Thanks to the efforts of the Pahrump Alliance Valley Economic Development nonprofit organization, the Pahrump Arts and Recreation Complex (formerly known as the proposed fairgrounds) is taking shape.

Having been given its official moniker of PARC, the town's official economic development entity has been working closely with Leisure and Recreation Concepts Inc. to get the ball rolling on the project's many amenities, not the least of which include the two theme parks PARC is slated to include.

Recently PAVED had a teleconference with Michael Jenkins, president of LARC and George Slavik, architect and designer, during which many of the general ideas for PARC were slightly better defined.

One of the proposed tourist attractions is a Western Heritage Town and the other is a Wild Wet Water Park.

Jenkins told PAVED the Western Heritage Town would be constructed with a sound stage for filming, and the possibility of connecting the theme park to the proposed fairgrounds and arena was also discussed.

LARC has designed arenas that can accommodate anywhere from 2,650 people to more than 8,000 patrons, indicating the size of venues the new arena could potentially host.

Plans for a proposed sports village were also clarified by the two organizations.

The village is expected to accommodate baseball, tennis, volleyball and basketball.

The idea of including soccer fields in the area, however, is still up in the air, due partly to the daunting water usage necessary to keep the fields green (one acre of grass requires five acre feet of water).

On the other hand, it was pointed out, soccer pitches might work well as retention areas for flood runoff.

Plans for a performing arts center were also discussed and look promising.

LARC has a sister company that organizes large touring shows, but Jenkins reminded PAVED those are only cost effective when played to a larger audience.

As such, LARC is looking to possibly develop a theater that seats between 1,600 and 1,800 people.

The Pahrump Arts Council is also interested in that facet of the project, however, and PAVED plans to meet with them in January to discuss their needs and goals.

In addition, plans for an indoor/outdoor amphitheater are in the works.

The proposed stage could include a sliding wall to partition it so equipment could be used from either side.

Balloqui also informed Jenkins that Wulfenstein Construction had expressed interest in building a race track on approximately eight to 10 acres of PARC.

A letter of intent to build a nationally-recognized name brand (as of yet undisclosed) museum is also in the works.