Letters stirred fond memories of service

In her July 18 letter to the editor, Ms. Sturgis asks for candor in identifying oneself when penning an opinion in our local paper.

I suppose that's fair especially for anyone directly connected to a special interest group.

My special interest is the promotion of financial viability in our County and the protection of our quality of life. During my 17-year residency in the Carson Valley, I have worked in the development business, served four years on the DC Planning Commission, served on the Redevelopment Agency Citizens Advisory Board and have held every office in the Douglas County Building Industry Association. I proudly wear all of these accomplishments on my sleeve.

And yes Ms. Sturgis, serving in the aforementioned positions does indeed qualify me as average Joe Citizen because that's what people do who live in Douglas County.

Our County is steeped in the tradition of volunteerism and thrives on the involvement of its average citizens.

While involved in the association, we promoted the business interests of the small builder/developer, a practice that continues today. Through one of DCBIA's many community minded efforts, we raised more than $50,000 and purchased a mobile fire safety house that we donated to the East Fork Fire District. This house is used today throughout the County to teach school aged children about fire safety and prevention.

As members of the Citizens Advisory Board, we were instrumental in advising the county regarding the establishment of the redevelopment agency in the north county. How wonderful it is that our residents don't need to drive to Carson and Reno (especially at $4 a gallon) to have access to quality shopping, not to mention the conversion of vacant land to a property tax and sales tax revenue generating source for our County.

As a planning commissioner, I served in a completely unbiased manner and was pleased to have participated in many master plan amendments and land use decisions. The participation in the master plan amendment decisions is of particular satisfaction as it demonstrates that the master plan is a living document that can and should change as the needs of the county change. It's important to note that of the total 121 amendment applications submitted since 1996, almost 25 percent were denied and 45 percent were either text amendments or mapping errors. Equally important to note is the master plan amendments that were approved resulted in eliminating about 1,700 previously approved residential lots from the development rolls in Douglas County.

Finally as for my development experience, the Rocky Terrace subdivision is a shining example of the master plan in action at its best. In 1996, the "will of the people" was to implement a mechanism to control growth and steer growth to the areas best suited for development. Part of the plan was to establish receiving areas for future development. Rocky Terrace is located in such a receiving area and was an approved subdivision when our company purchased the land. We were then required to purchase transfer development rights from the open space ranch lands (sending areas), and as a result there are many more hundreds of acres preserved in perpetuity for the green areas we love so much. Rocky Terrace also constructed a municipal water well at a cost of more than $700,000 that we subsequently dedicated to GRGID and which now provides an arsenic free water supply to many residents in the Gardnerville Ranchos.

So thanks again Judy for stirring the memories and reminding me that volunteerism is what makes our community a great place to live. It's certainly been rewarding for me.

Larry Walsh is a Gardnerville resident and former Douglas County planning commissioner, past member - Citizens Advisory Board for North County Redevelopment Agency, Past President of Douglas County Building Industry Association and proud member of the Development Community.