New Fire Chief Appointed
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SPORTS Girls hoops wins playoff opener Page 1B MESQUITE NEWS Hospital names new CEO Page 3B LOCALTHE WEEK OF FEB. 15, 2018 NEWSVol. 14, No. 18 CITY COUNCIL New fire chief appointed By Barbara Ellestad MLN After a tumultuous year in the Mesquite Fire and Rescue Department, the Mesquite City Council appointed Jason Andrus as the newest fire chief on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Andrus, an 11-year veteran of the Mesquite Fire Department, takes the helm as a seven-month temporary appointment of Mesquite Police Chief Troy Tanner as Fire Administrator comes to an end. The Mesquite City Council and City Manager Andy Barton assigned Tan- ner to the administrator position last July in an attempt to bring order to the department after the former Fire Chief Kash Christopher was relieved of his post in May 2017amid turmoil. As part of his temporary duties, Barton charged Tanner with finding a suit- able fire chief within the current ranks of the department rather than looking Barbara Ellestad for a new chief outside the department. Mesquite Police Chief Troy Tanner, left, pins newly selected Mesquite Fire Chief Jason Andrus addressed the council saying “I’ve been in the trenches with the Andrus with a badge after the city council approved Andrus’s appointment on Tuesday, Feb. 13. > See CHIEF, Page 2A GROWTH REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY Building Rising Star permits start receives funding new year with for new signs By Barbara Ellestad big bang MLN By Barbara Ellestad The Mesquite Redevelopment Agen- MLN cy board awarded $100,000 to the Ris- ing Star Sports Ranch at its Tuesday, To say the single-family residential Feb. 13 meeting that will help fund two construction industry in Mesquite is new signs near the facility on Sandhill starting the new year with a big bang Boulevard at the I-15 Exit 122 inter- could be the understatement of the cen- change. tury. The Mesquite City Council compris- The city of Mesquite building depart- es the RDA board, which is devoted to ment issued 52 permits for new single- funding permanent facility upgrades family homes in January with a valua- on properties located within specific tion of $11.319 million. tax districts. The two signs requested By comparison, the city issued 26 per- by the Rising Star fit within the param- mits in January 2017 for new single-fam- eters of the requirements necessary to ily homes valued at $5.874 million. be awarded the funds. Overall, the city issued a whopping 153 Barbara Ellestad The RDA approval was strictly for The new year started off with a bang in new home construction in Mesquite with > See PERMITS, Page 2A 52 permits issued valued at more than $11 million. > See SIGNS, Page 2A SPORTS Three VV wrestlers win state titles ment in piling up 197 points in capturing By Bob Snell the team title. MLN Although the Bulldogs were disappoint- ed in not bringing home the team title, they Although they didn’t meet the goal of did take some satisfaction by placing one a team championship, Virgin Valley did point ahead of Boulder City. The Eagles have three wrestlers win individual state won the 3A South Region tournament and titles at the 3A State wrestling meet Friday defeated the Bulldogs in a dual meet dur- at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. ing the regular season. Rudy Cannon (106 pounds), Ty Smith Smith capped his stellar high school (120) and Cresent Crandall (182) won gold career by winning his fourth consecutive in their respective weight classes to help state title becoming only the 13th wrestler lead the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in Nevada to do so. behind runaway winner Spring Creek. The Drexel University-bound Smith Virgin Valley totaled 99 points to edge pinned all three of his opponents during out nemesis Boulder City (98) and Lowry Friday’s meet. Smith won by fall at 1:47 of Submitted photo of Winnemucca (96.5). Fallon finished fifth the championship match against Spring State champion Ty Smith, left, assistant coach Scott Woods, head coach Sky- with 92 points. ler Woods, state champions Cresent Crandall and Rudy Cannon, and assistant Spring Creek dominated the tourna- > See WRESTLING, Page 5A coach Eli Colburn stand by the Victory Bell Friday night at VVHS. Get your daily news in our newsletter! Sign up at MesquiteLocalNews.com 2A MESQUITE LOCAL NEWS The Week of Feb. 15, 2018 er businesses to apply for permanent Council hears review Signs upgrades to their facilities. continued from Page 1A The Rising Star Sports Ranch under- went a $20 million renovation after Lee of emergency transport purchased the property several years funding the new signs. The Rising ago. Previously, it had been a shuttered Star will be required to submit build- hotel casino since 2000 owned by Mes- By Barbara Ellestad Currently, the city only ing permits and zoning approvals at a quite Gaming. MLN collects about $1 million a later date for the actual construction of In his application to the RDA board, year in IFT reimbursements. the signs. Lee said “Now that we have been open Stressing that no changes whatsoever Greg Lee, Rising Star Sports Ranch for a year, it is clear that we need im- would be made to emergency 911 ambu- After taking into account president, told the RDA board that proved signage both from the freeway lance calls, Assistant to the City Manager the internally generated the cost of the signs is estimated at and on Sandhill Boulevard. After be- Aaron Baker introduced a review of non- fees, the net funding gap has $179,476 plus an additional $20,522 in ing closed for almost 20 years, this cor- emergency inter-facility transports made permit fees. The Rising Star will share ner needs to clearly show it is open for by Mesquite Fire and Rescue Department ranged from $2.2 million to a the full costs of the project with the business, as we have found potential personnel to the Mesquite City Council at budgeted gap of $4.9 million RDA on a 50/50 split according to RDA guests remain confused if we are open its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13. in FY 2017-18, according to guidelines. for business and whether we are a ho- The review, conducted by an outside RDA monies are funded solely by tel or only a sports facility.” agency, Hobbs, Ong and Associates, ex- the report. properties located within special tax The tallest sign at approximately amined IFT operations between medi- districts and currently holds a fund 100 feet will be located between the cal facilities in Mesquite and those in St. pays approximately $182 to $591 for a balance of nearly $5 million. Aaron fieldhouse and I-15 on the north side George, Utah, and Las Vegas. “The city single transfer with Medicare paying Baker, assistant to the city manager, of the facility. A second, 25-foot sign is reviewing the operation of the EMS/ approximately $141 to $496 per transfer. said that $250,000 had been budgeted will be located at the front of the ho- IFT component as a continuation of its “The reimbursements from Medicare for projects in the current fiscal year tel on Sandhill Boulevard. The signs desire to provide the best services pos- and Medicaid seldom, if ever, cover the but that no other businesses had ap- will have static messages rather than sible in the most effective and cost-effi- cost of the transfer,” the report said. plied for the money. After the Rising changing LED messages. Lee said that cient manner,” the report said. Currently, the city only collects about Star approval on Tuesday $150,000 re- LED capability can be added later but According to the report, “approxi- $1 million a year in IFT reimbursements. mains in the budgeted amount for oth- it was too expensive starting out. mately 60 percent of the IFTS are made After taking into account the internally from Mesa View Regional Hospital to St. generated fees, the net funding gap has George destinations with the remainder ranged from $2.2 million to a budgeted generally to Las Vegas area destinations.” gap of $4.9 million in FY 2017-18, accord- The report examined the costs of the ing to the report. LIST and SELL your HOME transports showing that a five-hour The report made several recommenda- transfer staffed with full-time personnel tions on a short-term, 6-month schedule with MB Realty costs approximately $1,854 while that that included using reserve firefighters And receive same transfer using part-time staff costs for IFTs prior to using on-duty firefight- “CRUISE CERTIFICATE FOR TWO”* $1,072 thereby saving the city $782. ers, reviewing ambulance fees to deter- *Restrictions apply. The costs of a four-hour transfer us- mine if administrative paperwork can be ing full-time staff costs approximately reduced, and implementing an incident $1,306 while part-time staff making the reporting system that will capture more same transfer costs approximately $680, data that can be used for analysis. saving $626. On a long-term, 12-month basis, Most IFTs have been using full-time the report recommended a taskforce staff and using overtime-paid regular charged with examining ways to reduce staff to cover in the firehouses. The report costs and increase reimbursements. The suggested that reserve firefighters could taskforce would be comprised primarily be utilized for IFTs rather that using on- of city officials and representatives from duty firefighters as a way to reduce costs. affected medical facilities in Mesquite, “The city has shown that the Mesquite St.