Mineral County, which has been in dire economic straits for more than a decade, is finally beginning to see some daylight.
Shelley Hartmann, director of the county's Economic Development Authority, told Nevada lawmakers that mines are reopening and several new businesses have decided to come to the Hawthorne area.
She said Borealis gold mine is reopening, adding 50 well-paid jobs to the area and DCL Mining is opening a marble quarry. Producing marble for floors, countertops and other construction uses will employ another 80 skilled workers.
Hartmann said they are also proud that a flag manufacturer is moving to town, even though that adds only three new jobs.
The biggest benefit, she said, may come from "realignment" of the deactivated Hawthorne ammunition dump, which she said is converting to a training facility, "since the area looks like Afghanistan." High Desert, a private training firm, will bring up to 100 new jobs providing training for soldiers who may be deployed to places like Afghanistan.
And she said a program for at-risk children could bring up to 300 more people to town.
"We lost 1,300 jobs in the '80s because of the base closure and FMC and Borealis mines closed," she said.
Hawthorne's population shrunk to 3,800.
"Now we're finally growing again."
She asked legislators to support a proposal that would put more money into the Economic Development Commission to distribute to rural counties. She said Mineral County badly needs money to provide infrastructure to support new houses for the new workers coming to town.
"We need 300 homes right now," she said.
