COLUMN: Carmel Hopkins

One of the most fascinating projects in Las Vegas is the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, located at Alta Drive and Valley View Boulevard.

I recently toured the work in progress with Kevin Parsons, a partner in Parsons Brothers Rockeries, and was surprised by how far the project had progressed.

Parsons and his crew are building the rock walls that keep the roads from shifting and the soil from eroding. I watched the track hoe pick up massive rocks and place them gently, turning them if needed, leveling them off if needed, and building the wall in a manner similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle.

The workers gave me a quick rundown on how to operate the equipment, then took their lives in their hands, standing by as I took the driver's seat, picked up a rock, moved it and set it back down.

What Parsons Bros. is doing at the preserve is a small part of a massive infrastructure project.

Jerry Stueve, senior civil engineer with the Las Vegas Valley Water District, said about $50 million is going into the current part of the project. This means walls, pipes, cables, electric lines, water retention basins -- all of the unseen essentials must be in place before erecting buildings.

"The infrastructure is about 50 percent complete and is scheduled to be completed in September," Stueve said. "Work on some of the structures should begin in August."

The target date is May 15, 2005.

"We're shooting to have the project done in time for the city of Las Vegas' grand centennial celebration." Some of the funding for the preserve will come from the bond issue recently approved by voters, some of the money is coming from the Water District and some is from private donations.

"As good stewards of the site, this is money we would spend on the area anyway," Stueve said, noting that $70 million is allocated for the design phase.

Three building contracts will be put up for public bids: the visitor's center, Desert Living Center, and Garden Support facility. Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects is designing the Visitor's Center; Lucchesi Galati Architects is working on the design for the Garden Support and Desert Living centers; and the trail system is being drawn up by C&B, a Houston-based firm with experience in that type of landscape design.

Stueve said the new gardens will encompass about 4 1/2 acres -- three times its current size.

"We'll actually have two real garden areas," he said. "The two will be primarily desert living areas, taking the concepts we started and expanding and building on them. Another 3 acres will be in common areas and will demonstrate the use of native plant communities and appropriate plants from around the world, adapting them to this desert. We'll be doing about 11 1/2 to 12 acres of landscaping."

Stueve was especially excited about the "cienega," 10 to 15 acres of desert wetlands that will be contained in the recently expanded water retention basin.

"We'll be directing `nuisance flows' -- water from lawn runoff, etc. -- through a riparian waterway where we'll be planting mesquites and cottonwoods. Those plants will treat the nuisance water, and the outgoing flow will be much cleaner than the water going into it."

The waterway will be beneficial to the birds and animals already living in the preserve, and it is hoped that migrating birds will increasingly use this desert wetlands.

Anyone wishing to donate funds to the project can do it through the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Foundation. Check out the Web site at lvspringspreserve.org. and look up foundation. Funding also is obtained through the Vegas Springs license plates, and information about that source is also on the Web site.

The preserve is for the public and will be a great addition to the quality of life in Southern Nevada. Congratulations to the people who have put in so much hard work to begin making this massive park a reality.

Carmel Hopkins, real estate product manager for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun, can be reached at 380-4574. Her e-mail address is Carmel_Hopkins@ lasvegasnewspapers.com. Snail mail is P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.

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