April 29, 2021, Letters to the Editor

Lack of affordable housing has impact

Editor:

As a student of the Leadership Douglas County class of 2021, I have been blessed with the amazing opportunity to meet with multiple employers in the Douglas County area.

These meetings allow us to learn about what each business or organization does, who they serve, how they operate, and discuss the struggles they have faced with COVID. After hearing from many employers in our area, I hear one concern repeated over and over.

These businesses, nonprofit organizations, and family-owned small businesses have all conveyed the same concern: lack of affordable and available housing in the Carson Valley has left many employers without job applicants to fulfill their organization's needs.

When I hear this concern from employers in contrast with our community members' request for more restaurants or more entertainment options, I can't help but wonder how any of this could be possible if our valley can not provide adequate and attainable housing for our current workforce. Like myself, I know some of my colleagues and friends express the same frustration at the lack of housing options here in the Valley and express their views in responding to County and Master Plan surveys on social media.

However, I would like to encourage the Board of County Commissioners to hold a Town Hall-style meeting where representatives from all employers in Douglas County are invited to come together and discuss really how serious the lack of affordable housing is and how this affects many of our long-standing and loyal businesses in our community.

Please County Commissioners - the need for available, affordable, and attainable housing is real; let our local businesses have the opportunity to share with you how this affects their day-to-day operations and their inability to recruit and retain employees.

Alison Wiggins

Gardnerville

Water concerns an emergency

Editor:

An April 21 Nevada Appeal article, “West prepares for possible 1^st water shortage declaration”, reported that “the man-made lakes that store water supplying millions of people in the west and Mexico are projected to shrink to historic lows in the coming months, dropping to levels that could trigger the federal government’s first-ever official shortage declaration and prompt cuts in Arizona and Nevada.”

“The [US Bureau of Reclamation’s] models project that Lake Mead will fall below 1,075 feet for the first time ever in June 2021 . . . the level that prompts a shortage declaration” that would include Nevada and “threaten electricity generation at Hoover Dam.” This projection wasn’t made by hysterical greenies; it’s the result of years long deteriorating drought conditions. Douglas County’s aquafer is already being strained by high demand; some well owners have reported nitrate plumes and concerns about arsenic.

Emergency in Douglas County

We, the undersigned, are part of a group of county residents that grew frustrated trying to convince last term’s Douglas County Commission to stop irresponsibly approving residential overbuilding. The Penzel-Walsh-Rice board indulged their special friends in the development community, allowing mega-projects that have clogged our roads with traffic and put more strain on our aquafer. Douglas County voters agreed with us and replaced them with Commissioners in the last election who took their concerns seriously.

The developer establishment has accused us of selfishness, claiming that after we moved here we tried to keep others from doing the same. No, more like we’re all in an overcrowded lifeboat and we can’t accommodate any more population growth. Developers and major landowners are preparing to put thousands more straws in the ground. It won’t take long in severe drought conditions to set off fights between residential and agricultural water customers, likely leading to severe rationing and other undesirable conservation measures.

Our finite water supply shows signs of being oversubscribed. It’s imperative that Douglas County recognize this worsening drought as a water supply crisis and declare an emergency that would indefinitely postpone or cancel large scale housing developments that were recklessly approved by the prior board.

Lynn and Jan Muzzy

Minden

St. Gall thanks sale supporters

Editor

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the St. Gall Rummage Sale Leadership Team, Katy Weber, chair; Melody Filice, Jan O’Brien and Sandi Morrison for their outstanding job of coordinating the Spring Rummage Sale. A special thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make the sale a success, including those who donated merchandise as well as the shoppers who participated in the event.

Advertising was an important feature to make this event successful, so a special thank you goes to Joe Benigno of Joe Benigno Tree Service, and to Nita Summers, Gardnerville property owner, for allowing us to post banners on their respective properties. In addition, a special Shout Out to Kurt Hildebrand, editor of the Record Courier for his help in adding and updating our event to the Calendar section of the newspaper as well as always supporting our events; and to Christine Ostler who developed an amazing advertisement for us to place in the Garage Sale section of the newspaper. Finally, thank you to Duane Hayward and the COD Casino for advertising the Rummage Sale on the COD marquee. Without all your help we would not have been as successful.

I am so proud to be a resident of Douglas County: home to the best volunteers.

Diane Ogden-Sisneros

St. Gall Rummage Volunteer