Nye County Commission Chairman Gary Hollis said he felt offended his plan for moving county offices into modular buildings and the Calvada Eye has been scrapped in favor of a committee composed of county department heads and elected officials.

Commissioner Butch Borasky meanwhile felt a more long-range look at county building needs is required.

Bob Jones, county facilities manager, suggested the health and human services department, the health nurse, veterans' services, county administration, finance officer, human resources and commissioners have offices at the refurbished Calvada Eye building.

The Marilynn Gallivan complex at 250 N. Highway 160 could house planning and public works. The government complex at 1520 E. Basin Avenue would be the home of justice and district court, the clerk's office, district attorney's offices and the information technology department.

Hollis had plans to move the district attorney's office to the Calvada Eye. District Attorney Bob Beckett still has an interest in moving his department there.

"I go out, think of an idea and then I get hit with this committee. I wish I hadn't of voted for it. The idea of where departments go is the responsibility of the county commission," Hollis said "When you have a committee out there who are looking for their best interest and not what's good for the county I have a problem with that."

Commissioner Joni Eastley strongly disagreed.

"Some of our county employees have been working in these jobs for 20 years or more. I don't want to be the person to have to tell them where to go," Eastley said.

She added county employees who work in an office eight hours per day should be housed in an area that will give them the optimum opportunity to work with each other.

Beckett said he gave his word to Hollis a year ago the district attorney's office would move down to the Calvada Eye. But he agreed to abide by what the committee decides. Beckett said he has 19 full-time employees and some part-time employees who are crowded into their courthouse offices.

"We can hang on for six months. We can't hang on for another year. I can't ask employees to do that. Right now they're seeing light at the end of the tunnel," Beckett said.

Eastley cautioned Beckett this isn't a "Band-Aid" solution. When the district attorney's office moves, and becomes separated from the courts, they won't be moving back in a year or two, she said.

"When district court was at the duck pond, we made it work," Beckett replied. That was when the county courthouse was closed due to mold in 2001-2002.

Jones said the county assessor and treasurer will be able to move out to modular buildings behind the courthouse before the Calvada Eye is ready. The county clerk's office could then move across the hall to the assessor's office and a wall could be knocked down allowing the district attorney's offices to expand into what is now the county clerk's offices.

"How do you build three courtrooms without moving the district attorney's office?" Hollis asked.

The idea about expanding the courthouse began when the juvenile judge wanted a place to hold court, Hollis said. In addition, a second justice of the peace is needed when the population of Pahrump exceeds 34,000, and there is a possibility a second district court judge may be headquartered in Pahrump.

"The thing we need to remind ourselves of is Commissioner Hollis said this is his project," Eastley said.

Borasky said he requested to be part of the committee researching uses for the buildings but was left out of the discussions.

"I may only be a junior commissioner, being here six months, but I do have 35 years experience in site development, how to place buildings on a property. There's a lot of room on the county complex property right now if someone would take the opportunity to look at the site. I've made this suggestion before and been ignored," Borasky said.