask questions about adopted changes to the codes and plans that occur during the year. 

All of the sessions will be held at 5 p.m. at the Development Services Center in Conference Room 2B located at 731 S. Fourth St. The 2008 sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 22, Tuesday, April 22, Tuesday, July 22 and Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Reservations are not required. For more information, contact Planner II Melissa Hays at (702) 229-4606 or mhays@lasvegasnevada.gov.

USDA Invites Students to Apply for Scholarship

The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program offers scholarships to U.S. citizens who are seeking a bachelor’s degree at 1 of the 18 Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions established by the year 1890 in any field of study in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences or other related disciplines. 

For more information click here.

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