The painted rock that gives Painted Rock Mine its name.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
You’d think living next door to a piece of open government land would provide you some sort of comfort that it would remain that way.
But this is Nevada, and there have been many instances where plots of government land became private land and then homes, a casino, a sawmill or a gravel pit.
Douglas County staff is presenting an agreement to county commissioners on Thursday that would permit the use of Johnson Lane with certain limitations in exchange for part of the proceeds to be used to maintain the road.
Back in August, when commissioners sent staff out to negotiate with Knox Excavation, they delayed the approval of an ordinance to prohibit truck traffic on a couple of hundred feet of Johnson Lane above Nye Drive.
Knox made it pretty clear they would sue in federal court. The county turning down money to fix the road might be interpreted by a judge as discriminatory toward the company. We don’t know, but it does seem like something their attorneys would argue.
One of the great things about Nevada are the wide open spaces we enjoy, but there’s a two-edged sword for those folks who happen to live next door. On Tuesday night, the Gardnerville Town Board discussed reopening the plan for Mountain View Park at the behest of park neighbors, who would prefer it didn’t become too popular.
Week before last, county commissioners approved negotiating with a developer to complete Vista Grande Boulevard on land that until early 2023 was under the control of the U.S. Forest Service.
Across Highway 395, there’s a housing development going in on some of the federal land that was auctioned off nearly 20 years ago.
While there are no guarantees in this life, one thing we can say for certain is that if someone purchases or leases a piece of land, chances are they’re going to want to benefit from it.
It’s entirely possible county commissioners may vote on Thursday to turn down the deal.
If they lose in court, what could possibly be the consequence, besides of course the trucks rolling and a hefty legal bill?
