Home of the Hoover Dam and ‘ramcam’

Nevada is simply a sprawling authorities with astir of its radical successful 2 colonisation centers. But beyond the reaches of Las Vegas and Reno is simply a onshore filled with attractions and history. Some of them, of course, mightiness not beryllium acquainted to astir Nevadans. The Sun has reached retired to mayors and representatives of the Silver State’s 19 cities, giving them a level successful our pages to speech astir their area’s past and attractions and to picture what makes them peculiar and what challenges they face.

Today, we contiguous a Q+A with Boulder City Mayor Joe Hardy.

Give america a past lesson. What makes your jurisdiction unique?

We are the metropolis that built Hoover Dam! In 1931, during the depths of the Great Depression, 5,000 radical descended connected this community, looking for enactment connected the “Boulder Dam” project.

Today, we are location to employees for the Bureau of Reclamation, spot millions of visitors who walk done connected the mode to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, and of people folks who travel retired to spot our bighorn sheep successful Hemenway Park. (You tin present spot the bighorns online excessively astatine www.bcnv.org/ramcam.)Voters enacted a slow-growth ordinance successful the 1980s, truthful we person precise constricted residential maturation here.

We worth historical preservation, prosecute successful situation preservation, and we are rather self-sustaining; the metropolis manages our not-for-profit, nationalist electrical utilities, cemetery and airport. No short-term rentals are allowed. More than 11% of our residents are veterans; the Southern Nevada State Home for Veterans and Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial cemetery are located here. Boulder City boasts 17 parks and 3 play courses — 2 are city-owned.

What benignant of attractions and events bash you person that radical whitethorn beryllium funny successful visiting?

So many! We person Spring Jam, Damboree (the Fourth of July parade, solemnisation and fireworks), the Wurst Festival each September, Art successful the Park each October and Santa’s Electric Night Parade each December.

For 19 years, Dale Ryan and his wife, Dyanah Musgrave, person made it a labour of emotion to make the “Christmas house” astatine their location astatine 1525 Fifth St. Preparation starts successful the summertime and takes them respective months, but they accidental it’s worthy each infinitesimal of enactment to spot the smiles of astir 20,000 radical halt by to spot the lights each year.

Decorations see a train, skis lift, roller coaster and Ferris instrumentality on with much than 100,000 lights. The mates won a nationalist contention connected ABC’s amusement “The Great Christmas Light Fight” successful 2016.

The Boulder Dam Hotel and Museum and the Southern Nevada Railroad Museum are large places to larn astir our past. There are large escapade tourism opportunities, and we person immoderate fantastic organized triathlons and races. Nature lovers admit visiting the bighorn sheep and Lake Mead.

What caller improvement opening successful 2024 has you excited? Why?

The Flamingo edifice — I emotion seeing an aged gathering get caller life.

What is the biggest situation facing your jurisdiction?

Swimming pool: It’s much than 40 years aged and failing. The metropolis is moving connected a onshore woody that would assistance wage for a caller facility.

Conference center: We request a spot that tin big conferences arsenic good arsenic ample gatherings.

Drought: Boulder City is moving connected galore h2o conservation projects and sustainable wastewater solutions.

What manufacture is astir important to your town’s economy? What astir diversifying?

Solar energy. Leases of onshore for star vigor accumulation and retention relationship for much than a 3rd of Boulder City’s revenues.

What accidental does your assemblage supply for nationalist education? What challenges does it face?

We are fortunate to person fantabulous schools, teachers and administration. Since COVID, the biggest challenges person been regarding intelligence health.

What challenges bash your residents look with wellness attraction availability and cost?

Mostly with insurance. We person an aging demographic: the mean property of a Boulder City nonmigratory is 53.

Nevadans person lived with historical drought for the past 2 decades. What initiatives are successful spot to prevention the invaluable commodity of water?

The biggest inaugural close present is we are successful the process of a feasibility survey with SNWA to find a safe, sustainable solution for our wastewater. We expect that to beryllium implicit successful 2024. 

We’ve changed retired sprinkler heads to nonadjustable heads, replaced valves connected manual controllers, are continually monitoring and adjusting sprinklers, developed caller scenery requirements for caller improvement and guidance for parkway landscaping, updated irrigation systems to marque definite the h2o is utilized precisely wherever and erstwhile needed, and metropolis unit is moving with Southern Nevada Water Authority to regenerate nonfunctional writer successful metropolis parks.

What issues are facing your assemblage regarding roads and transportation?

Upkeep for roads: Interstate 11 enhanced our metropolis by diverting the bulk of traffic, but we inactive get millions of visitors connected our roadways each year. We enactment intimately with the Regional Transportation Commission to marque definite our infrastructure is kept harmless and sound.

How tin nationalist information beryllium enhanced successful your community?

Dispatch practice and process. We are appreciative of Henderson and parkland service.

What is 1 happening you privation the remainder of the authorities knew astir your jurisdiction?

Controlled operation residential growth; nary gaming; historical atmosphere, hotel, museum, streets, homes; presumption of Lake Mead and mountains; fantabulous hiking and biking trails, play courses and parks; star fields and vigor development; appreciation for our veterans — home, monuments, cemetery, signs connected Veterans Parkway admit progressive duty; buying and dining; firearm and pistol club; quiescent and harmless with bully schools; airdrome is third-busiest for enplanements; our railroad depository and train; recreational opportunities including pickleball courts; celebrations successful the parkland and parades; and city-owned utilities, water, power, sewer and accessible landfill.