Congregate care memory unit on horizon in Carson City

A nursing home with a memory care unit planned for Mountain and West Washington streets in Carson City got the green light Thursday, but action on a large housing subdivision was delayed.

The city’s Board of Supervisors, without dissent, adopted an ordinance to change zoning of property at Mountain and Washington from public community to multi-family apartment to pave the way for Carson Tahoe Health and Prestige Care, a nursing home chain based in the northwest, to put up what it calls a congregate care facility with a memory care unit. It’s to go on property at 1001 Mountain and 608/610 W. Washington streets.

The board, however, didn’t get to take up an item originally on the agenda calling for approval and acceptance of the Schulz Ranch Landscape Maintenance District Petition, which is a step required before start of work toward a subdivision that initially is going to have 100 lots. The subdivision plan eventually would have places for 424 houses at the city’s south edge.

“They’re just not ready yet,” said Roger Moellendorf, city Parks and Recreation Department director, when the Nevada Appeal asked why the item had been removed from the agenda at the beginning of Thursday morning’s meeting. He said some details still need to be worked out. Moellendorf expects the item to return on an April agenda.

The Schulz Ranch development in the Racetrack Road area east of U.S. 395 would be the largest subdivision in some time and the first major subdivision in Carson City since the Great Recession.

The board also approved grant funding for sidewalk construction and various organizations, heard a report from City Manager Nick Marano on state legislation of interest to city government, paved the way for an $18 million bond issue and approved three contracts.

Working on community development block grant and community support services grant funding, the board sent $190,848 to the city’s Public Works Department for Empire Elementary School area Americans with Disabilities Act sidewalk upgrades; approved $45,406 for a Carson City School District school-based health center, and $52,442 for a Community Counseling Center for a drug court start-up program.

Community support services funding for youth included: Advocates to End Domestic Violence, $5,900; the Boys and Girls Clubs for teen programming, $19,400; Carson City Symphony Association for strings in schools, $7,200; Ron Wood Family Resource Center operations, $25,000, and Big Brothers Big Sisters for Carson City mentoring, $10,000.

Other community support services general funding and recipients included: $30,000 for Ron Wood Family Resource Center’s Reach-Up; $25,000 each for CASA of Carson City and Nevada Rural Counties RSVP; $20,000 for United Latino Community’s family advocacy; $13,000 for the Senior Center’s meals on wheels; $10,000 each for Ron Wood Family Resource Center’s food bank and the Community Counseling Center’s drug court start-up; $9,000 each for Food For Thought’s summer youth food program, the Advocates to End Domestic Violence emergency shelter and the Capital City Circles Initiative; $7,000 for the Ormsby Association of Carson City for an adults’ independence program, and $3,000 for FISH to help with dental care and ID replacement for those in need.

Marano, in his report on legislation of interest, included two on possible road repair funding. He said Senate Bill 149 carries fiscal impact notes from state agencies, so it might face problems despite Carson City and others’ support. He said Assembly Bill 191 would put fuel tax indexing on ballots for county option consideration, which city government also favors.

“No one likes to have a tax increase,” Marano said, “but we do need to have additional funds.” He said the city might be better served if it were a statewide rather than county option proposal, but either way road money was lacking.

The board approved a resolution paving the way for an $18 million sewer bond issue that’s part of the ongoing sewer system and wastewater treatment plant upgrades, as well as three pacts.

The contacts were for $72,465 to have Terracon do special building inspections during construction of the multi-purposed athletic center, $273,000 for Farr Construction Corp., doing business as Resource Development Co., to handle the Ash Canyon Water Tank Re-Paint project, and for $200,000 for jail lock system work by Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, Inc. The latter is a Joinder contract in conjunction with state government involvement.