The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. University of Nevada and Washoe County celebrate collaboration during special UNR Day at the Commission: The University of Nevada, Reno, hosted a special UNR Day at the Washoe County Administration Complex with informational tables on eight colleges or programs, from the Latino Research Center and Athletics to the Orvis School of Nursing and Nevada Seismology Lab. The College of Engineering demonstrated a robot, and the Cooperative Extension sampled tri-tip from its Mobile Harvest Unit.
University President Brian Sandoval presented an overview of the university’s enrollment and accolades, noting the more than 24,000 students and 3,500 faculty and staff across 500 programs and degrees. The University of Nevada, Reno, is a Carnegie R1 research institution and ranks in the top 130 public universities in America according to Niche.
The University is launching a new College of Veterinary Medicine, which will be the only veterinary degree program in the state of Nevada when it launches around 2029.
Sandoval also provided an update on recent and upcoming construction including University Village, Nevada State Health Laboratory, a new Athletics fieldhouse, and the basketball arena at the Grand Sierra Resort.
The Board also approved the transfer of a mobile health vehicle from Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) to the university for its newly formed Street Reach program. This new program takes health professionals to those experiencing homelessness to treat health issues where they are.
“It’s fabulous, the growth, the personal growth for the students you’re talking about, the improvements in the community, the buildings,” Commissioner Mike Clark said. “It enriches everyone in the county and truly adds value to the county. It’s a real return on investment for all citizens here. So thank you for what you’re doing. You and your team are just doing a fabulous job.”
2. Board approves rezoning of parcel east of Sparks from recreation use to General Rural zoning: The Board conducted a public hearing and approved the rezoning of 170 acres in a 624-acre parcel near Mustang Road off of Interstate 80. The full parcel was originally zoned General Rural but was amended in 2013 to rezone 170 acres of it to Parks and Recreation to accommodate off-road racing events. However, the applicant no longer uses the parcel for recreation and requested another amendment to return the entire parcel back to General Rural.
3. Board approves Community Support Grants: The Board approved a total of $39,000 in Community Support Grants to three organizations. Community Support funds are available to local community-based providers to support services that address diverse health and human service needs in the community or contribute to economic development and quality-of-life issues.
- $20,000 to the Gerlach General Improvement District for maintenance and renovations of the Historic Gerlach Water Tower and the other parks facilities in Gerlach. The Gerlach water tower was built in 1909 by the Utah Construction Company under contract to the Western Pacific Railroad Company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
- $9,000 to the Tahoe Prosperity Center to provide economic development support through Tahoe Inc. Roundtable events and the 2026 Business Walks economic conditions survey and outreach.
- $10,000 to Incline Village-Crystal Bay Business Association (IVCBA) to support the Incline Village Crystal Bay Main Street program. IVCBA will use these funds for communication and community event programs that benefit and engage the entire community while supporting the local economy.
4. Board approves donations to Washoe County Sheriff’s Office programs: The Board approved a $53 gift card donation from a community member to be used for food purchases by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Community Engagement Office. The Board also approved a donation from Hot August Nights to the Washoe County CERT Program, which provides volunteer support services during the annual event. The $3,326 donation is intended to be used to support the Citizen Corps Programs teams, including but not limited to the purchase or repair of equipment and supplies to be used in emergency response, training, drills, support events or rehab during disasters.
