The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Board awards contract to begin work on South Valleys Regional Park infrastructure upgrade: In order to begin to carry out the South Valleys Regional Park Master Plan as approved in 2016, Washoe County Community Services Department (CSD) applied for and received $2 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Recovery Fund (SLFRF). This will be added to other funding sources to start construction. Six bids were submitted for Phase 1 work, and the Board approved the contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Sierra Nevada Construction, for a total cost of $2.5 million.
South Valleys Regional Park is located in an urban portion of South Reno on Wedge Parkway, just west of Interstate 580. The 105-acre park includes multi-use turf areas, playgrounds, baseball fields, a library, a park maintenance facility, group picnic shelters, parking, restrooms, concession building, and open space.
In March of 2024, DOWL engineering was hired to design and provide engineering services for the development of approximately 35 acres of South Valleys Regional Park. The construction of the expansion will be done in phases based on funding. The Base Bid work for this first phase includes demolition and removal of existing facilities, grading of the site according to the plans and specifications, and the placement and compaction of fill and aggregate base. A segment of the designed roadway and parking lot will be installed along with sidewalks, curb, gutter, striping and signage. Additionally, the project will install storm, sewer, and irrigation lines, lighting and electrical equipment, and landscaping with irrigation controls.
Read more about the park expansion project here.
2. Board provides direction on prioritizing implementation of Envision Washoe 2040 Master Plan: The Envision Washoe 2040 Master Plan sets the policy-level vision that guides future growth and development in the unincorporated County. It was adopted in November 2023, and at that time, the Board identified the first six initiatives to begin implementation of the plan. Washoe County Planning and Building Division Director Kelly Mullin presented a status report on those first six initiatives and sought direction on adding an initiative relating to permitting requirements for equine businesses, as requested by Commissioner Clara Andriola. Staff recommended that this additional initiative be prioritized as No. 5, which would shift the other initiatives in the following order:
- County-wide affordable housing initiatives
- Resources to implement new master plan
- Tahoe Area Plan update
- Public noticing
- NEW: Equine businesses
- Warm Springs ground water rights dedications
- Dashboard indicators for measuring plan achievements
3. Board approves funding transfer to augment Capital Improvement Plan budget: The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) contains capital projects that are $100,000 or larger and have a lifespan of more than one year. In fiscal year 2024, which ended June 20, 2024, there were several budgeted projects that were not completed, and the funding for them became available for re-appropriation this fiscal year. The Board voted to approve the transfer of funds from last fiscal year to this fiscal year in the amount of $13.3 million in the CIP fund and $1.3 million in the Parks Capital Projects Fund.
4. Board accepts Annual Comprehensive Financial Report: Washoe County Comptroller Cathy Hill presented the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), which is audited by an outside auditor, Eide Bailly LLC and resulted in an unmodified opinion. The report and auditor’s findings must be presented to the Board of County Commissioners before it is submitted to Nevada Department of Taxation. The approved ACFR is for the past fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2024. The Board also approved the re-appropriation of $41,822,481.55 for the fiscal year 2025, consisting of just under $15 million for purchase order encumbrances committed in fiscal year 2024 and $27 million for spending of restricted contributions and fees.
5. Board approves District 1 Special Fund allocations to various nonprofits and government organizations: Chair Alexis Hill allocated a total of $63,235 to be dispersed among six local nonprofit organizations. The Board approved the following:
- $25,000 to Truckee North Tahoe/Transportation Management Association to support the North Lake Tahoe Express Airport Shuttle
- $20,000 to Tahoe Fund for the educational Take Care of Tahoe winter and summer billboards
- $10,000 to Tahoe Fund to support the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council
- $5,000 to Washoe County Community Services Department to support Clean Tahoe professional fees
- $2,235 to Washoe County Community Services Department: Parks and Open Space to cover the park fees at the Hawkins Amphitheater for Gospel fest
- $1,000 to Education Renaissance of Nevada Initiative to support the Spellbinders Festival
###
