MARK WAITE / PVT Pahrump town economic development director Al Balloqui stands in front of a map of the Pahrump master plan, demonstrating areas available for industrial development east of Highway 160. Advertisement

Pahrump Town Manager Dave Richards recommended Saturday the town board sever ties with the Economic Development Authority of Esmeralda and Nye Counties, or EDEN, and do its own economic development.

An emotional argument ensued between Paula Elefante, executive director of EDEN, and Richards over whether the organization really benefited the town.

The town board took part in a four-hour discussion Saturday afternoon during which newly-appointed volunteer town economic development director Al Balloqui outlined the town's advantages and disadvantages where attracting business it concerned.

Richards had gripes with EDEN about advancing some town projects.

Elefante, EDEN director since 2002, said EDEN is a nonprofit corporation that hasn't received funding from Nye County in a few years.

"I don't know of any business that can do what we do for $50,000," Elefante said. The state economic development grant pays for her salary, a part-time assistant, rent and other expenses. The organization is governed by an inter-local agreement with Esmeralda and Nye counties. Goals are set out in a CEDS, or Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, completed recently.

The mission of EDEN is to assist local businesses with expansion plans and attract new businesses, Elefante said. She said EDEN set up a Web site to provide demographic information to people who select sites for companies.

"A lot of the inquiries I get are from Realtors looking for information, site selectors calling from out of state. I refer them to the Web site," Elefante said.

The town manager wanted more action more impressive than referring companies to a Web site.

Elefante said her CEDS document requires her to contact Nye County if a business wants to locate in Pahrump. If a company needs a location, Elefante said she sends an e-mail to numerous realty agents in town, requesting information on possible properties.

But Pahrump town board member Laurayne Murray told Elefante, "If you get a contact about someone looking for a piece of property, I would want Al (Balloqui) to know."

Richards then broke whatever air of congeniality may have existed with Elefante.

"It appears as if everything is fine between EDEN and the town," he said. "It's not. We can do economic development ourselves. We don't have to go through EDEN."

The inter-local agreement between the town and EDEN would have to be undone, he said. EDEN is recognized by the Nevada Economic Development Administration. He pointed to frustration working through EDEN over an unsuccessful application for a state grant to extend infrastructure to a proposed industrial park east of Highway 160.

Elefante said there wasn't any backup documentation on the infrastructure application for the industrial park. She said a request for a $500,000 grant was wishful thinking, since the state only had $3 million in funding. Elefante added that Balloqui had property in the industrial park. Balloqui retorted that his 20 acres is a small part of the project.

No one from the town was present to argue for the funding before the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, Elefante said. Former Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt asked if the property was privately owned, Elefante replied yes, and the funding was rejected.

Balloqui said when Elefante was approached about extending infrastructure to the industrial park, "She expressed no interest, said time was too short." Balloqui said he hired his own grant writer for that project. Then, when asked for a letter of support from EDEN, was told to wait for their next meeting, which would be 30 days after the deadline for submitting grant applications.

"The town has a comprehensive economic development effort under way," Richards said. "I can give you several examples of fractured effort that are recent memories."

Richards said the town does economic development, EDEN doesn't -- it's more of a facilitator. Richards complained that he didn't know about a proposed Lowe's Home Improvement Center until he read it in the newspaper. He charged EDEN was working on the proposed federal detention facility project for six months before he heard about it.

Richards produced a report from Elefante that EDEN received 84 business inquiries from July through December of 2006. Elefante reported she counselled 34 new business startups during that time. Richards said the town didn't receive any phone calls as a result of those inquiries.

McDonald said the town will have to decide whether EDEN provides it with a useful service.

Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo came to Elefante's defense, saying Corrections Corporation of America, one company bidding to build a 500 bed federal detention facility, requested confidentiality when he first met with them back in January 2006. DeMeo complained he was left out of the loop himself on other companies scouting out Pahrump for a detention facility.

At one point Richards accused DeMeo of thinking he was the most powerful person in the county.

Eventually Pahrump town board Chairman Laurayne Murray had to rap the gavel to quiet the arguing parties.

"I need to nip this in the bud," Murray said. Speaking of the town and EDEN she added, "At this point in time it's clear that it didn't work."

Elefante got in one final remark before leaving the meeting in disgust.

"There is a certain friction between the town manager and I. It goes back to well before you were on the board," she said.

Balloqui told town board members, "If we keep doing what we've been doing, we'll keep getting what we've gotten'."

The town of Pahrump needs infrastructure, Balloqui said, outlining all the hurdles for a company to locate in Pahrump. Balloqui said a proposed 20-acre industrial park would include 300,000 square feet of office and industrial space for prospective businesses. But the purchase of 11-acre feet of water rights alone would cost $14.3 million.

Pahrump doesn't lie on an interstate highway or have natural gas, Balloqui said. There's no railroad, nor is there an airport, though Richards said the Federal Aviation Administration has talked about funding the Pahrump Airport project in 2010. Balloqui said he is concerned the town could lose the Nye County Fairgrounds site if it isn't developed soon.

Pahrump town board member John McDonald said the town doesn't have a skilled work force either.

"We have a hard marketing job here, and through this discussion I see we have too much dissension," McDonald said.

Balloqui called the federal detention center "the hottest thing on economic development right now." He said it would create 150 jobs.

Balloqui outlined three sites of county or town owned land for the detention center, which would require 40 acres. A site next to the landfill on East Mesquite Avenue offered the best location, he said.

A site on 80 acres near Homestead and Kellogg roads would arouse too much opposition from nearby residents, Balloqui said. Another site on Simkins Road near Panorama Road east of Highway 160 lacks infrastructure.

DeMeo said if Nye County would build the jail and lease it to the U.S. Marshals Service, it would ensure the deputies would live in Nye County. Balloqui said a large percentage of the employees for the company he's working with, Geo Group Inc., would reside in Nye County.

Balloqui admitted the detention center could affect neighboring property values and create a stigma for the community. Murray wanted a town role in determining whether a federal detention center should be built in Pahrump at all.

"This is absolutely a deal that if it is something we want to happen, we have to cooperate or it's not going to happen," Murray said.